The main objective of this paper is to identify and understand the relationship dynamics among the quality enabled factors affecting the scheduling stage of production system life cycle. For this purpose, Interpretative structural modelling (ISM) approach has been utilized for developing the relationships among the various factors of the scheduling system stage. Afterwards, MICMAC (Matriced Impacts Croises Multiplication Appliqueeaun Classement) analysis has been carried out in order to classify the factors into different categories and to disclose the direct and indirect effects of each factor on the scheduling system. It is an approach for refining the decision making in the scheduling stage of production system life cycle.

Six Sigma is considered as a logical business strategy that attempts to identify and eliminate the defects or failures for improving the quality of product and processes. A decision on project selection in Six Sigma is always very critical; it plays a key role in successful implementation of Six Sigma. Selection of a right Six Sigma project is essentially important for an automotive company because it greatly influences the manufacturing costs. This paper discusses an approach for right Six Sigma project selection at an automotive industry using fuzzy logic based TOPSIS method. The fuzzy TOPSIS is a well recognized tool to undertake the fuzziness of the data involved in choosing the right preferences. In this context, evaluation criteria have been designed for selection of best alternative. The weights of evaluation criteria are calculated by using the MDL (modified digital logic) method and final ranking is calculated through priority index obtained by using fuzzy TOPSIS method. In the selected case study, this approach has rightly helped to identify the right project for implementing Six Sigma for achieving improvement in productivity.

We report ammonium metavanadate catalyzed one-pot synthesis of 3,4-dihydropyrano[3,2-c]chromenes, from aldehydes, active methylene compounds malononitrile and 4-hydroxycoumarin in water:ethanol(1:1) under reflux. The attractive features of this process are mild reaction conditions, short reaction times, easy isolation of products, and excellent yields.

Efficient and stable performance of the banking system underpins sustainable growth of any economy. Of late, several economic reforms have been initiated in India for facilitating growth and withstanding dynamics of global economy. In this context, the current study compares the performance of the selected private and public sector banks in India on a five year time horizon in order to discern any changes in the performance over a period of time. First, the performance of the selected banks are examined in terms of management efficiency perspective using a Multi-Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) technique such as Combinative Distance-based Assessment (CODAS) when an Entropy method is also employed for determining criteria weight. The study also applies k-Means Clustering for checking consistency of performance based ranking with asset management efficiency. Finally, the paper delves into the relationship between financial and market performance. The study has found consistent results and observed private sector banks perform better than the public sector.

This paper presents the effect of Post Weld Heat Treatment (PWHT), pulsed current welding, hybrid welding and vibratory assisted welding in the weld quality, residual stresses and mechanical properties of welded joints. At last, vibratory assisted welding has been suggested to enhance the mechanical properties of welded joints by overcoming the drawbacks in the above stated techniques. Past results showed that the welded test specimens under vibratory conditions exhibited improvements in mechanical properties than the arc welding without vibrations. Finally, some literature gaps are clearly identified and these gaps could help the future generation researchers to do work in the new direction.

The construction process is inherently prone to risks. Risk management is an essential and integral part of project management on all construction projects. Risk analysis is one of the core components of risk management that enables professionals to quantify and analyze risks that may pose potential threats to project performance in terms of various parameters. This research was conducted to identify and analyze risks associated with residential construction in Bangalore. In this study, risk and its impact on time and cost was identified and analyzed. Schedule impacts of project risks were supplemented by conducting quantitative risk analysis such as Monte Carlo simulation and sensitivity analysis using the Primavera risk analysis software. In case of cost, the cost variance was found out and mitigation measures were given. Thus, by effectively managing the risks, organization has more timely, comprehensive and deeper understanding of risks which in turn facilitates better decision making and confidence to take on new ventures or even to accept higher level of risk.

The problem of thermoelastic nanoscale beam based on a modified couple stress theory with diffusion subjected to ramp type heating is investigated. The Laplace transform technique and eigen value approach are applied to solve the equations which are written in the dimensionless form. The expressions for displacement, lateral deflection, temperature change, mass concentration, axial stress and chemical potential are derived in the transformed domain. A general algorithm of the inverse Laplace transform is developed to compute the results numerically. The mathematical model is prepared for Copper material. The resulting quantities are depicted graphically to show the effects of time. Some particular cases of interest are also deduced from the present problem.

This paper is an attempt to examine the implementation of Lean Manufacturing system in the Indian industries. Predominant elements of Lean Manufacturing, benefits gained after its implementation and obstacles observed by Indian Industry have been recognized. The results of this survey support the opinion that Lean Manufacturing had potential to improve the organizational performance of Indian industries. Nevertheless, Indian industries are required to be passionate to transform their manufacturing by adopting Lean manufacturing to gain the full benefits. A large numbers of literature papers are available on the better side of Lean manufacturing approach and its benefits gained by manufacturing organizations after implementation. But the adverse impacts of Lean manufacturing are not discussed to a great extent. Some drawbacks of Lean manufacturing are also highlighted in this paper.

Deterioration of items is a phenomenon which cannot be neglected as it may provide absurd result. In high-tech business market, deterioration is not always constant but it is time dependent. This paper presents inventory model for time dependent deterioration and time dependent demand under shortages. The mathematical model is provided to optimize the cycle time by minimizing the total cost. Numerical results are discussed to validate the proposed model. The variation of the optimal solution for different parameters is discussed for some instances.

Supplier evaluation and selection play a vital role in establishing an effective supply chain for any firm. The supplier evaluation not only enables the firm to know the performance of suppliers, but also gives an indication of the ability of the firm itself to gain competitive advantage. The appropriate evaluation is the basis for the subsequent selection of the best supplier. This paper presents a hybrid methodology using Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA), Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and Grey Relational Analysis (GRA) to evaluate suppliers and to identify the best supplier for a firm. In this work, super efficiency and cross efficiency methods of DEA are employed to determine the efficiencies and the performance scores of the suppliers respectively. On the basis of super efficiency and cross efficiency scores, the list of efficient suppliers with high performance is identified and GRA methodology is adopted to identify the best supplier. A case study is presented to demonstrate the proposed hybrid methodology.