The South African Journal of Industrial Engineering

Note from the Editor

Corne Schutte — 2024-12-13

"Sometimes we can only find our true direction when we let the wind of change carry us." - Mimi Novic

2024 had come to an abrupt end, and this is the final edition for 2024. At the end of 2023, we were still living with the effects of COVID, and continuous load shedding. But life had moved on! Load shedding is (for now at least) history. South Africa had elections in 2024, and a new Government of National Unity was established, and with that, a lot of new optimism about the future! Logistics and the broken rail network are still issues, but you can see how industrial engineering professionals are adapting to these new challenges to find solutions.

As mentioned at the end of 2017, it is now customary to evaluate how the journal is performing. Scopus (www.scopus.com) measures impact with a “CiteScore”. The CiteScore for a year is calculated as the Citation Count for the year / number of documents published in the previous three years. The Citescore for 2022 was 1.4, in 2023 it was 1.1 and 2024 is projected to be 1.2 . Our ranking with respect to the Percentile in the category, is currently stable as a Q3 journal.

Another important source for journal standing, is Scimago Journal and Country Rank (www.scimagojr.com), where the journal is also listed as a Q3 journal in the “Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering” subject area. It is very encouraging to observe how the number of citations per document has grown (Figure 1).

Figure 1: ScimagoJR Citations per Document

Due to timing constraints, we did not include the top rated papers from the RAPDASA conference in the 3^rd edition of the year. This edition therefore contains the top two rated papers form the RAPDASA conference (28 to 31 October).

This edition has a total of ten articles, with seven from authors with South African connections and the balance from international authors.

Other news is that a previous Technical Editor for many years, Dr Herman Hamersma, has just been promoted to Associate Professor at the University of Pretoria, effective 1 January 2025. Congratulations Herman!

If you have suggestions on how we can take this journal forward, please let me know.

Corne Schutte

Editor

MODELLING BATTERY SWAPPING INDUSTRY DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY TO SUPPORT NET ZERO EMISSIONS TRANSITION

Riskiyadi — 2024-12-13

The Government of Indonesia has set a roadmap towards net zero emissions by 2060, which includes accelerating the adoption of electric motorcycles. The government assigned the State Electricity Company (PLN) to accelerate the adoption by optimizing the potential of conventional motorcycle users and ride hailing. The battery swapping scheme is an attractive choice for companies to increase their profits. However, users still experience uncertainty about battery swapping. It is thus imperative to implement a battery reservation strategy to make it easy for battery swapping users to exchange them. The battery swapping industry is a complex system that involves many interrelated elements. Such a development of strategy would require a holistic view of the process and a definition of the relationships between the elements. This research aimed to develop a conceptual model for a battery swapping industry development strategy with a system dynamic modelling approach and a business model canvas framework. The conceptual model is presented in a system diagram, and a causal loop diagram provides the first information that has an impact on the company’s intervention in the battery swapping industry development strategy. Furthermore, the business model canvas should help to communicate the key aspects easily.

ANALYSING ORGANISATIONAL ROBUSTNESS IN THE APPLICATION OF PROJECT PORTFOLIO MANAGEMENT

Michiel Christiaan Bekker — 2024-12-13

Project portfolio management (PPM) has become a popular practice among organisations in effectively driving a collection of projects and/or programmes to align with and meet their strategic objectives. PPM is still considered a new concept, and is in the early days of its implementation. Even the best-performing organisations are still not excelling in executing best practices in PPM. This research reviews the literature on the robustness of portfolio governance controls. A semi-structured technique entailing a questionnaire and qualitative interviews to access best practices was used with a population of PPM professionals from various industries. The paper reviews the impact of higher levels of compliance on a model and/or framework in more mature environments in order to prevent or minimise the influence of external elements such as executive veto on PPM practices.

ACCURATE DETERMINATION OF THE RELATIVE DENSITY OF SLM ADDITIVELY MANUFACTURED PARTS

Cornelius Petrus Kloppers — 2024-12-13

Additive manufacturing (AM) is a disruptive technology that provides design freedom, fast turnaround times, and a digital workflow. However, reliable mechanical and material properties are crucial for medical implants and devices produced by AM. The laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) echnique is a reliable method for producing high-quality parts with excellent mechanical properties. The presence of internal porosity, however, is one of the most significant problems in SLM part production. This study aimed to determine the relative density of components produced by LPBF and to develop a method for accurately quantifying the relative density. Three powders were used to evaluate the efficacy of three different quantification methods. The OR-Laser Creator LPBF unit was used to manufacture them. After production, all nine samples were polished on a lathe, and the relative density was measured using three different quantification methods. The results of this study showed that the Archimedes principle is the most accurate and reliable method for determining the density of materials used in LPBF. The findings of this study should help to ensure that the quality of parts produced by SLM is reliable and accurate. This should increase confidence in the use of LPBF in the medical industry and other industries where AM components have a significant advantage.

