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El desarrollo de software es una importante área en la ingeniería de software, por tal motivo han surgido técnicas, enfoques y métodos que permiten la automatización de desarrollo del mismo. En este trabajo se presenta un análisis de las herramientas para el desarrollo automático de software y la generación automática de código fuente, con el fi n de evaluarlas y determinar si cumplen o no con un conjunto de características y funcionalidades en términos de calidad. Dichas características incluyen efi cacia, productividad, seguridad y satisfacción, todo a través de una evaluación cualitativa y cuantitativa. Estas herramientas son 1) herramientas CASE, 2) marcos de trabajo ( frameworks ) y 3) ambientes de desarrollo integrado (IDEs). La evaluación se llevó a cabo con el fi n de medir no sólo la capacidad de uso, sino también el apoyo que brindan para el desarrollo de software automático y la generación automática de código fuente. El objetivo de este trabajo es proporcionar una metodología y una breve revisión de los trabajos más importantes para, de esta forma, identifi car las principales características de éstos y presentar una evaluación comparativa en términos cualitativos y cuantitativos, con la fi nalidad de proporcionar la información necesaria para el desarrollador de software que facilite la toma de decisiones al considerar herramientas que le pueden ser útiles.

Software development is an important area in software engineering, which is why a wide range of techniques, methods, and approaches has emerged to facilitate software development automation. This paper presents an analysis and evaluation of tools for automated software development and automatic code generation in order to determine whether they meet a set of quality metrics. Diverse quality metrics were considered such as effectiveness, productivity, safety, and satisfaction in order to carry out a qualitative and quantitative evaluation. The tools evaluated are CASE tools, frameworks, and Integrated Development Environments (IDEs). The evaluation was conducted to measure not only the tools’ ability to be employed, but also their support for automated software development and automatic source code generation. The aim of this work is to provide a methodology and a brief review of the most important works to identify the main features of these works and present a comparative evaluation in qualitative and quantitative terms of quality metrics. This would provide software developers with the information they need to decide the tools that can be useful for them.

This paper aims to provide new insights for organizations that have decided to implement a Quality Management System (QMS) based on the ISO 9001 standard as a strategy for continuous improvement and gaining competitive advantage. This objective is achieved through statistically modeling the causal relationships between the Critical Success Factors (CSFs) or enablers of ISO 9001. A statistically validated questionnaire was used to collect information mainly from quality managers working in manufacturing companies located in Mexico that have had an ISO 9001 certificate. Some hypotheses for relationships between ISO CSFs are developed theoretically first and empirically tested later using confirmatory factor analysis and the structural equation modeling technique. The main theoretical contribution of our findings is based on the organizational leadership theory by demonstrating that relationships between ISO CSFs and benefits have been statistically significant and highlighting that for a successful implementation of a QMS based on this standard, a real commitment of top management is undoubtedly required to initialize and give support to a process that activates the remaining enablers leading their organizations to high performance and competitiveness. Our findings have important implications for quality professionals and business managers by identifying actions or activities where to allocate the available resources to increase the likelihood of successfully adopting the standard and thus getting the associated benefits. Unlike other models, our enablers conform by grouping information structured based on the Quality Management Principles (QMPs) defined in the standard. Future research could consider the point of view of all employees involved in the QMS and variations in organizational size or industry sector for their potential effect on effectively implementing a QMS based on ISO 9001. Moreover, further research could also be undertaken to confirm the findings of this study in other countries.

