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Manufacturing industries are facing dynamic challenges in today’s highly competitive world. In the recent past, integrating Industry 4.0 with the lean six sigma improvement methodologies has emerged as a popular approach for organizational excellence. The research aims to explore and analyze critical success factors of lean six sigma integrated Industry 4.0 (LSSI).

This research study explores and analyzes the critical success factors (CSFs) of LSSI. A three-phase study framework is employed. At first, the CSFs are identified through an extensive literature review and validated through experts’ feedback. Then, in the second phase, the initial list of CSFs is finalized using the fuzzy DELPHI technique. In the third phase, the cause-effect relationship among CFSs is established using the fuzzy DEMATEL technique.

A dyadic relationship among cause-and-effect category CSFs is established. Under the cause category, top management commitment toward integrating LSSI, systematic methodology for LSSI and organizational culture for adopting changes while adopting LSSI are found to be topmost CSFs. Also, under the effect category, organizational readiness toward LSSI and adaptability and agility are found to be the uppermost CSFs.

The study offers a framework to understand the significant CSFs for LSSI implementation. Insights from the study will help industry managers and practitioners to implement LSSI and achieve organizational excellence.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, CSFs of LSSI are not much explored in the past by researchers. Findings will be of great value for professionals in developing long-term operations strategies.

The utilisation of renewable energy sources for generating electricity and potable water is one of the most sustainable approaches in the current scenario. Therefore, the current research aims to design and develop a novel co-generation system to address the electricity and potable water needs of rural areas.

The cogeneration system mainly consists of a solar parabolic dish concentrator (SPDC) system with a concentrated photo-voltaic module at the receiver for electricity generation. It is further integrated with a low-temperature thermal desalination (LTTD) system for generating potable water. Also, a novel corn cob filtration system is introduced for the pre-treatment to reduce the salt content in seawater before circulating it into the receiver of the SPDC system. The designed novel co-generation system has been numerically and experimentally tested to analyse the performance at Karaikal, U.T. of Puducherry, India.

Because of the pre-treatment with a corn cob, the scale formation in the pipes of the SPDC system is significantly reduced, which enhances the efficiency of the system. It is observed that the conductivity, pH and TDS of seawater are reduced significantly after the pre-treatment by the corncob filtration system. Also, the integrated system is capable of generating 6–8 litres of potable water per day.

The integration of the corncob filtration system reduced the scaling formation compared to the general circulation of water in the hoses. Also, the integrated SPDC and LTTD systems are comparatively economical to generate higher yields of clean water than solar stills.

Conventional isolated dc–dc converters offer an efficient solution for performing voltage conversion with a large improved voltage gain. However, the small-signal analysis of these converters shows that a right-half-plane (RHP) zero appears in their control-to-output transfer function, exhibiting a nonminimum-phase stability. This RHP zero can limit the frequency response and dynamic specifications of the converters; therefore, the output voltage response is sluggish. To overcome these problems, the purpose of this study is to analyze, model and design a new isolated forward single-ended primary-inductor converter (IFSEPIC) through RHP zero alleviation.

At first, the normal operation of the suggested IFSEPIC is studied. Then, its average model and control-to-output transfer function are derived. Based on the obtained model and Routh–Hurwitz criterion, the components are suitably designed for the proposed IFSEPIC, such that the derived dynamic model can eliminate the RHP zero.

The advantages of the proposed IFSEPIC can be summarized as: This converter can provide conditions to achieve fast dynamic behavior and minimum-phase stability, owing to the RHP zero cancellation; with respect to conventional isolated converters, a larger gain can be realized using the proposed topology; thus, it is possible to attain a smaller operating duty cycle; for conventional isolated converters, transformer core saturation is a major concern, owing to a large magnetizing current. However, the average value of the magnetizing current becomes zero for the proposed IFSEPIC, thereby avoiding core saturation, particularly at high frequencies; and the input current of the proposed converter is continuous, reducing input current ripple.

The key benefits of the proposed IFSEPIC are shown via comparisons. To validate the design method and theoretical findings, a practical implementation is presented.

