Reverse logistics network design is a complex decision-making problem that involves the reuse, repair, remanufacturing, and recycling of end-of-life (EOL) under the tradeoff among conflicting objectives. The cutting-edge technologies in Industry 4.0 are now leading to an unprecedented and dynamic transformation of reverse logistics systems, which, however, further complicates the initial network ...

This thesis investigates how machine learning techniques has greater advantages over traditional Statistical Process Control (SPC) methods and Anomaly Detection (AD) in monitoring and controlling process parameters so that the process remains stable and in control to meet required quality satisfactions. The broader term of Predictive Quality Management introduces an important subject of predictive ...

Railway cold chain service network design (RCC-SND) aims to optimize the utilization of stations and lines as well as train allocations in a manner that minimizes costs while satisfying the service requirements of shippers. Furthermore, the uncertainties associated with freight demand, transportation costs, quality loss, station handling capacity, and arc capacity make the RCC-SND a complex ...

Collaborative industrial Robots (Cobots) were introduced as an advancement to traditional industrial Robots. Some advantages that were incorporated in Cobots included the ease of human interaction, safer working conditions and considerable smaller sizes. However, most Small & Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in Norway are not convinced of the merits of adopting these Cobots into their operations. This ...

With the rapid technological advancement and innovation in Industry 4.0/5.0, digitalization has become the mainstream that transforms the paradigm of many industries, businesses, and services. In this regard, AI-enabled chatbots have been increasingly adopted by many companies for providing customer services instead of human agents. On the one hand, the use of AI-enabled chatbots provides opportunities ...

Human history is full of epidemic outbreaks that occur on a regular basis. The past epidemics have resulted in millions of deaths and economic recessions. With the increasing frequency of human-induced epidemics in recent years, effective and efficient epidemic logistics management has become vital for successfully containing the spread of the disease as well as preventing societal disruption, ...

Learning design has a multifaceted nature requiring a range of course- and institutional considerations. Analyzing the decision criteria’s influence on research-based learning design helps understand the causes of the success/failure of the approach in achieving the teaching goals to improve the study programs. This study explores the interrelationship between the curricular and pedagogical criteria ...

Rapid changes in the level of digitalization have changed manufacturing and production industries during our lifetime. Several industries have explored the extent to which these changes can be utilized to optimize supply chain processes and increase sustainability – they have achieved success in implementation. The energy industry, being one of the world’s largest and most financially consuming ...

It has been a paradigm shift for the aquaculture industry in the current parallel era of circular economy, green shift, and Industry 4.0. As one of the world’s largest industries with a long-lasting and significant influence on global prosperity, national economy, food safety, and public health, the importance of sustainability of the aquaculture industry cannot be underestimated. One of the challenges ...

The increasing public awareness of environmental protection and the scarcity of rare earth elements have made closed-loop supply chains a necessity in many sectors. In particular, recycling components and parts from end-of-life consumer electronics have drawn the attention of both academics and practitioners. Disassembly line balancing improves the resource efficiency of recycling operations. This ...