Risk Sources Affecting the Asset Management Decision-Making Process in Manufacturing: A Systematic Review of the Literature

Part 4: Product and Asset Life Cycle Management in Smart Factories of Industry 4.0International audienceAsset Management (AM) is promising for value creation from assets in the long term. A major concern to this end relates with the capabilities to achieve effective AM decision-making at every organisational level, i.e. operational, tactical, and strategical. Therefore, the goal of this research, grounded on a systematic literature review, is to identify which are the main sources of uncertainty that may influence the achievement of AM system related objectives and, as such, should be taken into consideration in a risk-informed decision-making process. Taking the manufacturing sector as a reference, the risk sources addressed by the extant literature are identified and mapped against a reference classification scheme. As a result, the research offers a comprehensive framework where risk sources, affecting the AM decision-making process, are systematically mapped. Information management is found to be the main risk source when making asset-related decisions

An assessment of the risk of Bt-cowpea to non-target organisms in West Africa

Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata Walp.) is the most economically important legume crop in arid regions of sub-Saharan Africa. Cowpea is grown primarily by subsistence farmers who consume the leaves, pods and grain on farm or sell grain in local markets. Processed cowpea foods such as akara (a deep-fat fried fritter) are popular in the rapidly expanding urban areas. Demand far exceeds production due, in part, to a variety of insect pests including, in particular, the lepidopteran legume pod borer (LPB) Maruca vitrata. Genetically engineered Bt-cowpea, based on cry1Ab (Event 709) and cry2Ab transgenes, is being developed for use in sub-Saharan Africa to address losses from the LBP. Before environmental release of transgenic cowpeas, the Bt Cry proteins they express need to be assessed for potential effects on non-target organisms, particularly arthropods. Presented here is an assessment of the potential effects of those Cry proteins expressed in cowpea for control of LPB. Based on the history of safe use of Bt proteins, as well as the fauna associated with cultivated and wild cowpea in sub-Saharan Africa results indicate negligible effects on non-target organisms

Production And Evaluation Of Doughnuts And Biscuits From Maize – Pigeon Pea Flour Blends

Flour blends of maize and pigeon pea were composite at replacement levels of 10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, 50%, 60%, 70%, 80% and 90%. The nutrient contents of the flour blends were determined using standard methods. The various flour blends were used for the preparation of doughnuts and biscuits. These products were analyzed for their proximate composition and sensory attributes. The protein content of the blends increased steadily with increasing content of pigeon pea flour (PPF) (9.05% in 90:10.MF: PPF to 22.72%in 10:90,MF:PPF) while carbohydrate decreased . Similarly the protein content of the biscuits and doughnuts increased with increasing supplementation with pigeon pea. Protein contents in biscuit increased from 8.76% in 90:10, MF:PPF to 14.83% in 10:90, MF:PPF samples. Corresponding figures for doughnuts were 9.13% to 16.45%. Biscuits made from either maize flour (MF) alone or wheat flour alone were more generally accepted than those made from the various blends (p0.05). Key words: Biscuits, doughnuts, Sensory evaluation, maize-pigeon pea flour blends. Nigerian Food Journal Vol.22 2004: 147-15

The policy delphi method: contribution to policy and strategy within energy organisations: a 2013 Malaysian case study with global implications

The policy delphi method is a process that seeks to generate the strongest possible opposing views on the potential resolutions of a major policy issue, such as strategy and policy for infrastructure and engineering asset management within asset-intensive organisations. The objectives of the policy delphi method are to: ensure that all possible options have been tabled for consideration, estimate the impact and consequences of any particular option, and to examine and estimate the acceptability of all the individual options. The committee process is commonly used to address a wide range of issues and decisions within organisations at management and operational levels. Committees dominate governance and management within nearly all types of organisations, however, it has been argued that the committee approach no longer functions as effectively in the realm of policy formulation as it once may have due to a lack of adequate structure for discussion. Due to the disadvantages of the Committee process, this research investigated the relevance and effectiveness of the policy delphi method in 2013 within the leading Malaysian energy organisation, with the provision of this practical case study of a policy delphi to elaborate the efficacy of this method for asset intensive organisations to develop strategy and policy

Modified Bautista–Manero (MBM) modelling for hyperbolic contraction–expansion flows

In this study, modelling of network-structured material flow is considered through a rounded-corner, hyperbolic 4:1:4 contraction-expansion geometry, under axisymmetric configuration. Three representative constitutive models are adopted to represent networked behaviour and to investigate the flow of wormlike micellar fluids in this context. This includes the MBM model (for base thixotropic properties), some newly proposed micellar models (NM_τp & NM_T; for advanced thixotropic modelling), and the EPPT model (for contrast against non-thixotropic properties). In this configuration, emphasis is placed upon interpretation of flow behaviour for these constitutive models, against their response in simple rheometrical flows. To best determine the factors that contribute to epd-prediction, current findings have also been contrasted against those reported earlier in Lopez-Aguilar et al. [1], for the counterpart abrupt rounded-corner, axisymmetric 4:1:4 contraction-expansion flow