Waste from raw materials has a direct influence on the final price of a product. However, since waste has no added value to products, customers are unwilling to pay for it. Reducing waste along the production process and supply chain allows companies to decrease costs and remain competitive in product prices. This research is conducted in a medical device manufacturing company located in Tijuana (Mexico). The company found a negative variation in part number 9540, a metallic foil used for hot stamping. During inventory cycle counts, the company found that they were purchasing rawer material than necessary due to a 50% of waste generated along the production process. We implemented two process improvement methodologies, namely Practical Process Improvement (PPI) and the Plan-Do-Check-Act model, to eliminate 100% of the raw material waste, specifically regarding the foil’s waste. The improvement project comprised two phases: a) adjusting the parameters of the hot foil stamping machine and b) replacing the hot foil stamping machine with a pad printing machine. In our research, the PPI methodology is presented in 8 detailed stages as a simple problem-solving method, in contrast with five stages reported in other documented cases. This case study presents how a company can apply continuous improvement programs and its managerial implications, even without having a structured and defined systems for quality, such as Six Sigma or Lean Manufacturing implemented. After the two implementation phases, the improvement project led to economic savings of $\$ $ 165,000 in a year.

Sotol is a Mexican distilled spirit produced in Northern Mexico. The estimated annual production of sotol is at around 5,200 hl per year. This industry grows at an average rate of 5% per year. The Mexican Sotol Council and the Sotol Certificate Council are regulatory bodies dedicated to monitoring that sotol producers comply with the Official Mexican Standard NOM-159-SCFI-2004. Currently, those regulatory bodies try to improve the sotol production process and good practice guidelines to contribute to cleaner production. This paper reports a case study of artisanal sotol production in Chihuahua State in Mexico. Life cycle assessment (LCA) technique was used to compute the environmental impact of sotol and its performance to identify system hotspots and propose improvement interventions. SimaPro software, v.9.1®, is used for the LCA, applying CML-IA baseline V3.05/EU25 method to evaluate and select environmental impact categories. The system boundary included the stages of harvest, cooking, milling, fermentation, distillation, bottling, and packaging. The findings indicate that each of the stages required for sotol beverage processing significantly affects the marine ecosystem. The milling and bottling stages have the highest environmental impact. A 750-ml bottle of artisan sotol causes 5.92 kg CO2 eq, based on empirical data. Sotol makers should focus on reducing energy consumption caused by input transportation and equipment for milling.

Sotol is a distilled spirit made in the north of Mexico produced from the wild plant Dasylirion wheeleri. Although sotol was awarded the Designation of Origin (DO) in 2002 and has an economic influence on the DO region, its environmental profile has not been determined. For that reason, this paper reports a Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) of the industrial sotol production process in the Mexican state of Chihuahua to determine any significant environmental impacts caused by sotol production from raw material acquisition to the packaging stage. The LCA was modeled using SimaPro 8.5.2 software (PRé Sustainability, Amersfoort, The Netherlands) and the environmental impacts were calculated using the CML-IA baseline v3.03/EU25 impact assessment technique. The findings reveal that sotol beverage manufacturing considerably affects three of the eleven impact categories selected and that the harvesting and bottling stages have the greatest negative environmental impact of all the sotol production stages. According to empirical data, one bottle (750 mL) of sotol results in a higher carbon dioxide value than any other spirit evaluated in earlier LCA studies, with white, rested, and aged sotol generating 5.07, 5.12, and 5.13 kg CO2 eq, respectively. Other drinks, such as mescal, classic gin, and whisky generate only 1.7, 0.91, and 2.25 kg CO2 eq, respectively. In conclusion, sotol distillery companies should start to decrease road transport of raw materials used in the packaging stage and begin to cultivate sotol instead of extracting it from the wild as strategies to achieve cleaner production.

Nowadays, manufacturing companies are looking to improve their sustainability to respond to the market and customers’ demands for sustainable products. Therefore, companies must improve their production processes to increase sustainability (economic, environmental, social, technological, efficiency, energy, performance management, manufacturing, and quality). This paper presents a case study of a manufacturing company located in Tijuana (Mexico) that produces wired and wireless communication devices. Previously, this company developed four projects to produce Universal Serial Buses (USB) and their duration should have been no more than 2 weeks; however, these lasted from 2.7 to 4.5 weeks. Moreover, different types of defects were also identified and, currently, the company is carrying out a project to develop a headset model. This research aims to demonstrate the application of reliability testing for the sustainability of products and manufacturing processes by reducing project development times and defects. The failure mode and effect analysis (FMEA), design of experiments (DOE), and analysis of variance (ANOVA) techniques are applied. The results indicated that the time between the start and completion of the headset project was 1.8 weeks, which is below the company’s limit of 2 weeks and, additionally, defects were reduced significantly compared to previous projects. Based on the findings, it is concluded that applying statistical tools improves the sustainability of production processes and products. This implies that manufacturing companies can increase their sustainability indexes by reducing their processes/tasks times and the number of defective parts, increasing quality and customer satisfaction.

