Valerio Elia

New sources of clustering in the digital economy

Using a sample of 29 virtual clusters, the paper examines new sources of clustering in the digital economy. The “virtual cluster” phenomenon highlights the most significant effect of the development of the information and communication technologies in the business environment. A virtual cluster is conceived as an e‐business community, made up of customers, suppliers, distributors and commerce providers sharing digital and knowledge networks for collaboration and competition. The purpose of this paper is to set out the characteristics of a new competitive space, in which a strategic role is played by virtual processes among partners, and to review the traditional sources of clustering in the digital economy environment (Romano et al., 1999). More specifically, this paper attempts to show the emerging overlap between digital and knowledge networks, which generates a new competitive space within a new global‐virtual learning environment. Finally, assuming that traditional sources of clustering are generally identified in specialisation (based on a sophisticated division of labour) and geographic proximity, the paper discusses how the role of organisational proximity acts as a substitute for geographic proximity in supporting coordination and tacit knowledge exchange. As it emerges from the analysis of our cases, from a managerial point of view, organisational proximity may be achieved through the implementation of supply chain management (SCM) and customer relationship management (CRM) strategies. An earlier version of this paper was presented at the 23rd Institute of Small Business Affairs Annual Resource and Policy Conference in November 1999 in Leeds, UK.

Comparing environmental product footprint for electronic and electric equipment: a multi-criteria approach

Electronic and electric devices are now applied in most human activities: their diffusion is increasing worldwide; furthermore, most of them are characterized by a high replacement rate due to technological obsolescence. Consequently, environmental problems due to their diffusion are increasing; several aspects are involved from the energy consumption derived from their manufacturing processes and their use phases to their end-of-life (EOL) management. Such legislative (e.g. the European Energy Efficiency directive for household appliances) or voluntary interventions (e.g. based on the ISO standards) have been introduced for such devices: the aim is to incorporate environmental considerations in product design and manufacturing in order to benefit the environment. Some attempts are focusing on defining standardized models for the overall lifecycle including waste management. The aim of this paper is to introduce a reference model for comparing environmental product footprint of electrical and electronic equipment (EEE). All life cycles of EEE will be evaluated: a specific focus is on the EOL management process as their waste management represents a complex problem for developed and developing countries. A multi-criteria decision-making model will be developed based on the well-known analytical hierarchy process (AHP) method: differently from traditional AHP applications, an absolute model has been proposed in order to compare EEE effectively from an environmental point of view. A case study validation regarding large household appliances is proposed.

Designing Pay-As-You-Throw schemes in municipal waste management services: A holistic approach.

Pay-As-You-Throw (PAYT) strategies are becoming widely applied in solid waste management systems; the main purpose is to support a more sustainable - from economic, environmental and social points of view - management of waste flows. Adopting PAYT charging models increases the complexity level of the waste management service as new organizational issues have to be evaluated compared to flat charging models. In addition, innovative technological solutions could also be adopted to increase the overall efficiency of the service. Unit pricing, user identification and waste measurement represent the three most important processes to be defined in a PAYT system. The paper proposes a holistic framework to support an effective design and management process. The framework defines most critical processes and effective organizational and technological solutions for supporting waste managers as well as researchers.

How to design and manage WEEE systems: a multi-level analysis

The growing production of waste electric and electronic equipment (WEEE) justifies the increasing attention of both institutional and industrial organisations. The fast adoption of legislations, rules, and practices leads to a great dis-homogeneity in the technical, organisational and cost models adopted world-wide. The paper proposes a scientific literature analysis about WEEE design and management processes. A three-level taxonomy has been proposed in order to classify research papers: the basic logic is to propose a comparison between a WEEE system and an typical industrial engineering problem. The two first levels refer to the most critical issues characterising the design as well as the management of a typical WEEE reverse chain. The last one analyses different approaches/tools/methods currently applied in the scientific literature for WEEE design and management. A discussion is proposed to support waste practitioners as well as researchers in developing more effective and efficient WEEE management systems.

A strategic quantitative approach for sustainable energy production from biomass

European legislation has created a growing interest in the field of renewable energy production in several countries, including Italy. The applications of biomass and/or biofuel for energy generation have been assumed to provide a high level of sustainability due to the perception that renewable resources are inherently sustainable. Thus, renewable fuels applied to heating and/or electricity generation are potentially carbon dioxide neutral. However, before accepting this assumption, it is essential to analyse the actual level of sustainability in the whole supply chain (SC). This requirement has been clearly identified by the recently updated European Directives on renewable biofuels for transportation. However, there is little evidence that this concern has been directed at energy production from biomass. Thus, approaches derived from Green SC Management (GSCM) methods could provide an effective tool for evaluating, from a strategic perspective, the sustainability level of a specific biomass SC. This paper examines how biomass SC activities can define the overall environmental sustainability level. The approach was based on environmental indicators and the resultant output could support more effective GSCM strategies (e.g. defining logistics carriers, evaluating new biomass suppliers, etc.) for managing biomass SCs. Moreover, the approach could be applied by competent authorities for a quick evaluation of the sustainability level of biomass energy production installations. The approach has been tested in a real case study based on an installation, located in Southern Italy, which uses liquid biomass for energy production.