APPLICATION OF TOTAL PRODUCTIVE MAINTENANCE IN A MANUFACTURING PROCESS OF CARDBOARD BOXES UNDER LEAN SIX SIGMA DMAIC METHODOLOGY

Armando Mares Castro — 2024-12-13

Two key elements for improving supply chain performance are total productive maintenance (TPM) and overall equipment effectiveness (OEE). This paper proposes a TPM strategy for managing and autonomously maintaining four die-cutting machines for cardboard boxes to enhance production flow. Using the DMAIC cycle (define, measure, analyse, improve, control), maintenance activities were classified and efficiency measured through OEE and sigma metrics. After the first improvement cycle, the OEE and sigma metrics increased by an average of 21%, boosting productivity, quality, and efficiency. The study concludes that strategies based on preventive, predictive, and corrective maintenance significantly enhance supply chain performance in a Lean Six Sigma framework, and could be applied to other processes.

MULTI-OBJECTIVE PARAMETRIC OPTIMISATION OF MASKED STEREOLITHOGRAPHY ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING USING THE RESPONSE SURFACE METHOD

James Anthony Dicks — 2024-12-13

Masked stereolithography is an effective and economical additive manufacturing technology that is suitable to fabricate objects for engineering applications. As such, parametric optimisation to attain good mechanical properties is of value in order to realise its full potential. A multi-objective optimisation of the printing parameters of masked stereolithography 3D printing for mechanical properties was performed using central composite design for response surface method analysis. The developed response surfaces were used to perform numerical optimisation to establish appropriate printing parameters, which were validated against experimental results and compared with bulk polymer specimen mechanical properties. Here, an optimised layer cure time of 3.8 s, a layer height of 50 μm, and a post-curing time of 13.5 min resulted in mechanical properties closely predicted by the model and near to bulk polymer specimen properties. Last, the optimisation results were related to a Jacobs working curve, which established that layer cure times beyond that determined by the Jacobs working curve were favoured.

AGILE: ADVANTAGES, DISADVANTAGES, ENABLERS, AND BARRIERS

Pearl Lutwama — 2024-12-13

This scoping review provides an expanded view of the Agile methodology in the software industry - an iterative, incremental project management framework that is renowned for its use in software development. Research questions covering the advantages, disadvantages, enablers, and barriers to Agile were formulated to analyse accepted research papers from 2019 to 2023. Notable overlapping findings were found in the 25 studies that were included. The results revealed that human factors such as communication, conflict resolution, and understanding Agile are essential to the successful implementation of Agile software development.

POLICY MODELLING FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF UNMANNED AIRCRAFT SYSTEM INDUSTRY IN INDONESIA USING SYSTEM DYNAMICS METHOD

Aries Asrianto Ramadian — 2024-12-13

The unmanned aircraft system (UAS) industry in Indonesia is lagging behind in market share and innovation. An effective government policy is crucial to make domestic UAS products more innovative and competitive. However, still not enough academic research discusses the system structure of the UAS industry. Considering the complexity of the UAS industry, this study uses system dynamics in combination with a policy analysis framework to capture a broader perspective on the system. The conceptual model showed that a policy structure to shift customers from imported products to domestic products may help the development of the UAS industry and advance UAS technology.

OPTIMISATION OF THE BENEFICIATION PROCESS OF CHROMITE SAND TO PRODUCE RAW MATERIAL FOR RAPID SAND-CASTING PURPOSES

Neo Tshabalala — 2024-12-13

This study focuses on optimising the beneficiation process of South African chromite sand for use in rapid sand-casting applications, particularly for three-dimensional printing (3DP). South Africa’s vast chromite reserves provide a unique opportunity to produce high-quality chromite sand that is tailored for modern manufacturing needs. By identifying critical steps in the beneficiation process, such as crushing, grinding, and impurity removal, this research aims to enhance the quality and consistency of the final product. The optimised chromite sand demonstrates improved thermal stability and particle distribution, making it suitable for the stringent requirements of 3DP in sand casting.

THE ROLE OF DISRUPTIVE INNOVATION IN START-UPS AND TRANSFORMING SMALL BUSINESS OPERATIONS IN THE DIGITAL ERA

Sheldon Lotz — 2024-12-13

In the digital era, start-ups benefit from expanded reach, faster scaling, and access to vast data sets, yet face heightened competition and the challenge of staying current with emerging innovations. Their role in the modern economy is amplified as they collaborate with incubators, investors, and academic institutions to foster innovation and growth. Agile development methods and disruptive innovation bolster their competitiveness against larger incumbents. Leveraging digital technologies and combining resources are further recognised as pivotal success factors driving disruptive innovations in start-ups.

THE INFLUENCE OF OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT ON SERVICE DELIVERY: THE CASE OF A SOUTH AFRICAN MUNICIPALITY

Sugandren Naidoo — 2024-12-13

Local government municipalities have not only authority and functionality but also the responsibility to carry out their duties in difficult circumstances. In addition, the current state of operations management and its influence on municipality service delivery is largely limited or undefined. Consequently, this study’s purpose is to assess the operations management factors that affect service delivery in a local municipality in South Africa. The aim of this study was to help the management of municipalities to gain a better understanding of the influence of operations management and the degree to which operations management factors affect service delivery. The study used a positivistic lens, and adopted an online survey instrument to solicit information from respondents in a municipality in South Africa. The findings revealed a significant and positive correlation between operations management factors and service delivery. Therefore, the management of municipalities could enhance their organisations’ performance and service delivery by implementing an effective operations management system and by considering the factors developed by this study.