The sustainability of traditional cultural products relies on the capacity of producers to transform consumers' preferences into product design and marketing approaches. In the batik micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSME) context, Generation Z (Gen Z) is one of the key emerging market segments whose preferences depend not only on cultural meanings but also on symbolic value, aesthetics, usability, and relevance of the product. Despite the fact that the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) is extensively applied in explaining purchase intention, only few researchers have attempted to apply this theory to help make product design and management decisions in heritage-based MSMEs. Thus, this study is intended to investigate the impact of symbolic value and aesthetic value on Gen Z’s purchase intention towards traditional batik using an extended TPB model. A quantitative research approach was chosen and 208 participants from Gen Z were surveyed in three cities, namely Yogyakarta, Palembang, and Makassar. Structural equation modelling (SEM) was applied to assess the relationships. The results reveal that symbolic value has significant positive effects on attitude (Estimate = 3.077, $p$ = 0.018), subjective norms (Estimate = 2.046, $p$ = 0.017), and perceived behavioural control (Estimate = 1.677, $p$ $<$ 0.001). On the other hand, aesthetic value don’t significantly affect subjective norms (Estimate = -1.348, $p$ = 0.104) and perceived behavioural control (Estimate = -0.994, $p$ = 0.011), but it have a significant negative effect on attitude (Estimate = -2.312, $p$ = 0.068). Attitude and behavioural control significantly influence purchase intention, whereas subjective norms do not. Purchase intention has a significant positive effect on behaviour. The model demonstrates explanatory power, with $R^2$ values of 0.72 for purchase intention and 0.70 for attitude. These findings contribute to engineering management by showing how SEM-based consumer insights as a decision-support can guide batik MSMEs in product design, product-line segmentation, pricing accessibility, and youth-oriented market adoption..
The fourth industrial revolution, or Industry 4.0, is fundamentally transforming manufacturing through the integration of cyber-physical systems, the Internet of Things (IoT), big data analytics, artificial intelligence, and intelligent automation. Despite its potential benefits, digital transformation remains challenging because it requires substantial investment, workforce capability development, and organizational change. Existing Industry 4.0 maturity models inadequately address systematic criteria weighting and uncertainty in digital maturity assessment, limiting their ability to provide comprehensive and decision-oriented evaluations. This study develops a seven-dimensional Industry 4.0 digital maturity framework by integrating the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and the Fuzzy Inference System (FIS). AHP is employed to derive expert-based priority weights among maturity dimensions, while FIS accommodates uncertainty and subjectivity in qualitative assessments through fuzzy reasoning. The research methodology comprises model conceptualization, criteria weighting using AHP, maturity evaluation using FIS, and validation through a case study of an automotive manufacturing company. The findings indicate that the Strategy, Culture and Expertise, and Organization and Change Management dimensions receive the highest priority weights, while Intelligent Manufacturing achieves the highest maturity score. The case organization obtained an overall maturity index of 0.73, corresponding to Stage 4, which indicates a high level of digitalization. The proposed AHP–FIS framework provides a structured, adaptive, and data-driven approach for evaluating Industry 4.0 maturity and offers decision support for prioritizing digital transformation initiatives and planning continuous improvement. The findings demonstrate the practical feasibility of the framework within the investigated automotive manufacturing context and provide methodological insights for future development of Industry 4.0 maturity assessment models.
