Effects of Fiber Weight Percentage, Surface Modification, and Hybridization on the Physical and Mechanical Properties of Date-Palm Stem and Glass Fiber Epoxy Composite
Source Title: Journal of The Institution of Engineers (India): Series E, Quartile: Q3
View abstract ⏷
Amid growing environmental concerns, natural fibers such as date palm stems (DPS) emerge as viable alternatives in polymer composites. This study investigates the mechanical and physical properties of short-length DPS-Glas epoxy composites, incorporating E-glass hybridization and alkali treatment. Unlike previous studies that focused on long fibers or fiber dust, this research employs short DPS fibers through the hand layup method to enhance composite processability. The impact of fiber content and alkali treatment on physical, mechanical, and water-absorption properties was explored. Results show that tensile strength improved significantly with alkali treatment and was further enhanced through glass fiber hybridization. Similar trends are observed in both flexural strength and microhardness also. SEM analysis revealed superior fiber-matrix adhesion in hybrid composites, while hybridization and surface treatment reduced water absorption. However, fiber clustering at 20 wt % led to surface imperfections and compromised mechanical properties. These findings highlight the potential of DPS fibers in sustainable composites and emphasize the importance of optimizing fiber content for enhanced performance.
The Era of Digitalization: A Systematic Examination of Emerging Trends and Research Directions for Supply Chain 4.0
Source Title: 5th Indian IEOM Conference,
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Supply Chain 4.0 represents the digital transformation of supply chain systems through technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT), Artificial Intelligence (AI), big data analytics, blockchain, and automation. This study employs a combined bibliometric and qualitative analysis of 88 Scopus-indexed publications from 2016 to 2025 to explore emerging trends, research hotspots, and future directions in Supply Chain 4.0. The analysis reveals strong interdisciplinary engagement, with significant contributions from computer science, engineering, and management. Key themes include digitalization, sustainability, cybersecurity, and real-time analytics. The study also highlights gaps in conceptual frameworks, human capital development, data governance, and policy alignment. Through co-occurrence networks, bibliographic coupling, and thematic mapping, the research provides a comprehensive overview of global contributions and collaborative patterns. These findings offer a foundation for advancing theoretical development and guiding practical implementation in digitally enabled, agile, and sustainable supply chains. The study concludes by outlining several avenues for future research and strategic policy development.
Optimal Pricing Strategy for Multi-Generational New and Remanufactured Short-Lived Products
Source Title: SUSCON XII, IIM Shillong,
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Short-lived technology products such as smartphones and laptops are characterized by frequent generational updates and rapid obsolescence. While new generations enter the market quickly, previous versions often decline in value, creating opportunities for remanufacturing and resale. However, these dynamics generate complex pricing challenges due to inter-generational cannibalization, consumer perception of remanufactured products, and sustainability-driven take-back regulations. Existing research has investigated either multiple product generations or remanufacturing, but few studies jointly address their interaction under time-dependent, price-sensitive demand. This study contributes by modeling both new and remanufactured products across multiple generations, comparing outcomes under coordinated and uncoordinated supply chain structures. The novelty lies in explicitly incorporating consumer reluctance to return products—a critical yet underexplored barrier in short-lived product remanufacturing.
Short-lived product returns forecasting when customers are unwilling to return the product: A grey-graphical evaluation and review technique
Source Title: Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Quartile: Q1
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Consumer electronics, such as mobile phones, laptops, and tablets, encounter the challenge of short product life cycles due to the rapid advancement of technology, marketing models, and rapidly changing consumer tastes. This study attempts to provide a forecasting model for a short-lived product for closed-loop supply chain planning. Importantly, we model the setting where the customers prefer to store the product instead of returning it for various reasons such as security and secondary use. We proposed a generic method that can be implemented for any technology-driven product's returns and remanufacturing process. We used the Graphical Evaluation and Review Technique to calculate the probability and quantity of product returns, the quantity of modules, parts, materials, and disposal. Then, we employed the Grey-Graphical Evaluation and Review Technique to calculate the expected time interval for core returns and the expected interval for the availability of module/parts/material for reconditioning/ remanufacturing of the product. An illustrative case study demonstrates the results of the forecasting model. Further, we analyzed the effect of customers' unwillingness to return the product on the reverse network. Our analysis asserts that the customer storing an end-of-use product has a greater impact on the probability of overall product return. Our analysis found that when customers tend to return the product instead of storing it for secondary use, the equivalence probability of returns can increase up to 91 %. In addition, we also address the effect of product return on the “ecological rucksack” of mobile phones. This can help policymakers design hassle-free return experiences and attractive customer incentives.
Mitigating Uncertainty in Short Life Cycle Remanufacturing: Leveraging Spare Parts Reuse in Multiple Generations
Source Title: IEEE Xplore,
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Remanufacturing is widely recognized as an effective strategy to address the negative environmental impacts of product disposal and minimize costs across the entire value chain. Short life cycle product like smartphone manufacturers and their e-commerce partners are offering tempting incentives to exchange obsolete handsets to gain market share. This increase in exchange programs has created issues about returns management, notably remanufacturing and disposal regulations. While we realize new product demand, we cannot guarantee returning item quality or quantity. Due to rapid technology changes that make components obsolete in 2–3 years, anticipating spare part needs is harder. An effective remanufacturing policy should replenish a percentage of spare parts inventory through returns recovery to solve these problems and optimize inventory levels. We propose two steps. First, we use Bayesian Estimation to predict returns and spare parts. This reduces production risk. The return quality function determines the spare part manufacturing curve. This two-step technique reduces production uncertainty and optimizes inventory. This study concludes with a comprehensive approach to smartphone returns management, remanufacturing, and spare parts inventories. Numerical examples show how our approach works.
