Mergers and acquisitions as strategies of business expansion in the pharmaceutical industry

Introduction: The present paper deals with the issue of the increasing usage of corporation mergers and acquisitions strategies within pharmaceutical industry environment. The aim is to identify the triggers of such business phenomenon and the immediate impact on the financial outcome of two powerful biopharmaceutical corporations: Pfizer and GlaxoSmithKline, which have been sampled due to their successful approach of the tactics in question. Materials and Methods: In order to create an overview of the development steps through mergers and acquisitions, the historical data of the two corporations has been consulted, from their official websites. The most relevant events were then associated with adequate information from the financial reports and statements of the two corporations indulged by web-based financial data providers. Results and Discussions: In the past few decades Pfizer and GlaxoSmithKline have purchased or merged with various companies in order to monopolize new markets, diversify products and services portfolios, survive and surpass competitors. The consequences proved to be positive although this approach implies certain capital availability. Conclusions: Results reveal the fact that, as far as the two sampled companies are concerned, acquisitions and mergers are reactions at the pressure of the highly competitive environment. Moreover, the continuous diversification of the market’s needs is also a consistent motive. However, the prevalence and the eminence of mergers and acquisition strategies are conditioned by the tender offer, the announcer’s caliber, research and development status and further other factors determined by the internal and external actors of the market.

Planning, Cooperation and Competition: A case study in industry and construction in a Portuguese Region

In the present paper we analyzed the behavior of firms in the construction and manufacturing sectors, located in the region of Vale do Sousa, in the north of Portugal. From the literature, even existing some disagreements, it is possible to conclude that planning is crucial for firms survival and growth. Cooperation is another aspect that the literature presents as an important factor for firms sustainability. It also plays a major role in competition, since firms are adopting coopetition strategies. By studying a sample of 251 firms, it was possible to realize, that the majority started their business without a formal planning, and they keep going without using it. In cooperation aspects, there is a lack of cooperation. It was possible to verify, that existing cooperation has some evidence but at a vertical level. These vertical relations were also identified in stakeholder’s involvement.

Cleanup of industrial effluents containing heavy metals: a new opportunity of valorising the biomass produced by brewing industry

Heavy metal pollution is a matter of concern in industrialised countries. Contrary to organic pollutants, heavy metals are not metabolically degraded. This fact has two main consequences: its bioremediation requires another strategy and heavy metals can be indefinitely recycled. Yeast cells of Saccharomyces cerevisiae are produced at high amounts as a by-product of brewing industry constituting a cheap raw material. In the present work, the possibility of valorising this type of biomass in the bioremediation of real industrial effluents containing heavy metals is reviewed. Given the autoaggregation capacity (flocculation) of brewing yeast cells, a fast and off-cost yeast separation is achieved after the treatment of metal-laden effluent, which reduces the costs associated with the process. This is a critical issue when we are looking for an effective, eco-friendly, and low-cost technology. The possibility of the bioremediation of industrial effluents linked with the selective recovery of metals, in a strategy of simultaneous minimisation of environmental hazard of industrial wastes with financial benefits from reselling or recycling the metals, is discussed.

Sustainable waste recycling solution for the glass fibre reinforced polymer composite materials industry

In this paper the adequacy and the benefit of incorporating glass fibre reinforced polymer (GFRP) waste materials into polyester based mortars, as sand aggregates and filler replacements, are assessed. Different weight contents of mechanically recycled GFRP wastes with two particle size grades are included in the formulation of new materials. In all formulations, a polyester resin matrix was modified with a silane coupling agent in order to improve binder-aggregates interfaces. The added value of the recycling solution was assessed by means of both flexural and compressive strengths of GFRP admixed mortars with regard to those of the unmodified polymer mortars. Planning of experiments and data treatment were performed by means of full factorial design and through appropriate statistical tools based on analyses of variance (ANOVA). Results show that the partial replacement of sand aggregates by either type of GFRP recyclates improves the mechanical performance of resultant polymer mortars. In the case of trial formulations modified with the coarser waste mix, the best results are achieved with 8% waste weight content, while for fine waste based polymer mortars, 4% in weight of waste content leads to the higher increases on mechanical strengths. This study clearly identifies a promising waste management solution for GFRP waste materials by developing a cost-effective end-use application for the recyclates, thus contributing to a more sustainable fibre-reinforced polymer composites industry.

