Search Results (957)

This study examines the defection patterns of post-paid telephone customers based on migrant status and season-wise acquisition using the Weibull model. Data from 48,666 post-paid customers were extracted from the data warehouse of a telephone company in Nepal. After pre-processing, the migrant status and season of acquisition for 48,583 customers were identified. Survival analysis was then conducted using the Kaplan–Meier (K-M) method to estimate the hazard of defection. Finally, the Weibull model was applied to analyse defection patterns concerning migrant status, default status, and season-wise acquisition in relation to survival periods. The results indicate that migrant customers have a significantly higher probability of defection compared to non-migrant customers. Additionally, the season of acquisition has a notable impact on customer survival duration. The study also highlights a higher risk of involuntary defection among migrant customers. These findings can inform the development of marketing strategies aimed at improving customer retention and acquisition in the telecommunications sector. Moreover, the model and methodology employed in this research can be extended to other marketing contexts. Full article

The human manual order-picking process in the warehouse is still the leading method despite increasing automation. This manual process is supported by indicating and receipt systems to reduce the order-picking time and the number of errors. Many studies in the literature compare the Pick-by-Light system with the Pick-by-Paper and other systems, and it is more challenging to study the Pick-by-Point system. This paper presents the results of laboratory comparative studies of the most straightforward Pick-by-Paper system with Pick-by-Light and Pick-by-Point systems supported by receipt systems. In the case of the Pick-by-Light system, the receipt system is a button on the module that the picker presses to confirm the pick-up of an item. In the case of Pick-by-Point, the receipt system is a wrist scanner that the picker uses to confirm the pick-up of an item. A total of 71 people participated in the study. Participants completed five orders with five items per system. Comparisons were made of the time it took to pick the orders with the support of these systems, the number of errors made, ergonomics, and the speed of adaptation for new employees without experience. A person with nine years of experience in the picking process took part in the study, whose order-picking times were compared with those of the others. In the study, the Pick-by-Light system proved to be the fastest regarding order picking and the adaptation of new employees. On the other hand, the Pick-by-Point system was the most error-proof. Full article

The food supply chain (FSC) faces significant challenges, including the short shelf life of products, stringent food safety standards, and the growing demand for online ordering. These challenges underscore the need for a resilient and sustainable FSC, particularly in the confectionery industry, which is further burdened by the demand for innovative and healthier products. The aim of this paper is to optimize material handling activities in warehouse operations within the confectionery industry by ranking and selecting adequate material handling equipment (MHE). This paper proposes a novel hybrid multi-criteria decision-making model that integrates the Simple Aggregation of Preferences Expressed by Ordinal Vectors Group Decision Making (SAPEVO-M), Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process (FAHP), and Fuzzy COmprehensive distance-Based Ranking (FCOBRA) methods. The model was applied to a real-world case study involving four alternative solutions and twelve defined evaluation criteria. The application of the model identified the implementation of an Automated Guided Vehicle system (AGVs) as the optimal alternative, offering substantial automation of logistics activities and addressing identified company challenges. The engagement of AGVs is estimated to reduce operational costs by 20%, improve warehouse operation efficiency by 30%, and decrease CO₂ emissions by 25%. The contribution of this paper lies in the development of a methodological framework for evaluating and selecting MHE, as well as in highlighting the importance of optimizing material handling processes in the confectionery industry. Full article

Parcel delivery networks have grown rapidly during the last few years due to the intensive evolution of online marketplaces. We address the issue of managing the operation of a network’s pick-up point, including the selection of the warehouse’s capacity and the policy for accepting orders for delivery. The existence of the time lag between order placing and delivery to the pick-up point is accounted for via modeling the order’s processing as the service in the dual tandem queueing system. Distinguishing features of this tandem queue are the account of possible irregularity in order generation via consideration of the versatile Markov arrival process and the possibilities of batch transfer of the orders to the pick-up point, group withdrawal of orders there, and client no-show. To reduce the probability of an order rejection at the pick-up point due to the overflow of the warehouse, a threshold strategy of order admission at the first stage on a tandem is proposed. Under the fixed value of the threshold, tandem operation is described by the continuous-time multidimensional Markov chain with a block lower Hessenberg structure for the generator. Stationary performance measures of the tandem system are calculated. Numerical results highlight the dependence of these measures on the capacity of the warehouse and the admission threshold. The possibility of the use of the results for managerial goals is demonstrated. In particular, the results can be used for the optimal selection of the capacity of a warehouse and the policy of suspending order admission. Full article