In the transition towards a sustainable world with a “green horizon” (something that is also of great importance to the policy of energy self-sufficiency in housing and self-consumption), geothermal energy is seen as quite a feasible alternative for single-family homes. This article focuses on a comparison between the environmental impact and life cycle analysis of three alternatives and provides a base case for the replacement of a conventional type of boiler with a geothermal one for a typical house located in a Mediterranean climate. The first alternative (A) consists of a horizontal catchment system through a field of geothermal probes. The second alternative (B) is a shallow water catchment system, open type, with the return of water to a nearby river. The third option studied (C) is also a shallow water catchment system but with the water, return injected into a well downstream to the underground water flow. The study shows that alternatives A and B have the least environmental impact in most of the categories studied. The total amortization periods for the three alternatives and the base case differ by almost two years, with alternative A taking 6.99 years and alternative C costing 8.82 years.

At the end of 2018, a call for papers was made for the Special Issue called “Applied Engineering to Lean Manufacturing Production Systems”, whose objective was to bring together different articles with industrial applications of the different lean manufacturing (LM) tool theories for problem-solving and case studies that improve the indices of the production systems [...]

This paper reports a second order structural equation model (SEM) with four latent variables and six hypotheses to analyze the Planning, Execution, and Control of the information and communication technologies (ICT) implementation in supply chains (SC) and the operational Benefits obtained. The model is validated with information obtained from 80 responses to a questionnaire applied direct to manufacturing companies in Baja California state (Mexico), specifically in Ensenada, Mexicali, Tecate, and Tijuana municipalities. The variables are statistically validated using the Cronbach’s alpha index for internal and R-squared for predictive validity. Partial least squares algorithms are used to validate the model’s hypotheses in software WarpPLS version7.0 ScripWarp Systems, Laredo, TX, US. Findings indicate that the direct impact of Execution and Control is positive and therefore are the basis for successful integration of ICT and obtaining agility and flexibility benefits in the SC.

In industrial production processes, different techniques, tools, philosophies, and methodologies are applied to facilitate their management and control [...]

For both wine makers and customers, natural cork stoppers are a symbol of quality. Moreover, they are essential for maintaining the organoleptic properties of bottled wines throughout their lifespan. This research relied on the life-cycle assessment (LCA) methodology to analyze the relationship between the efficient usage of cork planks and the environmental impact of the cork stopper manufacturing industry. The goals of this research were to analyze and determine the environmental impact of producing 1 kg of natural cork stoppers. The analysis considered cork stoppers of two sizes—24 × 44 mm and 26 × 44 mm—and two manufacturing methods—punching and turning. Our findings indicated that the 24 × 44 mm cork stoppers produced with the punching method had a slightly lower environmental impact (1.36 kg CO2 eq/kg) across the ten analyzed impact categories. Conversely, 26 × 44 mm turned corks had the highest impact on the environment (1.49 kg CO2 eq/kg). Additionally, a comparison of same-sized punched and turned cork stoppers showed that the former had a lower environmental impact. This phenomenon is directly related to plank usage. In conclusion, there is a clear relationship between environmental impact and the efficient usage of raw material. In turn, an efficient usage of raw material depends on both the manufacturing method and stopper size.