RFID technology for an intelligent public transport network management

The concept of ubiquitous computing is widespread in several fields; mobility of persons and goods currently represents an interesting field of application of these ideas. One promising technology is the Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology: its application is quite well applied in logistics activities. Few applications are developed for urban mobility, where RFID technology could support an effective tracing system of both vehicles and persons in Public Transport Networks (PTNs). Tools applied for currently managing PTNs are not integrated as several different applications have been developed. The present paper proposes a research project aiming to define an Integrated Mobility Platform (IMP) based on intensive application of RFID as an enabling technology: the IMP applies RFID for tracing people and vehicles in the whole life cycle characterizing an intermodal PTN. A pilot project has been developed in order to validate the proposed IMP.

An environmental sustainability analysis in the printing sector

Information and communication technology tools could currently contribute to support firms in increasing the environmental sustainability of their production processes: the capability to monitor data on environmental performance is a key feature. This study proposes a decision support system for estimating and assessing the environmental performance of a specific printing product. Environmental sustainability concepts are just being applied in the printing sector: a critical analysis has highlighted that environmental eco-labelling schemes are widespread for raw materials; a few of interest have been addressed by researchers and practitioners to final products. The approach proposed aims to collect and merge environmental features of raw materials with data about printing processes carried out directly by the firm. Thus, the model allows a fast but integrated assessment of the whole environmental sustainability level of a specific printing product. With this, an overall sustainability assessment could be supplied to the final customer and to firm managers by integrating economic and environmental information in a common decision system. A prototypal software tool has been developed based on the approach proposed: the tool could be applied in the design as well as in the control phase for supporting scenario analyses to improve the environmental sustainability level of such a product.

Improving logistic efficiency of WEEE collection through dynamic scheduling using simulation modeling

The complexity of collection systems for Waste from Electric and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) in the EU is increasing, due to the latest directive that sets new collection targets and modes. The high variability and the uncertainty of reverse flows require innovative logistic approaches. One recent option for increasing efficiency and responsiveness in waste collection services, boosted by new technological solutions for waste level monitoring, is to adopt a dynamic collection scheme, where the collection frequency is not established a priori (based on a fixed plan), but it is based on the actual filling levels of waste bins. This option can allow the service provider to plan the collection service following the actual demand, resulting in a more responsive service, while improving the logistic efficiency. This paper evaluates the implementation of dynamic scheduling schemes for the collection of WEEE. A hybrid simulation model has been developed in order to support researchers and practitioners in assessing quantitative impacts of adopting dynamic scheduling in WEEE collection. Three logistic alternatives (a fixed collection schedule scheme, a pure dynamic scheme and a mixed one) have been compared in a test case based on data of an Italian municipality; collection services for different types of WEEE (i.e. large appliances and small items) have been analyzed. Results show a promising performance of dynamic schedules compared to the fixed one, revealing, for the specific test case, how a mixed solution can combine the advantages of dynamic and fixed scheduling, gaining flexibility towards customer demand while improving truck resource utilization.

Mobile self-checkout systems in the FMCG retail sector: A comparison analysis

Abstract. New business models are emerging in the FMCG retail sector due to the wide diffusion of digitaltechnologies; innovative tools - such as Pervasive Retailing Information Systems - are wide spreading allover the world aiming to increase customer loyalty and retailer performance. Furthermore, the recent massdiffusion of mobile technologies is also contributing to modify customer satisfaction towards the shoppingprocess. In this context, new generations of self-service systems – i.e. mobile Self-Checkout Systems(mSCSs)- are becoming widely adopted by FMCG (Fast Moving Consumer Goods) retail companies: theaim is to both speed up the customer-shopping trip and increase customer satisfaction. A mSCS is a self-checkout system based on mobile technology. Traditionally, self-checkout systems have been applied tospeed up the customer purchase process; impacts on retailer performance could also be evaluated in orderto optimize labor force at store level. The paper proposes a comparison analysis about the application ofdifferent types of mSCSs at FMCG retail stores: the study will focus on analyzing quantitatively impactson time based metrics both from the customer and the retailer points of view. The study will be helpfulfor practitioners in designing their own mSCS; furthermore, a structured model for evaluating potentialimpacts of innovative technologies at the retail sector as a result. Finally, a discrete-event simulation modelhas been developed to quantitatively compare different mSCSs in a case study.Keywords: Mobile Self-Checkout system, FMCG, NFC, customer satisfaction, customer cycle time,scenario analysis

An effective model for ergonomic optimization applied to a new automotive assembly line

An efficient ergonomic optimization can lead to a significant improvement in production performance and a considerable reduction of costs.In the present paper new model for ergonomic optimization is proposed. The new approach is based on the criteria defined by National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health and, adapted to Italian legislation. The proposed model provides an ergonomic optimization, by analyzing ergonomic relations between manual work in correct conditions. The model includes a schematic and systematic analysis method of the operations, and identifies all possible ergonomic aspects to be evaluated. The proposed approach has been applied to an automotive assembly line, where the operation repeatability makes the optimization fundamental. The proposed application clearly demonstrates the effectiveness of the new approach.