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The integration of industry 4.0 has become a priority for many organizations. However, not all organizations are suitable and capable of implementing industry 4.0 because it requires a dynamic and flexible implementation strategy. The implementation of industry 4.0 often involves overcoming several tensions between internal and external stakeholders. This paper aims to explore the paradoxical tensions that arise for health-care organizations when integrating industry 4.0. Moreover, it discusses how a paradox lens can support the conceptualization and proposes techniques for handling tensions during the integration of industry 4.0.

This qualitative and in-depth study draws upon 32 semi-structured interviews. The empirical case concerns how two health-care organizations handle paradoxical tensions during the integration of industry 4.0.

The exploration resulted in six recurring technology tensions: technology invention (modularized design vs. flexible design), technology collaboration (automation vs. human augmentation), technology-driven patient experience (control vs. autonomy), technology uncertainty (short-term experimentation vs. long-term planning), technology invention and diffusion through collaborative efforts among stakeholders (selective vs. intensive collaboration) and technological innovation (market maintenance vs. disruption).

A paradox theory-informed conceptual model is proposed for how to handle tensions during the integration of industry 4.0. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first paper to introduce paradox theory for quality management, including lean and Six Sigma.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate warp and weft crimp distribution over the fabric width and how it is influenced by warp tension distribution over the warp width.

An experimental design in this research includes air jet loom, tension sensor, inductive sensor and personal computer.

It is found that warp crimp in the fabric on the loom is higher in the edge zones than the middle of the fabric and warp crimp in the middle is higher than warp crimp in edge zones of the grey fabric. Weft crimp in the edge zones is higher than in the middle of the grey fabric. The reason behind warp tension and warp and weft crimp variations over fabric width is that weft yarn slips towards inside fabric at selvedges and gets relaxed during beat up.

It is proved that reducing weft yarn slip and therefore weft yarn relaxation during beat up will reduce warp tension and warp and weft crimp variations and improve the uniformity of fabric properties over the fabric width.

The perfect interlacing of needle and bobbin thread in the stitch formation process and seam appearance depends first of all on correct pre‐tension of the tension regulator. Changes in the pre‐tension settings also have a direct influence on the tensile force during the sewing process. This contribution presents the influence of pre‐tension in a defined area on the tensile force in important phases of the stitch formation process. In addition the influence of the stitch velocity on tensile force was investigated. On the basis of statistic analysis it was ascertained in which pre‐tension area and stitch velocity the significant differences between tensile forces occurred.

A study of thread tensions on a lockstitch sewing machine was made, measuring simultaneously both the needle and bobbin thread tensions. Experiments were carried out under specified sewing conditions, whereby needle and bobbin thread tensioner adjustment, sewing speed, number of plies, fabric quality and sewing thread quality were varied in order to investigate the effect of these factors on the needle and bobbin thread tensions. The patterns of the thread tension traces obtained were analysed as well as the effect of these factors on the peak tensions detected on both thread tension traces. Four significant peak tensions on the needle thread tension trace and two significant peak tensions on the bobbin thread tension trace were detected, during a stitch cycle. It was found that no significant variations occurred as far as the timing and shape of the peak tensions were concerned. However, variations were detected in the peak tensions according to the sewing conditions, as expected. From the analysis of the data obtained, multiple regression equations were derived to predict, with a good degree of accuracy, the peak tensions generated, according to the sewing conditions.

The prevention of fatigue in bolts by controlled pre‐tensioning is investigated theoretically. It is shown that the effect of pre‐tension is to reduce the alternating load in the bolt and that the stiffness of the fitting plays an important part in this reduction. Fatigue tests on ¾‐in. B.S.F. bolts with various amounts of pre‐tension show how this reduction in alternating load can prevent fatigue failure. A warning is given against relying on the benefits of pre‐tensioning without ensuring that pre‐tension is maintained in service.

Formulators must control coating transfer and adhesion by developing formulations that perform well under widely varying application speeds and operating conditions. There are factors that can be controlled, and others that cannot be controlled. It is especially useful, and often essential, for the formulator to have an understanding of the principles and relationships of surface and interfacial tension, and surface energy or “wetting tension”. A review of these important principals and relationships, with a brief introduction to formulation variables sets the stage for introduction of an instrument that can easily measure the surface tension of coatings and the wetting tension of the surfaces or “substrates” to be coated.