A case study on the eco-efficiency performance of a composite processing industry: evaluation and quantification of potential improvements

In this study, an attempt was made in order to measure and evaluate the eco-efficiency performance of a pultruded composite processing company. For this purpose the recommendations of World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WCSD) and the directives of ISO 14301 standard were followed and applied. The main general indicators of eco-efficiency, as well as the specific indicators, were defined and determined. With basis on indicators’ figures, the value profile, the environmental profile, and the pertinent eco-efficiency ratios were established and analyzed. In order to evaluate potential improvements on company eco-performance, new indicators values and eco-efficiency ratios were estimated taking into account the implementation of new proceedings and procedures, at both upstream and downstream of the production process, namely: i) Adoption of a new heating system for pultrusion die-tool in the manufacturing process, more effective and with minor heat losses; ii) Recycling approach, with partial waste reuse of scrap material derived from manufacturing, cutting and assembly processes of GFRP profiles. These features lead to significant improvements on the sequent assessed eco-efficiency ratios of the present case study, yielding to a more sustainable product and manufacturing process of pultruded GFRP profiles.

Assessing the eco-efficiency of a composite processing industry: evaluation and quantification of potential improvements’

In this study, an attempt was made in order to measure and evaluate the eco-efficiency performance of a pultruded composite processing company. For this purpose the recommendations of World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WCSD) and the directives of ISO 14301 standard were followed and applied. The main general indicators of eco-efficiency, as well as the specific indicators, were defined and determined. With basis on indicators’ figures, the value profile, the environmental profile, and the pertinent ecoefficiency’s ratios were established and analyzed. In order to evaluate potential improvements on company eco-performance, new indicators values and eco-efficiency ratios were estimated taking into account the implementation of new proceedings and procedures, both in upstream and downstream of the production process, namely: a) Adoption of new heating system for pultrusion die in the manufacturing process, more effective and with minor heat losses; c) Recycling approach, with partial waste reuse of scrap material derived from manufacturing, cutting and assembly processes of GFRP profiles. These features lead to significant improvements on the sequent assessed eco-efficiency ratios of the present case study, yielding to a more sustainable product and manufacturing process of pultruded GFRP profiles.

Eco-efficiency approaches towards a sustainable composite materials manufacturing industry’

In this study the potential eco-efficiency performance of a pultrusion manufacturing company was assessed. Indicators values and eco-efficiency ratios were estimated taking into account the implementation of new proceedings and procedures in the production process of glass fibre reinforced polymers (GFRP) pultrusion profiles. Two different approaches were foreseen: 1)Adoption of a new heating system for pultrusion die in the manufacturing process, more effective and with minor heat losses; and 2) Recycling approach, with partial waste reuse of scrap material derived from manufacturing, cutting and assembly processes of GFRP profiles. These features lead to significant improvements on the sequent assessed eco-efficiency ratios of the present case study, yielding to a more sustainable product and manufacturing process of pultruded GFRP profiles.

A case study on the improvement of eco-efficiency ratios: application to a composite processing industry

