The South African Journal of Industrial Engineering

Development of a Prototype Embedded 3D Printer with Dual Ink-Gel Extrusion Capability

2025-06-30T19:12:49+00:00

3D printing has advanced significantly, enabling new applications such as embedded 3D printing for materials that solidify slowly. This method prints liquid materials into a support gel that holds their shape while curing. This project developed the dual ink-gel extruder (DIGEX) to address the limitations in the print volume seen in previous projects and to enable the simultaneous extrusion of material and support gel. Various sub-assemblies and deposition techniques were tested to optimise performance. While DIGEX successfully demonstrated the concept, difficulties remain in scaling for large-format printing, requiring further refinement in hardware, software, and process configurations.

Customer Service Optimization and Management: A Case Study in a Telecommunications Company Using Queueing Model Simulation

2025-05-28T09:49:34+00:00

This study proposes a comprehensive improvement and control plan for customer service operations, leveraging queueing theory and process analysis to identify and address system inefficiencies. Through statistical analysis, the current operational state is assessed, followed by the simulation of service processes to model the system's behavior. The simulation enables the evaluation of various improvement strategies aimed at enhancing service efficiency and boosting productivity. Among the strategies explored, key actions focus on stabilizing the customer service processes to optimize performance and satisfaction

Process Optimisation Using a Low-Code Platform: Digitising a Concession Management Process

2025-07-22T09:00:19+00:00

Low-code development platforms (LCDPs) recently emerged as a solution to the shortage of highly skilled professional software developers. Several inhibitors exist for adopting LCDPs at an enterprise, one of which indicates that LCDP adoption is inhibited because of a lack of use cases for LCDPs. A limited number of real-world implementations of workflow automations exist in which performance improvement has been demonstrated. The main contribution of this article is to present another use case of performance improvement, digitising mundane tasks, using Power Automate as an LCDP, in developing a concession management system at a home-schooling company.

Development of a Conceptual Framework and Management Guide for Sustainable Contract Manufacturing Companies in South Africa

2025-08-08T10:53:11+00:00

Articles on manufacturing outsourcing focus largely on providing guidance to brand owners on how to select the manufacturing partner, on the benefits of outsourcing manufacturing, and how to manage the contract manufacturing relationship. However, there is a lack of frameworks that offer guidance to contract manufacturing companies to help them to set up and run manufacturing organisations that achieve sustainable success as strategic supply chain partners to the brand owners. In this study, informed by the design science research methodology, an artefact, a critical success factors conceptual framework and management guide for contract manufacturing companies to achieve sustainable success is introduced.

A Conceptual System Dynamics Model of Green Hydrogen Development in Indonesia’s Energy Transition

2025-06-26T06:44:20+00:00

Indonesia’s abundant renewable energy resources present a strategic opportunity to develop green hydrogen as a cornerstone of its energy transition. However, progress has been hindered by high costs, infrastructure limitations, and the absence of a clear implementation roadmap. This article presents a conceptual system dynamics model that is designed to capture the structural complexity and interdependencies involved in realising green hydrogen development in Indonesia. Using a systems thinking approach, the model incorporates actor analysis, a system diagram, and causal loop diagrams to identify key feedback loops – both reinforcing and balancing – that influence infrastructure growth, policy effectiveness, and technological adoption. The model also maps stakeholder dynamics in government agencies, among industry actors, and in research institutions. By revealing leverage points and system bottlenecks, this conceptual framework provides a strategic lens to support roadmap development, policy design, and future scenario analysis for Indonesia’s green hydrogen economy.

Implementation of a Lean Manufacturing Approach to Improving Productivity in SMEs: A Case Study in a Cloth Manufacturing Company

2025-08-08T11:27:59+00:00

This study explored the implementation of a lean manufacturing approach to enhance productivity in small and medium-sized enterprises, focusing on a cloth manufacturing company as a case study. The objectives of this approach were to improve production efficiency and to minimise waste while ensuring a clean and safe working environment for employees. The methods used include 5S principles to help eliminate waste production in the form of rejects and reworks and assembly line balancing, with a particular emphasis on improving operational efficiency. The largest candidate rule method yielded significant improvements, reducing the number of workstations from 12 to 4, achieving an efficiency of 87.5%, and lowering the smoothing index to 22.05 compared with the existing system’s 29.17% efficiency and 147.78 smoothing index. These findings underscore the potential of lean strategies to optimise production processes and reduce inefficiencies. The study recommends that the company consistently capture, analyse, and monitor key performance indicators to track progress, ensure transparency between management and employees, and sustain growth driven by lean practices. This case study highlights the transformative impact of lean manufacturing on SME productivity and operational excellence.

