Mario Palumbo

Manufacturing re‐insourcing in the textile industry: A case study

Purpose – This article aims to suggest to managers involved in re‐engineering projects a method to assess the feasibility of manufacturing re‐insourcing.Design/methodology/approach – At first, an analysis of the textile sector is carried out. Subsequently, a methodology is described, able to assess the feasibility of manufacturing re‐insourcing. As a case study, a high production shop is then proposed and sized for the quick response requirements of a company producing young apparel lines on behalf of third parties. Finally, an economic evaluation is carried out in order to assess the profitability of the re‐insourcing strategy.Findings – A methodology which can aid managers to assess the feasibility of manufacturing re‐insourcing in re‐engineering programs is proposed.Originality/value – The proposed methodology is original.

Computer integrated manufacturing in small companies: a case study

A methodology for introducing computer integrated manufacturing (CIM) technology in small companies has been developed. With the aim to assess the capabilities in real applications of the proposed approach, a case study is presented in this paper. The case study refers to a small Italian company (Italpneumatica Sud) producing pneumatic components under one of the leading trademarks in the world (SMC). Results of first experimental tests demonstrate ability of the developed methodology in improving overall company performances, maintaining at the same time low implementation costs.

Design criteria for cooperating robots assembly cells

Abstract A pragmatic approach to aid in designing assembly cells with cooperating robots is presented in this paper. Conditions justifying the use of multiple cooperation have been previously defined. Effort is focused on the appropriate characterization of assembly tasks to help find solutions for solving collision and coordination problems. The laboratory used for experimental studies on cooperating robots is also illustrated. The presented criteria are applied to the cell setup of a mechanical assembly process.

Critical aspects in multi‐robot co‐operation

Outlines current research into multiple co‐operative robots and discusses the practicality of a set of experiments developed to study robot applications better and to verify different solution methodologies. Looks at the design criteria for co‐operating robot systems and describes the laboratory set up to study them.

Fault tree analysis for risk assessment in the Borexino experiment

This paper outlines a methodological approach utilizing quantitative risk analyses and cost–benefits evaluation in order to select the most cost‐effective options for risk reduction in industrial plants including structural changes and preventive maintenance. The methodology is based on quantification of top events resorting to fault trees, a sensitivity analysis of the probability of occurrence of top events, and a comparison of corrective measures based on cost and effectiveness criteria. The method is applied to a case study represented by the pseudocumene purification plant of the Borexino experiment in order to show its capability. The experiment is located in the Gran Sasso National Laboratory operated by the Italian National Institute for Nuclear Physics.

Some criteria to help the experimental setup of assembly cells with cooperating robots

A pragmatic approach for aid in the designing of assembly cells with cooperating robots is presented in this paper. The conditions justifying the use of multiple cooperation have been previously defined. Effort was then focused on the appropriate characterization of the assembly tasks with the aim of helping find solutions for solving both collision and coordination problems. The capability of the laboratory used for experimental studies on cooperating robots is also illustrated. The presented criteria have been applied to the cell setup of a mechanical assembly process.

Assembly with co‐operating robots

Looks at studies into the definition of design and management criteria for assembly cells with co‐operating robots. Examines task typologies into which the assembly process can be divided and discusses co‐ordination levels and control‐communication architectures. Also looks at the various phases of application development and how it covers many of the same areas of the manual assembly process. Concludes with a consideration of the three main classes of constraints between the actions which different robots have to carry out and states the co‐ordination level that robots have to maintain during constraint‐affected operations depends on these classes.