Spirituality is a concept that explains the spiritual dimension of human beings. Meaning of life, being together, and the bigger one's existence are the components of spirituality. In that manner, workplace spirituality is an area that endeavors to find the meaning of the work together with the community. Research reveals that workplace spirituality has several dimensions, and inner life, sense of community, and meaning at work are validly used. Though developing in the research area, misunderstandings and misuses of the phenomenon causes several dark sides. In this context, this chapter aims to reveal these in five aspects to contribute to enhancing the literature. The ambiguity in defining spirituality and religion is the first dark point in understanding workplace spirituality. Accepting spiritual executions at work as a tool for profitability is the second. The scarcity of awareness of executive leaders about workplace spirituality is the other. Considering the studies on workplace spirituality as a fad and the expected difficulties in developments about the area is the fourth. Finally, workplace spirituality-based misbehaviors at work are the last dark side, addressed in this study. In addition to the explanations in its content, the authors present a bibliometric analysis conducted by R. The chapter concludes with general evaluations and suggestions for future studies.

Key success factors (KSFs) of total productive maintenance (TPM) have historically played a vital role in attaining economic and ecological sustainability but have overlooked social sustainability. Hence, this study analyses and ranks the most significant TPM KSFs for attaining social sustainability in manufacturing small and medium enterprises (SMEs).

The research employs a deductive methodology to identify the relevant TPM KSFs and social sustainability indicators and then uses Fuzzy Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) to rank the TPM KSFs in order to achieve social sustainability, followed by a sensitivity analysis to assess the methodological robustness.

The findings indicate that the top five TPM KSFs influencing social sustainability are employee health and safety, organizational culture, top management commitment, employee engagement and effective communication and effective workplace management. In addition, the results indicate that effective equipment utilization is the least significant TPM key factor affecting social sustainability.

SME manufacturing managers do not need to worry about all of the TPM KSFs if they only concentrate on the ones that will have the most impact. If managers use the top 5 TPM KSFs as a starting point, they may create customized TPM training programs for their companies. As a result, this will facilitate the efforts of their personnel toward social sustainability.

In the existing literature, little emphasis has been paid to social sustainability and how SMEs may implement these practices. This research adds to the current theory of TPM and social sustainability and sheds light on how SMEs might use TPM to advance toward more socially sustainable operations.

This paper aims to focus on solving the path optimization problem by modifying the probabilistic roadmap (PRM) technique as it suffers from the selection of the optimal number of nodes and deploy in free space for reliable trajectory planning.

Traditional PRM is modified by developing a decision-making strategy for the selection of optimal nodes w.r.t. the complexity of the environment and deploying the optimal number of nodes outside the closed segment. Subsequently, the generated trajectory is made smoother by implementing the modified Bezier curve technique, which selects an optimal number of control points near the sharp turns for the reliable convergence of the trajectory that reduces the sum of the robot’s turning angles.

The proposed technique is compared with state-of-the-art techniques that show the reduction of computational load by 12.46%, the number of sharp turns by 100%, the number of collisions by 100% and increase the velocity parameter by 19.91%.

The proposed adaptive technique provides a better solution for autonomous navigation of unmanned ground vehicles, transportation, warehouse applications, etc.

This study examines the relationship between multi-layer supply chain flexibility (MSCF) and Supply chain resilience (SCR). Further, it looks at the moderating effect of environmental dynamism (ED) and supply chain risks (SCRI) on the relationship between MSCF and SCR.

Executives from the pharmaceutical, agri-food, electronics, automobile and textile industries were invited to complete a self-administered questionnaire. We received feedback from a total of 302 participants. Prior to conducting the primary analysis, we addressed the potential for nonresponse bias and verified the assumptions of homoscedasticity and normal distribution of the data. The reliability and validity of the constructs were established through confirmatory factor analysis. Structural equation modelling is employed for the purpose of conducting hypothesis testing.

The results demonstrate a notable influence of MSCF on SCR, particularly in settings characterized by high levels of ED and SCRI. The study highlights the importance of flexibility in multiple aspects of the supply chain to build resilience against a range of disruptions and uncertainties.

The study presents the fundamental role of Multi-Layer Flexibility in building up SCR. The results of this study reinforce the existing literature and offers empirical evidence for how ED, SCRI moderates the influence between MSCF to SCR. These results offer valuable information to both supply chain specialists and researchers for building comprehensive strategy to bring resilience in supply chains.

