In recent years, many studies on scheduling problems with dedicated machines have been carried out. But, few of them have considered the case of more than two stages. This paper aims at filling this gap by addressing the three-stage hybrid flow shop scheduling problem with two dedicated machines in stage 3. Each job must be processed, consecutively, on the single machines of stages 1 and 2, and depending on its type, it will be further processed on one of the two dedicated machines of stage 3. The objective is to find an optimal schedule that minimizes the maximum completion time (makespan). Since this problem is strongly NP-hard, we first provide some basic results including solutions for several variations of the problem. Then, for the general case we adapt a set of lower bounds from the literature and propose a heuristic approach that is based on the dynamic programming technique, which uses a local search procedure. Finally, various experimentations on several problems with different sizes are conducted and the computational results of the heuristic show that the mean percentage deviation value from the lower bound was lower than 0.8 percent for some instances with 40 to 200 jobs in size.

Due to the important environmental effects on human life and the conflict between the mining process and environmental factors, the enactment of protectionist environmental laws in the mineral industry has received extensive attention especially in countries with high mining potential. In this regard, using an extended fuzzy TOPSIS method, this study develops a novel conceptual framework to identify the key protection laws in Iran by considering the mineral successful laws and regulations in mineral-developed countries such as Australia, Chile, India, Turkey, Canada, South Africa, and China. This helps to apply the experiences of the abovementioned countries in resolving similar conflicts in Iran’s mineral industry. The key protection laws are selected based on their national and international environmental treaties, mines’ environmental protection laws, conflict solution methods, social responsibilities in mining activity, and laws for the abandoned mines. The proposed framework demonstrates that Iran’s mineral laws require revision and more transparency to avoid ambiguity and conflict with mineral property laws and governmental rights.

Stainless steel (SS) and Titanium alloy (Ti) are the most commonly used materials in many industrial fields such as the automotive and aerospace industry. Stainless steel has good corrosion resistance and titanium alloy has an extremely lightweight characteristic. The combination of both materials has become a tremendous innovation in the industrial sector. Resistance spot welding which has commonly applied in many industrial fields is a good consideration to join these two dissimilar materials due to the high efficiency that could be achieved by using this method. However, the way of joining these dissimilar materials should be carefully considered due to the significant difference in mechanical properties between SS and Ti. In the present study, 3 mm of SS316L and Ti6Al4V sheets were joint under the resistance spot welding method with an aluminum interlayer. The optimized welding parameters were provided under the Taguchi method L9 orthogonal array along with the mechanical properties’ investigation. The optimum welding parameters were 11 kA of weld current, 30 Cycles of welding time, and 5 kN of electrode force which produced 8.83 kN tensile-shear load of the joint. The mechanical structure analysis shows the different morphology between stainless steel and titanium interfaces and the intermetallic compound layer was formed on the SS/Al and Al/Ti interfaces. The EDX analysis shows the atomic diffusion-reaction on the application of aluminum as an interlayer on the SS/Ti joint.

As a country surrounded by the ocean, Indonesia is categorized as a country that has marine potential. The fishermen communities’ economy depends on ocean. However, the fishermen communities live below the poverty line and their average income is less than regional minimum wage. In conjunction with the issue, this study seeks to investigate the factors affecting the income of fishermen communities and right decision to fishermen in covering with welfare insurance in Cirebon, Indonesia. The quantitative study is designed using cross-sectional approach. The data collected by applying random sampling with open-ended questions and interview. A total of 100 fishermen’s have participated in this study. The study used some factors in measuring the fishermen community income, namely coastal environment condition, fish catching technology and location, operational capital, climate (season) condition, fishermen’s age, fishermen’s education, and fishing experience. The data are analyzed using the multinomial logistic regression model by assisting the statistical software, i.e., SPSS-23. The results show that coastal environment condition, fish catching technology and location, operational capital, climate (season) condition, fishermen’s age, fishermen’s education, and fishing experience have significant effects on fishermen income. Interestingly, the factor of coastal environment condition and climate (season) condition have significant negative effects on fishermen income. In conclusion, this study identified that two important factors reduced the welfare level of fishermen (via income). Also, in line with that things, the right decision which can provide to support and assist the fishermen community was by providing the welfare insurance. It is purposely to give them the protection from various risks faced by fishermen.

This paper presents a review of clustering and mathematical programming methods and their impacts on cell forming (CF) and scheduling problems. In-depth analysis is carried out by reviewing 105 dominant research papers from 1972 to 2017 available in the literature. Advantages, limitations and drawbacks of 11 clustering methods in addition to 8 meta-heuristics are also discussed. The domains of studied methods include cell forming, material transferring, voids, exceptional elements, bottleneck machines and uncertain product demands. Since most of the studied models are NP-hard, in each section of this research, a deep research on heuristics and metaheuristics beside the exact methods are provided. Outcomes of this work could determine some existing gaps in the knowledge base and provide directives for objectives of this research as well as future research which would help in clarifying many related questions in cellular manufacturing systems (CMS).