One of the main challenges in Macroergonomics is to develop a universal model to measure macroergonomic compatibility. As a first step to develop such model, it is necessary to validate the construct of macroergonomic compatibility (MC). MC refers to the ability of the different work system components and elements to complement the capabilities and limitations of employees in order to achieve companies’ goals. In that regard, to achieve this step, this paper analyzes the effects of MC of physical and psychological characteristics of employees over the performance of manufacturing systems measured by the clients, production processes, and the organizational performance of companies. Data was obtained from 188 employees of manufacturing systems by means of the Macroergonomic Compatibility Questionnaire (MCQ) in Chihuahua, Mexico. Also, data is analyzed to propose and test a hypothetical causal model of the relationships among the variables by using a Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) approach. Employees’ physical characteristics (weight, height, strength) are considered as independent variable. The highest direct effects values (ß) were found from physical characteristics to psychological characteristics (0,49), from clients to organizational performance (0,45), and from psychological characteristics to motivation and needs. Also, the highest total effects were found from physical characteristics to motivation and needs (0,517) and psychological characteristics (0,488) and from clients to organizational performance (0,454). Results of this model offer relevant knowledge to develop macroergonomic strategies for manufacturing systems in order to increase their competitiveness and support the design and improvement of these systems.

It is mentioned that companies’ competition is currently more associated with supply chains (SC) than production processes since sometimes logistics costs represent up to 70% of the total production cost in a product. To improve efficiency in SC, companies are implementing information and communication technologies (ICT). This paper reports a structural equation model that incorporates four latent variables related to ICT applied in SC: technological innovation, information management, and information availability as independent variables, and operating benefits gained as a dependent variable. These variables are related using six hypotheses that are validated using information obtained from 80 responses to a survey applied to small and medium-sized enterprises in Baja California (Mexico). The partial least squares technique is used to validate the hypotheses in the structural equation model. Findings indicate that technological innovation is the basis for the successful implementation of ICT and its application guarantees greater information availability and efficient management, leading to obtaining operating benefits in SC.

Natural stoppers are a magnificent closure for the production of aging wines and unique wines, whose application is limited by the availability of raw materials and more specifically of cork sheets of different thickness and quality. The growing demand for quality wine bottle closures leads to the search for alternative stopper production. The two-piece stopper is an alternative since it uses non-usable plates in a conventional way for the production of quality caps. The present study has analyzed the impact of the manufacture of these two-piece stoppers using different methodologies and for different dimensions by developing an LCA (Life Cycle Assessment), concluding that the process phases of the plate, its boiling, and its stabilization, are the phases with the greatest impact. Likewise, it is detected that the impacts in all phases are relatively similar (for one kg of net cork produced), although the volumetric difference between these stoppers represents a significant difference in impacts for each unit produced.

Innovations within the medical device sector are constantly and rapidly emerging due to increasing demand, especially for orthosis systems, which usually constitute built rigids with low comfort, due mainly to the standardized production process. This article reports the design process of a plantar orthosis system from the application of Theory of Inventive Problem Solving (TRIZ) tools, known as generic parameters, matrix of contradictions, and inventive principles. The final orthosis is integrated by four modules or components (1 central and 3 movables) and customers can buy only the required ones, reducing cost in unnecessary parts. The plantar orthosis was defined based on three engineering parameters that delimited the design work by developing a customizable system that is capable of performing simultaneous functions and whose manufacture could be standardized. We identified the existence of a technical contradiction between the engineering parameters, customization, and standardization, which was solved by the inventive principles of segmentation, inversion, transition to a new dimension, and porous materials. A modular design with four components was accomplished, molds are built for each component in a machining center and injected using granulated ethylene vinyl acetate copolymer. The positions of the movable components are configured through a bolt-hole assembly mechanism to the central component, which is a flat perforated plantar base. The novelty in the design here presented is elated to supports that constitute the orthosis, which are interchangeable and adjustable to the pathological and morphological needs of each patient.

Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is one of the most common compressive, canalicular neuropathies of the upper extremities, causing hand pain and impaired function. CTS results from compression or injury of the median nerve at the wrist within the confines of the carpal tunnel. Parameters such as age, sex, and body mass index (BMI) could be risk factors for CTS. This research work aimed to review the existing literature regarding the relationship between CTS and possible risk factors, such as age, sex, BMI, dominant hand, abdominal circumference, respiratory rate, blood pressure, and cardiac rate to determine which ones are the most influential, and therefore, take them into account in subsequent applied research in the manufacturing industry. We performed a literature search in the PubMed, EBSCO, and ScienceDirect databases using the following keywords: carpal tunnel syndrome AND (age OR sex OR BMI OR handedness OR abdominal circumference OR respiratory rate OR blood pressure OR cardiac rate). We chose 72 articles by analyzing the literature found based on selection criteria. We concluded that CTS is associated with age, female sex, and high BMI. Trends and future challenges have been proposed to delve into the relationship between risk factors and CTS, such as correlation studies on pain reduction, analysis of weight changes to predict the severity of this pathology, and its influence on clinical treatments.

Customer satisfaction is a key element for survival and competitiveness in industrial companies. This paper describes a case study in a manufacturing company that deals with several customer complaints due to defective custom cable assemblies that are integrated in an engine. The goal of this research is to find a solution to this problem, as well as prevent its recurrence by implementing the eight disciplines (8Ds) method in order to: (1) develop a team, (2) describe the problem, (3) develop an interim containment action, (4) determine and verify root causes, (5) develop permanent corrective actions, (6) define and implement corrective actions, (7) prevent recurrences, and (8) recognize and congratulate teamwork as well as individual contributions. Therefore, a software tool is proposed to conduct a functional test on assembly lines. After the test, the problem was successfully reduced and detected, because from 67 engines that were identified with problems, 51 were redesigned before being sent to customers, consequently decreasing the number of defective products by 75%, whereas the remaining 16 engines were replaced by new engines. In conclusion, the research goal was accomplished, and the 8Ds method proved to be a helpful model with which to increase employees’ motivation and involvement during the problem-solving process.

Una de las necesidades más apremiantes del sector primario es el desarrollo de métodos, herramie ntas, modelos y técnicas para u na gestión adecuada y eficiente de productos perecederos a lo largo de Cadenas de Suministro (SC), pa rticularmente enfocados en lo s servicios logísticos especializad os (ThirdParty Logistics 3PL) como la consolid ación de carga. Esta estrategia de coordinación busca la alineación de los agentes y procesos para la eficiente manipulación de carga, minimi zando costos y permitiendo el uso adecuado de capacidades de medios de transporte. La cont ribución de este artículo se centra en el modelado y análisis de beneficios de las estrategias de consolidación de carga en el contexto de Cadenas de Suministro Agrícolas (ASC) a través de la simulación. Los resultados de la simulación de eventos discretos, evaluando un producto commodity en tres diferentes escen arios, prueba los beneficios de esta e strategia de coordinación al reducir el nú mero anual de envíos de 1732 a 725 en un contex to de logística urbana e incrementando los nivel es de utilización de la flota hasta el 71%.

Este trabajo presenta un análisis de los efectos que tienen el compromiso gerencial y la organización de equipos de trabajo en los beneficios de la implementación del kaizen en las empresas industriales durante su etapa de planeación. Para buscar la información se aplicaron 200 cuestionarios a 68 empresas distribuidas en los estados de Tabasco, Sinaloa y Chihuahua en México y también en la provincia de Camagüey. Cuba. Para obtener un modelo de ecuaciones estructurales explicativo de los efectos, se utilizó la metodología de mínimos cuadrados parciales usando WarpPLS 4.0. Los resultados obtenidos muestran que cuando existe un alto compromiso gerencial se tiene impactos positivos en los beneficios económicos y competitivos de las empresas. Asimismo, la organización de equipos de trabajo tiene impactos positivos sobre los beneficios competitivos y estos a su vez sobre los beneficios económicos obtenidos. Como resultado de este estudio se muestra el impacto que tienen determinados factores críticos de éxito del Kaizen, en los beneficios de implementación del mismo, elemento primordial para su sostenibilidad en el tiempo.

