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The purpose of this paper is to develop a framework for the assessment of service quality of bus fleet services based on the service quality influencing factors. The paper also tries to evolve a quantitative measure for fleet service quality in the form of a fleet service quality index.

A graph theoretical approach is employed in this paper for bus fleet service quality assessment. Modelling of fleet service quality factors and their interrelations with due attention towards their structure is achieved through graph theory. A directed graph (digraph) of the service quality is developed, where its nodes represent factors influencing the quality while its edges show the degree of interrelationships. A matrix, which is equivalent to the digraph, is established that will generate a service quality function that will result in the development of a fleet service quality index (FSQI).

Attaining customer satisfaction through assurance of quality is the cornerstone of the existence and survival of any business organization, and bus fleet services are no exception to this. Several influential factors are there for the bus fleet service quality. This research paper has identified factors such as fleet management practices, operational characteristics, safety and reliability features, travel comfort, bus maintenance and environmental concerns that affect fleet service quality. Every factor is composed of distinct sub-factors. Furthermore, these factors are linked with one another. A higher value of the fleet service quality index indicates the adequate performance of the bus fleet service organization.

The methodology is useful for not only evaluating but also for comparison of service quality of different fleet agencies or organizations. The perceptions would be useful to the fleet service managers to create procedures and arrangements for improving the service quality.

The paper identifies various service quality factors of the bus fleet and an evaluation scheme for those factors has been developed. Based on these, a framework had been developed for the assessment of the service quality of different fleet service providers.

The purpose of this paper is to develop a framework for the safety performance measurement of belt conveyor systems.

A structural methodology of graph theory and matrix approach is used for developing a framework for safety performance measurement of belt conveyor systems.

The development of a framework for safety performance measurement of belt conveyor systems is essential for ensuring plant safety. For this, safety performance factors, including design and operating contextual factors of belt conveyor systems, are identified. The factors along with their interrelations are modeled using digraph. An equivalent matrix of the digraph provided safety performance function (SPF) of belt conveyor systems, leading to the development of a safety performance index (SPI).

The developed framework will enable the designers for evaluating and comparing alternative designs of conveyor systems from the safety viewpoint. The plant operators can make inferences from the SPI to identify the weak contextual factors in the plant and develop action plans for its mitigation.

The paper is novel and employs graph theory and matrix approach for safety performance measurement. The methodology helps in the quantitative evaluation of the safety performance of belt conveyor systems.

There is an increasing trend of outsourcing maintenance activities of heavy equipment, including belt conveyor installations. However, there are numerous challenges in maintenance outsourcing. This paper aims to identify and analyze various challenges of outsourcing maintenance activities associated with belt conveyor installations.

This paper identifies maintenance outsourcing challenges of belt conveyor installations through literature review, field visits and expert opinion. An integrated structural hierarchical framework of the identified challenges is developed through analytic hierarchy process and decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory.

The paper has identified eight challenges, namely, attainment of organizational strength by contractors, legal and financial challenges for contractors, attainment of necessary technician skills by contractors, maintenance data acquisition and analysis challenges, facilitation with modern equipment, gadgets and instrumentation, service quality challenges, health, safety and environment-related challenges and spares supply chain management challenges. The segregation of driver and dependent challenges, including their hierarchical framework had been established in this work.

A comprehensive list of challenges and their prioritization in maintenance outsourcing of belt conveyor installations had been established. This will help the organizations who own and operate these installations to make judicious decisions regarding outsourcing maintenance.

This paper significantly contributes to the literature on maintenance outsourcing of heavy machinery installations like a belt conveyor system based on the input of different stakeholders. This study will lead to the development of frameworks for maintenance contractor selection for such installations.

The purpose of this paper is to develop a framework for benchmarking the service quality of amusement parks.

A hybrid approach, which is a combination of AHP (analytic hierarchy process) and TOPSIS (Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution), is applied for service quality benchmarking.

Amusement parks are centers of attraction at various tourist destinations across the world. Their service quality is constituted by the attainment of certain quality attributes that varies with different parks. For sustaining in the industry, the managers of the parks need to have a good overview of the practices followed by them and their competitors that necessitate benchmarking of the service quality.