Enhancing Short Life Cycle Remanufacturing Through Spare Parts Reuse: Managing Uncertainty and Component Commonality Across Multiple
Source Title: International Conference on Computers & Industrial Engineering, 50,
View abstract ⏷
Remanufacturing is widely recognized as an effective strategy to address the negative environmental impacts of productdisposal and minimize costs across the entire value chain. Short life cycle product like smartphone manufacturers and theire-commerce partners are offering tempting incentives to exchange obsolete handsets to gain market share. This increase inexchange programs has created issues about returns management, notably remanufacturing and disposal regulations. Dueto rapid technology changes that make components obsolete in 2-3 years, anticipating spare part needs is harder. Aneffective remanufacturing policy should replenish a percentage of spare parts inventory through returns recovery to solvethese problems and optimize inventory levels. We propose two steps. First, we use Bayesian Estimation to predict returnsand spare parts. This reduces production risk. Second the return quality function determines the spare part manufacturingcurve. This twostep technique reduces production uncertainty and optimizes inventory. This study also aims to identify andanalyze the trade-offs associated with component commonality in the design of product families across multiple generations.By utilizing developed models, we conduct numerical analysis to showcase the practicality of our approach and derivevaluable insights for managers. Furthermore, in the long term, these results may serve as a theoretical basis for expeditingthe development and integration of design, manufacturing, and services. This, in turn, can improve the responsiveness andefficiency of the overall design process, benefiting both technical and economic aspects. © 2023 Computers and IndustrialEngineering. All rights reserved.
Efficient Fleet Planning for Rail Freight Transport Operators: A Mathematical Optimization Approach
Source Title: International Conference on Computers & Industrial Engineering, 50,
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In recent times, the effective management of rail fleet planning issues in transportation networks has gained immenseimportance in ensuring the financial viability of rail freight transportation operations. Unfortunately, several rail freightoperators have been hindered in developing effective models due to the dearth of appropriate tools and methodologies.This, in turn, has posed significant challenges for planners who strive to optimize the transportation of manufacturedproducts from diverse manufacturing plants to market destinations. To surmount the difficulties faced, a decision-supportmodel is proposed in this research. The model employs a mathematical optimization technique known as mixed-integerlinear programming (MILP) to determine the optimum combination of plant and customer pairs, the ideal number of tripsbetween the pairs, and the maximum quantity of goods that can be transported. The MILP model is solved using an exactapproach, enabling rail freight operators to pinpoint profitable routes, schedule their rakes to maximize freight trips, andguarantee efficient, competitive, and secure rail freight services. The primary aim of this study is to maximize the number offreight trips, as it has an immediate effect on the profitability of rail freight operators. Furthermore, this model can assist railfreight operators in managing costs and identifying new market opportunities, contributing to the long-term success andsustainability of their operations.
Quantifying the Quality Grade of the Return Mobile Phone in the Context of a Retail Store
Source Title: Applications of Emerging Technologies and AI/ML Algorithms,
View abstract ⏷
Products including garments, clothing accessories, and consumer electronics are prone to suffer from short product life cycles as a result of fast technological advancements, manufacturers' marketing methods, and rapidly changing customer tastes. With the growing demand for the technology-driven product, the mobile phone's lifespan has fallen to three to six months. To compete with the global market, the mobile manufacturer cut down the price of mobile phones and provides upgraded specifications. For this reason, consumer wants to experience the new technology in every instance and exchange their mobile phone for a newer one. The performance of the mobile phone does not reduce, but to upgrade to modern technology, the customer intends to swap it with the fresh one. For this purpose, a circular economy comes into the picture. Remanufacturing is becoming a critical element of a circular economy where products are created, produced, used, and retrieved to avoid any kind of waste and decrease the extraction of raw materials. However, lots of studies are carried out on the quality grading of the returned core, but we did not find any of the quantified definite indexes for the quality of the yielding core. Thus, in these articles, we attempt to quantify the quality of returned core (mobile phone) by using MCDM and PCA / FA methods. Finally, the reduction equation is established to predict the quality of returned core, which reduces the remanufacturing cost by providing optimal shorting.
Predicting the exchange price of the returned core using data mining approach: A case study on smartphones
Source Title: POMS India International Conference 2021,
The liquidity problem: A case of café coffee day enterprise
Source Title: Journal of Advanced Research in Dynamical and Control Systems,
View abstract ⏷
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A Study On the effect of Surface treatment on the Physical and Mechanical properties of date-palm stem fiber embedded epoxy composites
Source Title: IOP Conference Series: Materials Science and Engineering,
View abstract ⏷
Natural fiber reinforced polymer composites are being used frequently for variety of engineering applications due to many of their advantages like ease of availability, low density, low production cost and good mechanical properties but natural fibers are more or less hydrophilic in nature. Therefore, an investigation has been carried out to make better utilization of a class of natural fiber that is date palm stem fiber, for making a wide range of products. Attempts have been made in this research work to study the effect of fiber loading on the physical, mechanical and water absorption behaviour of treated and untreated short fiber based epoxy composites. Composites of various compositions of different amounts of fiber loading are fabricated by simple hand lay-up technique. It has been observed that there is a significant effect of surface treatment of fibers on the overall properties of composites. Further enhancement of properties with lower water absorption rate was attained with glass fiber-epoxy based hybrid composites.
