Josu Takala

Nutrient removal and biodiesel production by integration of freshwater algae cultivation with piggery wastewater treatment.

An integrated approach, which combined freshwater microalgae Chlorella zofingiensis cultivation with piggery wastewater treatment, was investigated in the present study. The characteristics of algal growth, lipid and biodiesel production, and nutrient removal were examined by using tubular bubble column photobioreactors to cultivate C. zofingiensis in piggery wastewater with six different concentrations. Pollutants in piggery wastewater were efficiently removed among all the treatments. The specific growth rate and biomass productivity were different among all the cultures. As the initial nutrient concentration increased, the lipid content of C. zofingiensis decreased. The differences in lipid and biodiesel productivity of C. zofingiensis among all the treatments mainly resulted from the differences in biomass productivity. It is worthy of note that the diluted piggery wastewater with 1900 mg L(-1) COD provided an optimal nutrient concentration for C. zofingiensis cultivation, where the advantageous nutrient removal and the highest productivities of biomass, lipid and biodiesel were presented.

Scale-up potential of cultivating Chlorella zofingiensis in piggery wastewater for biodiesel production

Scale-up potential of cultivating Chlorella zofingiensis in piggery wastewater for simultaneous wastewater treatment and biodiesel production was tested. The cultivation of C. zofingiensis with autoclaved wastewater and NaClO-pretreated wastewater, cultivation of algae indoors and outdoors, and stability of semi-continuous feeding operation were examined. The results showed that C. zofingiensis cultivated in piggery wastewater pretreated by autoclaving and NaClO had no evident difference in the performance of nutrient removal, algal growth and biodiesel production. The outdoor cultivation experiments indicated that C. zofingiensis was able to adapt and grow well outdoors. The semi-continuous feeding operation by replacing 50% of algae culture with fresh wastewater every 1.5 days could provide a stable net biomass productivity of 1.314 g L(-1) day(-1). These findings in this study can prove that it is greatly possible to amplify the cultivation of C. zofingiensis in piggery wastewater for nutrient removal and biodiesel production.

Recycling harvest water to cultivate Chlorella zofingiensis under nutrient limitation for biodiesel production

Harvest water recycling for Chlorella zofingiensis re-cultivation under nutrient limitation was investigated. Using 100% harvest water, four cultures were prepared: Full medium, P-limited medium, N-limited medium and N- and P-limited medium, while another full medium was also prepared using 50% harvest water. The results showed that the specific growth rate and biomass productivity ranged from 0.289 to 0.403 day(-1) and 86.30 to 266.66 mg L(-1) day(-1), respectively. Nutrient-limited cultures witnessed much higher lipid content (41.21-46.21% of dry weight) than nutrient-full cultures (26% of dry weight). The N- and P-limited medium observed the highest FAME yield at 10.95% of dry weight, while the N-limited culture and P-limited culture shared the highest biodiesel productivity at 20.66 and 19.91 mg L(-1) day(-1), respectively. The experiment on harvest water recycling times demonstrated that 100% of the harvest water could be recycled twice with the addition of sufficient nutrients.

Achieving better on-time-delivery performance with the help of internal dependencies in the production

On-time-delivery performance shows a companys ability to react to changes in markets and to launch new products and product families. Purpose of this study was to determine the reasons why calculated on-time-delivery performance differs from actual on-time-delivery performance in case company by defining the external and internal factors, which are mostly decreasing on-time-delivery performance, and the dependencies between virtual factories. Empirical study was carried out as an operation analytic study by describing the actual situation in case company affecting its on-time-delivery performance with a benchmarking comparison. Methods used in study were brainstorming, Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), and benchmarking.

Global manufacturing strategies require “dynamic engineers”? : Case study in Finnish industries

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to study multifocused global manufacturing strategies under the influence of “China effect” taking the dynamic, complex and situational business strategies in ...

The sand cone model: illustrating multi‐focused strategies

Purpose – Researchers are keenly searching methods of analyzing, developing and implementing multi‐focused strategies. This is a challenging task because they are quite difficult to structure and, therefore, to assimilate. This study aims to present a new method that can be used further to assist decision‐makers in analyzing, evaluating and structuring strategies.Design/methodology/approach – In this constructive case study, an illustrative sand cone model of the different levels and their relative importance ratings is developed using the AHP method. In total, 21 experts in strategies and tactics were involved in the three‐stage model development process.Findings – With the help of this visualization model, implementation of a multi‐focused strategy in the case study organization was found to have a better fit for strategic decision making.Originality/value – This is a unique research paper.

