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The flat glass industry is a typical industry with high energy consumption and extensive carbon emission. The carbon emission of flat glass industry in China ranks first in the same industry in the world. At present, there are few researches on carbon emission prediction for industrial enterprises, especially for the flat glass industry, due to lack of monitoring data. This paper selects electricity consumption as the influencing factor of carbon emission. This paper firstly preprocesses the electricity consumption data according to the China greenhouse gas emission standard. Next, this paper selects a correlation variable to fit the historical data of the flat glass industry based on Support Vector Regression (SVR). Finally, it obtains the parameters of the basic form of the electricity consumption to carbon emission model of the industry. The validity of the electricity-carbon modeling method and the accuracy of the model are verified by simulation experiments. The electricity-carbon model established by the method in this paper has a high accuracy rate, and the coefficient of determination (R2) reaches 0.98, which can play an auxiliary role in the verification of carbon emissions.

In the transportation business, different types of materials/items including breakable items such as units made of glass, ceramics, plastics, mud, etc. are transported from various sources to different destinations. In this paper, a multiple objective fractional transportation problem for breakable commodity is formulated and a multiple objective fractional dual is developed. An algorithm is generated to determine an initial efficient basic solution by solving the related lexicographic minimum fractional transportation problem for breakable commodity. The algorithm is supported by a real life example of Ashi India Glass Limited, India for minimizing the multiple cost for transporting glass-wrap of flat glass. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article examines efforts by the International Federation of Chemical and General Workers' Unions (ICF) to coordinate multinational union action in flat glass industry in Western Europe. Efforts in the late 1960s and 1970s by the ICF and its affiliated unions to initiate coordinated activity with three of the world's largest flat glass companies: Saint-Gobain, Pilkington, and BSN was recounted. National unions are expected by the author to be better equipped than international secretariats, such as the ICF to handle the coordination of collective bargaining across national boundaries.

In all three industries, internal subcontracting as a way to organize the workplace determined the emergence of craft unionism in the nineteenth century. In both Belgian and American window-glassmaking craft unionism, originally based on exclusion of low-skilled workers who had been underhands in the system of subcontracting, persisted well into the twentieth century, until full mechanization made artisanal glassblowing obsolete. Only then all workers could be united in an industrial union. In diamond manufacturing, craft unions were replaced by a unified industrial union already in the 1890s. In all three industries, trade unions had the biggest impact when they were able to regulate product markets and industrial competition through labour market control. Methods, time frames and duration of labour market control differed considerably, however. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Because of turbulence in the economic environment, enterprises must react flexibly to the changing demands of their customers. Thus, a changeover process is required. If an enterprise has a large product portfolio, there are basically only two process options; to integrate production into large batches or to change the production programme frequently. Frequent changes associated with the changeover process of machinery are optimized by using the SMED method. The main goal of this paper is to apply SMED (Single Minute Exchange of Die) to a High-Mix processing line. The case study is undertaken in a flat glass processing company which manufactures hundreds of types of products. The results of the case study demonstrate that it is possible to save up to 30% annually of the time currently spent on changeovers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper briefly introduces the development status of world flat glass industry, especially the breakthroughs achieved in terms of new technologies, new products and energy conservation and environment protection in Chinese flat glass industry after entering the 21st century. Based on the analytical investigation on several aspects of capacity distribution, technical innovation, market trends, product structure, the energy conservation and environment protection, this paper is focused on the future development direction of world flat glass industry under the background of economic globalization and market integration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Technological innovation plays an important role in the process of long-run growth. There are many studies on the country and aggregate level innovativeness, patents, etc. This paper, on the contrary, focuses on two individual innovations, float glass and safety glass manufacturing technology, introduced in the late 1950s and the inter-linkage of these innovations in Finland. The flat glass and safety glass industries were both international and very tightly interlinked. We illustrated the evolution of the flat glass industry and its valueadded industries. The government policy towards foreign companies is tracked, as well. The study period is from 1960 to 1985. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the internal conflicts between labor unions in the flat glass industries of the U.S., during 1936-1937. Glen W. McCabe, the first president of the labor organization Flat Glass Workers (FGW), was an aggressive leader, unwilling to share either power or responsibility with the Executive Board and the locals. McCabe's tactics included secret maneuverings with the companies from which he attempted to exclude the local union representatives. His divide-and-conquer policy antagonized the local unions. The locals resisted the President's attempts to dominate the FGW. In October 1936 the locals at Pittsburgh Plate Glass demonstrated their independence by walking out three days before the termination of the contract. The settlement of this strike indicated that the powerful locals desired uniform wages and contract terms in direct opposition to McCabe's policies. The subsequent history of the FGW has reflected this early struggle. The president's office continued to be challenged by strong locals. The union's Constitution dictates that local representatives on wage committees must unanimously approve contract terms.

The labor situation is usually a secondary consideration in making least-cost decisions regarding plant and process relocation. Transportation costs and accessibility to customers and suppliers are the primary factors. Two major aspects of labor's role are regional wage differences and labor market conditions. The argument may be advanced that major manufacturing firms, organized by international unions and producing for national markets, act as if wage differentials have narrowed or disappeared. The labor market becomes important only when relocation is considered to a non-urban or depressed area where specific skills may not be available. This paper is concerned with work rules as a determinant in decisions to relocate in the flat glass industry. Where other factors are equal, restrictive work practices and union attitudes towards technological change explain the relocation of plants despite narrow wage differences and the increased mobility of experienced workers. Relocation in the flat glass industry occurred within the old geographic regions. Relocation resulted in a new work atmosphere.

Examines the roles played by economic and political variables in the harmonious relations between labor unions and management in the largest flat glass companies in the United States. Overview of the flat glass market; Profile of the United Glass and Ceramic Workers; Union-management relations before 1958.

The General Court continues to be reluctant to address blatant inconsistencies in the Commission's fining policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increasing grinding efficiency by optimizing binder hardness and using stronger diamond powders at optimal concentration to decrease diamond grinding wheel usage is examined. The new grinding wheels which have a binder with HB100-105 hardness and AS50–AS65 diamond powder at concentration 62.5% are recommended for industrial use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]