Gilberto Santos

• Ph.D.
• Professor at Polytechnic Institute of Cávado and Ave

The European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) is a European framework and the most commonly used excellence Model in European countries, including Portugal, even though the Shingo Model has been growing in scope and is increasingly also being implemented, especially in European countries. Both are excellence Models created under different f...

This special issue not only presents several cases of Lean Six Sigma implementation in Portuguese and Brazilian organisations in different sectors of activity but also addresses the contributions of Lean Six Sigma to Sustainability and Industry 4.0. In this way, it aims to make a strong scientific contribution to both business practice and the scie...

Integrated Management System (IMS) supported by Management Systems Standards (MSSs) of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), such as quality (ISO 9001), environmental (ISO 14001), and occupational health and safety (ISO 45001), is an important tool for approach the Sustainable Development (SD) in the organizations. Thus, the pur...

For the healthcare industry to undergo the necessary changes, new technology, creative solutions, and interactive platforms are now crucial. Solutionist technologies can have numerous benefits, if used knowledgeably and properly. However, despite the large body of work on innovations in smart health, especially in e-health, e-advice and m-health, t...

This research is part of a sabbatical proficiency program at the State University of Rio de Janeiro (UERJ), designed to support post-doctoral studies and research. The program aims to enhance and update the scientific and academic expertise of its researchers by fostering the development of projects with innovative technological content. Additional...

Purpose: This paper intends to evaluate the impact of Toyota Way (TW) focused activities on operational performance and its connection to sustainability and long-term success. Methodology/Approach: Three theoretical-practical activities were implemented in a real pickup assembly plant. Performance was assessed through the recording of standard docu...

A construction model for an ETC type solar collector with the purpose of helping in the rational use of electric energy aimed at the needs of the small rural producer. A prototype solar collector was proposed and its energy efficiency was analyzed compared to that of a commercial collector. Following this, an analysis of the economic viability of u...

Mathematical optimization offers a valuable approach to tackle Industry scheduling problems. By formulating the scheduling challenge as a mathematical problem, mathematical optimization enables efficient and effective decision-making processes. Mathematical optimization is particularly beneficial in complex scheduling scenarios, such as in networke...

This paper aims to present improvement actions to reduce the failure risk of a new vehicle cabin air transporter developed in an automotive plant in the Sul Fluminense region by applying the Failure Modes and Effect Analysis (FMEA) tool. This analysis method enables the equipment to reduce some existing problems. Thus, it was possible to increase t...

Purpose: We propose an unprecedented model for incorporating agile methodology (AM) into the development of an Integrated Management System (IMS). Design/Methodology: The research design employed a literature review and content analysis approach. We identified ten distinct IMS models from academic literature and subjected them to critical cross-ana...

Brazil has one of the cleanest energy matrices in the world, mainly a matrix based on hydropower. The research aims to identify and define variables that most strongly influence the economic viability of operating equipment and wind farms in Northeast Brazil, identifying the key performance factors for the economic analysis performed, such as techn...

Purpose: This study proposes directions for developing Entrepreneurship Education (EE) based on innovation by identifying and grouping its driving elements. It intends to build entrepreneurial skills and capacities, enabling individuals to create and manage their businesses successfully. Methodology/Approach: This work used the scientific method of...

Purpose: Sustainable Human Resource Management (S-HRM), Green Human Resource Management (GHRM), and Environmental Human Resource Management (Environmental HRM) are terms that have been increasingly used in the field of human resources. This article aims to analyse how these terms are being used in the literature to identify if there are conceptual...

The article analyzes a specific type of tourism, hunting tourism. In a special edition, in the form of foreign exchange hunting, which means that when a hunter decides to do such hunting, he goes to another country. It is a special way to get to know nature and hunting culture combined with the pursuit of a passion in the form of hunting. The artic...

Purpose: This article shows the proposal of a useful application, which facilitates communication and interaction between two people, promoting and putting into practice the concept of Freecycle. Methodology/Approach: A contextualisation of the theme is done, namely the concept of Freecycle, showing how it emerged and evolved, as well as how techno...

This article aims to analyze the levels of waste of components used in destructive testing for releasing the assembly line of an automotive parts factory. In this way, it aims to apply an improvement that involves the reduction of the amount of parts destroyed daily, consequently reducing their monthly costs. For this, based on the case study metho...