The tension variations across the width of the weaver's beam cause uneven tension in the fabric formation zone. As a result of the tension variation, the woven fabric tends to have fabric defects, such as non-uniform fabric density and differential dye take–up at various places on the fabric. As the warp ends are continuously subjected to varying tensions, warp breakage frequently occurs. As a result, the quality of the fabric produced suffers and there is reduced loom efficiency. However, uniformity in the fabric density is crucial, especially for technical and smart textiles. In this paper, the authors have attempted to model the varyingtensions across different segments of a warp sheet under a set of assumptions and derived a linear model. Furthermore, a prototype of an automatic tension control device is instrumentedwith two different positions which are located one meter apart and allows the tension variations across the warp-sheet to be practically observed. The measured average tension shows that variations in the internal tension on different segments of the warp-sheet can be minimized or even completely eliminated over time. With the implementation of a related experiment, the authors have shown the effectiveness of this automatic tension controller and its strong implications for the industry.

Spinning triangle is a critical region in the spinning process of staple yarn, which geometry influences the distribution of fiber tension and determines the qualities of yarn directly. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to investigate the fiber tension distribution at the twist point.

First, one theoretical model of fiber tension distributions at the twist point is given according to the motion law of fibers in the spinning triangle. Then, one calculation method of fiber tension at the twist point is given by two steps. First, the initial tension of each fiber at the front nip line caused by the yarn load should be calculated according to the models obtained based on the principle of minimum potential energy. Second, the fiber tensions at the twist point can be calculated using the obtained model in this paper. Finally, as an application of the proposed method, spinning triangles of a modified ring spinning system with a pair of offset device which can change the horizontal offset of the twist point to the symmetric axis of nip line of the spinning triangle continuously are studied. The fiber tension distributions are simulated numerically.

It is shown that the fiber tension distributions at the twist point can be determined by fiber feeding into and out the spinning triangle speed, the initial tension of each fiber at the front nip line, fiber tensile Young’s modulus and cross-sectional area, the number of fibers at spinning triangle and the individual fiber angle with the center fiber. The spinning experiment shows that taking appropriate right or left offset of the spinning triangle can help to improve the spun yarn qualities.

In this paper, the fiber tension distribution at the twist point is investigated. One theoretical model of fiber tension distributions at the twist point is given according to the motion law of fibers in the spinning triangle first. Then, one calculation method of fiber tension at the twist point has been given under the assumption that the initial tension of each fiber at the front nip line is caused by the yarn load.

This paper uses dialectical inquiry to explore tensions that arise when adopting Industry 4.0 technologies in a lean production system and their reconciliation mechanisms.

We conducted an in-depth qualitative case study over a 3-year period on an Italian division of an international electrotechnical organisation that produces electrical switches. This organisation successfully adopted Industry 4.0 technologies in a lean production system. The study is based on primary data such as observations and semi-structured interviews, along with secondary data.

We identify four empirically validated dialectic tensions arising across different Industry 4.0 adoption stages due to managers’ and workers’ contrasting interpretations of technologies. Consequently, we define the related reconciliation mechanisms that allow the effective adoption of various Industry 4.0 technologies to support a lean production system.

This is the first empirical investigation of tensions in the adoption of Industry 4.0 technologies in a lean production system. Furthermore, the paper presents four theoretical propositions and a conceptual model describing which tensions arise during the adoption of Industry 4.0 technologies in a lean production system and the reconciliation mechanisms that prevent lean production system deterioration.

Temporary and permanent organisations have contrasting yet co-dependent perspectives regarding time; temporary organisations are made to ‘die’, yet most of them exist to enable permanent organisations to ‘survive’. The authors studied the temporal tensions of strategic initiatives – that is, temporary organisations that aim to implement strategic change in permanent organisations. Our empirical data identified three temporal tensions emerging when senior managers timed their strategic initiatives: ambition versus realism when enacting the time horizon, patience versus urgency when enacting the pace, and clock time versus event time when enacting the temporal perspective. By evoking the literature on paradox and temporal work, the authors extend the view of temporality at the temporary and permanent interface and indicate how temporal work played an important role in creating, reinforcing, or transforming temporal tensions. The authors conclude by providing implications for theory and practice.