productivity gain
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Materials ◽  
2022 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 611
Author(s):  
Roque Calvo ◽  
Pilar Gil

Collaborative robots are enablers of flexibility in the current dynamic and uncertain manufacturing environment. Decision making on its implementation requires technical feasibility, involving productivity and workforce implications that should be faced in an integrated perspective in processes where many components of different materials are assembled in products of increasing diversity and complexity. This study introduces two new parametric models for collaborative robotics, formulated in order to evaluate the differential cost of assembly (economic dimension) and the differential income from taxes that supports short-term workforce displacement (social dimension) in cobot implementation. Updated techno-economical parameters are selected for assessing feasibility ranges of application in different production scenarios. Next, the influence curves of productivity gain for a feasible implementation of cobot establish thresholds for decision making under both criteria. The results show the need for productivity gains that are significantly lower in high-wage scenarios than in low-wage scenarios; however, in a joint approach, breakeven productivity gain is always higher for the social dimension threshold than for the economic requirement of cost-effective manufacturing, with a higher gap in low-wage cases. The detailed analysis of a real case study of cobot implementation for assembly demonstrates the practical application of models and potential for future research.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hyun Woo Shim ◽  
Taehun Lee ◽  
Jonghan Kwon

Abstract This study demonstrates that a high-volume TEM workflow can be achieved for inline defect characterization by adding a defect marking step using commercially available tools. A simple user-assisted defect marking step added to a conventional automated ex-situ lift-out TEM workflow showed 2.9 times faster throughput using 11 times less man-hours, a significant productivity gain over a conventional manual TEM workflow.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (15) ◽  
pp. 8472
Author(s):  
Gervasio López-Rodríguez ◽  
Verónica Rodríguez-Vicente ◽  
Manuel F. Marey-Pérez

The occurrence and intensity of forest fires is a phenomenon in which factors of various kinds converge, including climatic, physiographic, socioeconomic and territorial, among others. While the scientific literature has been stating that the causes of fires are related social conflict, other factors must also be considered for a more thorough analysis. In Galicia (northwest Spain), human-caused fires account for up to 95% of the total annual fires, highlighting the importance of examining in detail social and/or economic factors that may influence the occurrence or absence of this type of phenomenon. This paper discusses the influence and weight of forest productivity and the potential economic value of wooded areas on the incidence of forest fires in private mountains of collective ownership (montes vecinales en mano común). Our results indicate that the presence of productive wooded areas of the region determines a lower incidence, both in terms of the number of forest fires and the area affected. It was found that in areas where there was a loss in productivity, the fire rate increased by almost 36%. It is also observed that in MVMCs with productivity gain, the incidence of fires in shrubland areas was 46.26% higher than in wooded areas, while in MVMCs with productivity loss, the occurrence of fires in shrubland areas was 18.95% higher than that observed in wooded areas.


Author(s):  
A. P. Moro ◽  
B. Y. C. Adou ◽  
M. Diarrassouba ◽  
D. Konan ◽  
E. F. Soumahin ◽  
...  

The downward tapping on virgin bark of the lower panel (BO) is immediately followed by the upward tapping on virgin bark of the upper panel (HO), consecutively. To determine the agro-physiological advantages of one tapping over another, a study of the downward and upward tapping of the GT 1 and PB 260 clones of Hevea brasiliensis was carried out in southwestern Côte d'Ivoire. For this purpose, the rubber trees were tapped in a downward half-spiral (S/2) at the opening for nine consecutive years, followed by upward quarter-spiral tapping (S/4U) for four consecutive years. The agronomic parameters (rubber production and vegetative growth), tapping panel dryness and the latex micro-diagnosis, were evaluated. For GT 1 clone, the transition from the downward tapping panels to the upward tapping panels resulted rubber productivity gain of 35%. Meanwhile for PB 260, rubber productivity gain was 37%. Regardless of the clone and tapping direction, the higher the rubber productivity of a respective tapping panel, the lower the isodiametric growth of the tree trunk was recorded. Latex harvesting systems, and clone’s combination, did not influence the tapping panel dryness or the physiological profile of the trees. Finally, it should be concluded that upward tapping is more productive than downward tapping, but the quantification of the gains in this rubber production depends on the clone.


2021 ◽  
Vol 32 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nisha Jain Garg

Trypanosoma cruzi has existed in humans for >9000 years 1. Parasite, vector and human disease were described by Carlos Chagas in 1909 2. Vectorial and congenital transmissions account for ~70% and 26% of new infections, respectively. The clinical course of Chagas Disease (CD) is generally presented with acute parasitemic phase, clinically asymptomatic indeterminate phase, and chronic phase when patients develop cardiac, colon, or neurological disorders. Heart failure is recognized as the major cause of death in CD patients. The global productivity gain by treating acute or chronic CD and preventing heart failure and death is estimated to be $8 billion US dollars in 2021-2030 3. Thus, just the economic benefits make a strong case for new investments in controlling this disease.


