Purpose: Through increasing individualization, volatile market demands or shorter product and innovation cycles, existing assembly systems in the automotive industry reach their limits. Different approaches are designed to address the need for adaptable systems. The Fluid Manufacturing System...

Purpose: This technical note provides the mathematical demonstration for obtaining the optimal aspect ratio for a rectangular storage area with a lateral receive/ship dock, representing the standard configuration of modern distribution centers and logistic warehouses. The proposed aspect ratio...

Material handling systems (MHS) are integral to logistics functions by providing various supports such as handling, moving, and storing materials in manufacturing and service organisations. This study considers determining the optimal size of a homogeneous fleet of trucks to be outsourced (or...

At a time when it is critically important to preserve natural resources and reduce the amount of man-made pollution, this article explores other potentials for materialism in today’s market economies. Based on a two-year ethnography in Poland, we learn from simplifiers who denounce current...