| 1. |
- Despeisse, Mélanie, 1985, et al.
(författare)
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Developing Data Models for Smart Environmental Performance Management in Production
- 2023
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Ingår i: IFIP Advances in Information and Communication Technology. - 1868-4238 .- 1868-422X. ; 692, s. 3-15
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- For manufacturing companies to prosper in the long term, they must demonstrate contribution to sustainable development by implementing greener practices using approaches such eco-efficiency and circular economy; i.e., creating social and economic value while minimising the environmental impact of production through efficient, closed-loop circulation of resources. In addition, industrial digitalization presents new opportunities to unlock new ways to measure complex systems’ performance and systematically improve towards circular economy and sustainability. This paper presents the results of a feasibility study aiming to develop a practical toolkit to implement environmental sustainability concepts at factory level. To achieve the project objective, we focused on data handling practices for environmental performance management, including process mapping, data inventory, data quality assessment, and gap analysis to identify existing strengths and define areas of improvement to boost the environmental performance of production systems.
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| 2. |
- Kazmierczak, Karolina, et al.
(författare)
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A case study of serial-flow car disassembly: ergonomics, productivity and potential system performance
- 2007
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Ingår i: Human Factors and Ergonomics in Manufacturing. - 1090-8471. ; 17:4, s. 331-351
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- A recent European Union (EU) directive increases demands on car recycling. Thus, present craft-type disassembly systems need reconfiguration in order to be more efficient. A line-based system tested in the Netherlands was investigated regarding system performance and ergonomics. The system had reduced performance compared to the design specifications due to such factors as system losses, operator inexperience, and teamwork deficiencies. Operators' peak low back loads were lower than in Swedish craft-type systems. Direct, value-adding work comprised 30% of the workday, compared to about 70% in the Swedish manufacturing industry. Alternative system configurations were simulated and discussed using a novel combination of flow and human simulations. For example, a smaller variation in cycle time implied higher output in number of cars per week and larger operator cumulative loading on the low back. In all models the cumulative load was high compared to the loads previously recorded in assembly work.
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| 3. |
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| 4. |
- Kazmierczak, Karolina, et al.
(författare)
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An integrated analysis of ergonomics and time consumption in Swedish 'craft-type' car disassembly.
- 2005
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Ingår i: Applied Ergonomics. - : Elsevier BV. - 0003-6870 .- 1872-9126. ; 36:3, s. 263-73
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Car disassembly is at the edge of extensive rationalisations due to increased legislative demands for recycling. This study focused on (1) assessing current mechanical exposures (physical work loads) for comparison with future rationalised systems, with particular emphasis on time aspects, (2) analysing disassembly work in terms of time consumption and exposures in constituent tasks as defined by a loss analysis technique, and (3) predicting the consequences of car disassembly rationalisation for mechanical exposures. The study showed that disassembly implied pronounced circulatory loads, and that more walking and higher lumbar peak loads were found than in studies of assembly work. Value-adding tasks comprised 30% of the total working time, and implied higher postural exposures for the head, arm, trunk and wrist, as well as less opportunities to recover, as compared to non-value-adding tasks. Organisational-type rationalisations can be expected to increase the time spent in value-adding work, thus increasing local exposures for the average worker, while a concurrent increase in mechanisation level might reduce circulatory exposures, the amount of walking, and peak lumbar loads.
