Browsing by Author "Yang, Miying"

Now showing 1 - 12 of 12
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    An available-to-promise stochastic model for order promising based on dynamic resource reservation policy
    (Taylor & Francis, 2022-07-29) Qin, Wei; Zhuang, Zilong; Sun, Yanning; Liu, Yang; Yang, Miying
    Facing uncertain future customer orders, a pull-based available-to-promise (ATP) mechanism will deteriorate the overall profit since it allocates critical resources only to current customer orders. To prevent current less-profitable customer orders from over-consuming critical resources, this study investigates a push–pull based ATP problem with two time stages and three profit margin levels, and develops a dynamic resource reservation policy to maximise the expected total profit. Then, a corresponding push–pull based stochastic ATP model is established with known independent demand distributions, and the optimal reservation level is derived by the genetic algorithm to maximise the expected total profit. Finally, a series of simulation experiments are conducted to reveal the impact of some key factors, and the experiment results provide theoretical guidance and implementation methods for companies to maximise overall profits.
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    Barriers to transitioning towards smart circular economy: A systematic literature review
    (Springer, 2021-09-18) Lobo, Ana; Hofmann Trevisan, Adriana; Liu, Qinglan; Yang, Miying; Mascarenhas, Janaina
    This paper defines smart circular economy as an industrial system that uses digital technologies to implement circular strategies such as reduce, reuse, remanufacturing and recycling. The smart circular economy has been regarded as a promising approach to enhance sustainability. However, barriers exist in various stages of the transition towards smart circular economy. This paper employs a systematic literature review to identify the main barriers that prevent companies from this transition. We adopt a change management perspective to study this transition and propose that it follows a classical three-step process of organizational change: unfreeze, move, and refreeze. We identified 24 barriers in five categories: finance, management, infrastructure, network, and technology. Then, we placed the barriers into the three steps to further investigate how they affect each stage of the transition. Our analysis suggests that: (a) stakeholders play a central role in the process; (b) companies often have financial issues in the early steps of change; (c) technological challenges emerge in the advanced steps. The findings can help diagnose companies’ current status, identify solutions to tackle the barriers and predict future challenges.
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    The circular economy in China: achievements, challenges and potential implications for decarbonisation
    (Elsevier, 2022-04-20) Bleischwitz, Raimund; Yang, Miying; Huang, Beijia; Xu, Xiaozhen; Zhou, Jie; McDowall, Will; Andrews-Speed, Philip; Liu, Zhe; Yong, Geng
    China's wide-ranging circular economy (CE) efforts have been studied multiple times from a range of perspectives. Synthesizing the relevant literature, this paper provides a critical reflection on the transition to a CE in China. Key factors for China's success in shifting towards a CE are seen in multi-level indicators and upscaling niches. This paper makes a novel contribution on limitations to progress, based on emerging evidence on CE projects that fail to sustain. Enriched by experts feedback, this paper critically addresses future challenges to a deep transition resulting from implementation gaps between early majorities and mass markets and coordination challenges arising through regional and sectoral differences. In light of China's commitments to climate neutrality by 2060, such challenges are considered serious. Based on feasible policy learning, the paper however proposes synergies between the CE and decarbonisation driven by efficiency improvements, comprehensive core indicators, upscaling and urban policies as trigger for deeper transformations. Finally the paper undertakes broader reflections and an outlook on evidence-orientated policy learning for a CE and decarbonisation in China.
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    Designing a research tool for sustainable aquaculture project
    (Springer, 2021-09-18) Yang, Miying; Luis, Martino; Hermawan, Dodi; Herlina, Lely; Nayak, Rakesh; Jensen, Jens; Choudhary, Sonal; Ball, Peter; Evans, Steve
    Many research projects require strong interactions between academics and practitioners. Academics often face the challenges of collecting sufficient, high-quality research data, while achieving the project aim and producing practical impact to industrial partners. This paper presents the design of a research tool for data collection that increases industrial engagement in a sustainable aquaculture project. The project aim was to explore digital solutions for improving sustainability of shrimp aquaculture industry in Indonesia. To better facilitate the data collection and industrial engagement, we adapt the life cycle thinking and multi-stakeholder concepts from an existing tool, known as Sustainable Value Analysis Tool, redesign the rationale, and develop a new research tool to meet the specific purposes of this project. The research tool is composed of three parts: mapping and clustering challenges, assessing challenges, and co-designing digital solutions. The research tool was used in a workshop with 12 industrial partners from various organizations across the aquaculture supply chains in Indonesia in August 2019. The findings show that the empirical data collected through this tool is richer and more comprehensive compared to semi-structured interviews, and that the use of the tool greatly improved the industrial engagement. The feedback from the industrial partners shows that the tool has effectively helped them engage in the research process and improved the communication between themselves. This paper therefore suggests that designing and using such research tools is an effective way for data collection and industrial engagement.
