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Publications

Publications by Paulo Ávila

2021

ISO 9001 Certification Benefits: A Principal Component Analysis

Authors
Fonseca, L; Cardoso, MC; Pereira, MT; Avila, P;

Publication
FME TRANSACTIONS

Abstract
This research addresses the benefits of ISO 9001 to understand the reasons behind its worldwide adoption. By applying principal component analysis to the results of a survey encompassing 526 valid responses (24.4% response rate), a more business-oriented scale than the traditional internal/external type of motivation with three main categories of benefits is proposed: operational improvement benefit (regarded as the most relevant), profitability and, market. The internal benefits related to the operational improvement are the benefits most felt by organizations, highlighting the contribution of ISO 9001 to improve learning processes and knowledge generation. Concerning the organization size, medium-sized organizations attribute greater importance to the market and competitiveness. However, there are no statistical differences in the reporting of benefits felt in operational improvement and profitability. In relation to the year of certifcation, organizations certified before the year 2000 report higher market benefits when compared to those certified later. The investigation of ISO 9001 within Industry 4.0 and digital processes are suggested for future research.

2023

A Simulation Study of Aircraft Boarding Strategies

Authors
Moreira, H; Ferreira, LP; Fernandes, NO; Silva, FJG; Ramos, AL; Avila, P;

Publication
MATHEMATICS

Abstract
To ensure the safety of passengers concerning virus propagation, such as COVID-19, and keep the turnaround time at low levels, airlines should seek efficient aircraft boarding strategies in terms of both physical distancing and boarding times. This study seeks to analyze the impact of different boarding strategies in the context of the International Air Transport Association's recommendations during the pandemic to reduce interference and physical contact between passengers in airplanes. Boarding strategies such as back-to-front, outside-in, reverse pyramid, blocks, Steffen, and modified optimal have been tested in this context. This study extends the previous literature using discrete event simulation to evaluate the impact of the occupation of the middle seat by family members only. This study also analyses the impact of having passengers carrying hand luggage and priority passengers on the performance of these strategies concerning boarding times. In general, the simulation results revealed a 15% improvement in boarding times when the reverse pyramid strategy is used compared to a random strategy, which essentially results from a reduction in the boarding interferences between passengers. The results also show that Steffen's strategy is the best performing, while the blocks strategy results in the worst performance. This study has practical implications for airline companies concerning both operation efficiency and passenger safety.

2018

Ranked sequence positional weight heuristic for simultaneous balancing and scheduling jobs in a distributed manufacturing environment

Authors
Kays, E; Karim, A; Varela, L; Putnik, G; Avila, P;

Publication
11TH CIRP CONFERENCE ON INTELLIGENT COMPUTATION IN MANUFACTURING ENGINEERING

Abstract
In the current competitive and globalized manufacturing scenario Distributed Manufacturing Environments are increasing, and it turns mandatory to explore improved operational approaches. For enhanced simultaneous balancing and scheduling jobs in a Distributed Manufacturing Environment (DME) a mathematical model of Ranked Sequence Positional Weight (RSPW) is proposed. The model capabilities are analysed through a test problem and the results have demonstrated that the proposed RSPW heuristics mathematical model do perform better than other competitive approaches. (C) 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.

2018

SUPPLIER EVALUATION AND SELECTION: A FUZZY NOVEL MULTI-CRITERIA GROUP DECISION-MAKING APPROACH

Authors
Kusi-Sarpong, S; Varela, ML; Putnik, G; Avila, P; Agyemang, J;

Publication
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR QUALITY RESEARCH

Abstract
Supplier selection problem is a multi-criteria decision-making problem that involves both quantitative and qualitative criteria. Typically, supplier selection decisions require a preliminary stage where pool of suppliers are initially screened to select potential set of suppliers for further evaluation and select the optimal supplier. This preliminary stage is heavily dependent on non-scientific approaches and do not consider any criteria during the screening process. Furthermore, quantifying the qualitative criteria has always relied quite considerably on subjective judgments, which render the supplier selection process ineffective. Therefore, this paper addresses these problems by proposing an easy going two-phase supplier selection decision model, based on fuzzy set theory that uses a scientific approach and incorporates performance criteria in screening and selecting the potential suppliers for further optimal supplier selection. To illustrate the applicability and validate the proposed model, a case study of a beverage producing company located in Ghana, the Sub-Saharan Africa is proposed.

2021

Application of the Industry 4.0 Technologies to Mobile Learning and Health Education Apps

Authors
Mateus Coelho, N; Cruz Cunha, MM; Avila, PS;

Publication
FME TRANSACTIONS

Abstract
The so-called fourth industrial revolution brought a disruptive change in the way that communication technologies, distributed systems, intelligent data management, analytics and computational capability and other technologies are integrated to enable new functions and enhance capabilities not only to production systems, but also in many other domains such as education. Mobile Health (m-Health) education is one of these, where the number of applications and tools for m-Health education is extensive. The SARS-Cov2 (Covid-19) pandemic brought to life immense challenges towards education, technology, and the symbiosis with medicine. This paper introduces 31 of the current state-of-the-art m-Health education applications and analyses the results of an an inquiry to students and junior doctors during the confinement, designed to understanding their knowledge, use and trust regarding these apps. The results show that several applications are well perceived by their users and deserved their trust andconfirms a good relation between use and trust on the applications analysed. This analysis open doors to a deeper study to evaluate at which extent improving m-Health education means not only to transmit knowledge but also to developing skills and better practices.

2021

Manufacturing System and Enterprise Management for Industry 4.0

Authors
Putnik, GD; Avila, PS;

Publication
FME TRANSACTIONS

Abstract

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