Background: Food insecurity is a major global problem, with over 2.8 billion people reported as unable to afford a healthy diet in 2022. While charitable food assistance programs (CFAPs) play an important role in improving food access, ensuring the quality and safety of donated foods is crucial for safeguarding needy communities from food-related illnesses. This study evaluated the safety and quality of food donations at a food bank warehouse in the eThekwini District using a novel methodology. Methods: In March 2024, a five-day audit was conducted at a food bank warehouse in the eThekwini District, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. A mobile device was utilized to document comprehensive information on all incoming deliveries, including the type of food, product details (such as brand, name, and variety), donor information, weight, and date markings. The audit assessed 1037 items, totaling 64,818 kg of donated food, against established food safety standards. Each item was visually inspected upon arrival and classified as ‘unsuitable’, ‘potentially unsafe’, or ‘unsafe’ for human consumption. Results: Out of the 64,818 kg of donated food, 95.5% (61,886 kg) was deemed satisfactory. However, 4.5% of the total, which amounts to 2932 kg, was categorized as either unsafe (355 kg), potentially unsafe (1182 kg), or unsuitable (1395 kg) for consumption. Retail supermarkets donated the largest weight of food, and also of the food classified as unsafe or unsuitable. Conclusions: The study highlights an urgent need for improved quality control and safety measures in food donations to CFAPs. Stricter handling and inspection guidelines are essential to ensure the quality of charitable food, reduce health risks, and build public trust in donation programs. Full article

Solar power is widely regarded as one of the most promising renewable resources for generating electricity and reducing building energy consumption. Logistics parks, with their low-rise buildings and extensive rooftop areas, offer significant advantages for solar energy utilization via rooftop photovoltaics (PVs). However, limited research has been conducted on the proper operational principles and optimized control strategies for the PV systems of logistics parks, particularly regarding the mismatch between power generation and the loads of various building types under varying climatic conditions. This study proposes four optimal PV operation strategies for large-scale logistics parks across diverse climatic regions, developed using a multi-criteria optimization approach. The strategies optimize the azimuth and tilt angles of PV panels under four adjustment frequencies: annual, semi-annual, seasonal, and monthly. The investigated strategies are validated in a 5500 m² logistics park, comprising refrigerated storage, warehouses, sorting centers, and other facilities. The results indicate that the proposed strategies outperform conventional fixed-angle approaches, with the monthly adjustment strategy delivering the best performance. Economic costs are reduced by 9.26–17.02%, while self-sufficiency can be improved by 2.00–7.08%. Cold regions with high solar radiation show particularly significant benefits, with self-consumption increasing by 82.44–359.04%. This study provides valuable insights and practical guidelines for optimizing PV system operations in logistics parks, offering enhanced energy efficiency and cost-effectiveness. Full article

In the municipality of La Granja d’Escarp, for over thirty years, an important natural cement factory was in operation. In 1876, the Girona family, who were businessmen and bankers from Barcelona, opened the factory with modern industrial facilities. It included kilns, mills, and crushers, alongside warehouses, a small railway for internal transportation of the various materials used, and even a housing area for workers. The neighboring Ebro River allowed distribution by river transport at first. Later, with the use of railways, transport to consumption points was possible. This industrial complex became a center of significant importance in Catalonia in the production of cement, which was used for building hydraulic and civil works. During the first decade of the twentieth century, the factory stopped its activity and the facilities were abandoned. Nowadays, this industrial heritage site is in a state of neglect, without any kind of protection or maintenance. In turn, this has caused the collapse of some buildings in recent times and the loss of historical value of the architectural ensemble. We have carried out initial geomatic research, which has highlighted the constructive properties of the kilns. We have also tested five samples from different buildings using XRD and TGA/DSC, which showed the use of lime mortars in their construction. This is the first study to be carried out at this site, with the aim of showing the historical importance of the ensemble. The goal of the study was to highlight the value of this industrial heritage site and illustrate that it was once a pioneer in the production of natural cement and a driving force for Catalonia. Full article

Business intelligence is the process and methods that enable businesses to effectively analyze large amounts of data and transform it into meaningful information, helping to increase efficiency and productivity in businesses, thus enabling businesses to gain competitive advantage. In this context, business intelligence improves data management and decision-making processes and plays a critical role in strategic management. The main purpose of this study is to analyze the transition process of business intelligence solutions in financial institutions in detail, to increase efficiency in reporting processes, and to optimize decision-making processes. The study examines the ‘Cheque Report’, which reports the status of cheques in XY Financial Institution. Within the scope of the study, the transition process to business intelligence in the financial institution examined the ‘Cheque Report’ in three stages: in the first stage, reports were prepared manually; in the second stage, they were prepared with PL/SQL, and in the last stage, they were prepared with a business intelligence solution, and their outputs were compared. As a result, it was observed that with the use of business intelligence, fast and direct access to reports, data security, freedom from person dependency, and efficiency in internal information sharing are provided. Full article