This study analyzed the most recurrent elements in the scientific literature on business strategy (BS) formulation, implementation, management, and execution. Through a content analysis it was possible to identify (21) elements that were grouped into (6) principles according to their similarities, synergies, and convergences. These principles were...

Industries must prepare diagnoses that indicate their actual state in using Industry 4.0 technologies, especially in Logistics 4.0. So then, focused on the food sector industries, designing and testing a model to carry out this diagnosis is necessary. This project aims to present a Diagnostic and Characterization Model for the Food Sector Industrie...

Both the Lean philosophy and occupational safety and health have been widely studied, although this has usually been carried out independently. However, the correlation between Lean and occupational safety and health in the industrial context is still underexplored. Indeed, Lean tools can be applied to ensure the best safety environment for workers...

Material selection for product design is a complex task. Thus, one of the objectives of this work is to analyze and understand and to promote the importance of material selection to conceive quality products with the help of designers that promote green self-identity in the early stage of new product conception. A questionnaire was sent to professi...

Dear Colleagues, In the period of civilization 5.0, the educational institution of universities exist. The objective of Society 5.0 is for everyone to actively participate in advancing the use of digital technology across a wide range of processes. From many prior notions, the way society approaches and manages social issues has altered. Society h...

Sustainable development is a subject of intense discussion, mainly due to climate change, pollution, and increased waste, among other factors. The governments of various countries worldwide have been setting environmental targets for emissions and consumption to combat climate change and improve the state of our planet. Therefore, it is necessary t...

This paper approaches the importance of technological development, as well as patent registration and consequent innovation. The main country/blocks that interact with each other in the business of the respective product innovation through the registration of patents are analyzed. The creation of wealth in the world moves between 5 blocks, designat...

This study proposes a framework to integrate sustainability within management systems standards and subsequently implement and disclose sustainable development (SD) goals and results. Moreover, it investigates the SD goals (SDGs) and results (SDRs) that Portuguese organizations with integrated management systems (IMSs) disclose to their interested...

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to understand whether or not the European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) Model and the Shingo Model promote and are embedded into the three pillars of sustainability, as well as to propose a conceptual model for excellence in business towards sustainability. Methodology/Approach: Following the PRISMA...

Being a teacher is one of the most demanding jobs, as a result of this responsibility, these workers face many psychosocial risks. This study aims to characterize and compare psychosocial factors in Portuguese and British teachers and discuss how new developments in technology, namely digital technology can improve education and, in particular, con...

The textile industry represents one of the most important economic links worldwide due to its essential generation of direct and indirect jobs, its contribution to the economy, and its ability to reinvent itself and adapt to market trends, government regulations, and the demands of interest groups. However, the textile industry is called upon to co...

Purpose: Their production processes involve several risks and repetitive tasks and adoption of penalizing postures, which can cause musculoskeletal disorders and occupational accidents. The objective of this paper is to elucidate the situation of Occupational Health and Safety in the automotive sector in the Agulhas Negras region and in Brazil. Met...

With the process of globalization of economies, companieshave been suffering increasing competition in the search for and main-tenance of customers. Thus, opportunities that represent competitiveadvantage have been analysed and, many times, adopted. In this con-text, the supply chain can be a competitive differential, as it favourscost reduction an...

Material selection for product design is a complex task. Thus, one of the objectives of this work is to analyze, understand and promote the importance of selection of materials to conceive quality products with help of designers' that promote green self-identity in the early stage of the conception of new products. A questionnaire was sent to profe...

This study proposes a framework to integrate Sustainability within Management Systems Standards and subsequently implement and disclose Sustainable Development goals and results. Moreover, it investigates the SD goals (SDGs) and results (SDRs) that Portuguese organizations with Integrated Management Systems (IMSs) disclose to their interest parties...

Concerns about food quality and safety have grown as cases of disease and food-related scandals increase. To mitigate this problem, organic products have been a solution, as their certification is provided through processes that are less harmful to the environment and consumer health. To understand the main motivations of consumers of organic produ...

The widespread use of Information and Communication Technologies - ICT substantially increases the risks related to information security. In fact, due to the increase in the number and type of cyber attacks, Cybersecurity has become a growing concern in today's society. This phenomenon affects not only individual citizens, but also companies and ev...