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| 5. |
- Kazmierczak, Karolina
(författare)
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Ergonomics in car disassembly industry on the edge of major rationalizations
- 2003
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Licentiatavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- A new EU directive on used vehicles has recently been introduced. It demands that for every scrapped car, at least 85% by weight must be recycled by the year 2006 and 95% by 2015. Today this level is about 80%. The growing car disassembly industry was chosen as the study object of this thesis. Due to the increased demands on recycling, the disassembly industry is expected to undergo comprehensive rationalizations and expand into a modern mass-type production. Thus, this thesis investigates the current status of the car disassembly industry with special focus on production systems and ergonomics issues in this context. Paper 1 incorporated the initial efforts, which aimed to explore the current status of the car disassembly industry. The purpose was to obtain knowledge about ergonomics and production systems, as well as to obtain knowledge about ideas, plans and views on the future situation of the industry and production systems. Qualitative methods were utilized. Dismantlers, manufacturers and authority stakeholders described current production systems as ‘craft-type’, i.e. containing a rich variety of tasks as well as considerable periods of set-up time. The dismantling companies faced modest competition and reported good profitability. Future expectations about production systems were that the amount of non-profit work per car would increase. Due to the new legislative demands, disassembly of more parts and materials than today is expected. Today these materials lack market value. For production to stay profitable in spite of increased time in non-value-adding tasks, comprehensive rationalizations are anticipated. Paper 2 was a follow-up study to further investigate the hypotheses generated in Paper 1 with quantitative assessments of mechanical exposures in disassembly. New parameters were utilized for documenting changes in exposures due to rationalizations. Disassembly work was divided into four task groups. These were: direct work (value-adding tasks), and material/tool handling, casual tasks and unplanned breaks (all three non-value-adding). The study shows that disassembly implied high circulatory loads, more walking and higher lumbar peak loads as compared to assembly work. Value-adding tasks comprised only 30% of the total working time, and implied more awkward postures and higher velocities for the head, arm, upper back and wrist than non-value-adding tasks, as well as less time in rest. It is concluded that the ‘craft-type’ disassembly work of today offers a considerable potential for rationalizations. Rationalizations are expected to increase ergonomic exposures. This gives a reason to act proactively in the prevention of musculoskeletal disorders. Due to the legislation, the time span until the year 2015 gives an opportunity to work proactively to obtain future sustainable production systems for car disassembly.
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| 6. |
- Kazmierczak, Karolina
(författare)
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Industrial development of car disassembly - ergonomics and system performance
- 2005
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- A new EU directive on used vehicles has recently been introduced. It demands that for every scrapped car, at least 85% by weight must be recycled by the year 2006 and 95% by 2015. The current level is about 80%. The car disassembly industry was chosen as the study object of this thesis. Due to the increased demands on recycling, the disassembly industry may undergo comprehensive rationalizations and expand into a modern mass-type production. Rationalized car disassembly systems may be an alternative to shredding processes. The general aim of this thesis is to study the connections between expected rationalizations and ergonomics based on the case of the car disassembly industry. The studies in this thesis aim to collect empirical data on present production system performance and ergonomics (physical workloads) and possible future development. Car dismantlers, manufacturers and authority stakeholders described current disassembly systems as ?craft-type?, i.e. containing a rich variety of tasks and considerable periods of set-up time. The dismantling companies reported good profitability. Expectations about production systems in the future were that the amount of non-profit work per car would increase and more parts and materials than at present will have to be dismantled. These materials lack market value today. For production to stay profitable in spite of increased time in non-value-adding tasks, comprehensive rationalizations were anticipated. Design for Disassembly/Recycling was not fully applied at the manufacturing. However, the need for this strategy was expressed by both dismantlers and manufacturers, as was the need of cooperation between these two groups. The ?craft-type? disassembly workers reported a high physical workload for the arm and for the low back. Pain levels were highest for the low back, with 29.5% of operators reporting pain to occur ?often? during the last 12 months. Disassembly workers had higher pain scores than a general male population in Sweden. The psychosocial working conditions, i.e. demands, influence and social support were lower than the corresponding data for the Danish working population. Technical measurements of physical workloads and time consumption in the current ?craft-type? Swedish car disassembly were made. Disassembly work implied high circulatory loads, much walking and high peak low back loads. Value-adding, ?direct?, work comprised only 30% of the total working time, and implied more awkward postures and higher movement velocities for the head, arm, upper back and wrist than non-value