The World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) defines Eco-Efficiency as follows: ‘Eco- Efficiency is achieved by the delivery of competitively priced-goods and services that satisfy human needs and bring quality of life, while progressively reducing ecological impacts and resource intensity throughout the life-cycle to a level at least in line with the earth’s estimated carrying capacity’. Eco-Efficiency is under this point of view a key concept for sustainable development, bringing together economic and ecological progress. Measuring the Eco-Efficiency of a company, factory or business, is a complex process that involves the measurement and control of several and relevant parameters or indicators, globally applied to all companies in general, or specific according to the nature and specificities of the business itself. In this study, an attempt was made in order to measure and evaluate the eco-efficiency of a pultruded composite processing company. For this purpose the recommendations of WBCSD [1] and the directives of ISO 14301 standard [2] were followed and applied. The analysis was restricted to the main business branch of the company: the production and sale of standard GFRP pultrusion profiles. The main general indicators of eco-efficiency, as well as the specific indicators, were defined and determined according to ISO 14031 recommendations. With basis on indicators’ figures, the value profile, the environmental profile, and the pertinent eco-efficiency’s ratios were established and analyzed. In order to evaluate potential improvements on company eco-performance, new indicators values and ecoefficiency ratios were estimated taking into account the implementation of new proceedings and procedures, both in upstream and downstream of the production process, namely: a) Adoption of new heating system for pultrusion die in the manufacturing process, more effective and with minor heat losses; b) Implementation of new software for stock management (raw materials and final products) that minimize production failures and delivery delays to final consumer; c) Recycling approach, with partial waste reuse of scrap material derived from manufacturing, cutting and assembly processes of GFRP profiles. In particular, the last approach seems to significantly improve the eco-efficient performance of the company. Currently, by-products and wastes generated in the manufacturing process of GFRP profiles are landfilled, with supplementary added costs to this company traduced by transport of scrap, landfill taxes and required test analysis to waste materials. However, mechanical recycling of GFRP waste materials, with reduction to powdered and fibrous particulates, constitutes a recycling process that can be easily attained on heavy-duty cutting mills. The posterior reuse of obtained recyclates, either into a close-looping process, as filler replacement of resin matrix of GFRP profiles, or as reinforcement of other composite materials produced by the company, will drive to both costs reduction in raw materials and landfill process, and minimization of waste landfill. These features lead to significant improvements on the sequent assessed eco-efficiency ratios of the present case study, yielding to a more sustainable product and manufacturing process of pultruded GFRP profiles.

Occupational risk in a glass manufacturing industry unit

Risk assessment is one of the main pillars of the framework directive and other directives in respect of health and safety. It is also the basis of an effective management of safety and health as it is essential to reduce work-related accidents and occupational diseases. To survey the hazards eventually present in the workplaces the usual procedures are i) gathering information about tasks/activities, employees, equipment, legislation and standards; ii) observation of the tasks and; iii) quantification of respective risks through the most adequate risk assessment among the methodologies available. From this preliminary evaluation of a welding plant and, from the different measurable parameters, noise was considered the most critical. This paper focus not only the usual way of risk assessment for noise but also another approach that may allow us to identify the technique with which a weld is being performed.

Utilization of food industry wastes for the production of zero-valent iron nanoparticles

The proper disposal of the several types of wastes produced in industrial activities increases production costs. As a consequence, it is common to develop strategies to reuse these wastes in the same process and in different processes or to transform them for use in other processes. This work combines the needs for new synthesis methods of nanomaterials and the reduction of production cost using wastes from citrine juice (orange, lime, lemon and mandarin) to produce a new added value product, green zero-valent iron nanoparticles that can be used in several applications, including environmental remediation. The results indicate that extracts of the tested fruit wastes (peel, albedo and pulp fractions) can be used to produce zero-valent iron nanoparticles (nZVIs). This shows that these wastes can be an added value product. The resulting nZVIs had sizes ranging from 3 up to 300 nm and distinct reactivities (pulp > peel > albedo extracts). All the studied nanoparticles did not present a significant agglomeration/settling tendency when compared to similar nanoparticles, which indicates that they remain in suspension and retain their reactivity.

A case study undertaken recycling & reuse of glass fiber reinforced thermoset polumer wastes of composite materials industry

Glass fibre-reinforced plastics (GFRP) have been considered inherently difficult to recycle due to both: crosslinked nature of thermoset resins, which cannot be remoulded, and complex composition of the composite itself. Presently, most of the GFRP waste is landfilled leading to negative environmental impacts and supplementary added costs. With an increasing awareness of environmental matters and the subsequent desire to save resources, recycling would convert an expensive waste disposal into a profitable reusable material. In this study, efforts were made in order to recycle grinded GFRP waste, proceeding from pultrusion production scrap, into new and sustainable composite materials. For this purpose, GFRP waste recyclates, were incorporated into polyester based mortars as fine aggregate and filler replacements at different load contents and particle size distributions. Potential recycling solution was assessed by mechanical behaviour of resultant GFRP waste modified polymer mortars. Results revealed that GFRP waste filled polymer mortars present improved flexural and compressive behaviour over unmodified polyester based mortars, thus indicating the feasibility of the GFRP industrial waste reuse into concrete-polymer composite materials.