A proposed white‐collar workforce performance measurement framework

Purpose – To propose a structured framework for measuring white‐collar workforce.Design/methodology/approach – The proposed framework, designated as the multi‐dimension measurement process or the MDMP, is based on the nature of white‐collar work as well as on the strengths of current measurement techniques such as Zigons. The experiment on comparing the MDMP with several techniques was conducted. The analytic hierarchical process (AHP) has been adopted to determine the usefulness and applicability of the MDMP. The follow‐up discussions with the participants and the surveys to external experts have also been made.Findings – The research results imply potential usefulness and applications for the MDMP. Relatively to others, the MDMP has performed very highly with the set of prioritized criteria (from the AHP) that is used for this comparison, e.g. reliability, strategic congruence, measurement coverage, and user acceptance. Based on this experiment, the MDMP appears to ensure the alignment between strategi...

Cultural Impacts on Knowledge Management and Learning in Project-Based Firms

Purpose – Projects almost invariably involve a variety of diversely skilled people from different national, organisational, and professional cultural backgrounds. These people come together for a specific period of time to accomplish certain unique, unpredictable, and complex objectives. These distinctive characteristics mean that project-based firms require a particular approach to knowledge management (KM) and learning activities that differs significantly from prevailing strategies. This paper aims to explore the way in which these distinctive cultural issues (national, organisational, and professional) influence KM in project-based firms. Design/methodology/approach – The paper first looks at the general issues of KM and the “learning organisation”. Second, the study discusses the more specific issue of KM in project-based firms. Third, the paper explores national, organisational, and professional cultures in the context of project-based business. Finally, the paper draws the three preceding sections together to discuss the managerial implications of dealing with cultural issues in fostering KM in project-based firms. Findings – It is apparent that culture has a most significant influence on the KM capability of an organisation. The moral and budgetary support of senior management is essential for the success of any KM plan in project-based business. Research limitations/implications – This paper puts forward a conceptually grounded argument by stressing on cultural complexities to KM and learning in project environments. The key cultural issues highlighted here need to be empirically tested in future studies. Practical implications – At the organisational level, people and processes must be the first priority for project managers who wish to nurture a “KM culture” in project-based business. At the team level, the project manager can help to create a team culture conducive to KM by transmitting appropriate values and beliefs to the team members. Originality/value – The paper helps practitioners and academics to understand the complexities of cultural issues during KM initiatives in the context of improving project performance.

Competitiveness of Chinese high‐tech manufacturing companies in global context

– The purpose of this paper is to study the operational competitiveness and identify the development route of Chinese high‐tech manufacturing companies by comparing with other similar international manufacturing companies of global manufacturing strategies database., – The preliminary analytical models for competitiveness analysis are used to analyze the operational competitiveness strategies in three different types of Chinese high‐tech manufacturing companies based on the weights of the multi‐criteria manufacturing strategies, which are calculated using analytic hierarchy process method. Benchmarking between case companies and leading companies of prospector, analyzer and defender groups is applied to evaluate the manufacturing strategies further., – As a result of the case studies, it is possible to understand operational competitiveness manufacturing strategies for the case companies, to show one development route for Chinese high‐tech manufacturing companies to be competitive in their markets., – Chinese high‐tech manufacturing companies have their own operational strategies in different development phase. The different weights of important factors such as quality, cost, time and flexibility make the case companies to have some advantages in prospector, analyzer and defender. The preliminary analytical models are effective for Chinese high‐tech manufacturing companies to calculate their operational competitiveness under the influence of Chinese culture and macro‐control., – Benchmarking of operational competitiveness is presented to evaluate the manufacturing strategies in this paper. One development route of Chinese high‐tech manufacturing companies, which is under the influence of Chinese culture and macro‐control, is promoted.

Proposed verification method for the content suitability of the customer satisfaction survey

Purpose – To address multiple problems facing a companys top management with respect to the customer satisfaction survey. Is the customer satisfaction survey still suitable after many years of use? What method should be applied to help ensure better utilization of information from the customer satisfaction survey? Should the three aspects (i.e. quality, delivery, and responsiveness) representing the customer satisfaction continue to be used as part of the surveys main contents. As an ISO 9001: 2000 certified company, the customer satisfaction survey is required.Design/methodology/approach – A method was proposed to help integrate the survey results with other key performance indicators (or ratios). This integration represented the verification effort on the suitability of the customer satisfaction survey. The examinations into the interrelationships between these three aspects the companys performance indicators included three perspectives. They were: no time‐factor consideration; one‐period time‐lag f...