Due to environmental degradation, using environment-friendly products has become necessary to reduce carbon emissions. However, the consumption of such products is still below expectations because these products are usually costlier than their traditional counterparts. The current study aims to investigate consumer behavior towards environment-frie...

Purpose: This research aimed to make a diagnosis of the implementation of Lean and Six Sigma philosophies in Portuguese laboratories and to evaluate the impact of these philosophies on organizational performance. Methodology/Approach: A quantitative research methodology was used, based on the survey research strategy, and using as data collection...

The article illustrates the trend of nonrelegation tourism, which, in a way, forces places of worship to take care of complete insfrastructure and satisfy the needs of pilgrims. Merely "offering" a place of worship is not enough these days. Research carried out in 2020 shows that the pilgrim has also become a customer who is more willing to partici...

Increased consumer demand as well as increased competition, has led organizations to need continuous improvement. The Lean and Six Sigma philosophies, widely applied in industry, have shown important results in terms of process improvement, which has attracted the attention of many organisations, including services. This research aims to characteri...

Green human resources management (GHRM) is an innovative approach for promoting sustainable thinking and practices within the environment of organizations. GHRM means rethinking basic concepts, strategies, policies, objectives, functions, processes, and activities of human resource management providing benefits for individuals, businesses, and soci...

The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the innovative and most recent composite technology, developed by the R&D Wood Based Products Technology Group. The technology uses a combination of wild thistle (Cynara cardunculus) particles and polyurethane foam, proposed for the conception of lighter and mechanically resistant furniture, which compete...

The purpose of this research is to analyze the structural relationship between total quality management (TQM), Industry 4.0 (I4.0), and sustainability performance in the ready-made garments (RMG) sector of Bangladesh. An online survey was used to collect data from 240 employees working in ready-made garments located in Bangladesh. The data was anal...

With the emergence of industry 4.0, several elements of the supply chain are transforming through the adoption of smart technologies such as blockchain, the internet of things and cyber-physical systems. Logistics is considered one of the important elements of supply chain management and its digital transformation is crucial to the success of indus...

Purpose: The present paper addressed the application of the Six Sigma method for process management to reduce the variability and scrap of packages manufactured at a company located in the city of Rio de Janeiro. Methodology/Approach: Exploratory research was conducted to understand the context, analyse, and create familiarity with the problems id...

Developing Countries will continue being Developing Countries for a long time, if they are unable to conceive and design new products with their own technology in their own companies. Technological Development based companies are necessary and technical universities can contribute to these activities if a good technological policy, complementary to...

Dear Colleagues, In the period of civilization 5.0, the educational institution of universities exist. The objective of Society 5.0 is for everyone to actively participate in advancing the use of digital technology across a wide range of processes. From many prior notions, the way society approaches and manages social issues has altered. Society h...

Purpose: This study identifies elements and systematises them into pillars based on relevant scientific publications on the subject, highlighting actions that contribute to the public authorities and private organisations for developing Solid Waste Management (SWM), contributing to environmental, social, and economic sustainability. Methodology/Ap...

Companies are continuously looking to improve their production systems using excellence models, with lean thinking, the Shingo model, six sigma and lean six sigma being the most comprehensive and applied. It is expected that the initial focus for the survival of companies is their economic profitability, but when economic needs are met, the next st...

In this study, the sustainable development and quality management scenario is studied by means of a bibliometry on the Scopus database. During the bibliometry, the models used to practice sustainable quality were catalogued. These models had their functions defined, and their area of action related to the Triple Bottom Line pointed. The 30 most cit...

This paper analyzes the effectiveness of Quality Function Deployment (QFD) to ensure the success of product development and improvement projects through a better understanding of customer needs, as well as procedures and processes to enhance communication by integrating the Voice of the Customer (VoC), obtained through quality methods and tools, to...

The aim of this paper is to model and interpret the results obtained from the assessment of the Level of Excellence of Slovak service organizations using the criteria of the European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) excellence model. The Gompertz logistic function is effectively employed to fit the incremental improvement and predict the va...

The idea of developing Fab Labs (Fabrication Laboratories) was originated by Neil Gershenfeld of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Center for Bits and Atoms in 2006, where it signaled the start of a new era that is changing the world economy by breaking down the boundaries between the digital and physical worlds. The Portuguese Fab La...