Cyperus esculentus L. var sativus is cultivated in Spain, only in the L’Horta Nord in the Valencia region. In this country, tubers are consumed fresh to make a popular beverage in the Valencia region called “horchata de chufa” (chufa milk). This drink is considered beneficial for human health thanks to its high nutritional value and medicinal importance in several treatments. This work evaluates the antifungal potential of the Thymus zygis essential oil against fungi found in tiger nut warehouses to preserve tubers under the best conditions. The analyzed commercial thyme essential oil belongs to the thymol/p-cymene/γ-terpinene chemotype. Thymol was found in larger quantities (51.34%), followed by the identified biogenetic precursors p-cymene (35.16%) and γ-terpinene (3.53%). Carvacrol also appeared, but in small quantities (3.53%). During in vitro tests, the T. zygis EO showed strong inhibition (98.85% to 91.81% MGI) against fungi Alternaria alternata, Fusarium andiyazi, Fusarium incarnatum, and Fusarium oxysporum at 300 µg/mL. It totally inhibited their growth (100% MGI) at 400 µg/mL, and did so strongly (75.94%, 72.02%, and 70.78%) with fungi Podospora australis, Penicillium commune, and Cladosporium subuliforme, respectively. Under in vivo conditions, formulated as a protective biofilm, and by forcing the environmental conditions of temperature and humidity to the maximum for fungus F. andiyazi growth on tiger nut tubers, the created film acted as a strong protector against fungal attacks. Full article

Psocids are difficult to manage using grain protectants and phosphine hence research on non-chemical control methods. This study evaluated the effectiveness of Xylocoris flavipes (Reuter) (Hemiptera: Anthocoridae) at managing Liposcelis decolor (Pearman) (Psocodea: Liposcelididae). The functional responses of adult♀ and nymphs of X. flavipes on a diet of nymphs, adult♂, and adult♀ of L. decolor were determined under laboratory conditions at 28 ± 1 °C, 63 ± 5% RH, and a 0:24 (L:D) photoperiod. Maximum likelihood estimates (MLEs) of a logistic regression analysis showed that the functional responses of the life stages of X. flavipes on diets of three stages of L. decolor were Holling Type II. Estimates of the attack rate (a), handling time (Th), maximum predation (K) per day, and predation efficiency (η) per day for the two predator life stages against each prey life stage showed that the adult♀ X. flavipes predation rate was better compared with the nymphs. The adult♀ X. flavipes per capita consumption rate and searching efficiency were also higher than those of the nymphs. The data showed adults of L. decolor are more favorable for adult♀ X. flavipes whereas their nymphs prefer nymphs of L. decolor. Field evaluation of X. flavipes is required for their incorporation into psocid pest management. Full article

The aging process of bourbon within rickhouses is influenced by various environmental factors, including temperature, humidity, air flow, and air quality. Most rickhouses are not climate-controlled, and natural ventilation is a major contributor to airflow. The corrosion of the steel hoops on bourbon barrels occurs due to the presence of ethyl alcohol vapors and has become an issue for the distilling industry. The loss of a barrel or product is the loss of all of the energy and materials that went into the distillation, as well as the removal of the barrel from the secondary market. Despite the large economic and sustainability impact of barrel losses, there is limited published research with respect to corrective actions. This paper investigates airflow patterns within a bourbon rickhouse using a combination of differential pressure surveys and smoke tracing techniques to understand how natural ventilation impacts the aging process and potential for corrosion. A newly constructed rickhouse was surveyed using a micro-manometer to measure differential pressure and a sheet laser with smoke to visualize airflow. This study revealed significant zones of stagnant air and minimal recirculation within the ricks, which are the structures that hold the bourbon barrels. Airflow was found to primarily enter through windows and ground vents, moving along the walkways before exiting through other openings, with minimal penetration into the ricks. Differential pressure measurements generally indicated a lack of significant airflow, while smoke tracing showed that air entering the side of the building does not circulate into the ricks. This lack of airflow promotes the separation of ethyl alcohol vapor due to density, leading to its accumulation on the floor of the ricks. The findings of this study highlight the need to consider how rickhouse design impacts airflow and the potential for the corrosion of metal hoops on barrels due to the presence of ethyl alcohol vapor, and provide insight into optimizing the ventilation of rickhouses for more efficient and sustainable bourbon maturation. Full article

