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1 – 10 of 30Ang Yang, Yu Cao, Yang Liu, Qingcheng Zeng and Fangqiang Xiu
Magnet spot is the primary method to develop the automated guided vehicle (AGV) guidance system for many automated container terminals (ACT). Aiming to improve the high…
Abstract
Purpose
Magnet spot is the primary method to develop the automated guided vehicle (AGV) guidance system for many automated container terminals (ACT). Aiming to improve the high flexibility of AGV operation in ACT, this paper aims to address the problem of technical stability leading to ACT production paralysis and propose a mini-terminal AGV robot for testing laser simultaneous location and mapping (SLAM)-based methods in ACT operation scenarios.
Design/methodology/approach
This study developed a physical simulation robot for terminal AGV operations, providing a platform to test technical solutions for applying laser navigation-related technologies in ACTs. Then, the terminal-AGV navigation system framework is designed to apply the laser-SLAM-based method in the physical simulation robot. Finally, the experiment is conducted in the terminal operation scenario to verify the feasibility of the proposed framework for lased-SLAM-based method testing and analyze the performance of the different mini-terminal AGV robots.
Findings
A series of experiments are conducted to analyze the performance of the proposed mini-terminal AGV robot for laser-SLAM-based method testing. The experimental results show the validity and effectiveness of the AGV robot and AGV navigation system framework with better local map matching, loopback and absolute positional error.
Originality/value
The proposed mini-terminal AGV robot and AGV navigation system framework can provide a platform for innovative laser-SLAM-based method testing in ACTs applications. Therefore, this study can effectively meet the high requirements of ACT for maturity and stability of the laser navigation technical.
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Pasquale Legato and Rina Mary Mazza
An integrated queueing network focused on container storage/retrieval operations occurring on the yard of a transshipment hub is proposed. The purpose of the network is to support…
Abstract
Purpose
An integrated queueing network focused on container storage/retrieval operations occurring on the yard of a transshipment hub is proposed. The purpose of the network is to support decisions related to the organization of the yard area, while also accounting for operations policies and times on the quay.
Design/methodology/approach
A discrete-event simulation model is used to reproduce container handling on both the quay and yard areas, along with the transfer operations between the two. The resulting times, properly estimated by the simulation output, are fed to a simpler queueing network amenable to solution via algorithms based on mean value analysis (MVA) for product-form networks.
Findings
Numerical results justify the proposed approach for getting a fast, yet accurate analytical solution that allows carrying out performance evaluation with respect to both organizational policies and operations management on the yard area.
Practical implications
Practically, the expected performance measures on the yard subsystem can be obtained avoiding additional time-expensive simulation experiments on the entire detailed model.
Originality/value
As a major takeaway, deepening the MVA for generally distributed service times has proven to produce reliable estimations on expected values for both user- and system-oriented performance metrics.
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Mingyu Wu, Che Fai Yeong, Eileen Lee Ming Su, William Holderbaum and Chenguang Yang
This paper aims to provide a comprehensive analysis of the state of the art in energy efficiency for autonomous mobile robots (AMRs), focusing on energy sources, consumption…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to provide a comprehensive analysis of the state of the art in energy efficiency for autonomous mobile robots (AMRs), focusing on energy sources, consumption models, energy-efficient locomotion, hardware energy consumption, optimization in path planning and scheduling methods, and to suggest future research directions.
Design/methodology/approach
The systematic literature review (SLR) identified 244 papers for analysis. Research articles published from 2010 onwards were searched in databases including Google Scholar, ScienceDirect and Scopus using keywords and search criteria related to energy and power management in various robotic systems.
Findings
The review highlights the following key findings: batteries are the primary energy source for AMRs, with advances in battery management systems enhancing efficiency; hybrid models offer superior accuracy and robustness; locomotion contributes over 50% of a mobile robot’s total energy consumption, emphasizing the need for optimized control methods; factors such as the center of mass impact AMR energy consumption; path planning algorithms and scheduling methods are essential for energy optimization, with algorithm choice depending on specific requirements and constraints.
Research limitations/implications
The review concentrates on wheeled robots, excluding walking ones. Future work should improve consumption models, explore optimization methods, examine artificial intelligence/machine learning roles and assess energy efficiency trade-offs.
Originality/value
This paper provides a comprehensive analysis of energy efficiency in AMRs, highlighting the key findings from the SLR and suggests future research directions for further advancements in this field.
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Muneza Kagzi, Sayantan Khanra and Sanjoy Kumar Paul
From a technological determinist perspective, machine learning (ML) may significantly contribute towards sustainable development. The purpose of this study is to synthesize prior…
Abstract
Purpose
From a technological determinist perspective, machine learning (ML) may significantly contribute towards sustainable development. The purpose of this study is to synthesize prior literature on the role of ML in promoting sustainability and to encourage future inquiries.