2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 277-301
Author(s):  
C.J. Gabbe ◽  
Michael Manville ◽  
Taner Osman

We estimate the off-street parking supply of the seven most economically productive cities in Santa Clara County, California, better known as Silicon Valley. Using assessor data, municipal zoning data, and visual inspection of aerial imagery, we estimate that about 13 percent of the land area in these cities is devoted to parking, and that more than half of the average commercial parcel is parking space. This latter fact suggests that minimum parking requirements, if binding, depress Silicon Valley’s commercial and industrial densities, and thus its economic output. In an exploratory empirical exercise, we simulate a reduction in parking requirements from the year 2000 forward and show that under conservative assumptions the region could have added space for nearly 13,000 jobs, equivalent to a 37 percent increase over the actual job growth that occurred during that time. These additional jobs would be disproportionately located in the region’s highest-wage zip codes and could add more than $1 billion in payroll annually, further implying a large productivity gain.


2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 61
Author(s):  
Farzad Taheripour ◽  
Don Scott ◽  
Cristopher A. Hurt ◽  
Wallace E. Tyner

This paper evaluates in a holistic way major trends in US production of food, feed, and biofuel commodities over the period 1961-2014. It is motivated by literature that examines parts of the changes but does not integrate them. We develop a comprehensive data set and then conduct analysis of the major trends that emerge. We identify eight major trends and then combine them to four major themes. The first theme is the huge gain in agricultural productivity over this period. An important component of this theme is that the productivity gain was sufficient to achieve substantial total production growth as agricultural land declined over the period. Second, there has been a major transformation of the livestock sector as less efficient and more expensive beef has been replaced by more efficient and less expensive poultry. As this change has happened, the livestock sector has become more land efficient, less land used in livestock. The third major change is that US calorie production is now substantially more than the needs for food and feed. Finally, the first three major themes have enabled the fourth, which is growth of US renewable fuel production, while agricultural land declined over time.


Author(s):  
Jürgen Bitzer ◽  
Erkan Gören ◽  
Sanne Kruse-Becher

Abstract What role do immigrants play in firms’ ability to absorb and apply foreign knowledge? Based on a matched employer–employee dataset from Danish manufacturing firms over the period 2001–2011, this study examines the impact of foreign knowledge accessible by firms’ immigrant employees on firm-level total factor productivity (TFP). We construct various firm-specific absorbable foreign knowledge measures that link firms’ immigrant employees to the technological knowledge base of their country of origin. The empirical results suggest that firms employing immigrant employees have higher firm-level TFP outcomes and a higher probability of new firm-level patent applications. The average productivity gain associated with the hiring of one immigrant employee is about 1.5% in the year following the firm’s hiring decision. Additional results show that the estimated productivity increase varies with the level of education and the occupational positions of the immigrant employees. The results are robust to the inclusion of a large range of firm-specific controls and various sensitivity checks.


Cupola furnace is the most commonly used for the melting of ferrous metals and alloys. The key challenge in this paper is variation of air blast which lead to productivity loss and moreover affects the small scale industries. In order to overcome the above key challenge our work has proposed a Dually Operated Control Cupola Furnace which states that constant air blast can be obtained by controlling manually as well as automatic. Manual operation is obtained by maintaining constant Motor-Torque-Speed-Ratio using inverter driven blower along with space vector pulse width modulation. Automatic operation inhabits a feedback control system using nonlinear model predictive controller which is operated on control valve driven blower. Automatic operated cupola furnace obtains a prediction value for obtaining the productivity gain based on number of experimental observations and overall gives the required constant air blast by considering blast volume, blast temperature and oxygen enrichment. Thus our model enhances the system performance by achieving productivity gain in terms of melting rate and super heating temperature.


Author(s):  
Alexandra Thajer ◽  
Margit Sommersguter-Reichmann ◽  
Henriette Löffler-Stastka

The safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics and efficacy of most drugs used in pediatrics have not been studied in different age groups and are administered “off-label use”. Clinical pediatric drug trials require specific and stringent compliance with laws, regulations, guidelines, and patient/parent/public involvement, which in turn increases resource use and makes support useful from a medical, qualitative, economic, and system perspective. We examined the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of implementing a Research Department for the Support of Pediatric Studies (RDPS) in Vienna. We used the SWOT (“strengths”, “weaknesses”, “opportunities”, and “threats”) analysis to collect comprehensive data and facts on the internal strengths, weaknesses (company analysis), and external opportunities and threats (environmental analysis). The company analysis revealed a productivity gain, due to a highly specialized team and standardized processes. The environmental analysis outlined a considerable 360-degree potential for a qualitative and quantitative medical- and social-scientific expansion of the service portfolio. The establishment of a RDPS leads to the centralization of pediatric studies by bundling tasks and concentration of specialist knowledge, which enables the exploitation of synergies, the standardization of processes, the promotion of professionalism, flexibility, innovations and the reduction of inefficiencies in the form of duplication of tasks. RDPS offers tailored advice and support for different types of pediatric studies.


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