Bridging The Gap: The Role of Virtual Reality in Enhancing Hands-On Learning and Engagement in Industrial Engineering Education

2025-07-11T16:26:04+00:00

This study explores how virtual reality (VR) is being introduced into industrial engineering education, with an emphasis on its ability to enhance hands-on learning, student engagement, and the connection between theory and practice. Using a systematic literature review guided by PRISMA standards, the research identifies recurring challenges, including the lack of consistent assessment methods and difficulties in aligning VR with real industrial contexts. To address these issues, the study proposes key design criteria for a framework that promotes experiential learning through realistic simulations, gamified elements, and spatial reasoning. This offers practical guidance for educators and developers.

Simulation Modelling as a Tool for Automotive Wiring Assembly Optimisation: Application in Real Case Studies

2025-10-06T05:34:09+00:00

Discrete-event simulation is a valuable tool for optimising production plants. The present study explores an automotive power cable wiring assembly line’s process through four real case studies, modelled using actual production data and simulated in ARENA software. Statistical analysis using PRISM identified bottlenecks, waiting times, and work-in-progress, offering key insights for improvement. The models are adaptable to other assembly lines, with potential advancements in scheduling and machine learning. By combining simulation modelling and statistical validation, the study provides practical recommendations to enhance efficiency, reduce waste, and improve performance in automotive manufacturing.

Research Landscape and Future Agenda for Health Technology Assessment of Medical Devices in Low- and Middle-Income Countries

2025-07-28T09:50:35+00:00

Health technology assessment (HTA) plays a critical role in evaluating medical devices (MDs) in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), yet its implementation remains limited. This study examines the current research landscape of HTA for MDs in LMICs, and outlines a future agenda to strengthen its role in evidence-informed decision making. It explores the difficulties in MD adoption, the limitations of existing HTA frameworks, and the potential of early HTA (EHTA) to support local innovation. The findings highlight the need for context-sensitive HTA models, regulatory harmonisation, and regional collaborations. Strengthening HTA could enhance MD evaluation, foster local innovation, and improve healthcare sustainability. Future research should focus on developing adaptable evaluation methods that are tailored to resource-limited settings, such as approaches that integrate the early lifecycle assessment of MDs, build institutional capacity, and assess the policy impact of HTA on procurement and equitable access.

Strategies to Reduce Food Loss and Waste in Emerging Economies: An Interpretive Structural Modelling Approach

2025-08-26T09:33:32+00:00

This study aimed to develop a nationwide strategic framework to reduce the volume of food loss and waste in the context of developing countries. The research used expert opinions to validate the strategy derived from the literature review, and the interpretive structural modelling method (ISM) to construct a strategy in a structural hierarchy. The “matrice d’impacts croises multiplication appliquee aun classement” (MICMAC) analysis then categorised strategy elements based on driving forces and dependencies. Twenty recommendations for reducing food loss and waste (FLW) were organised in a structural strategy hierarchy. The hierarchy has seven levels, and most of the strategies are categorised as links in the MICMAC quadrant. Studies rarely find a structural hierarchy for a strategy using ISM, especially for food loss and waste reduction strategies.

The Application of Taguchi Experiments in Developing Gecko-Inspired Dry Adhesive for Macro-Handling Applications

2025-11-23T09:11:24+00:00

Synthetic dry adhesives have been developed to mimic the gecko’s adhesion using lithography and micro-machining of a mould to cast a suitable elastomer. Previous international studies used nano-manufacturing processes, which are expensive and are not readily available in South Africa. In this study, a simple micro-machining method was used using a three-axis milling machine and Vytaflex 30 to develop an adhesive pad. The Taguchi method to design experiments was used to determine the optimum machining conditions to create micro-wedges. The results show that, although a maximum adhesion pressure of 1,924 Pa was obtained with a preload pressure of 1,323 Pa, the adhesion force produced might not be suitable for macro-handling applications.

A Framework for Measuring Mental Workloads of Faculty Members and Evaluating Significant Differences Through Integrated Carmen-Q And Fuzzy AHP

2025-08-31T11:44:37+00:00

This study evaluates the mental workloads of academic staff in Turkey, and examines the differences based on academic titles. Mental workload, which is critical for occupational health and safety, is assessed using a hybrid approach combining the CarMen-Q mental workload scale and the fuzzy analytical hierarchy process. The scale has four main factors and 29 sub-factors. An original algorithm was developed using fuzzy logic, α-cut, and an optimism index for defuzzification. The internal consistency of the study is high (α = 0.94). This research presents a novel contribution by integrating fuzzy logic into academic mental workload assessment.

