Allen H. Hu

Green supply chain management in the electronic industry

Green supply chain management has emerged as a proactive approach for improving environmental performance of processes and products in accordance with the requirements of environmental regulations. Various approaches for implementing green supply chain management practices has been proposed and recognized in previous literatures, yet no investigation has identified the reliability and validity of such approaches particularly in electronic industry. This study examines the consistency approaches by factor analysis that determines the adoption and implementation of green supply chain management in Taiwanese electronic industry. The fuzzy analytic hierarchy process method is applied to prioritize the relative importance of four dimensions and twenty approaches among nine enterprises in electronic industry. The findings indicate that these enterprises would emphasize on supplier management performance in the crucial role of implementing green supply chain management. Establishing an environmental database of products, asking for product testing report and top management support are among the most important approaches. The results for the implications of green supply chain management implementation in electronic industry investigated in this work generate a generic hierarchy model for decision-makers who can prioritize those approaches for implementing green supply chain management in Taiwan.

Critical factors for implementing green supply chain management practice: An empirical study of electrical and electronics industries in Taiwan

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore critical factors for implementing green supply chain management (GSCM) practice in the Taiwanese electrical and electronics industries relative to European Union directives.Design/methodology/approach – A tentative list of critical factors of GSCM was developed based on a thorough and detailed analysis of the pertinent literature. The survey questionnaire contained 25 items, developed based on the literature and interviews with three industry experts, specifically quality and product assurance representatives. A total of 300 questionnaires were mailed out, and 87 were returned, of which 84 were valid, representing a response rate of 28 percent. Using the data collected, the identified critical factors were performed via factor analysis to establish reliability and validity.Findings – The results show that 20 critical factors were extracted into four dimensions, which denominated supplier management, product recycling, organization involvement and life cycl...

Risk evaluation of green components to hazardous substance using FMEA and FAHP

This study utilized the failure modes and effects analysis (FMEA) to analyze the risks of green components in compliance with the European Union (EU) the Restriction of Hazardous Substance (RoHS) directive in the incoming quality control (IQC) stage, which is based on a case of an OEM/ODM electronic manufacturer in Taiwan. There are three indices of FMEA in this work: the occurrence (O) that can be learned from the testing report; the likelihood of being detected (D) that refers to the difficulty of detection; and severity (S) that can be quantified from the declaration statement and the frequency of green component used by project. The fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (FAHP) was applied to determine the relative weightings of four factors, then a green component risk priority number (GC-RPN) can be calculated for each one of the components, which are provided by the suppliers to identify and manage the risks that may be derived from them. Numerical results indicated that through the use of the proposed approach, the detected rate of the high risk green components can at least be improved to 20% while the GC-RPN is above 7, and the highest risk green components can be increased by 46.2% within the GC-RPN between 9 and 10.

Using the FDM and ANP to construct a sustainability balanced scorecard for the semiconductor industry

This paper proposed a sustainability balanced scorecard (SBSC) framework to measure the sustainable performance of the semiconductor industry. Based on the principle of four perspectives of balanced scorecard (BSC), of which two were changed from the financial and customer perspectives to sustainability and stakeholder perspectives to deal the insufficiently addressed issue of corporate social responsibility. Twenty-five measures of sustainable performance were recognized through expert questionnaires and through the fuzzy Delphi method (FDM). Further, the relative weights of the selected measures were determined using the analytic network process (ANP). Results indicated that the five most important measures of sustainable performance were profitability (0.2528), green innovation and investment (0.1563), green image (0.1546), customer satisfaction (0.0799), and sustainability awareness of the top management (0.0516). Among these measures, the top three all belonged to the sustainability perspective, which comprised 56% of the overall weighting. The proposed SBSC framework can help Taiwanese semiconductor companies enhance their competitiveness in terms of sustainable operations is anticipated.

Empirical Study in the Critical Factors of Green Supply Chain Management (GSCM) Practice in the Taiwanese Electrical and Electronics Industries

This study aims to develop and validate a set of critical factors of green supply chain management (GSCM) practices that could be used by managers in implementing and adopting their own GSCM practices. A tentative list of critical factors of GSCM was developed based on a thorough and detailed analysis of the pertinent literature. A total of 300 questionnaires were mailed out, and 87 were returned, of which 84 were valid, representing a response rate of 28%. Using the data collected, the identified critical factors were conducted via appropriate tests to establish reliability and validity. Statistical tests demonstrated that four critical factors were valid, namely supplier management, product recycling, organization involvement and life cycle management. Additionally, the critical factors of GSCM practices validated in this work can help enterprises identify those areas of GSCM where acceptance and improvements will be made, and in prioritizing GSCM efforts

Using a composite material containing waste tire powder and polypropylene fiber cut end to recover spilled oil