Vega et al. [1] analizan la influencia que tiene la dependencia entre atributos al ordenar con TOPSIS un conjunto de alternativas en un problema de decisión multicriterio. Asimismo, estos autores proponen utilizar la distancia de Mahalanobis en TOPSIS para incorporar las correlaciones entre los atributos. El problema es que, incluso en situaciones en las que la dependencia entre atributos es muy pequeña, los resultados obtenidos utilizando la distancia de Mahalanobis difieren significativamente de los obtenidos con la distancia euclídea tradicionalmente empleada en TOPSIS, así como de los obtenidos con cualquier otra distancia de la familia de Minkowsky. Este hecho provoca serias dudas a la hora de seleccionar la distancia que debe utilizarse en cada caso. Para abordar el problema de la dependencia entre atributos y el asociado con la selección de la distancia más apropiada, este trabajo propone utilizar una nueva forma de sintetizar las distancias al ideal y anti-ideal en TOPSIS. Este nuevo procedimiento, basado en el Proceso Analítico Jerárquico (AHP), permite capturar la importancia relativa de ambas distancias en el contexto delimitado por la medida considerada y proporciona ordenaciones más cercanas que las de la síntesis tradicional para las diferentes distancias empleadas con TOPSIS, independientemente de la existencia de dependencia entre atributos. El procedimiento propuesto ha sido aplicado al ejemplo seleccionado por Vega et al. [1].

Multiple studies have analyzed the importance of preventive maintenance. Similarly, they have developed and/or evaluated various spare part inventory management policies that help companies reduce the duration of production disruptions resulting from sudden mechanical failures. All of these studies assess the impact of mechanical failures on local aspects, such as idle times or management policies. However, they do not holistically evaluate how machine failures affect key performance indicators. To address this gap, we proposed a System Dynamics (SD) model to systemically analyze the impact of machine part failures on order shipping, a key performance indicator. Similarly, we assessed the impact of machine part failures on the levels of the company’s finished goods inventory. The research was conducted in a glass bottle manufacturing company. To increase order shipping as a performance indicator, we identified the key variables of the production process and conducted a sensitivity analysis of the variables. Our results indicate that it is possible to reach the company’s 98−100% complete delivery policy.

Advanced manufacturing technologies (AMT) require considerable investments that managers often avoid, which makes it difficult to link their production operations with the benefits reported in literature review. The present paper shows a structural equation model that integrates four latent variables to measure the relationship between the levels of advanced manufacturing technologies implementation (Stand-Alone Intermediate and Integrated Systems), as well as the benefits obtained in the productive systems. The variables are related to each other using six hypotheses in order to realise how the AMT implementation level affects the benefits obtained from a quantitative and statistical point of view. The model is evaluated through the partial least square technique with data from 383 responses to a survey. Findings show that Stand-Alone Systems contribute more to obtaining Production Benefits, followed by Integrated Systems and Intermediate Systems. Finally, a sensitivity analysis based on conditional probabilities was performed to evaluate scenarios at different implementation levels in AMT to know how they facilitate the acquisition of the benefits offered.

Este trabajo presenta un análisis de los efectos que tienen la infraestructura regional y los servicios en el desempeño de la cadena de suministro en empresas manufactureras de Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, México. Para colectar la información se aplicaron cuestionarios a 120 empresas, y para obtener un modelo de ecuaciones estructurales explicativo de los efectos se utilizó la metodología de mínimos cuadrados parciales usando WarpPLS 3.0. Los resultados obtenidos muestran que cuando existe buen nivel en la infraestructura regional se tienen impactos positivos sobre los servicios logísticos; y éstos a su vez impactan en los costos. Asimismo, la infraestructura regional tiene impactos positivos sobre el tiempo de entrega de los productos. Con relación al nivel de infraestructura (transporte, telecomunicaciones, internet) y de servicios (aéreos, terrestres, financieros, legales) en Ciudad Juárez, los encuestados lo consideran bueno por lo que las entregas de producto han sido completas y a tiempo en los últimos 3 años.