Hari Vasudevan

Market orientation and manufacturing performance of Indian SMEs

Purpose – This paper sets out to investigate the link between market orientation and manufacturing performance for small and medium enterprises in India.Design/methodology/approach – The paper collected the data for this research through intensive surveys of the CEOs or top managers of small and medium‐sized enterprises in India. The paper utilized scales, well established in literature, and revalidated them for the Indian context. It also utilized confirmatory factor analysis for scale validation, and hierarchical regression analysis for testing the hypotheses.Findings – This study found a positive link between two sub‐dimensions of market orientation – customer orientation and inter‐functional coordination – and manufacturing performance. Competitor orientation, however, did not have a positive impact on manufacturing performance. Further, the paper found that firm resources and competitive intensity moderate the relationship between some of the sub‐dimensions of market orientation and firm performance....

Relational switching costs, satisfaction and commitment

Purpose – This study attempts to understand the impact of relational switching costs and satisfaction on commitment as well as its impact on the satisfaction – commitment link in a supplier‐to‐manufacturer context in manufacturing.Design/methodology/approach – The data for this study were collected from the small and medium size manufacturing firms located in and around Mumbai. A total of 67 CEOs/business heads were randomly selected and personally interviewed with the help of a structured questionnaire.Findings – Study strengthens the view that small and medium enterprises need to invest in relationships so that such investments are turned into relational switching barriers and they would thereby help in increasing customer retention. It also shows that if relational switching costs are higher, then even if satisfaction is lower the customer is less likely to terminate the relationship.Research limitations/implications – For marketing practitioners, the findings validate the long‐held belief that relatio...

A Comparative Analysis of Taguchi Methodology and Shainin System DoE in the Optimization of Injection Molding Process Parameters

Two well-known Design of Experiments (DoE) methodologies, such as Taguchi Methods (TM) and Shainin Systems (SS) are compared and analyzed in this study through their implementation in a plastic injection molding unit. Experiments were performed at a perfume bottle cap manufacturing company (made by acrylic material) using TM and SS to find out the root cause of defects and to optimize the process parameters for minimum rejection. Experiments obtained the rejection rate to be 8.57% from 40% (appx.) during trial runs, which is quiet low, representing successful implementation of these DoE methods. The comparison showed that both methodologies gave same set of variables as critical for defect reduction, but with change in their significance order. Also, Taguchi methods require more number of experiments and consume more time compared to the Shainin System. Shainin system is less complicated and is easy to implement, whereas Taguchi methods is statistically more reliable for optimization of process parameters. Finally, experimentations implied that DoE methods are strong and reliable in implementation, as organizations attempt to improve the quality through optimization.

Multi criteria decision making using fuzzy inference system: A case in manufacturing

In this study, a hybrid multi criteria optimization algorithm involving desirability and Fuzzy coupled with Taguchi methodology is used to evaluate the optimal cutting parameters setting, during finish turning of glass fiber reinforced plastic composite material.

A Study on Edge Milling Operation of NEMA G11 GFRP Composites Based on Grey-Taguchi Method

Milling is one of the most practical machining processes for removing excess material to produce high quality surfaces. However, milling of composite materials is a rather complex task, owing to its heterogeneity and poor surface finish, which includes fibre pullout, matrix delamination, sub-surface damage and matrix polymer interface failure. In this study, an attempt has been made to optimize milling parameters with multiple performance characteristics in the edge milling operation, based on the Grey Relational Analysis coupled with Taguchi method. Taguchi’s L18 orthogonal array was used for the milling experiment. Milling parameters such as milling strategy, spindle speed, feed rate and depth of cut are optimised along with multiple performance characteristics, such as machining forces and delamination. Response table of grey relational grade for four process parameters is used for the analysis to produce the best output; the optimal combination of the parameters. From the response table of the average GRG, it is found that the largest value of the GRG is for down milling, spindle speed of 1000 rpm, feed rate of 150 mm/min and depth of cut 0.4 mm.

Investigation of the Machinability Characteristics of GFRP / Epoxy Composites Using Taguchi Methodology

Many glass fiber reinforced plastic (GFRP) composite components made from primary melt processes require additional machining to meet the requirements of assembly and accurate dimensional tolerances. Importance of woven fabric based glass fibre reinforced composites is widely known in many industrial applications. However, very little is known about machinability of these composites. Cutting force is treated as one of the primary measures for determining the machinability of any material.This paper presents an investigation into the longitudinal turning of woven fabric and epoxy based GFRP composites, using polycrystalline diamond tool, so as to analyze the effect of cutting parameters and insert radius on the cutting force. The force was measured through longitudinal turning, according to the experimental plan, as developed on the basis of Taguchi methodology. The signal to noise ratio and analysis of variance were applied to the experimental data, in order to determine the effect of the process variables on tangential cutting force. Statistical results indicated that the cutting force is significantly influenced (at a 95% confidence level) by feed rate, followed by depth of cut, whereas, cutting speed and insert radius have a smaller influence. The cutting force also increases with the increase in feed rate and depth of cut.

Heat and Temperatures in Machining: Effects and Significance

Heat generated in machining is significant to study, as number of technical and economic problems has root into it. The high temperatures on cutting tool needs better understanding of contact processes at tool-chip ,tool-workpiece interfaces. The contact length at tool-chip interface is significant to study as it governs the heat moving to the tool as well as many tribological conditions like stresses, tool wear. Understanding of Tool-workpiece interface is significant as it affects the heat moving to workpiece, tool, chip as well as tool flank wear and major machined surface characteristics. Non-sliding type tool wear mechanisms which are highly sensitive to temperature changes are important to study. The latest trends of using High Speed Machining, Dry and Near Dry Machining, Finish hard turning results in more heat generation demanding significant understanding of effect of heat generated and temperatures.

Perfect Product Launching Strategies in the Context of Survival of Small Scale Consumer Products Industries

Consumer products companies are under escalating demands to reduce time-to-market and the cost of introducing new products. As product lifecycles continue to decrease, compressing development cycles and accelerating new product introductions are becoming critical. Product complexity is also increasing substantially, making development and product introduction even more challenging. This paper presents the challenges the Consumer products industry is facing, as increased complexities in the competitive environment are forcing shorter product lifecycles and increasing cost pressures. It evaluates the impact that these complexities have on the product development process and focuses on a few recommendations that Consumer products executives should consider to reduce their time-to-market and increase their return on investment for new product introductions.