Abstract
Occupational safety is a major concern these days because it is an important social issue promoting financial implications for organisations, employees, and society. But while occupational safety is an important concern, the top management of organizations usually prioritize waste and cost reduction. Therefore, there is a need for a technique that reduces waste and simultaneously improves occupational safety. Lean has been effective in reducing waste and costs. Some researchers have shown that Lean can also improve occupational safety. The objective of this work was to determine wether, in organizations where Lean tools were implemented, if there was an improvement in occupational safety conditions, namely in the reduction of accident rates, and to verify which Lean tools contributed the most to that improvement. A survey was conducted by sending a questionnaire to Portuguese organizations, from north to south and islands, who had potentially Lean tools implemented. In total, 189 answers have been obtained from organizations, 59 of which had Lean tools implemented, being considered valid answers for the study. Through statistical analysis of the data obtained, it was found that no organisations had worsened their safety indicators, some had maintained the same level and a reasonable number stated that their indicators had improved. Of these, the vast majority said that their accident rates had decreased by 20%, this being the figure that statistically showed the best results in terms of change.

Abstract
Robotic Process Automation (RPA) is a rules-based system for automating business processes by software bots that mimic human interactions to relieve employees from tedious work. It was verified in the literature that there are few works related to RPA decision support models. This technology is in great growth and, therefore, it becomes important to study the evaluation of the implementation of RPA. The objective of this work is focused on a literature review for the identification and analysis of Robotic Process Automation implementation models. This work analyses some models or studies available in the literature and, in addition, analyses it from a perspective relating to the Triple Bottom Line (TBL) related to environmental, social and economic effects. Regarding the results obtained, it appears that there is still a lot of room to improve research in this field, for example, with regard to the development of an evaluation model for the implementation of the RPA, taking into account the TBL of the sustainability concept.

Abstract
The emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic required swift adaptations within public spaces, particularly in view of the uncertainties enveloping the transmission dynamics of the virus. Among the prominently contacted surfaces, door handles have garnered significant attention in research efforts aiming to curtail transmission risks. A notable proposition emerged to obviate the necessity of direct physical contact with handles, thereby introducing a novel approach. Thus, the manufacturing modality of three-dimensional (3D) printing was naturally embraced, primarily attributable to its expeditious prototyping capabilities. Although the extant literature and the open-source community have proffered diverse panaceas, this inquiry embarked on rectifying certain inadequacies that had afflicted antecedent methodologies. Elaborate exposition is provided pertaining to the progression of the developmental trajectory and the concomitant design refinements. In a bid to substantiate the efficaciousness of the produced solution, the finite element analysis (FEA) was judiciously employed to assess two distinct loading scenarios: during the installation phase and the subsequent operation of the contrivance. The empirical findings manifest the commendable load tolerance, with the proposed solution being capable of withstand forces exceeding 15 N. Furthermore, even under the most adverse circumstances, the device evinced a maximal displacement of 15 mm. Collectively, the corollaries borne out of this scholarly investigation corroborate the efficacy, utilitarian functionality, and ergonomic viabilities of the proposed solutions and manufacturing process. © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2023.

Abstract
In today's competing business market, companies are constantly challenged to dynamically adapt to customer expectations by diminishing the time response that goes from the beginning of the business opportunity to the satisfaction of the customer need. Simultaneously, there is increased recognition of the advantages that companies obtain in focusing on their core business and seeking other competencies through partnerships with other partners by forming collaborative networks. These new collaborative organizational structures require a new set of methods and tools to support the management of manufacturing processes across the entire supply chain. The present paper addresses the collaborative production planning problem in networks of non-hierarchical, decentralized, and independent companies. By proposing a collaborative planning intelligent framework composed of a web-based set of methods, tools, and technologies, the present study intends to provide network stakeholders with the necessary means to responsively and efficiently address each one of the market business opportunities. Through this new holistic framework, the managers of the networked companies can address the challenges posed during collaborative network formation and supply chain production planning.

Abstract
In the last few years, the industrial, scientific, and technological fields have been subject to a revolutionary process of digitalization and automation called Industry 4.0. Its implementation has been successful mainly in the economic field of sustainability, while the environmental field has been gaining more attention from researchers recently. However, the social scope of Industry 4.0 is still somewhat neglected by researchers and organizations. This research aimed to study Industry 4.0 and sustainability themes using data science, by incorporating open data and open-source tools to achieve sustainable Industry 4.0. To that end, a quantitative analysis based on open data was developed using open-source software in order to study Industry 4.0 and sustainability trends. The main results show that manufacturing is a relevant value-added activity in the worldwide economy; that, foreseeing the importance of Industry 4.0, countries in America, Asia, Europe, and Oceania are incorporating technological principles of Industry 4.0 in their cities, creating so-called smart cities; and that the industries that invest most in technology are computers and electronics, pharmaceuticals, transport equipment, and IT (information technology) services. Furthermore, the G7 countries have a prevalent positive trend for the migration of technological and social skills toward sustainability, as it relates to the social pillar, and to Industry 4.0. Finally, on the global scale, a positive correlation between data openness and happiness was found.

Abstract
In this article the application of the discrete version of the bat algorithm to flowshop scheduling problems is presented and compared with Simulated Annealing, Local Search, as well as versions of each that start from constructive heuristics (Palmer and CDS). Bat algorithm is a novel metaheuristic, developed for continuous problems that has shown exceptional results. This paper intends to assess its effectiveness and efficiency for discrete problems when compared with other optimization techniques, including Simulated Annealing and Local Search, whose results are already proven. First, it was developed a literature review about those algorithms, then they were implemented in VBA with Microsoft Excel. Once implemented, the parameterization was carried out, ensuring an adequate application of the algorithms before they can be compared. Then, the methods were applied for 30 normally distributed instances, in order to draw broader conclusions. Finally, a statistical evaluation was carried out and concluded the inferiority of the Local Search in relation to the metaheuristics and the superiority of the hybrid version of the Bat Algorithm with CDS in relation to Simulated Annealing, with significantly better solutions, in an equal computation time. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.