In a volatile agricultural postharvest market, producers require more personalized information about market dynamics for informed decisions on the marketed surplus. However, this adaptive strategy fails to benefit them if the selection of a computational price predictive model to disseminate information on the market outlook is not efficient, and the associated risk of perishability, and storage cost factor are not assumed against the seemingly favourable market behaviour. Consequently, the decision of whether to store or sell at the time of crop harvest is a perennial dilemma to solve. With the intent of addressing this challenge for agricultural producers, the study is focused on designing an agricultural decision support system (ADSS) to suggest a favourable marketing strategy to crop producers.

The present study is guided by an eclectic theoretical perspective from supply chain literature that included agency theory, transaction cost theory, organizational information processing theory and opportunity cost theory in revenue risk management. The paper models a structured iterative algorithmic framework that leverages the forecasting capacity of different time series and machine learning models, considering the effect of influencing factors on agricultural price movement for better forecasting predictability against market variability or dynamics. It also attempts to formulate an integrated risk management framework for effective sales planning decisions that factors in the associated costs of storage, rental and physical loss until the surplus is held for expected returns.

Empirical demonstration of the model was simulated on the dynamic markets of tomatoes, onions and potatoes in a north Indian region. The study results endorse that farmer-centric post-harvest information intelligence assists crop producers in the strategic sales planning of their produce, and also vigorously promotes that the effectiveness of decision making is contingent upon the selection of the best predictive model for every future market event.

As a policy implication, the proposed ADSS addresses the pressing need for a robust marketing support system for the socio-economic welfare of farming communities grappling with distress sales, and low remunerative returns.

Based on the extant literature studied, there is no such study that pays personalized attention to agricultural producers, enabling them to make a profitable sales decision against the volatile post-harvest market scenario. The present research is an attempt to fill that gap with the scope of addressing crop producer's ubiquitous dilemma of whether to sell or store at the time of harvesting. Besides, an eclectic and iterative style of predictive modelling has also a limited implication in the agricultural supply chain based on the literature; however, it is found to be a more efficient practice to function in a dynamic market outlook.

Because many cutting fluids contain hazardous chemical constituents, industries and researchers are looking for alternative methods to reduce the consumption of cutting fluids in machining operations due to growing awareness of ecological and health issues, government strict environmental regulations and economic pressures. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to raise awareness of the minimum quantity lubrication (MQL) technique as a potential substitute for environmental restricted wet (flooded) machining situations.

The methodology adopted for conducting a review in this study includes four sections: establishment of MQL technique and review of MQL machining performance comparison with dry and wet (flooded) environments; analysis of the past literature to examine MQL turning performance under mono nanofluids (M-NF); MQL turning performance evaluation under hybrid nanofluids (H-NF); and MQL milling, drilling and grinding performance assessment under M-NF and H-NF.

From the extensive review, it has been found that MQL results in lower cutting zone temperature, reduction in cutting forces, enhanced tool life and better machined surface quality compared to dry and wet cutting conditions. Also, MQL under H-NF discloses notably improved tribo-performance due to the synergistic effect caused by the physical encapsulation of spherical nanoparticles between the nanosheets of lamellar structured nanoparticles when compared with M-NF. The findings of this study recommend that MQL with nanofluids can replace dry and flood lubrication conditions for superior machining performance.

Machining under the MQL regime provides a dry, clean, healthy and pollution-free working area, thereby resulting the machining of materials green and environmentally friendly.

This paper describes the suitability of MQL for different machining operations using M-NF and H-NF.

The peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/ILT-05-2023-0131/

Systematic literature review (SLR) papers have gained significant importance during the last years as many reputed journals have asked for literature review submissions from the authors. However, at the same time, authors are experiencing a high number of desk rejections because of a lack of quality and its contribution to the existing body of knowledge. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to offer guidance to researchers who intend to communicate SLR papers in top-rated journals. We attempt to offer a guide to buddy researchers who plan to write SLR papers. This purpose is achieved by clearly stating how the traditional review method is different from SLR, when and how can each type of literature review method be used, writing effective motivation of a review paper and finally how to synthesize the available literature. We have also presented a few suggestions for writing an impactful SLR in the last. Overall, this chapter serves as a guide to various aspirants of SLR paper to understand the prerequisites of an SLR paper and offers deep insights to bring in more clarity before writing an SLR paper, thereby reducing the chances of desk rejection.