Methods for complex decisions on agricultural investment

Complex decisions on technical investments determine the activity and future success of the enterprises of the agricultural sector. The preparation and formation of the investment and the selection of the final version are essential for both the companies and the national economy. The primary objective of this paper is to develop the decision making process, particularly focusing on the investment efficiency aspects. Our Institute (Institute of Engineering Management) has been doing researches for several decades on agricultural investments. The earlier created theoretical model has been developed in several aspects. The new model will contribute to a more accurate foundation of the agricultural investments and hopefully to a more efficient utilization of the financial resources. One of the most difficult tasks of the enterprises is to find the right way and tools from the business strategy goals to the actual development plans. Most of the SME-s do not consider important to have a written plan. Determining the content, the volume and the quality of the project result requires great caution due to the agricultural particularities and to the multifunctional characters of the agricultural activities. This paper focuses on the new elements and the practical utilization of the developed model. The decision preparation model consists of seven steps which are briefly presente

A mezőgazdasági gépesítési problémák megoldásának elvi és módszertani megalapozása a kis- és középvállalkozásokban = Theoretical and practical foundation of the solution of farm machinery problems in the small and medium size enterprises

A kutatás elsődleges céljának megfelelően olyan gépesítésfejlesztési módszertant hoztunk létre, amely alkalmas a mezőgazdasági kis- és középvállalkozások gépparkjának összeállítására, illetve a már meglévő géppark racionális fejlesztésére. Továbbfejlesztettük a termeléstechnológiák tervezésének módszertanát. Kidolgoztuk a géprendszer-tervezés alapjául szolgáló "mérleg-egyenlet" alkalmazási feltételeit és erre építve modellszámításokat végezve igazoltuk módszertanunk használhatóságát. A kialakított módszertan használata nem igényel jelentős számítógépes tudást és kapacitást, továbbá speciális előismereteket. Próbaszámításaink és azok gyakorlati kontrollja alapján jó esélyt látunk arra, hogy a kutatás eredményei a mezőgazdasági kis- és középvállalkozók körében érdeklődésre tartsanak számot. | According to the primary objective of the research, we developed such methodology for machinery development that is suitable to arrange and rationally develop the machinery stock of the small and medium-size agricultural enterprises (farms). We improved the planning methodology of the production technologies. We developed the application conditions of the 'scale equation' that is the base for machinery system planning. We justified the applicability of our methodology by model calculations based on the 'scale equation'. The use of this methodology does not require special computer skill and capacity or special preliminary studies. According to our calculations and their practical control, we truly think that the small and medium-size agricultural enterprises will be interested in the results

Industry 4.0 as a Key Enabler toward Successful Implementation of Total Quality Management Practices

Industry 4.0 refers to the new technological development occurred at the industrial production systems. It evolved as a result of integrating Internet of Things, Cyber-Physical Systems, Big-Data, Artificial Intelligence, and Cloud Computing in the industrial systems. This integration aided new capabilities to achieve a higher level of business excellence, efficiency, and effectiveness. Total Quality Management (TQM) is a managerial approach to achieve an outstanding business excellence. There are several approaches to apply TQM principles at any organization. Industry 4.0 could be utilized as a key enabler for TQM especially by integrating its techniques with the TQM best practices. This paper suggests a theoretical framework for integrating Industry 4.0 features with the TQM principles (according to ISO 9000:2015 standards family) in order to open the door for further research to address the real impact of utilizing Industry 4.0 for serving the TQM implementation approaches

Implementing the Augmented Reality as an Industry 4.0 Application to Simplify the Busbar Bending Process during the Covid-19 Pandemic

Skilled operators have a vital role in Industry 4.0 manufacturing, especially in a small manufacturing environment. To implement Industry 4.0 concepts, it is necessary to find an innovative solution that will improve the skills of operators in manufacturing. Augmented reality (AR) has become a part of this innovative solution by providing interactive live guidance, i.e. easy transfer of information to operator, especially the production, assembly and maintenance information. This paper demonstrates a simple method for implementing AR, particularly in small enterprises. It also shows benefits of implementing AR: the production quality is improved by offering an interactive and reliable training for technicians to improve their skills, which leads to the minimisation of errors occurring during the production. Moreover, this paper sheds light on the industry trends during the COVID-19 pandemic and presents the effectiveness of augmented reality during the pandemic. A real example has been implemented on a busbar bending process in order to simplify the task of the operator especially when the complex bent shape is produced