Rotating shafts have a vast application in various industries especially in the aerospace industry such as engines, compressors and turbines. The researchers have performed considerable efforts on the rotating shafts’ dynamic behavior because of their sensitivity to the rotor specifications and different parameters such as supports. In this paper by employing a pipe elbow element, an especial finite element formulation is derived to investigate dynamic behavior of rotating shaft in the presence of support clearance. The proposed element consists of four nodes with twenty-four degrees of freedom, which also accounts for the shear and gyroscopic effects. Within a finite element analysis framework, the focus of the paper is proposing a formulation to account for the dynamic behavior of a rotating shaft with much less number of elements. The element is implemented in a finite element code and then is used to model and analyze some rotating shaft examples. In order to verify the developed formulation, results are compared with those obtained from other schemes reported in the literature.

Rapid global economic expansion and ongoing technological advancements have made digital transformation an essential tactic for businesses looking to boost their competitiveness and accomplish sustainable development. The study aims to explore how digital transformation (DT) indirectly affects the sustainable supply chain performance (SSCP) of fresh-cut flower supply chains in Yunnan Province through organizational readiness (OR) and innovation capability (IC) and to examine the moderating role of technology readiness (TR) in this process. This study adopted the survey method of the questionnaire, and the final valid sample was 354. Based on the RBV and the philosophy of sustainable development, the PLS-SEM approach is used in this study to assess the fresh-cut flower supply chain in Yunnan Province. It was found that OR and IC played a significant mediating role in DT and SSCP. Furthermore, the link between DT and OR, IC and SSCP, was significantly moderated by TR. The empirical results suggest that high technological readiness and innovativeness help firms assimilate and apply new technologies faster and thus achieve better results in digital transformation. This paper provides valuable guidance for firms and policymakers, suggesting active investment in digital technologies and infrastructure development, and focusing on the combination of innovation capability and sustainability to promote the sustainable development of agricultural supply chains.

In a decision-making environment related to risk, there are four basic circumstances, namely certainty, risk, uncertainty and conflict. The dynamics of the strategic environment in Southeast Asia cannot be separated from the movement of the development of the Islamic State (IS). The terror threat in Southeast Asia is currently divided into different generations of terror, namely the threat of the Al-Qaeda terror network and the threat of the ISIS terror network. This study aims to analyze and identify the risk value of the development of the Islamic State network in Southeast Asia using the Borda and TOPSIS methods. The Borda method is used to give weight to the criteria related to risk analysis. The TOPSIS method is used to provide a criteria-based risk score. This research is limited to the Southeast Asia region with 4 (four) major countries, namely Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and the Philippines. This research is expected to contribute to control the development of Islamic state networks in the Southeast Asian region. Based on the results of the overall risk analysis, it was found that the Philippines has the highest risk factor value for Islamic State (IS) with a value of 0.550 at level 4 in the High category. Indonesia maintains a risk factor value of 0.307. Thailand has a risk factor value of 0.427. Indonesia and Thailand are at level 3 with the Medium category. Meanwhile, Malaysia has a risk factor value of 0.203 at level 2 in the Low category.

The storage of goods plays a crucial role in warehouse management systems. Although this operation is often considered simple, it is in fact complex, due to the volume of products, the uncertainty in demands, and the rapid customer service response that the market requires. Moreover, the optimization of logistical resources to maintain an efficient operational flow, such as the allocation of storage spaces, often requires complex decisions. In this paper, we analyze academic contributions on the storage location assignment problem published between 2005 and 2017. The literature is classified according to the solution methods, objectives, and related considerations. Suggestions are also provided for future research.

Recognizing the critical importance of worker technical capability and the work environment is a pressing need to enhance employee performance within a power plant. Prioritizing the improvement of worker capabilities and fostering favorable work environments is urgently required for project managers to align their workforce with project objectives and enhance overall operational results. This study aims to explore the impact of key operational and human resource management (HRM) practices on the performance of the Tanjung Jati B Steam Power Plant in Jepara, Indonesia. A sample of 110 employees was selected through a simple random sampling method, and data analyzed by multiple regression analysis with SPSS software. The results reveal significant effects of work ability, work discipline, and work environment and employee performance. Furthermore, an ANOVA test underscores that these three independent variables collectively have a positive and significant impact on employee performance. This research emphasizes the critical role of HRM practices and operational aspects in enhancing power plant performance. In the context of project management, these findings highlight the significance of developing and maintaining a workforce with the necessary skills, discipline, and conducive work environments to ensure the successful execution of operational success of a power plant. By comprehending the impact of worker technical capability on employee performance, project managers can make informed decisions and implement strategies to enhance project outcomes.