This paper presents an empirical study on the impact of maintenance function on more sustainable manufacturing processes. The work methodology comprises four stages. At first, ten factors of maintenance activities from a sustainable manufacturing point of view were identified. Then, in the second stage, the matrix of crossed impact multiplications applied to a classification (MICMAC) was carried out to categorize these factors based on their influence and dependence values. In the third stage, the criteria for evaluation of maintenance factors were defined, then the fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (F-AHP) was applied to determine their relative weights. In the last stage, the results of MICMAC and F-AHP analyses were used as inputs for the fuzzy technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution (F-TOPIS) to generate aggregate scores and selection of the most important maintenance factors that have an impact on sustainable manufacturing processes. A numerical example is provided to demonstrate the applicability of the approach. It was observed that factors “Implementation of preventive and prognostic service strategies”, “The usage of M&O data collection and processing systems”, and “Modernization of machines and devices” are the major factors that support the realization of sustainable manufacturing process challenges.

Traditionally, sustainable development has been seen as a combination of three pillars: economic, social and environmental development. In recent years, another one has been added to these three pillars, namely culture, as being indispensable in achieving sustainable development. This study proposes an integrated approach for the identification and classification of safety culture factors in the company in a sustainability context. The research design was based on the assumption that safety culture is part of organizational culture that should support the development of corporate sustainability. Firstly, the identification of the safety culture factors (SCFs) based on the literature review was presented. Then, the ISM method was used to identify the interaction between SCFs and to develop the hierarchical structure of these factors. In the next step, ISM was integrated with the MICMAC method to cluster the factors based on driving power and dependence power into four categories. Finally, safety culture factors with high driving power were rated using the fuzzy TOPSIS method from the sustainability dimension perspective. This approach was used in an automotive industry company to improve and develop the company’s practices aimed at implementing a sustainable development strategy. A sensitivity analysis was also carried out to monitor the robustness of the approach.

The paper deals with a methodology of detecting and localizing leakages in water distribution networks. Two approaches are presented: based on a hydraulic model of the network, and based on approximate models and fuzzy classifiers. Moreover, a case study concerning applications of the methodology to a real network in Rybnik, Poland is presented. A pilot version of the system has been running since 2013 and shows quite satisfactory efficiency.

Proper planning of preventive maintenance (PM) is crucial in many industries such as oil transmission pipelines, automotive and food industries. A critical decision in the PM plans is to determine frequencies and types of maintenance actions in order to achieve a certain level of system availability with a minimum total cost. For any given interval, a decision must be made to perform one of the three actions on each component; inspection, preventive repair and preventive replacement. Any of these activities has different effects on the reliability of the components and the corresponding distinct costs based on the required recourses. The intention of the authors is to develop a concept of supporting the process of planning and scheduling of preventive and proactive activities using the FMEA method for failure analysis. According to the concept of sustainable production, the failure will be assessed from different perspectives, not only in terms of production, but also considering operators and process safety as well as threats to the environment. The concept developed and presented in the paper in combination with IT support is the basis for risk assessment and establishment of cause and effect relationships to prevent failures and / or minimize their consequences.

Water distribution systems are one of the basic elements of contemporary technical infrastructure of urban and rural areas. It is a complex engineering system composed of transmission networks and auxiliary equipment (e.g. controllers, checkouts etc.), scattered territorially over a large area. From the water distribution system operation point of view, its basic features are: functional variability, resulting from the need to adjust the system to temporary fluctuations in demand for water and territorial dispersion. The main research questions are: What external factors should be taken into account when developing an effective water distribution policy? Does the size and nature of the water distribution system significantly affect the exploitation policy implemented? These questions have shaped the objectives of research and the method of research implementation.