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Waste minimization by inventory management in high-volume high-complexity manufacturing organizations
Get PDFOrganizations that manufacture high volumes of complex products (e.g., pharmaceutical, automotive, food) require specific strategies to ensure efficient processing of parts and a sustainable level of inventory by waste minimization. A review of literature sources revealed how inventory is classified and managed amongst organizations and industries and key challenges that current organizations face with existing inventory management systems. In this paper, these findings are compared against each other to determine best practices and potential shortfalls that should be addressed when trying to manage inventory holistically. A study is then conducted using qualitative data from 15 semi-structured interviews to answer key questions on inventory management based on the findings from the literature survey. Responses are inductively coded and analyzed to reveal the most important factors of inventory management and determine the most prominent themes. A graphical model to represent the findings is also presented. Inventory functional accountability, inventory classification, operational strategies, visual management of inventory data, and efficient processes were some of the key themes known to be critical for effective inventory management and thus illustrated in the graphical model.18th Global Conference on Sustainable Manufacturing (GCSM 2022) Manufacturing Driving Circular Econom
Pharma 4.0: revealing drivers of the digital transformation in the pharma sector
Get PDFThe primary goal of this paper was to uncover the drivers of digital transformation (DT) in the pharmaceutical industry. The Covid-19 pandemic and tightening regulatory standards in the global pharma industry necessitated pharma executives need to understand the most critical drivers of digitalizing the sector and charting a new path that improves production processes and streamlines these companies’ overall supply chain. This research aims to identify the drivers for DT in the pharmaceutical industry. The Web of Science Core Collection and Scopus gathered relevant data for the research study. The research employs objective analysis to ensure that more reliable conclusions were drawn following the study. The study also proposed that external and internal factors, such as supply chain difficulties and data silos, impact DT adoption in the pharmaceutical sector.18th Global Conference on Sustainable Manufacturing (GCSM 2022)Lecture Notes in Mechanical Engineerin
A bi-objective decision support tool based on system dynamics and discrete event modelling for sustainable supply chain
Get PDFBased on the development trend of sustainable concepts and the implement ability of composites combined with Agave Bagasse Fibre (ABF) and Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET). The purpose of this paper is to design a bi-objective decision support tool for supply chain of composite material which combined with ABF and PET. Through the production, processing, recycling, and reprocessing of composite materials, the sustainable supply chain model of four different schemes is designed, and the data results of each scheme model are calculated and analysed. The tool can support supply chain modelling solutions that seek best practices for sustainable supply chains and optimize resource efficiency through cost and carbon dioxide emissions. The sustainable supply chain model was designed, created, and optimized in AnyLogic software using System Dynamics and Discrete Event Simulation modelling methods based on the supply chain model established by previous researchers. According to the analysis results of the model data, the reasonable design of the whole process can effectively reduce the cost and carbon dioxide emissions and achieve the effectiveness and implementation of the sustainable supply chain. The results of this study will provide reference for more sustainable supply chain models in the future. Further research on composite materials can be carried out by combining with practice.Circular Econom
Revitalising metallic materials: a path towards a sustainable circular economy
Get PDFImproving materials’ productivity and reusability can advance circularity by reducing extraction and enabling efficient fully recyclable parts and systems. However, the pursuit of circular materials often focuses on the choice among reusing, repairing, or recycling materials, with limited consideration for techniques that can proactively revitalise materials. Consequently, the adoption of preventive material therapies remain relatively scarce and unexplored. This work discusses the potential for revitalising metallic materials with preventive maintenance prior to detectable damage and we identify techniques that can effectively prolong the structural lifespan of metallic components. By analysing the literature and considering the eco-footprint and implementation feasibility within the aerospace sector, this study ranks approaches based on their circularity impact and provides valuable insights to guide future research in the field of materials maintenance.Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC): CENTSSustainabilit
A machine learning approach for resource mapping analysis of greenhouse gas removal technologies
Get PDFIn this study, machine learning (ML) was applied to investigate the suitability of a location to deploy five greenhouse gas removal (GGR) methods within a global context, based on a location's bio-geophysical and techno-economic characteristics. The GGR methods considered are forestation, enhanced weathering (EW), direct air carbon capture and storage (DACCS), bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) and biochar. An unsupervised ML (hierarchical clustering) technique was applied to label the dataset. Seven supervised ML algorithms were applied in training and testing the labelled dataset with the k-Nearest neighbour (k-NN), Artificial Neural Network (ANN) and Random Forest algorithms having the highest performance accuracies of 96%, 98% and 100% respectively. A case study of Scotland's suitability to deploy these GGR methods was carried out with obtained results indicating a high correlation between the ML model results and information in the available literature. While the performance accuracy of the ML models was typically high (76 - 100%), an assessment of its decision-making logic (model interpretation) revealed some limitations regarding the impact of the various input variables on the outputs.Energy and Climate Chang
Designing evolving cyber-physical-social systems: computational research opportunities