The developed framework using the hybrid methodology of AHP and TOPSIS can be applied for comparing different amusement parks based on quality attributes, which will help the organizers in improving their service quality.

The paper identifies various service quality attributes of amusement parks and an evaluation scheme for those attributes had been developed. Based on these, a framework had been developed for benchmarking of service quality of different amusement parks.

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the service quality automobile garages through development of a service quality index based on the factors influencing service quality.

A structural methodology of graph theory and matrix approach is applied for developing the service quality index.

The automobile maintenance can be considered as a service industry and in order to sustain in the competitive business environment, the service providers must ensure quality in their services. There are several factors that influence the service quality. Each factor is comprised of several sub-factors. Moreover, the factors are interrelated with each other. Modelling of these factors and their interrelations with due consideration of their structure is accomplished through the graph theory. The directed graph (digraph) of the service quality is defined; the nodes of this symbolize the quality influencing factors, while the edges represent their degrees of interrelationships. An equivalent matrix developed from the digraph establishes a service quality function which leads to evaluation of service quality index (SQI). A greater value of the service quality index displays that the organization and functioning of the garage is adequate.

The methodology can be applied for evaluating as well as comparing service quality of different garages. The observations would be helpful to the managers the garages to make strategies for improving their service quality.

The paper establishes the interrelations among various factors that influence the service quality at automobile garages and develop a numeric index for the evaluation of the same.

The increase in automobile usage across the world has fortified the opportunities of maintenance service garages. However, there are significant numbers of challenges in front of maintenance service providers at all stages of the business. This paper identifies, analyzes and prioritizes various challenges associated with the establishment and survival of garages specific to Indian context.

In this paper, challenges for automotive service garage are identified through expert opinion, garage survey and literature. A structural hierarchical framework of the identified challenges is established through structural models, including interpretive structural modeling and analytic hierarchy process.

This paper has identified nine challenges, namely proliferation of new models and variants; technological advancements in automobile systems; demand of better service quality; space and ambience requirements; labor requirements; requirement of modern support equipments, tools and spares; safety requirements and prevention of occupational hazards; environmental norms and concerns; proper documentation requirements. The drivers and dependent variables have been identified. A hierarchical framework of challenges has been established.

This paper provides a comprehensive list of challenges and their priority in establishing an automobile maintenance garage business in Indian context. This will help the budding entrepreneurs and existing maintenance organizations to focus on the challenges that necessitate immediate attention and corrective actions.

This paper provides a significant contribution in the literature of garage maintenance services, which is established on the viewpoint of different collaborators associated with this business. This study will be a foundation to investigate further in this domain.

Evaluation of the extent of transformability of an existing system into an industry 4.0 (I4.0) compatible system is indispensable for both the technical and economic planning for implementing I4.0. This paper aims to propose a procedure to evaluate the transformability of an existing manufacturing system into an I4.0 system.

Six significant components of a manufacturing system and their five levels of modifications essential for the decision of transformation are identified. Based on expert opinion on facilitation and the impact of the transformation of one component on the transformation of others, a graph theory-based procedure for estimation of transformability index (TI) along with its relative and threshold values is proposed.

The paper introduced the concept of transformability into manufacturing systems. It proposed a simple procedure for calculating the ideal, relative and threshold value for TI to assess the suitability of the up-gradation of any manufacturing system into the I4.0 system.

Though the proposed procedure is based on six system components and their five levels of facilitation, it is quite versatile and able to integrate new components and different facilitation levels according to system requirements for their impact analysis in the transformation process. It can be extended to other domains like services and health care. Further, it can be used to estimate and establish the transformability criteria of a factory/service unit/industry from its current state to any regime.

The proposed method for deducing the TI, relative transformability index (RTI) and their threshold values would be a handy tool for decision-makers to assess the upgrading suitability of the entire manufacturing system and its component for use in the new regime or scrapping. It would provide mathematical and scientific support to the transformability decisions by assessing the influence of transforming one component to others and the system. This study would pave the way for further explorations in the domain of transformability.

