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To provide a structured methodology to permit an optimal selection of the best suited Computer Managed Maintenance System (CMMS) software within process industries.

The analysis has been executed adopting a multi‐attribute decision making methodology, namely the analytic hierarchic process (AHP) technique. A specific hierarchic structure has been defined considering 46 criteria outlined via questionnaires and interviews with administration, production and maintenance managers of several industries. To improve the effectiveness of the methodology, AHP has been coupled with a sound sensitivity analysis.

The application of the proposed approach allows the maintenance practitioners to concentrate on a limited subset of CMMS applications and to compare their actual capabilities in order to select the right one, rather than considering only their purchase cost.

The methodology enables decision makers to restrict the selection process to a limited number of software programmes that better suit the actual requirements of the corporation's personnel and to help the managers involved in the choice to better understand what each software can offer to them to effectively help the management of maintenance‐related activities. Finally, the choice is driven by objective considerations rather than by subjective opinions, and the purchase and the following implementation of the CMMS can be better justified to the corporation top‐level management

The paper proposes a robust approach, structured and useful in practice, for the selection of a CMMS software, that takes into account multiple, often conflicting, criteria and overcomes the intrinsic limitations of subjective decisions

The purpose of this paper is to present the results of a research for developing a standard to implement a process management system in a whole supply chain.

To gain this aim, the research has been developed in two parts. The quality management part has the objective to select the reference model to develop the standard. The supply chain management (SCM) part has, instead, the objective to select the drivers and the main processes that the standard have to manage. The evaluation of the results of these parts has permitted to define the proposed standard.

A modified interpretation of ISO 9001:2000 norm is proposed permitting: to improve the ISO 9001 standard to the general requirements for a whole process approach; to extend and to apply the ISO 9001 concepts, that address quality aspects within a single organization, to a whole supply chain; and to facilitate the introduction of the modern principles and techniques of SCM. Finally, the standard to implement a management system for a whole supply chain is introduced through the identification of the main supply chain processes and drivers.

The standard proposed is a specific for a generic supply chain. Further studies will be necessary to: customize the standard to appropriate productive sectors and validate the appropriate content through real applications.

The standard proposed is a guide line to implement a management system in a supply chain and, for this aim, it can be applied in a generic supply chain.

The standard proposed is an original tool to improve the collaboration and processes integration between the partners into a supply chain and this scope can be the actual value of the presented methodology.

The purpose of this paper is to provide a structured method to apply process management approach following ISO 9001:2000 requirements, clause 4.1.

The content of this paper is focused on the detailed analysis of the fourth clause of the 2000 edition of norm ISO 9001, and it presents an articulated procedure which can be undertaken by any organization in order to give the best answers to the requirements therein.

The method described consists in eight steps, with a top‐down approach going from the definition of the macro‐processes of the organization to the definition of the single stages which constitute the activities. An approach to implement quality objectives deployment is implemented. In order to better explain the methodology, a case study is used.

Indeed, it is thought that the content of the fourth clause of ISO 9001, and in particular of paragraph 4.1, represents one of the most important innovations brought in by the new edition which nevertheless, since this paragraph contains requisites oriented more towards method and approach mentality to the quality system and less towards detail and strictly operational prescriptions, has been poorly and erroneously understood, or even deliberately not taken into account. The proposed methodology represents an original guide line to implement process management approach.

The capability to overcome tradeoffs among costs, quality and time has become a must in high-margin businesses too. Lean thinking may be a solution, but applications in the luxury-fashion market are still rare. In order to shed light on this apparent contradiction, the purpose of this paper is to identify the key features of the luxury-fashion market that may act as barriers for the adoption of lean principles. Next, based on the results of this preliminary analysis, the paper tries to verify, if and how, lean principles can be properly reinterpreted, so as to properly fit the requirements of this market.

Due to the operating nature of lean, an empiric approach was followed. From the evidences gathered during a lean project of a world-wide company, critical elements of the luxury-fashion market were identified and used as criteria to select, among lean tools, the most appropriate ones. Lastly, selected tools were integrated in a structured framework (for lean implementation) that was used to analyze and to improve many logistics and manufacturing processes.

Developed solutions were implemented as pilot projects, with outstanding preliminary result. Results are case specific and trying to infer general considerations may be hazardous. Nonetheless, due to the relevant dimension of the project, they can be considered more than a clue concerning the robustness of the framework and, most of all, concerning the real potentialities of lean in the luxury-fashion market.

The framework is extremely operational and, together with the proposed industrial cases, can be used as a guideline to support practitioners during the implementation of similar projects.

Lean thinking is relatively new in the luxury-fashion market, where the focus on operational costs has been traditionally considered as a marginal issue. Thus, the application of lean principles in this market is the innovative element of the paper.

In the 1990s, reverse e‐auctions were designed to be a widely used procurement tool due to the dramatic cost reduction. However, the current usage is more limited than expected, because e‐auctions do not always produce the benefits expected and firms have great difficulty in deciding the right tool to use in the negotiation. The aim of this paper is to propose a methodology for a useful utilization of the reverse e‐auctions.

This paper suggests a method based on the quality function deployment (QFD) technique to help purchasing managers to choose how and when they should use e‐auctions to buy a new product or service.

The approach proposed is structured as a tree and developed in three steps: choice between traditional negotiation and e‐auction; choice between the different typologies of e‐auction (open, secret, and in sealed envelope); and, finally, choice of the specific characteristics of the e‐auction to guarantee an optimal negotiation outcome.

As completion and validation of the method proposed, two case studies are presented and discussed.

The value of the methodology is to propose a simple but systematic approach to use the reverse e‐auctions technique. The use of a QFD‐based approach represents the originality of the method.