adding tasks, as well as less time in rest. The physical workloads and operators? utilization of time were also assessed in a serial-flow ?industrialized? production system for car disassembly in the Netherlands. Time proportions of direct work as well as body postures were similar in the serial-flow car disassembly and in the Swedish craft-type. Peak low back load tended to be smaller in the serial-flow system, while the upper limb movement velocities appeared to be higher in this system. The serial-flow disassembly system showed production deficits due to factors such as system losses, worker inexperience and teamwork deficits. A novel combination of flow and biomechanical simulation was presented in order to assess the physical loading consequences of alternative system configurations. A smaller variation in cycle times implied higher output in number of cars per week and larger operator cumulative loading on the low back. Reducing cycle times, on the other hand, resulted in higher output without significant change in utilization rates and thus unchanged cumulative load. Combined human and flow simulations may allow an integrated consideration of productivity and human factors in the early system development. Reliability of the video-based tool for work task analysis was assessed. Task analysis was one of the core methods used in this research, and it may be more frequently used in ?rationalization? studies. In general, there was good agreement between observers both on overall task proportions and on the mean duration of sequences in most task categories. The variance between filmed subjects was larger than that between observers in most combinations of parameter and task category. The residual variance, interpreted as mainly being due to within-observer (test-retest) variability, was generally larger than the between-observer variability. This thesis included transfer of research to practice through close cooperation with stakeholders in car disassembly and assembly, their branch organizations and authority stakeholders. The collaboration also included the serial-flow system developer and practitioners through a Reference Group. The transfer of knowledge from this research to the disassembly stakeholders is an underlying principle of the proactive ?intervention?.
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| 7. |
- Kazmierczak, Karolina, et al.
(författare)
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Observer reliability of industrial activity analysis based on video recordings
- 2006
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Ingår i: International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics. - : Elsevier BV. - 0169-8141 .- 1872-8219. ; 36:3, s. 275-282
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The aim of this study was to assess the agreement between observers analyzing activity patterns during truck engine assembly work based on video recordings. Two observers observed the recordings of nine workers, on the average 2.2 h long, assigning activities to four activity categories. For each activity category data were obtained on the mean duration of uninterrupted sequences of activities and their relative time proportion in the job. This data was analyzed with 2-way crossed ANOVA algorithms to derive the components of variance attributed to disagreement between observers, to differences between filmed subjects, and to residual "unexplained" variance. The latter was interpreted as an estimate of within-observer variability and possible interactions between subject and observer. While the observers disagreed about the overall time proportions for the four activity categories by no more than 3.7% of time, their second-to-second classification disagreed for 13% of the total analysis time. The between-observer variance was small as compared to within-observer variance and the variance between Subjects performing the same job. Simulations based oil the variance components showed that a group mean of the proportion of direct work could be determined with a standard deviation within 5% of the mean by having two observers analyzing one 2-h video recording once, each. Relevance to industry The results of this study may support decision making when designing a reliable video-based analysis of industrial work. Thus, the study helps production engineers, ergonomics practitioners and researchers allocate resources between data collection and data analysis, based on their preferences for precision and power of a particular study. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
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| 8. |
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| 9. |
- Sobocki, Bartosz Kamil, et al.
(författare)
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Molecular Mechanisms Leading from Periodontal Disease to Cancer
- 2022
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Ingår i: International Journal of Molecular Sciences. - : MDPI. - 1661-6596 .- 1422-0067. ; 23:2
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Periodontitis is prevalent in half of the adult population and raises critical health concerns as it has been recently associated with an increased risk of cancer. While information about the topic remains somewhat scarce, a deeper understanding of the underlying mechanistic pathways promoting neoplasia in periodontitis patients is of fundamental importance. This manuscript presents the literature as well as a panel of tables and figures on the molecular mechanisms of Porphyromonas gingivalis and Fusobacterium nucleatum, two main oral pathogens in periodontitis pathology, involved in instigating tumorigenesis. We also present evidence for potential links between the RANKL-RANK signaling axis as well as circulating cytokines/leukocytes and carcinogenesis. Due to the nonconclusive data associating periodontitis and cancer reported in the case and cohort studies, we examine clinical trials relevant to the topic and summarize their outcome.
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