Laura Lachvajderová

Real-Time Location Systems (RTLS) are pivotal in enabling the instantaneous tracking and monitoring of objects, contextualized within their immediate environment and time frame. The current industry landscape boasts a plethora of technologies ...

This article presents a comprehensive analysis of the development and impact of Business Intelligence (BI) between 2018 and 2022. It focuses on examining research articles published in five reputable journals specified in the field of Business...

This article explores the relationship between digitalization and business performance in European small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, which has intensified the need for SMEs to adopt digital technologies for enhanced competitiveness. Conducted through a comprehensive literature review, this study investigates the impact of digitalization on SME performance. Employing the statistical software EViews 12, the research utilizes an econometric analysis of panel data to examine the influence of digitalization on SME performance and validate the formulated hypotheses. The dataset comprises 135 observations collected over a five-year period from 27 European countries. A linear regression model is used to test the hypotheses, revealing the relationship between the independent and dependent variables. Model specifications are determined through various tests. This study’s findings demonstrate that the integration of digital technologies and digital intensity significantly drives digitalization in European SMEs, leading to positive impacts on performance. This article emphasizes the importance of digitalization in SMEs for process streamlining, productivity improvement, and enhanced customer experience, ultimately fostering business growth and development. These empirical findings provide valuable evidence for policymakers to prioritize the identification of appropriate measures for stimulating the integration of new digital tools into SME infrastructure and serve as a foundation for future research in this domain.

The current market situation shows that enterprises are still struggling to digitize their business through the integration of the Internet of Things (IoT), artificial intelligence (AI), cloud technologies and other more advanced technologies, but the fifth industrial revolution is knocking on the door. This article deals with the analysis and evaluation of the impact of Industry 5.0 on entrepreneurs. Industry 4.0 analysis provides results based on interviews with practitioners as well as sales representatives. The main part of the article focuses on the business situation, where the goal was to identify existing gaps along with opportunities and threats. This analysis also describes the best way how to transform in times of the next industrial revolution. Study addresses the approach of integrating human workers in the supply chain in cooperation with automated processes. The purpose of this study is to confirm or refute whether companies are ready for another industrial revolution.

The article focuses on small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), their barriers and successes, associated with the transition to a sustainable and digital economy before the COVID-19 pandemic. Emphasis is placed on comparing the level and ide...

Currently, companies are trying to optimize production, even more so as the economic situation is gradually deteriorating in many countries around the world, which is currently caused mainly by the COVID 19 pandemic. A specific type of production is that on production lines, which are individual workplaces where various production and assembly operations take place. The aim of the article is to analyze the impact of the choice of the control method for the production process on the optimization of costs and the process. The subject of the research is the production of fire-fighting throttles on a production line that has three workplaces. The problem of waste on the production line was identified by direct measurements of time consumption at the individual workplaces and by using images of the working day schedule. The article compares three approaches to production line management and waste reduction. The first approach was based on counting the number of finished products on the production line. The second approach analyzed in detail the duration of the individual operations into which the workplaces were divided. In the third approach, a method of balancing workplaces was used, which brought time and cost savings. The achieved results, using different methods of production management, are analyzed in detail, and the conclusions evaluated. The article contributes a comparison of the achieved results of cost optimization through the course of production of fire dampers. The research results were applied in practice. The research used methods of industrial engineering in the field of ergonomics, technical and economic analysis, and production management. Visualization of hourly performances, downtimes and failures, execution of work procedures, Shop Floor Management and many others, are recommended as ways to implement waste elimination when using the methods of industrial engineering.

The Slovak automotive industry consists of various companies and suppliers, with different positions in the supply chain for automotive manufacturers. The accuracy of component deliveries and their quality affect the ultimate competitiveness of the entire automotive industry. The creation of strategic partnerships and stable supplier–customer relationships is currently a necessity. The aim of the article is to design the model for optimizing the ratio of the company suppliers in the Slovak automotive industry. The basis for designing the model was the results of our own research focused on the quality and timeliness of component deliveries from various suppliers. Supply chain members work with multiple subcontractors, using multiple subcontractors to supply the same components. We analyzed the overall quality of delivered components at a certain stage of the supply chain. The quality of the supplied components was the sum of all items from all suppliers. The aim of the proposed model is to determine the optimal percentage of individual suppliers of a particular part so as to minimize the overall risk associated with the supply and inventory of a particular part for the customer. Research methodology was focused on identification of the key performance indicators and key risk indicators of components deliveries by different suppliers. Those indicators provide a basis for the effective results of further research. We designed and used an algorithm for preparing and evaluating the model for optimizing the ratio of the company suppliers in the Slovak automotive industry. This research used modeling methods, simulations, and optimization models. The proposed model was verified in the specific conditions of the automotive supply chain. Deliveries from two subcontractors were simulated. Based on the results of the simulations, the optimal supply ratio of the two subcontractors was determined for a specific component of a member of the supply chain at a higher level. The results of the research can be useful for different suppliers in the Slovak automotive industry. By partially modifying the model and adapting it for different conditions in other industries, the model of optimizing the distribution of supply from individual suppliers can be used for other supply chains.

This article focuses on the practical use of used batteries from electric vehicles also known as 2nd life batteries. The first part emphasizes lithium batteries, which describes the overall life cycle of the battery, its number of charging cycles and secondary use. This part of the article also focuses on implemented projects of 2nd life batteries from electric vehicles and there is an analysis of the market potential for 2nd life batteries mentioned at the end of the chapter. The second part of this study offers a practical proposition of two possible strategies for using 2nd life batteries. The main source of income in both cases is the provision of regulatory energy. Using the formulas and the function of the calculation model created in the MS Excel software, the appropriate price of the battery for car manufacturers will be calculated and from other possible scenarios of individual strategies will be expressed. The first strategy works with large central battery storage and the second strategy uses small, decentralized battery storage with a fast-charging station.