Design/methodology/approach
This study conducts a systematic review of 110 papers that demonstrate the utilization of ML in the context of sustainable development.
Findings
ML techniques may play a vital role in enabling sustainable development by leveraging data to uncover patterns and facilitate the prediction of various variables, thereby aiding in decision-making processes. Through the synthesis of findings from prior research, it is evident that ML may help in achieving many of the United Nations’ sustainable development goals.
Originality/value
This study represents one of the initial investigations that conducted a comprehensive examination of the literature concerning ML’s contribution to sustainability. The analysis revealed that the research domain is still in its early stages, indicating a need for further exploration.
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Noorul Shaiful Fitri Abdul Rahman, Mohammad Khairuddin Othman, Vinh V. Thai, Rudiah Md. Hanafiah and Abdelsalam Adam Hamid
This present study uses political, economic, social, technological, legal and environmental (PESTLE) analysis and the strategic management theory to examine how external factors…
Abstract
Purpose
This present study uses political, economic, social, technological, legal and environmental (PESTLE) analysis and the strategic management theory to examine how external factors, namely the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the industrial revolution (IR) 4.0 technologies, the fuel price crisis and Sultanate of Oman Logistics Strategy (SOLS) 2040, affect the performance of container terminals in Oman.
Design/methodology/approach
A hybrid decision-making method that combined the analytical hierarchy process technique and Bayesian network model was used to achieve the objective of the present study.
Findings
The COVID-19 pandemic (54.60%) most significantly affected the performance of container terminals in Oman, followed by IR 4.0 technologies (19.66%), SOLS (17.00%) and fuel price crisis (8.74%). Container terminals in Oman were also found to perform “moderately,” considering the uncertainty of external factors.
Research limitations/implications
This study enriches existing literature by using PESTLE analysis to assess the impact of the external business environment on firm performance in the context of the maritime industry as well as highlights how challenging external environmental factors affect the performance of container terminals in Oman.
Originality/value
This study contributes to developing novel study models and determining the performance level of container terminals in Oman considering integrated uncertainties and external factors such as the COVID-19 pandemic, IR 4.0 technologies, the SOLS 2040 and the fuel price crisis.
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The purpose of this paper is to investigate ways to reduce the average amount of exceeded guaranteed service time for external trucks at Deepwater Container Terminal Gdańsk Sp z…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate ways to reduce the average amount of exceeded guaranteed service time for external trucks at Deepwater Container Terminal Gdańsk Sp z o.o. (DCT Gdańsk) via dosing the gate activities, in particular IN-Gate entry process, of trucks carrying import/export/transit containers.
Design/methodology/approach
A Six Sigma methodology with the define, measure, analyze, improve, and Control (DMAIC) methods along with the SIPOC chart, cause and effect diagram, scatterplot, benchmark and brainstorming and finally multi-voting tool are used as analyses tools in this research.
Findings
DCT Gdańsk reorganized and modernized the gate operations. Gate reorganization and modernization include streaming line traffic at the gates, external parking lot optimization, implementation of dedicated supporting software and installation of dedicated CCTV cameras to provide 24 h live view. During gates development, the external truck service times data were collected and analysed. The obtained materials concerned the measurement of the average truck turnaround time before and after the implementation of the improvements.
Originality/value
The proposed approach of reducing the average amount of exceeded guaranteed service time of external trucks at the container terminal is unique and relatively cheap mainly due to organizational changes with some widely available low-cost investments and can be applied on a different scale to other container terminals or to transport and logistics companies.
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J. Pedro Mendes, Miguel Marques and Carlos Guedes Soares
Organizational technologies can be classified according to the roles they play as either commodity or strategic. Commodity technologies support common operations, while strategic…
Abstract
Purpose
Organizational technologies can be classified according to the roles they play as either commodity or strategic. Commodity technologies support common operations, while strategic technologies address perceived threats to competitiveness, often identified by strategic foresight. These must go through an adoption process before playing an effective role in strategy execution. The adoption process includes known activities, ranging from sourcing (itself from in-house development to turn-key acquisition) to operational integration. This paper aims to reveal strategic technology adoption risks that arise during strategy execution.
Design/methodology/approach
A gradually developed causal loop diagram model, supported by general literature, introduces three general classes of technology adoption risks: mismatched requirements, supplier dependence and unmanaged life cycles.
Findings
Rather than managed, these risks are incurred or avoided depending on decisions made during the adoption process.
Research limitations/implications
Despite the scarce literature coverage for the approach, examples revealing the presence of adoption risks are nevertheless available in the well-documented history of enterprise resource planning (ERP).
Practical implications
Although ERP is presented as a general-purpose strategic technology, the unique business features of maritime container terminals pose serious challenges to its adoption, which provides additional support to the discussion and reinforces the conclusions.
