Evaluation of Manufacturing Competitiveness of Hubei Province Based on Stochastic Frontier Analysis

The manufacturing level directly manifests the comprehensive strength of a country or region. Production efficiency provides an important metric of the competitiveness of the manufacturing industry. Based on the data of China’s industrial enterprises of 1999–2011, this paper estimates the production efficiency of manufacturing in Central China’s Hubei Province through stochastic frontier analysis (SFA) and thus characterizes the differences between prefectures of Hubei in manufacturing competitiveness. The results show that, on the prefecture level, Xianning and Wuhan saw a decline in manufacturing competitiveness, while Xiangfan and Xiaogan witnessed an increase in manufacturing competitiveness. To enhance local manufacturing competitiveness and make Hubei the forerunner and cornerstone of Central China, different prefectures should adopt different industrial promotion policies, pay attention to cultivating the technological innovation capabilities of enterprises, and strengthen the integration of production, education, and research.

Adoption of smart and sustainable manufacturing practices: An exploratory study of Indian manufacturing companies

Technological advancements and volatile customer demand over the globe have forced manufacturing industries to adopt smart and sustainable manufacturing practices. Now the industries are moving towards the Industry 4.0 to satisfy the mass customization demands as well as to create sustainable value creation. Indian industries are considered as one of major manufacturing hub for the automobile components in world and plays an important role in development of Indian economy. However, the adoption level of Smart manufacturing practices in India is limited due to technological, economical and other challenges. Industries are still struggling with the adoption of smart and sustainable manufacturing practices in the developing economies like India. Therefore, this study aims to find the relationship between sustainable and smart manufacturing practices in the emerging economies. In the present study we have used the hypothesis modelling approach to link the manufacturing competitiveness and top management commitment with the sustainable and smart manufacturing practices. The data is collected with the help of questionnaire survey from the Indian manufacturing industries. Further, Structural equation modelling approach (SEM) is used. The results of this study highlights how manufacturing industries can adopt the smart and sustainable manufacturing practices in the developing economies like India.

COVID-19 will result in limited EU health integration

Significance COVID-19 is by far the EU's worst health crisis and it has spurred fresh proposals for integration. The European Commission has announced plans to strengthen the management of cross-border threats, enhance the EU’s role and influence in health-related markets, and provide greater financial support for national health systems and health-related research. Impacts Deeper EU fiscal integration would probably come with stronger recommendations concerning national health systems. This pandemic will exacerbate the divergences in healthcare quality and access across the EU. The COVID-19 crisis will strengthen efforts to create an industrial strategy which enhances manufacturing competitiveness across the bloc.

Research on the development and competitiveness evaluation of manufacturing industry in Yangtze River Economic Belt

To promote the high-quality development of the Yangtze River economic belt is a major development strategy in China. As the lifeblood of the national economy, manufacturing industry is of great significance to realize the high-quality development of the Yangtze River economic belt. Based on the analysis of the overall situation of the manufacturing industry in the Yangtze River economic belt and the diamond model theory, this paper constructs an evaluation index system of manufacturing industry competitiveness with 4 first-class indexes and 16 second-class indexes, comprehensively evaluates the manufacturing industry competitiveness of each region by entropy method, and ranks the whole country. The results show that the manufacturing competitiveness of 11 provinces and cities in the Yangtze River economic belt is quite different and has obvious regional characteristics. The competitiveness of manufacturing industry in downstream regions is strong, while that in Yunnan and Guizhou provinces is weak, ranking at the bottom. Through in-depth analysis, it is found that there are some problems, such as unbalanced development, homogenization of industry, unreasonable layout of manufacturing industry. Combined with the development experience of excellent manufacturing industry and the regional characteristics of the Yangtze River economic belt, this paper proposes that we should speed up the industrial agglomeration, adhere to the innovation driven strategy, optimize the industrial layout and other ways to enhance the manufacturing competitiveness of the Yangtze River economic belt and promote the high-quality development of the Yangtze River economic belt.

Sequential studies on soil physical properties by application of hydrogel in groundnut (ArachishypogaeaL.) under Central dry zone of Karnataka.

Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise (MSME) sector has been undergoing a metamorphosis in the era of globalisation for over two decades. Many developments of relevance to SMEs (Small and Medium Enterprises) have taken place within the country and internationally. Globalisation resulting in fierce competition in various product lines has forced the SME sector to adopt strategies in tune with the global trends. A number of programmes of cluster–specific and firm-specific approaches are being pursued by all India organisations with a wide network of institutions associated with various functions supporting the SME sector at different levels. The paper reviews the progress of MSME sector from 2000-01 in particular, and discusses a few key approaches adopted in the sector. These include the following: Eleventh and Twelfth Plan approaches for inclusive growth, MSMED Act 2006, cluster development approach (CDA), National Manufacturing Competitiveness Programme (NMCP), Central Public Procurement Policy (CPPP) and Defence Production Policy. Conclusion and Suggestions are offered towards the end of the paper. Appendix I presents the websites of MSME and related organisations.

Analysis of readiness factors for Industry 4.0 implementation in SMEs using COPRAS

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to analyse the readiness factors for Industry 4.0 deployment in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) using complex proportionality assessment (COPRAS) methodology.Design/methodology/approachIndustry 4.0 is vital for ensuring manufacturing competitiveness of SMEs. In order to facilitate Industry 4.0 adoption in SMEs, readiness factors need to be analysed. In this viewpoint, this article presents the analysis of readiness factors using multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) tool COPRAS.FindingsThe priority of ranking of 15 readiness factors is obtained. The prioritized readiness factors would enable the smooth adoption of Industry 4.0 in SMEs.Practical implicationsThe study has been done based on inputs from industry practitioners and hence the results have practical relevance.Originality/valueThe analysis of readiness factors for Industry 4.0 in SMEs using COPRAS is the original contribution of authors.