Since 1946, studies on quality of life have become more relevant. School failure is one factor that negatively and directly affects an individual’s quality of life. The aim of this work was to identify the evolution of the quality of life theme and its main approaches. To determine the main elements of this research field, the following keywords we...

Companies face new challenges needing to find ways to stand out from the competitors. All companies face new projects, which need to be managed assertively and faster, launching new products on the market ahead of competitors. This strategy requires enormous dexterity and agility within teams, which are increasingly multifaceted, multidisciplinary,...

Currently, certification is an essential tool for a company’s sustainability and a seal of trust for the stakeholders. The B Corporation (B Corp) certification system is in line with the leading indicators of sustainable development and social responsibility published by the general assembly of the United Nations, namely: environment, community, wo...

The balanced development and management of sustainability demands the alignment of Corporate Sustainability (CS) strategy with management systems so that sustainability can be effectively inserted into all organizational levels and thus promote stakeholder engagement. Therefore, to support the development of CS, the structure, processes, indicators...

To remain competitive in the marketplace, organizations are seeking the adoption of management models and tools that will allow them to find better and more effective practices to reinvent themselves, and continuously improve their business processes and product's quality in a sustainable way, hence pursuing the ultimate goal of reaching enterprise...

Purpose The aim of this study is to investigate the perceived benefits offered by integrated management system (IMS) in the readymade garments (RMG) sector in Bangladesh and the respective linkage with corporate social responsibility (CSR) to promote sustainable development. This study presents a list of IMS benefits composed of different internati...

The industry of automotive components is highly competitive. Polymer injection, used to over-mould conduits, is used to produce the necessary connections between the end of the Bowden cables and the car parts where they need to be assembled. Depending on the vehicle or the use, there will be a different connection of the conduit. The industry conti...

The research analyzes the potential sustainable benefits and barriers to the implementation of Additive Manufacturing in the wood-furniture industry, trying to identify the gaps in perception between “traditional” and “3D companies”, and also to predict which are the main factors that could lead companies to its implementation. It has been administ...

Purpose: This work was carried out in a company of the upholstery sector in northern Portugal to demonstrate that Investment in Preventive Measures, within the scope of Environmental Management and supported by a Circular Economy approach, is a significant investment decision, with transversal benefits to the entire organization. Methodology/Appro...

Driven by productivity gaps, absolute income gaps between developing and developed economies have remained persistent hindering catch-up. Export products mostly consisting of low value-added products; developing countries suffer even when they are part of global value chains. The so-called Fourth Industrial Revolution may further exacerbate their p...

Metaheuristic algorithms solve optimisation problems by identifying the best combination among a set of variables to enhance a function. Within metaheuristics, the main purpose of this work is that of showing the development of research issues about processes related to optimisation and metaheuristics, with a focus on the projection of those issues...

This research assesses the lean and green (LG) practices' impact on the competitive advantage (CA) of organizations, through sustainable performance, considering lean maturity as the moderator. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data from a cross-sectional sample of 261 companies operating in Portugal. Hypotheses are tested through stru...

This study inspects young generation's gratification with their food facility establishments. A structured model was assembled from accessible information by means of data from several restaurants. The study result suggests that the fourteen major variables that elucidate customer satisfaction embrace service quality, ambience, sitting arrangement,...

The manual assembly processes and the dynamic industrial environment usually requires fast adjustments between work teams and workstations to accomplish customers’ needs. Sometimes, activities are scheduled without considering occupational health of work teams. Those occurrences can compromise work conditions and employee’s health. Thus, the specif...

The aim of this work is to analyze the importance of the selection of materials in the development of products. As such, this work can provide an important contribution to the field of development of product design.

In reference to the context of the theme, it is important to refer that the labour market is becoming more demanding, being up to the educational institutions to prepare their students, who in many cases develop projects without appreciating the industry’s true difficulties and challenges.

Purpose The study provides an overview of the Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS) standard and its potential in helping a company to improve its environmental performance. The work aims to investigate a company's perception towards the implementation of the EMAS environmental management system with the benefits and the critical areas derived fro...

Purpose: This paper aims to introduce an economic instrument called Theory of Pollution Credit Certificates in the management of municipal solid waste in Brazil, in order to create opportunities to achieve the goal established in the above mentioned policy at lowest possible social costs. Methodology/Approach: The methodology adopted has as a start...