Originality/value
The approach to identifying risks in strategic technology adoption departs from the current risk paradigm in two significant ways. First, it emphasizes policy decision-making rather than external events. Second, it views risks as systemic rather than occurring independently.
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Fatemeh Khajeh and Hamid Shahbandarzadeh
Because container terminals (CTs) are broker organizations, their interest has complex, various internal and external factors, the purpose of this study is to scrutiny and…
Abstract
Purpose
Because container terminals (CTs) are broker organizations, their interest has complex, various internal and external factors, the purpose of this study is to scrutiny and structure the factors affecting the interests of the CT.
Design/methodology/approach
In terms of purpose, this study is a developmental study that, are identified the factors related to the interests of the CT through studying the library and interviewing experts and then the degree of influence of each factor on each other by using the interview with experts of CT in Bushehr province are determined. Then, the fuzzy DEMATEL method is used to calculate the feedback loop of the indicators, and then the matrix obtained Fcmapper software and the fuzzy cognitive map (FCM) is drawn.
Findings
According to the FCM analysis, three important factors are centrality identified in terms of attracting capital, quality of service and efficiency. In addition, there are three factors, attracting capital, operator performance and law have high outdegree.
Originality/value
This research has identified 34 effective indicators of CT interests and evaluated their relationship with FCM. In the available researches, all these indicators measurement has not been evaluated together. Furthermore, fuzzy DEMATEL has been used to evaluate self-loops. Another contribution of this research is the introduction of a strategic route as a roadmap for CT managers in Bushehr province to decide on the interests of a CT.
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This is a modified version of the 2022 George Herbert Mead Lecture that I delivered at the Annual Meeting of the National Communications Association in New Orleans, LA. Drawing…
Abstract
This is a modified version of the 2022 George Herbert Mead Lecture that I delivered at the Annual Meeting of the National Communications Association in New Orleans, LA. Drawing upon ethnographic research with Mississippi River pilots, I outline the strengths and weaknesses of Mead's conceptualization of “mind” as a means to develop the “great cooperative community” he envisioned. I argue that although we possess the cognitive capacity to take the attitude of a multitude of others, even during complex and evolving scenarios, there are also material incentives for some groups to impede the emergence of the mind via the construction of “closed-networks.” I identify one example of a closed-network – professional associations – to demonstrate how and why they attempt to prevent outsiders from role-taking with members of their group. Although the persistence of closed networks hampers Mead's vision of a more co-operative society, it is only by understanding the origins of such barriers to mind that we can address the root causes of their construction.
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Dacosta Essel, Zhihong Jin, Joseph Oliver Bowers and Rafiatu Abdul-Salam
The objective to achieve economic growth and sustainable development (SD) within the maritime industry has ever since been the ultimate goal of the International Maritime…
Abstract
Purpose
The objective to achieve economic growth and sustainable development (SD) within the maritime industry has ever since been the ultimate goal of the International Maritime Organization and its stakeholders. Coupled with this effect, the United Nations organization has also mandated all its bodies to adopt sustainable working policies and practices towards the achievement of SD in its 2030 Agenda. From the standpoint of an emerging economy, this study aims to examine green maritime practices adopted by maritime authorities towards the achievement of SD in the maritime industry of Ghana. The proposed conceptual model of this study supports the natural resource-based view theory advocated by Hart (1995).
Design/methodology/approach
The dataset of this study was gathered using semi-structured questionnaires. A total of 635 valid responses were received as feedback which were tested and analyzed using partial least square structural equation modelling. The rationale for the adoption of this analytical tool is its resilient ability to handle a relatively small quantity of datasets. It is also suitable for empirical studies involving model development and at the early stage of theory development.
Findings
The findings of the study are as follows; firstly, quality maritime education and training directly and significantly influence green maritime transport (GMT), clean ocean and maritime resource conservation (COMRC), green port operations and services (GPOS), SD and waste management and treatment systems (WMTS). Secondly, GMT, COMRC, GPOS and WMTS have a direct significant influence on SD. Lastly, GMT, COMRC, GPOS and WMTS partially mediate the relationship between quality maritime education and training and SD.
Practical implications
This study proposes a conceptual model that attempts to explain to maritime authorities and stakeholders that although the adoption of green maritime practices significantly influences SD, yet, it may be insufficient without quality maritime education and training provided to maritime professionals. Hence, emphasizing that all maritime personnel receive quality maritime education and training to enhance the long-term achievement of SD in the maritime industry. It also attempts to prove and suggest to maritime authorities how they can collectively integrate both onshore and offshore green maritime practices to achieve SD.
Originality/value
The originality of this study shows in testing a conceptual model that affirms that, achieving SD in the maritime industry is dependent on quality maritime education and training received by maritime personnel, hence, demonstrating the significant role of maritime training institutions towards the maritime industry and the achievement of SD.
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