Multicriteria decision making: a case study in the automobile industry

Multi-criteria decision analysis(MCDA) has been one of the fastest-growing areas of operations research during the last decades. The academic attention devoted to MCDA motivated the development of a great variety of approaches and methods within the field. These methods distinguish themselves in terms of procedures, theoretical assumptions and type of decision addressed. This diversity poses challenges to the process of selecting the most suited method for a specific real-world decision problem. In this paper we present a case study in a real-world decision problem arising in the painting sector of an automobile plant. We tackle the problem by resorting to the well-known AHP method and to the MCDA method proposed by Pereira and Fontes (2012) (MMASSI). By relying on two, rather than one, MCDA methods we expect to improve the confidence and robustness of the obtained results. The contributions of this paper are twofold: first, we intend to investigate the contrasts and similarities of the results obtained by distinct MCDA approaches (AHP and MMASSI); secondly, we expect to enrich the literature of the field with a real-world MCDA case study on a complex decision making problem since there is a paucity of applied research work addressing real decision problems faced by organizations.

Multicriteria decision making: a case study in the automobile industry

Multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) has been one of the fastest-growing areas of operations research during the last decades. The academic attention devoted to MCDA motivated the development of a great variety of approaches and methods within the field. These methods distinguish themselves in terms of procedures, theoretical assumptions and type of decision addressed. This diversity poses challenges to the process of selecting the most suited method for a specific real-world decision problem. In this paper we present a case study in a real-world decision problem arising in the painting sector of an automobile plant. We tackle the problem by resorting to the well-known AHP method and to the MCDA method proposed by Pereira and Fontes (2012) (MMASSI). By relying on two, rather than one, MCDA methods we expect to improve the confidence and robustness of the obtained results. The contributions of this paper are twofold: first, we intend to investigate the contrasts and similarities of the results obtained by distinct MCDA approaches (AHP and MMASSI); secondly, we expect to enrich the literature of the field with a real-world MCDA case study on a complex decision making problem since there is a paucity of applied research work addressing real decision problems faced by organizations.

Identificação, avaliação e controlo de riscos numa empresa da indústria dos colchões

Relatório de Estágio

Caracterização de Particulas de Desgaste do Rolamentos por Ferrografia e Ferrometria

Avarias em rolamentos são causas comuns de falhas em máquinas e equipamentos industriais. Portanto, é importante a aplicação de técnicas que permitam a deteção e a identificação do problema o mais cedo possível a fim de evitar a destruição do rolamento e consequente paragem da máquina. Logo, o processo de monitorização do estado dos rolamentos deve receber uma atenção especial no plano de manutenção de qualquer indústria. Este trabalho tem, assim, como principal objetivo a caracterização das partículas de desgaste provenientes de rolamentos através da análise dos seus lubrificantes por ferrometria e ferrografia analítica. Estas técnicas permitem identificar e caracterizar as várias partículas de desgaste presentes numa amostra de lubrificante, permitindo não só avaliar o grau de severidade do desgaste mas também identificar o tipo de desgaste predominante (fadiga, abrasão, corrosão,etc.), e até identificar os diferentes materiais das partículas que se podem associar a componentes específicos com falhas. A criação de uma base de dados para armazenar os resultados, os comentários e as informações mais importantes obtidos nos ensaios experimentais, assim como a análise de alguns casos práticos, foram também realizados no âmbito deste trabalho. Para desenvolver um conhecimento mais profundo sobre as técnicas utilizadas foi importante fazer uma análise aos diversos tipos de rolamentos, a sua lubrificação e as causas e tipos principais de avarias encontradas.