Implementing Resilience Engineering in Engineering Project Teams in South African Fast-Moving Consumer Goods Manufacturing Companies

2025-08-08T12:22:48+00:00

The volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous nature of modern manufacturing, intensified by the Fourth Industrial Revolution and competition, requires resilient systems for safe operations. This study examines resilience engineering in the fast-moving consumer goods sector, emphasising its role in managing safety within complex socio-technical systems. Resilience emerges from management, decision-making, and system participants' actions. A key finding is the limited practical understanding of resilience engineering, highlighting the importance of a learning culture. A conceptual framework links resilience engineering principles to essential organisational cultures, guiding implementation. The paper suggests future research on the application of resilience engineering in African manufacturing sectors.

Development of a Sustainable Inventory Management System for Maintenance Industry

2025-08-18T08:40:31+00:00

Excessive inventory is harmful to any organisation, and typically adds to high inventory carrying costs, reducing employee efficiency, increasing equipment expenses, and causing a loss of opportunity. This study considers inventory management techniques for reducing and controlling excess inventory for manufacturing industries. It uses a case study approach to investigate the underlying causes of excess inventory, which were identified as design specification changes, wrong items being procured, bulk purchases, order changes by clients, intuitive buying, and spares not being traceable. This study's findings showed that purchases without a confirmed demand, a parked/staged fleet, changes in specification, spares take-on, and demand changes by clients account for 80% of the total excess stock, and so must be carefully reviewed. The results also show that organisations could salvage money from the excess stock if the right inventory technique were applied. The research recommends that management set up a clear demand policy that would require top management approval to procure inventory. The policy would incorporate 12-month time fences and zones to allow just-in-time delivery of inventory for immediate consumption; develop a lateral transhipment policy; and adopt a management toolkit to dispose of excess inventory. The outcome of this study could help organisations to gain an in-depth understanding of inventory stock keeping units (SKU) in order to reduce inventory holding costs.

Two-Phase Algorithm to Optimise Energy Resource Allocation in an Electrochemical Company and Task Sequencing: A Case Study

2025-05-25T17:13:46+00:00

The purpose of this article was to optimise the cost of the energy consumption of an industrial complex that was using three energy sources: industrial electricity, natural gas, and solar energy. Before undertaking any optimisation action, we carried out an in-depth examination of the company’s energy system. This action was positioned as an essential pivot for collecting energy data according to: Source (gas, electricity); Equipment or production tools; Usage (heating, cooling, lighting, ventilation, etc.). The in-depth examination of the company’s energy system made it possible to identify the energy consumption of the equipment and the costs associated with it for a year of operation. With an objective of energy and economic performance, the simplex algorithm was implemented to resolve the energy mix model and machine hours, according to the two-phase technique applied first to the energy problem and second to resolving the time problem.

Note From The Editor

2025-12-12T14:09:02+00:00

“We are not here to survive disruption. We are here to make waves.” Self-quotation from the keynote

In October, I had the honour to present a keynote at the SAIIE35 conference. This highlighted a reality of our time: disruption is no longer an anomaly but the permanent operating environment for modern systems. Industrial Engineers, therefore, stand at a strategic frontier: uniquely equipped to design, govern, and evolve systems under persistent uncertainty.

The keynote examined recent shocks that reshaped industries and societies: the Cape Town “Day Zero” drought, the COVID-19 pandemic, chronic load shedding, the global shift to electric mobility, international tariff turbulence, and the rapid rise of AI. Each exposed systemic fragilities across infrastructure, supply chains, governance, and human capital. Yet each also revealed that crises can accelerate innovation when systems are designed to adapt.

This is the new mandate for Industrial Engineering. Beyond efficiency and optimisation, our discipline now centres on resilience, adaptability, and ultimately anti-fragility, i.e., systems that improve under stress rather than merely withstand it. Recovery is no longer enough; the goal is learning, evolution, and transformation.

South Africa illustrates this vividly. Water scarcity prompted new behavioural and technological systems; the energy crisis catalysed decentralised generation and microgrids; global disruptions forced supply chain redesign; AI created both capability and ethical tension. In each scenario, Industrial Engineers are essential to reconciling complexity, data, technology, and human behaviour into coherent redesign.

For this journal, this calls for intensified scholarship in adaptive systems, sustainable energy and mobility, AI-integrated operations, crisis analytics, and socio-technical redesign shaped by South African realities. Our historical roots show that Industrial Engineering has always evolved through change. Industrial Engineers must lead in designing tomorrow by shaping systems that thrive in uncertainty and strengthen through it.
This edition has a total of 15 articles, with 8 articles from authors with South African connections and the balance from international authors.

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

Corne Schutte
Editor