Minimizing the carbon footprint of material handling equipment: Comparison of electric and LPG forklifts

Facchini, Francesco; Mummolo, Giovanni; Mossa, Giorgio; Digiesi, Salvatore; Boenzi, Francesco; Verriello, Rossella

doi:10.3926/jiem.2082

Cited by 36 publications

(32 citation statements)

References 6 publications

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“…In recent times, the increase of energy efficiency is a pivotal goal for energy policy makers that aim at promoting a conscious, cost-effective, and sustainable energy use in management of resources and infrastructures [1], transportation and logistics [2], the production and industrial sector [3], and all activities related to human life [4]. A significant part of energy consumption concerns the energy demand of buildings that in Europe amounts to 40% of the total and is mainly due to the so-called Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) systems [5].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

IoT Based Architecture for Model Predictive Control of HVAC Systems in Smart Buildings

Carli

Cavone

Othman

et al. 2020

Sensors

100

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The efficient management of Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) systems in smart buildings is one of the main applications of the Internet of Things (IoT) paradigm. In this paper we propose an IoT based architecture for the implementation of Model Predictive Control (MPC) of HVAC systems in real environments. The considered MPC algorithm optimizes on line, in a closed-loop control fashion, both the indoor thermal comfort and the related energy consumption for a single zone environment. Thanks to the proposed IoT based architecture, the sensing, control, and actuating subsystems are all connected to the Internet, and a remote interface with the HVAC control system is guaranteed to end-users. In particular, sensors and actuators communicate with a remote database server and a control unit, which provides the control actions to be actuated in the HVAC system; users can set remotely the control mode and related set-points of the system; while comfort and environmental indices are transferred via the Internet and displayed on the end-users' interface. The proposed IoT based control architecture is implemented and tested in a campus building at the Polytechnic of Bari (Italy) in a proof of concept perspective. The effectiveness of the proposed control algorithm is assessed in the real environment evaluating both the thermal comfort results and the energy savings with respect to a classical thermostat regulation approach.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

IoT Based Architecture for Model Predictive Control of HVAC Systems in Smart Buildings

Carli

Cavone

Othman

et al. 2020

Sensors

100

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The effects of the human fatigue, evaluated on the base of an ergonomic approach, are investigated in order picking activities in logistic warehouses. Preliminary findings of the experimental study shown that in most cases there is a reversed u-shaped interrelation between physical fatigue and cognitive performance, whereas the ergonomic of the workplace appears to have a quite variable influence on fatigue effects [16,17]. A detailed review of the most common observational methods is proposed by Roman-Liu, where OWAS, revised NIOSH, OCRA, REBA, LUBA, and EAWS are compared [18].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Minimizing and Balancing Ergonomic Risk of Workers of an Assembly Line by Job Rotation: a MINLP Model

Digiesi¹,

Facchini²,

Mossa³

et al. 2018

IJIEM

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In today's economic context the workforce is a crucial asset in manufacturing industries. The employee performance and productivity are affected by many factors related on one hand to the line efficiency and, on the other hand, to the well-being of the workers. On the basis of new technologies and driven by Industry 4.0 paradigms, the need of a high production rate cannot neglect the safeguarding of the workers. In case of repetitive manual tasks, workers are exposed to the risk of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs), that can be reduced by applying ergonomics principles both in design (e.g. workstation design, equipment tools identification, etc.) and in operative phases (e.g. workload balance, tasks assignment, etc.). In the operative phase, job rotation is one of the most widespread methods for alleviating physical fatigue and reducing the stress due to repetitive tasks. However, often, job rotation strategies fail due to the lack of systematic approach or effective management of rotation schedules, being very difficult to identify an effective job rotation schedule allowing maintaining the same productivity rate. The problem is of particular interest under the perspective of the workforce aging, a social European phenomenon which is also affecting production systems performance. Designing and scheduling of human-based assembly systems require a joint evaluation of production system performance and a good balancing of MSDs risk among workers. The authors proposed a model for minimizing the exposure risk of workers involved in repetitive manual tasks, by balancing the human workloads and reducing the ergonomic risk within acceptable limits, for a given production target. Risk and its acceptability are evaluated using the RULA method, according to a mixed integer programming approach. Results shown the effectiveness of the model to identify the optimal job rotation schedules jointly achieving productivity and ergonomic risk goals.

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“…The design of those collecting centers depends on several factors related to logistic constrains, food cold chain performance, as well as supply chain network. In all cases, the sustainability is considered as the central point of the issue [6]. According to Seuring and Muller, a supply chain network can be defined sustainable when information, capital flows, and cooperation among companies along the supply chain allow to minimizing the impact under economic, environmental and social perspective, keeping under consideration the stakeholder' interests [7].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Along with these policies addressed to minimize the industrial environmental impacts, many companies have realized that the sustainable use of resources may also be associated with financial savings. In this regard, the Carbon Footprint (CF) and Management Costs (MCs) are relevant for measuring the goodness of the picked resources [6,16].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pallet Picking Strategy in Food Collecting Center

2018

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This study aims to analyze the optimal warehouse layout for agricultural and food collecting centers that help small–medium farms to trade in the short food supply chain, by choosing among longitudinal, transversal, and fishbone layout. The developed model allows for the identification of the warehouse ensuring the least impact through inbound material handling, under both an economic and an environmental perspective. The analysis was carried out by using an analytical model to minimize the travelling time of the goods from picking to delivery area. The model considers the different turnover index from which four hypotheses were formulated to implement the results. The Carbon Footprint (CF) and Management Costs (MCs) were calculated by the picking time performance. Findings: Results show that the optimal warehouse layout can be identified after a careful consideration of the turnover indexes. However, for seasonality, the optimal design might be missed across the seasons. Practical implications: the analysis hereby presented is related to those collecting centers aiming to gather conspicuous amounts of seasonal food.

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Minimizing the carbon footprint of material handling equipment: Comparison of electric and LPG forklifts

Cited by 36 publications

References 6 publications

IoT Based Architecture for Model Predictive Control of HVAC Systems in Smart Buildings

IoT Based Architecture for Model Predictive Control of HVAC Systems in Smart Buildings

Minimizing and Balancing Ergonomic Risk of Workers of an Assembly Line by Job Rotation: a MINLP Model

Pallet Picking Strategy in Food Collecting Center

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