The superior oil absorption capacity of recycled polypropylene (PP) fiber and waste tire powder were used to recover spilled engine oil. We used ASTM F726-99 method to evaluate oil adsorbing capability of PP fiber and found it to have a large, rapid oil sorption capacity. However, its lack of elasticity dramatically limited that capacity after repeated use. Tire powder, which absorbs less oil more slowly, is more elastic than PP fiber and can be used repeatedly up to a hundred times without losing its oil adsorption capability. We combined PP fiber and tire powder to develop a composite material capable of recovering greater amounts of oil than any of its components. This composite can be use repeatedly for at least 100 times. Thus, the material cost for recovering 1 ton of spilled oil is about USD

Change in MSW characteristics under recent management strategies in Taiwan

0.03, making it very competitive on the market.

An analytic framework for social life cycle impact assessment—part 1: methodology

Reduction and recycling initiatives such as producer responsibility and pay-as-you-throw are being implemented in Taiwan. This paper presents a study assessing the impact of recently implemented municipal solid waste (MSW) reduction and recycling management strategies on the characteristics of waste feedstock for incineration in Taiwan. Through the periodic sampling of two typical MSW incineration plants, proximate and ultimate analyses were conducted according to standard methods to explore the influence of MSW reduction and recycling management strategies on incineration feed waste characteristics. It was observed that the annual amount of MSW generated in 2005 decreased by about 10% compared to 2003 and that the characteristics of MSW have changed significantly due to recent management strategies. The heating value of the MSW generated in Taiwan increased yearly by about 5% after program implementation. A comparison of the monthly variations in chemical concentrations indicated that the chlorine content in MSW has changed. This change results from usage reduction of PVC plastic due to the recycling fund management (RFM) program, and the food waste as well as salt content reduction due to the total recycling for kitchen garbage program. This achievement will improve the reduction of dioxin emissions from MSW incineration. In summary, management strategies must be conducted in tandem with the global trend to achieve a zero-waste-discharge country. When implementing these strategies and planning for future MSW management systems, it is important to consider the changes that may occur in the composition and characteristics of MSW over time.

Development of a New Methodology for Impact Assessment of SLCA

PurposeThis study aims to develop a new framework of social life cycle impact assessment (SLCIA) method based on the United Nations Environment Program/Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (UNEP/SETAC) Guidelines for analyzing the social impact in Taiwan, particularly in the electronics industry.MethodsAfter reviewing the literature on social life cycle assessment (SLCA), we analyzed existing case studies and developed SLCIA methods based on the UNEP/SETAC Guidelines. We thereafter identified stakeholders, subcategories, and indicators in accordance with the current status of SLCA case studies and opinions from ten experts in the Taiwanese electronics industry. Both quantitative and semi-quantitative indicators were subsequently proposed to assess the social impact of workers in the Taiwanese electronics sector. Each indicator was given the score of 1 to 5 by classifying the social impact percentage of nine scales. To formulate an analytic framework for SLCIA, the weighting values of each subcategory and indicator were determined using the consistent fuzzy preference relations (CFPR) method.Results and discussionSeven subcategories and 19 qualitative and quantitative indicators of worker stakeholders for the electronics sector were identified based on the UNEP/SETAC Guidelines. A score of 1 to 5 is assigned to each quantitative indicator by classifying the social impact percentage of nine scales. The data obtained from companies for each quantitative indicator were subsequently transformed into social impact percentage in terms of the statistical data on social situations at the country or industry level. With regard to semi-quantitative indicators, three implementation levels of management efforts on social performance within five elements were identified. The CFPR method was then employed to determine the weights of each indicator by ten experts. Results indicated that preventing forced work practices, protecting children from having to work, and providing minimum and fair wages for workers are the three most important indicators for assessing social impact.ConclusionsA new SLCIA method that incorporates both quantitative and semi-quantitative indicators was proposed for assessing social impact in the electronics sector in Taiwan. Nine quantitative indicators can be easily organized using available social data from government statistics as performance reference points (PRPs) to determine the social impact exerted by companies. The relative weights were determined to allow for an impact assessment and thus solve the limitation of their currently assumed equal weights. The proposed framework is examined to analyze the social impact of three production sites for semiconductor packaging and manufacturing in Taiwan.

Application of analytic network process on supplier selection to hazardous substance management in green supply chain management

In this study, a new method for social impact assessment was developed based on the UNEP/SETAC Guidelines for SLCA of products. As quantitative indicators, we collect country-specific statistics data from Taiwanese governments as performance reference points (PRP) to assess the social impact of each indicator of a specific product. Moreover, the quantitative indicators are used to assess social performance and effort in terms of five measures: policy, communication, approach, record, and response. The proposed model of impact assessment for SLCA in this study can facilitate a social impact assessment of a specific product.