This study analyses which aspects of sitting and working furniture ergonomics that may be influenced and how they are assessed. To gather information on the types and assessment techniques connected with influencing furniture ergonomics, a systematic review of the literature was conducted. The papers in the systematic review were published between 2012 and 2022. The articles applied the Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement guidelines to limit the 41 papers that were eventually included (N = 41) to those containing keywords like ergonomics, human factors, comfort, working furniture, Chair, assessment and evaluation. The research objective of this systematic review is to provide a comprehensive overview of sitting and working furniture and the main findings, obtaining common assessment techniques for this type of furniture and their suitability. According to the relevant studies, the publications were categorized by summarizing factors like region, gender, research methods, ergonomic assessment techniques and methods used, correlation between assessment techniques and methods, etc. Summaries of the data extracted from the included papers are provided and the applicability of some approaches are assessed. Only a small number of authors have evaluated the ergonomics of furniture used in homes. One of the research gaps is the paucity of research on gender segregation, secular trends, and cultural contexts. These studies heavily rely on quantitative research techniques, and the articles may lack credibility due to the homogeneity of the evaluation techniques. Finally, the authors offer some suggestions for the appropriate ergonomic analysis of furniture.
The integration of sustainable practices within manufacturing organizations has become a necessity. However, ensuring a competitive edge in the market remains pivotal for the success of these sustainability initiatives. This research introduces an approach to harmonize the influence of sustainability and agility within the product development process, enabling enterprises to pursue sustainable manufacturing while upholding robust market competitiveness. The significance of this study lies in its combined utilization of expert insights and mathematical techniques to gauge the components and sub-components of sustainability and agility, thereby enhancing the precision of assessment outcomes. This accomplishment was achieved through the application of a Weighted Fuzzy Assessment Method (WFAM) for evaluating both product sustainability and agility. Employing the Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process (FAHP), the study assigned weights to elements and sub-elements. Subsequently, employing fuzzy logic based on these derived weights, the study assessed the sustainability and agility scores in the product development process. Demonstrating the effectiveness of this devised methodology, the research employed a multi-functional electric bicycle as a case study. The outcomes highlight the potential the proposed method in attaining the varied objectives of sustainability and agility in product development.
The importance of incorporating an agile approach into creating sustainable products has been widely discussed. This approach can enhance innovation integration, improve adaptability to changing development circumstances, and increase the efficiency and quality of the product development process. While many agile methods have originated in the software development context and have been formulated based on successful software projects, they often fail due to incorrect procedures and a lack of acceptance, preventing deep integration into the process. Additionally, decision-making for market evaluation is often hindered by unclear and subjective information. Therefore, this study introduces an extended TOPSIS (Technique for Order Performance by Similarity to Ideal Solution) method for sustainable product development. This method leverages the benefits of cloud model theory to address randomness and uncertainty (intrapersonal uncertainty) and the advantages of rough set theory to flexibly handle market demand uncertainty without requiring extra information. The study proposes an integrated weighting method that considers both subjective and objective weights to determine comprehensive criteria weights. It also presents a new framework, named Sustainable Agility of Product Development (SAPD), which aims to evaluate criteria for assessing sustainable product development. To validate the effectiveness of this proposed method, a case study is conducted on small and medium enterprises in China. The obtained results show that the company needs to conduct product structure research and development to realize new product functions.