The present work was carried out on a cork company that is dedicated to the production of floating floors and its aim was to reduce by 15% the time it takes to perform series changes in one cutting line. The research methodology used in this work was the action research methodology. The methodology consisted of 5 phases, as follows: 1 st-historical...

The global competitiveness creates an enormous pressure on companies as they need to reduce production costs in order to increase productivity. In this sense, the SMED and 5S tools appear as competent tools to reduce the waste associated with these processes. This work aims to study and assess some processes in a company in the textile sector. Impr...

This abstract presents a case study approach based on qualitative methods and data that aimed a detailed examination of an environment, a particular subject or situation. The objective of this work is to improve the painting process of an automotive company through the application of Statistical Process Control for the optimization of performance i...

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) emerged to deliver sustainable economic, environmental, and social value to organization's extended stakeholders and society in general. This study investigates the similarities, differences, and relationships between B Corp, ISO 9001, and ISO 14001 certifications and is supported by a mixed research methodolog...

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to assess the impact of a maintenance philosophy, Total Productive Maintenance (TPM), on the operational performance of the Portuguese industry, identifying how it enables the systematic reduction of waste in maintenance. Design/methodology/approach A structured questionnaire was constructed and sent to 472 Por...

This study was developed in a furniture company and aimed to implement some Lean tools, such as 5S and Visual Management to reduce waste, by improving the production process. To carry out this analysis an observation plan was used, having the Spaghetti diagram as a reference as well as the value-added analysis of the operations. The implementation...

Occupational health and safety constitutes a topic of great importance in organizations nowadays, given the social and financial implications that arise. In addition to these problems, the manufacturing industry is greatly responsible for the number of accidents at work worldwide. In parallel, organizations focus on improving processes and eradicat...

Purpose This study used a qualitative approach on five case studies in Brazilian industrial companies. The research used interviews, document analysis and on-site visits to collect and analyze data. The companies were selected based on the following criteria: operating in the industrial sector, updating their quality management system (QMS) process...

Lean manufacturing has already proven to be an effective management philosophy for eliminating waste in production processes, leading to operational gains. However, nowadays, it is not enough just to obtain economic results, with the environmental aspect being a concern that organizations have been incorporating into their production processes due...

The level of Quality of Life (QoL) influences and reflects some elements of student health and impacts on academic performance. The objectives of this study were to analyze content to identify the main research opportunities and challenges on the qualityoflifeof students aged 15 to 16 years in public and private schools, and to verify if there is a...

The main objective of the study is to minimize interdepartmental communication, potentiation of fast and efficient decision making, and computerization of data. Using software such as MS Excel® and MS Power BI®, a Power BI® tool was conceived to be capable of incorporating, for the entire company, the dashboards that collect the main KPIs of each d...

Digitalization is rushing throughout the world, namely, in industrial and societal infrastructures. Hence, digital transformation becomes a pillar of industrial policy, known in Europe as “Industry 4.0,” in China as “made in China 2025,” in Asia as “Smart Cities,” in Japan as “Society 5.0,” and in North America as “Industrial Internet.” These trans...

Purpose This study aims to analyze the innovations introduced, with reference to enterprise resource planning, in the Italian wood–furniture sector, focusing attention on the COSMOB S.p.A. case study, identifying how this small company tried to exploit the advantages offered by the introduction of new digital technologies to remain competitive in t...

This abstract presents a case study approach based on qualitative methods and data that aimed a detailed examination of an environment, a particular subject or situation. The objective of this work is to improve the painting process of an automotive company through the application of Statistical Process Control for the optimization of performance i...

Purpose: This study was carried out in a cork company and its purpose was to observe and analyze the practices and methods used during the tools/series change moments and to propose improvements and alternatives to these same procedures so that the time needed to carry out the setup is reduced by 15% in both lines. Methodology/Approach:The methodo...

This paper aims to provide the reader with an organic view of the eyewear sector considering both market and quality aspects and evaluating the role of Industry 4.0 in process and product innovation for managing consumer health, analyzing a case study of a leading multinational company in the eyewear and ophthalmic lenses sector. The research has b...

In recent years, there has been an increase in the adoption of lean manufacturing principles, as well as tools, in multiple industrial sectors. In fact, this management philosophy, which is already well-established, has been applied successfully in other various contexts than just production. However, companies are under pressure to manage their ac...