In the light of available literature and best of the author’s knowledge, this study is the first of its kind that has applied the concept of transformability of existing manufacturing systems toward I4.0 compatible systems and proposed a procedure to estimate TI, RTI and their threshold values.

The purpose of this paper is to develop an ontological model of failure knowledge of automobile systems that will enhance the knowledge management of automobile system failures, which will help for design and maintenance of automobiles. Failure knowledge of automobile systems and components gained through maintenance and repair can mitigate future failures, if integrated in the design. This is an outcome of this paper.

A failure coding scheme is developed for assimilating various entities of automobile failure knowledge and an ontological model is developed for its systematic structuring and representation. The developed failure code is a combination of alphanumeric and numeric code that incorporates ingredients of the failure knowledge, which will help database management, with reduced data entry time and storage space.

The maintenance of automobiles not only brings back the systems into operating conditions but also convey a lot of information regarding the failures. This is a useful input to the designers in development of reliable and maintainable automobile systems. A knowledge base can be created for automobile systems/components failures from their maintenance and service experience.

Developed ontological model of automobile failure knowledge gained through maintenance experience can be shared across automobile manufacturers and service providers. This would help in design improvements, with ease and efficient undertaking of maintenance activities. This paper proposes the conceptual ontology structure, which is populated with three cases of automobile maintenance.

This research work is a first attempt to develop an ontological model for automobile failures from their maintenance and service experience. The novelty of the work is in its explicit consideration of all knowledge related to failures and maintenance of automobile systems, with their coding and structuring.

The purpose of this paper is to identify and analyze the challenges associated with the implementation of the concept of Maintenance 4.0 in industries.

The challenges in the implementation of Maintenance 4.0 are identified through a literature survey and interaction with professionals from the industry and academia. A structural hierarchy framework that integrates the methodologies of ISM and MICMAC is used for the analysis of Maintenance 4.0 implementation challenges. The framework establishes the interrelationship among challenges and segregates them into driving, linkage, dependent and autonomous groups.

A novel concept of Maintenance 4.0 under the aegis of Industry 4.0 is gaining appreciation worldwide. However, there are challenges in the adaptation of Maintenance 4.0 concepts among industries. The various challenges as well as their impact on the objective of implementation of Maintenance 4.0 are identified.

The practicing engineers, academicians, researchers and the concerned industries can infer from the results to improve upon the causes of such challenges and promote the implementation of Maintenance 4.0 most efficiently and effectively.

This paper is a novel, unique and first of its kind that addresses the most contemporary challenges in the implementation of Maintenance 4.0 concepts in industries.

Automobile maintenance garages require varieties of equipment for their smooth functioning. However, the purchase of the right equipment from alternatives is a tough task as it depends on several economic, technical, and environmental considerations, etc. Moreover, there are different sellers for such equipment, whose features would be satisfying the purchase criteria in varying levels or degrees. Hence, this purchase decision becomes a complex decision-making problem.

An integrated multi-criteria decision-making approach that includes the combination of fuzzy AHP (analytic hierarchy process) and GRA (grey relational analysis) is used for the purchase decision-making of garage equipment. Various purchase decision criteria regarding garage equipment are assimilated through literature and interaction with garage professionals. The weightage of each purchase criteria of garage equipment is derived using fuzzy AHP. After the establishment of weights, various equipment suppliers are evaluated according to their conformance to the criteria using the GRA method.

The methodology of FAHP helped in ranking the different purchasing criteria based on their importance. It follows the following sequence: cost of ownership, technical specifications, operational characteristics, reliability and maintenance, after-sales support, commercial features, environmental pollution, and end of life characteristics. GRA methodology has been applied for the purchase of the best common rail test bench among alternatives according to their fulfillment of the purchase criteria requirements that are evaluated by a team of experts.

The integrated approach developed in this work for garage equipment purchase will help garage management to prioritize each supplier of the equipment based on their level of conformance to the purchase criteria.