Risk management is a comparatively new field and there is no core system of risk management in the construction industries of developing countries. In Pakistan, construction is an extremely risk-seeking industry lacking a good reputation for handling risk. However, it is gradually giving it more importance as a result of increased competition and construction activities. For this purpose, a survey-based study has been conducted which aims to investigate the risk management practices used in construction projects in Pakistan. To achieve the objective, data was collected from 22 contractor firms working on 100 diverse projects. The analysis indicates that risk management has been implemented at a low level in the local environment. The results also disclose that there is a higher degree of correlation between effective risk management and project success. The findings reveal the importance of risk management techniques, their usage, implication, and the effect of these techniques on the success of construction projects from the contractor’s perspective, thus convincing the key participants of projects about the use of risk management.

Developing countries are facing challenges to adopt the Industry 4.0 in their manufacturing sector. One of the reasons is lacking technological and maturity models’ compatibility to assess the current state of maturity and readiness level. This empirical research has presented a maturity model based on the IMPULS models developed by the German Association of Mechanical Engineers and the Singapore Smart Industry Readiness Index with some modifications. A comprehensive and compatible lean modified manufacturing maturity model for Industry 4.0 (LM4I4.0) has been developed and validated. The proposed model has add-on dimension of the lean philosophy. This modification provides the facility to integrate the two main manufacturing paradigms of lean and Industry 4.0. The developed LM4I4.0 has been validated in fifty manufacturing industries of Pakistan and results have been presented in the data analysis format. The data mining, dimension cluster analysis, and computation of data shows that the proposed model is compatible for the developing country. Moreover, the results and analysis show that the maturity level of Pakistani manufacturing is 3.39, which means companies are immature in context of Industry 4.0. The proposed methodology may be used to conduct self-evaluations and enable businesses to undertake self-assessments in order to align themselves with Industry 4.0 in a systematic way. It will, therefore, provide a direction to formulate the enterprise transformation strategies in Industry 4.0 paradigm.

This research aims to analyze the effects of bottom and top gating configurations on mechanical properties of aluminum alloy 6063-T5 in sand casting process. The influence of three most effective process parameters including pouring temperature, runner area and ingate area have been investigated. Empirical models for both bottom and top gating configurations have been developed using response surface methodology (RSM). Analysis of variance (ANOVA) and confirmatory experiments have been used to measure adequacy and validity of developed models respectively. Bottom gating was observed as better configuration as compared to top gating configuration with 4.08%–18.78% higher ultimate tensile strength (UTS) and 5.98%–20.60% higher percentage elongation. This resulted due to splashes generated by top gating configuration which severely affected the fluidity of the melt with consequent effects on mechanical properties. Pouring temperature and ingate area have been identified as the most significant process parameters affecting ultimate tensile strength and percentage elongation. Ingate area, on the other hand influences the flow pressure and speed of melt which is required for mold filling. Micro-hardness of the specimens has also been investigated to clarify the effects of gating configuration and input parameters on mechanical properties. To have a deeper insight of the findings, microstructural analysis of casted parts has also been carried out. The findings of this research will provide better insight of bottom and top gated sand casted parts and their effect on mechanical properties.

Globalization breeds increasing competition. In today’s dynamic climate, lean thinking has been found a promising business continuous improvement strategy for improving quality while reducing product cost and delivery time. However, its implementation has dynamic nature of challenges that varies from industry to industry and country to country, necessitating a specific framework by taking all stakeholders onboard. This study aims to propose a lean implementation framework to reduce defects and waste to improve the performance of the metal casting industry. The structure of the framework has been divided into three phases namely the lean conception phase, lean implementation phase, and lean sustainability phase. The proposed framework integrates the six sigma DMAIC methodology with lean tools and techniques to reduce defects and achieve performance improvement. A solid cast software has been used as a computer-assisted casting simulation tool to perform the analysis of defects within the casting. Further, the proposed framework is demonstrated and validated by employing a real-time case study that was manufactured using the sand casting process. The obtained results show remarkable improvements in poured metal weight (33.3%), mold weight including gating system (40%), casting yield (24.56%, rejection rate (90%), and financial saving (24.63%). As a result of analysis of percentage improvements data, the proposed framework can provide the practitioners with a standard roadmap and motivate the casting industries to implement lean for performance improvement through organizational change. Through the effective application of the lean implementation framework, quality enhancement has been demonstrated.

Seventy percent of new product cost is committed in the design phase. Therefore, the cost needs to be minimized. Incorporating accurate cost estimation capabilities into manufacturing processes can help industries to minimize the cost and optimize the design. The casting process has been employed as a key process to manufacture parts having the advantage of low cost and customized products in foundry industry. This paper presents a cost estimation system for the casting process based on the design features, which incorporates the casting information at the design stage of castings. It aims to deliver the best cost-effective choice for casting design features of a product. Two kinds of knowledge, namely economical knowledge (describing the relation between the casting design considerations and the cost) and technical knowledge (involving the material of the casting features) were structured in this research work. On the basis of the minimum product cost, casting material selection can be carried out in detail. The developed system has been validated through an industrial case study.