ABSTRACT
The study aimed to identify and analyze measures used in manufacturing enterprises to protect workers from COVID-19 infection and maintain business continuity. Measures were identified based on literature studies, recommendations presented in the guidelines of international and national organizations, information from manufacturing companies, and the study authors' expertise. Measures were classified into five groups. A survey was conducted using a mixed model Computer Assisted Web Interview/Computer Assisted Telephone Interview (CAWI/CATI) on a representative group of 600 manufacturing companies in Poland. Measures were analyzed according to the occurrence or non-occurrence of COVID-19 in the enterprise. It was confirmed that the vast majority of identified measures were being applied, and enterprises implemented other solutions developed in-house. Legal and regulatory measures, individual protective measures, and protective measures for groups of workers were mainly applied at similar levels, both in the occurrence or non-occurrence of COVID-19. The implementation measures of work organization and production organization are mostly higher in enterprises without COVID-19. The proposed approach can be the basis for developing a methodology for studies of crisis events of a similar nature. The results can be used to select and implement a set of measures for an individual enterprise.
ABSTRACT
This paper addresses electricity consumption management in manufacturing enterprises. The research aims to provide manufacturing enterprises with an effective tool to control electricity costs. Recently, some factors have been observed to affect the rapid changes in the operating conditions of enterprises. These include the transformation of the power sector toward renewable energy, the disruption of supply chains resulting from a coronavirus pandemic, political crises, and process automation. A method for the analysis and management of electricity consumption in enterprises based on simulation modeling is proposed. The simulation model contains predefined objects representing physical system elements and the data processing algorithm. The production order execution time, energy consumption, employee overtime, and machine load are included in the model. The results show that it is possible to determine the level of power available for the process completion and its influence on the production volume and realization time. In the studied case, when the available power was reduced by half, there was an increase in order execution time of nearly 25 percent and an increase in energy consumption of nearly 15 percent. The method can be used in the operational activities of enterprises as well as extended to different types of production processes.
ABSTRACT
The purpose of the paper is to present the results of the study of solutions implemented in Polish manufacturing companies to ensure their business continuity under COVID-19 pandemic conditions. A questionnaire survey was conducted using the mixed-model CAWI/CATI (Computer Assisted Web Interview/Computer Assisted Telephone Interview) on a representative group of 600 manufacturing companies in Poland. The research was conducted in March 2021, more than a year after the first lockdown. The study included cases of companies in most industries and companies of different sizes. The subject of the survey was to identify legal, technical, and organisational protection measures implemented in manufacturing enterprises in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in manufacturing companies in Poland. The COVID-19 pandemic has forced companies to look for solutions to work safely. Some of the identified work and production organisation solutions are innovative and can serve as models of good practice for other companies. They can also be the basis for learning lessons and preparing for future critical incidents. It is a great economic and social importance to ensure the continuity of the activities of manufacturing enterprises during the pandemic.