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    Digitalisation for water sustainability: Barriers to implementing circular economy in smart water management
    (MDPI, 2021-10-27) Liu, Qinglan; Yang, Longjian; Yang, Miying
    “Clean water and sanitation” is listed as one of the 17 United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals and implementing circular economy principles in the water sector has been widely regarded as an important approach in achieving this goal. In the era of Industry 4.0, research and practice in the digitalisation of the water sector to create a smart water system have attracted increasing attention. Despite the growing interest, limited research has been devoted to how digital technologies might enhance circularity. In practice, smart water systems often fail to promote circularity in such aspects as water reuse and resources recovery. This paper aims to identify the main barriers to implementing circularity in the smart water management system in Zhejiang, China. The research adopts a mixed research method that includes a literature review to identify the potential barriers from the existing studies, a case study to determine the most critical barriers in practice, and a fuzzy Delphi method to reach a consensus on the crucial barriers. The research identified 22 main barriers to implementing circular economy in smart water management. The barriers are divided into three categories: infrastructure and economic, technology, and institution and governance. The results show that the barriers related to recycling technologies, digital technology know-how, and the lack of CE awareness raise the most concern. Our findings also indicate that experts are interested in the decentralized wastewater treatment system. This research provides significant insights that practitioners, researchers, and policymakers can use in developing and implementing digital-based CE strategies to reduce water scarcity and pollution.
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    A framework of digital technologies for the circular economy: digital functions and mechanisms
    (Wiley, 2022-02-23) Liu, Qinglan; Hofmann Trevisan, Adriana; Yang, Miying; Mascarenhas, Janaina
    Digital technology is regarded as providing a promising means of moving production and consumption towards the circular economy. However, it is still unclear which functions of digital technologies are most useful to improving circularity, and how these functions could be used to enhance different circular economy strategies. This paper aims to address this knowledge gap by conducting a systematic literature review. After examining 174 papers, creating 782 original codes and 259 second-round codes, the study identifies 13 critical functions of digital technologies which are most relevant to circular economy strategies. The paper then proposes a framework which reveals seven mechanisms of how these digital functions can enhance different circular economy strategies. The framework also reveals which combinations of the digital functions and circular economy strategies have already been studied extensively as well as where there may be gaps. This indicates which digital functions are more mature in terms of possible implementation for circular economy as well as what missing links there are in the empirical and theoretical research. The study advances the synergies between digital technologies and the circular economy paradigm through the lens of digital functions. The proposed framework and mechanisms build a theoretical foundation for future research, and we highlight five research areas for further studies. This study also provides a structured way for managers to explore the appropriate digital functions for their CE strategies, so as to identify required digital technologies and new value creation through digital functions.
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    From total quality management to Quality 4.0: a systematic literature review and future research agenda
    (Springer, 2023-03-13) Liu, Hu-Chen; Liu, Ran; Gu, Xiuzhu; Yang, Miying
    Quality 4.0 is an emerging concept that has been increasingly appreciated because of the intensification of competition, continually changing customer requirements and technological evolution. It deals with aligning quality management practices with the emergent capabilities of Industry 4.0 to improve cost, time, and efficiency and increase product quality. This article aims to comprehensively review extant studies related to Quality 4.0 to uncover current research trends, distil key research topics, and identify areas for future research. Thus, 46 journal articles extracted from the Scopus database from 2017 to 2022 were collected and reviewed. A descriptive analysis was first performed according to the year-wise publication, sources of publication, and research methods. Then, the selected articles were analyzed and classified according to four research themes: Quality 4.0 concept, Quality 4.0 implementation, quality management in Quality 4.0, and Quality 4.0 model and application. By extracting the literature review findings, we identify the Quality 4.0 definitions and features, develop the quality curve theory, and highlight future research opportunities. This study supports practitioners, managers, and academicians in effectively recognizing and applying Quality 4.0 to enhance customer satisfaction, achieve innovation enterprise efficiency, and increase organizational competitiveness in the era of Industry 4.0.