Get PDFIn the context of the theme for this special issue, namely, challenges and opportunities in computing research to enable next generation engineering applications, our intent in writing this paper is to seed the dialog on furthering computing research associated with the design of cyber-physical-social systems. Cyber-Physical-Social Systems (CPSS's) are natural extensions of Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS's) that add the consideration of human interactions and cooperation with cyber systems and physical systems. CPSS's are becoming increasingly important as we face challenges such as regulating our impact on the environment, eradicating disease, transitioning to digital and sustainable manufacturing, and improving healthcare. Human stakeholders in these systems are integral to the effectiveness of these systems. One of the key features of CPSS is that the form, structure, and interactions constantly evolve to meet changes in the environment. Design of evolving CPSS include making tradeoffs amongst the cyber, the physical, and the social systems. Advances in computing and information science have given us opportunities to ask difficult, and important questions, especially those related to cyber-physical-social systems. In this paper we identify research opportunities worth investigating. We start with theoretical and mathematical frameworks for identifying and framing the problem – specifically, problem identification and formulation, data management, CPSS modeling and CPSS in action. Then we discuss issues related to the design of CPSS including decision making, computational platform support, and verification and validation. Building on this foundation, we suggest a way forward.Journal of Computing and Information Science in Engineerin
Climate change: strategies for mitigation and adaptation
Get PDFThe sustainability of life on Earth is under increasing threat due to human-induced climate change. This perilous change in the Earth's climate is caused by increases in carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, primarily due to emissions associated with burning fossil fuels. Over the next two to three decades, the effects of climate change, such as heatwaves, wildfires, droughts, storms, and floods, are expected to worsen, posing greater risks to human health and global stability. These trends call for the implementation of mitigation and adaptation strategies. Pollution and environmental degradation exacerbate existing problems and make people and nature more susceptible to the effects of climate change. In this review, we examine the current state of global climate change from different perspectives. We summarize evidence of climate change in Earth’s spheres, discuss emission pathways and drivers of climate change, and analyze the impact of climate change on environmental and human health. We also explore strategies for climate change mitigation and adaptation and highlight key challenges for reversing and adapting to global climate change.The Innovation Geoscienc
Damage and energy absorption behaviour of composite laminates under impact loading using different impactor geometries
Get PDFThe present paper compares the damage and energy absorption behaviour of composites subjected to low-velocity impact using different frontal geometries for the impactor, with the composites possessing a layup of [02/902]2s. In this study, the rigid impactors with either round-nosed or flat-ended frontal geometry are employed to perform drop-weight tests at various impact energies ranging from 10 to 30 J. The measured loading response and energy absorption are analysed and compared. Additionally, the types and extent of impact-induced damage in the composite specimens are assessed via ultrasonic C-scan, optical microscopy (OM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) studies. It is shown that the impact energy threshold for damage initiation is greater than 20 J when using the flat-ended impactor but is less than 10 J when using the round-nosed impactor. In both cases, delamination initiates between the plies in the composite laminate. However, for the flat-ended impactor, the damage behaviour of the fibres exhibits kinking fracture, which differs from the pull-out fibre-fracture caused by the round-nosed impactor. These differences in behaviour are attributed to impactor/composite contact geometry effects which leads to different extents of indentation damage, which in turn directly affects the degree of delamination and fibre damage in the composite.Composite Structure
Hydrodynamics (Reynolds number) determine scaling, nucleation and crystal growth kinetics in membrane distillation crystallisation
Get PDFReynolds number (Re) has been previously related to several scaling mitigation and crystallisation strategies that offer distinct hypotheses for how Re may regulate the kinetics of nucleation and crystal growth in membrane crystallisation. Such ambiguity has arisen from the present inability to discretely characterise induction time in membrane systems. This study therefore introduces techniques for the detection of induction time, with measurements used to develop a modified power-law relation between nucleation rate and supersaturation to establish how Re can be used to adjust nucleation kinetics. Increasing Re enhanced mass and heat transfer processes which raised permeate flux. The interfacial supersaturation set by the increase in flux, also modified the supersaturation rate at induction for crystals formed in the bulk solution, providing the first direct evidence that it is the supersaturation level set within the boundary layer which controls primary nucleation in the bulk solution. Bulk nucleation rate can therefore be adjusted in proportion to Re. While the extent of scaling was also determined by the interfacial supersaturation set by Re, its formation was shown to be more dependent on the interfacial diffusion coefficient which regulates solute backtransport and the activation energy for nucleation. Through this work we suggest that the nucleation mechanisms underlying scale formation and bulk crystallisation are distinct. The regulation of nucleation rate in the bulk solution by Re is described analytically through classical nucleation theory, while scaling can be mitigated through operation below a critical threshold supersaturation value that determines the rate and type of scaling that prevails. These seemingly distinct strategies can be combined through modifications to T and dT with Re to suppress scaling and offer refined control over the kinetics of nucleation and crystal growth.Journal of Membrane Scienc
An interactive framework to facilitate probabilistic set-based multidisciplinary design optimisation studies
Get PDF12th EASN International Conference on "Innovation in Aviation & Space for Opening New Horizons" 2022, 18-21 October 2022, Barcelona, SpainThe upcoming stringent environmental aircraft regulations and the environmental, social and governance (ESG) framework targeting net zero emissions has forced aircraft manufacturers to seek innovative feasible technical solutions. Often, there is the need to consider entirely radical solutions, such as hybrid-electric aircraft, which are not fully understood when compared with conventional kerosene driven aircraft. The recent development of a probabilistic set-based multidisciplinary optimisation methodology has demonstrated the ability to explore trade-offs when the requirements are uncertain. In this way, the weaknesses and potential to enable the feasibility of hybrid-electric aircraft can be studied from a systems perspective but maintaining the connection with more detailed trade-off studies of components of the sub-systems. We have developed an interactive interface, where the user is guided through the steps of the design methodology and the produced data is visualised to aid an informative decision-making process. In our illustrative case study, decision-makers are enabled to interactively explore the hybrid-electric propulsion design space while considering the impact to the figures of merit from expected improvements in the coming years of key enabling technologies, such as energy storage.12th EASN International Conference on "Innovation in Aviation & Space for Opening New Horizons" 2022Journal of Physics: Conference Serie