Predictive maintenance in manufacturing industry applications is a challenging research field. Packaging machines are widely used in a large number of logistic companies’ warehouses and must be working uninterruptedly. Traditionally, preventive maintenance strategies have been carried out to improve the performance of these machines. However, these kinds of policies do not take into account the information provided by the sensors implemented in the machines. This paper presents an expert system for the automatic estimation of work orders to implement predictive maintenance policies for packaging machines. The central innovation lies in a two-stage process: a classifier generates a binary decision on whether a machine requires maintenance, and an unsupervised anomaly detection module subsequently audits the classifier’s probabilistic output to refine and interpret its predictions. By leveraging the classifier to condense sensor data and applying anomaly detection to its output, the system optimizes the decision reliability. Three anomaly detection methods were evaluated: One-Class Support Vector Machine (OCSVM), Minimum Covariance Determinant (MCD), and a majority (hard) voting ensemble of the two. All anomaly detection methods improved the baseline classifier’s performance, with the majority voting ensemble achieving the highest F1 score. Full article

The ruins of the Imperial City of the Minyue Kingdom were an important site of the Minyue Kingdom during the Han Dynasty. Characteristic bronze arrowheads unearthed from the East Gate, with their exquisite craftsmanship, provide important physical evidence for studying ancient bronze casting technology and the military activities of that time. However, there is still a lack of systematic research on the alloy composition, casting process, and chemical stability of these arrowheads in long-term burial environments. The bronze arrowheads that were found in the East Gate warehouse are the subject of this study. Metallographic analysis, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) were used to carefully examine their composition and microstructure, as well as the casting process characteristics. The findings reveal the following: (1) The East Gate bronze arrowheads primarily consist of copper–tin binary alloys, and certain samples exhibit a lead (Pb) content of up to 11.19%, potentially due to element addition during casting or element migration in the burial environment. (2) The metallographic structure shows that the sample matrix has a typical α-dendrite structure, indicating that a high-temperature casting process was used, and then a certain surface treatment was performed to enhance corrosion resistance. (3) Under a scanning electron microscope, it was observed that a three-layer structure was formed on the surface of the arrowhead, including a fully mineralized layer, an intermediate transition layer, and the original core tissue. (4) The detection of molybdenum (Mo) in some samples suggests a close relationship between the complexity of the buried soil environment and human activities. (5) By comparing the microstructure and corrosion degree of the longitudinal section and the cross-section, it was found that the longitudinal section has a stronger corrosion resistance due to its denser structure. Comprehensive analysis shows that the technical details of the bronze arrowheads unearthed from the Minyue Imperial City in terms of material selection, casting process, and later use reflect the outstanding achievements of the Minyue Kingdom in the field of bronze manufacturing in the Han Dynasty. Full article

Background: Logistics operations are integral to manufacturing systems, particularly in the transportation processes that occur not only between facilities and stakeholders but also between warehouses and workstations within a facility. The design of functional areas and allocating goods to appropriate zones within the warehouse management system (WMS) are critical activities that substantially influence the efficiency of manufacturing logistics operations. Methods: This study develops a mixed-integer programming (MIP) model to optimize material flow and product routing in manufacturing. The model identifies efficient pathways, assigns products to routes, and determines the required material-handling equipment. It is implemented in Python (3.11.5) using the Pyomo (6.7.3) package and the CBC solver (2.10.11), with sensitivity analysis performed on constraints and decision variables to evaluate robustness. Results: The findings indicate that Material Flow 3 and Material-Handling Equipment 1 represent the optimal configurations for managing the majority of goods within the manufacturing system. Conclusions: The proposed mathematical model supports the decision-making process by enabling adjustments to the proportions of functional areas within the manufacturing logistics system, ensuring operational efficiency and flexibility in response to changing demands. Furthermore, the study offers managerial insights and suggests directions for future research. Full article

Background: The paper aims at answering cognitive questions which let one draw conclusions on AR usability in terms of supporting the dangerous goods acceptance (DGA) process before air transportation, including (1) which operations of the DGA process in airports reveal the highest potential in terms of being supported by AR solutions? (2) Which parameters of the DGA process can be improved by the use of AR solutions? (3) What benefits and drawbacks of solutions derived from the use of AR technology have been noticed in practical experiments? Research method: The study has been conducted by analysing the DGA process while considering the support of AR technology, the development of AR applications for AR goggles and a mobile phone, and their practical testing. Results: There has been a model of the DGA process has been developed in the paper as well as decision algorithms, helping operators controlling DGs before a flight, have been identified. Following these foundations, the design of functions supporting the DG acceptance process has been indicated and their expected influence on DGA results has been evaluated. Conclusions: The potential for AR support in DGA has been very positively assessed by experts; however, there have also been observed differences between functions that indicate the most promising and less promising aspects. Operators especially appreciate AR goggles when their goal is to show a virtual picture of data and related law regulations regarding controlled DGs, while interactions with AR goggles are assessed less positively. The results also prove that, at the present stage of technology development, AR tools can assist an operator and neither of the operations can be carried out automatically. Full article