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    Product-service systems business models for circular supply chains
    (Taylor and Francis, 2018-05-21) Yang, Miying; Smart, Palie; Kumar, Mukesh; Jolly, Mark R.; Evans, Steve
    Shifting supply chain architectures from ‘linear’ to ‘circular’ structures is imperative as businesses strive towards a circular economy ideal. Such a transformation requires innovation in the business models with impacts on value propositions, operations and revenue streams. This paper investigates the phenomenon of ‘circularity’ in supply chain operations, and proposes that product-service systems (PSS) business models can enhance restorative and regenerative effects of inner circles, circling long and cascading use circles. It adopts an exploratory case study method of a large Chinese manufacturing firm operating a traditional product-based business model and three variants of PSS (i.e. product-, use- and result-oriented PSSs) within its sub-architectures. The supply chain operations of the four distinct business models are analysed and their associated circularities are discussed. The findings show that business model akin to result-oriented PSS, have tighter and more efficient circularity of supply chain operations. This research contributes to a better understanding of the relationship between supply chain circularity and business model innovation in the context of a circular economy ideal.
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    Rapid decarbonization requires industrial efficiency
    (Springer, 2025-01-31) Yang, Miying; Evans, Steve
    The potential of effciency to support decarbonization is underestimated and overlooked relative to more expensive and intensive actions. Implementing resource and energy effciency strategies in industry could deliver rapid and cost-effective decarbonization.
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    Reinforcement learning based optimal decision making towards product lifecycle sustainability
    (Taylor & Francis, 2022-01-31) Liu, Yang; Yang, Miying; Guo, Zhengang
    Artificial intelligence (AI) has been widely used in robotics, automation, finance, healthcare, etc. However, using AI for decision-making in sustainable product lifecycle operations is still challenging. One major challenge relates to the scarcity and uncertainties of data across the product lifecycle. This paper aims to develop a method that can adopt the most suitable AI techniques to support decision-making for sustainable operations based on the available lifecycle data. It identifies the key lifecycle stages in which AI, especially reinforcement learning (RL), can support decision-making. Then, a generalised procedure of using RL for decision support is proposed based on available lifecycle data, such as operation and maintenance data. The method has been validated in a case study of an international vehicle manufacturer, combined with modelling and simulation. The case study demonstrates the effectiveness of the method and identifies that RL is the current most appropriate method for maintenance scheduling based on limited available lifecycle data. This paper contributes to knowledge by demonstrating an empirically grounded industrial case using RL to optimise decision-making for improved product lifecycle sustainability by effectively prolonging the product lifetime and reducing environmental impact.
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    Research challenges for eco-efficient and circular industrial systems
    (Springer , 2024-09-07) Despeisse, Mélanie; Acerbi, Federica; Arioli, Veronica; Childe, Stephen; Colombo, Beatrice; Evans, Steve; González Chávez, Clarissa A.; Jones, Saul; Nujen, Bella B.; Pezzotta, Giuditta; Powell, Daryl; Toller Melén, Carl; Vasconcelos, Margarida; Yang, Miying; Wuest, Thorsten; Romero, David
    The field of industrial sustainability is rapidly expanding with new concepts and frameworks emerging almost daily. At the same time, mature ones are being used in new applications and combined with new technologies and methodologies. While these developments are promising, the ambitions, scale, and speed of the change required to meet sustainability goals urgently need to increase. To accelerate industrial sustainability research and its impact, experts were invited to discuss research challenges in a webinar series focused on ten priority areas for eco-efficient and circular industrial systems. This paper presents the research challenges discussed to share sustainability practices, stimulate collaborations, and inspire change for more impactful applied research and knowledge transfer to industry.
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    Unpacking additive manufacturing challenges and opportunities in moving towards sustainability: an exploratory study
    (MDPI, 2023-02-20) Liu, Wen; Liu, Xielin; Liu, Ying; Wang, Jie; Evans, Steve; Yang, Miying
    The global market for Additive Manufacturing (AM) is expected to grow, which may increase the prominence of sustainability aspects in the manufacturing process. A growing number of AM academics and practitioners have started to pay attention to the environmental and societal impacts of AM instead of only focusing on its economic aspect. Yet, AM is still not widely adopted, and the research on AM sustainability is still at the nascent stage. This paper aims to better understand AM’s sustainable adoption and seeks to address three questions: what the sustainability implications of AM are; what challenges may prevent the broad adoption of AM; and what opportunities can enable AM sustainability. The research adopts a multiple case study method to investigate six AM companies that play different roles in the AM ecosystem, including AM design, AM machine, AM material, AM service, AM education, and AM consulting. The results from these studies reveal that AM has the potential to reduce environmental and social impacts; however, it might also cause negative consequences and lead to some rebound effects. We identified 43 categories (synthesized from 199 examples) of key challenges for AM adoption and proposed 55 key solutions in moving AM towards sustainability. It is evident that AM acts as a promising digital technology for manufacturing and has the potential to pave the way for a new era of sustainable manufacturing.