Digital systems increasingly require real-time mechanisms that can detect interaction risks and regulate interface responses under variable user behaviour. However, behavioural sensing, probabilistic error prediction, intervention control, and user experience (UX) evaluation are rarely integrated within a single experimentally validated system. This study investigates a systems engineering framework for predicting user errors and governing adaptive UX interventions. A four-week controlled crossover experiment was conducted with 84 users stratified equally by interface experience. The experiment comprised 168 sessions, 1,008 task instances, and 161,616 validated interaction events. Logistic regression, XGBoost, recurrent neural network, and transformer models were evaluated through participant-isolated nested cross-validation. The transformer achieved the strongest predictive performance, with an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) of 0.941 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.937–0.945), an F1-score of 0.889, and a Brier score of 0.110. Model-triggered intervention reduced the mean task-level error rate from 0.280 ± 0.059 to 0.160 ± 0.050 and shortened task completion time from 145.2 ± 13.1 s to 117.8 ± 12.0 s. The intervention also improved the System Usability Scale (SUS), User Experience Questionnaire (UEQ), and Net Promoter Score (NPS) by 16.1, 0.23, and 21.43 points, respectively, while reducing the NASA Task Load Index (NASA-TLX) by 11.8 points. Mean end-to-end system latency was 65.4 ms, with a 95th-percentile latency of 93.8 ms. Decision-cost analysis identified an error probability of 0.70 as the preferred intervention threshold within the tested sensitivity corridor. The results indicate that user-error prediction can be incorporated into a closed-loop monitoring and control architecture without disrupting real-time interaction. The framework provides an experimentally grounded basis for managing predictive interventions in adaptive digital systems.
Immersive technologies are increasingly used by cultural institutions to create context-sensitive visitor experiences, yet conventional media branding pipelines rely largely on predefined visual assets and provide limited support for real-time adaptation. This study investigates how generative artificial intelligence (AI) can be integrated into an adaptive systems architecture while preserving institutional visual identity. A mixed-method design was employed, comprising an analysis of immersive branding pipelines, case studies of five cultural institutions, the development of two prototype application scenarios, and an evaluation by nine experts. The proposed architecture connected contextual data acquisition, generative processing, constraint validation, immersive rendering, and user feedback within a closed-loop workflow. A Validator module was introduced to examine generated outputs against predefined color and geometric constraints and to initiate regeneration or fallback procedures when violations were detected. The case analysis produced a mean adaptivity score of 4.2 out of 10 for the existing implementations. Expert evaluation of the proposed architecture yielded mean scores of 4.78 for personalization, 4.56 for visual identity flexibility, and 3.89 for brand consistency. Generation latency ranged from 1.2 to 1.8 s in the augmented reality (AR) scenario and from 2.5 to 4.0 s in the virtual reality (VR) scenario. The findings indicate that generative AI can be incorporated into a feedback-controlled branding pipeline without removing deterministic control over core visual elements. The proposed architecture provides a systems engineering basis for coordinating content generation, identity validation, and immersive delivery, while the observed latency and limited evaluation sample identify priorities for edge deployment and larger-scale experimental validation.
Energy storage systems (ESS) play a central role in renewable energy integration, grid reliability, and the transition toward low-carbon energy systems. In Malaysia, however, the indicators used to evaluate ESS remain fragmented, limiting comparison across technologies and weakening the evidence available for investment, policy, and sustainable supply chain decisions. This study investigates how ESS performance has been evaluated in the Malaysian energy transition and develops a structured framework for linking engineering performance with sustainable supply chain management (SSCM). A systematic review of 40 eligible studies was conducted using bibliometric mapping and thematic analysis. The reported indicators were identified, coded, and classified into technical, economic, operational, and policy/environmental dimensions. The results showed that capacity and sizing were the most frequently reported indicators, followed by renewable energy integration and system reliability or availability. Battery-based systems dominated the reviewed literature, particularly in photovoltaic (PV)-coupled applications, whereas long-duration storage, grid-scale services, lifecycle assessment, and end-of-life considerations received limited attention. Although levelized cost of energy (LCOE) and net present cost (NPC) were commonly reported, none of the retained studies explicitly evaluated the levelized cost of storage (LCOS). The findings indicate that current assessment practices remain concentrated on project-level technical and financial performance and provide insufficient support for evaluating material sourcing, lifecycle impacts, regulatory conditions, and supply chain resilience. The proposed framework connects ESS performance evaluation with technology selection, investment appraisal, supplier assessment, environmental management, and policy planning. It provides a systematic basis for developing national performance benchmarks and supports more consistent ESS decision-making in Malaysia and other Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) energy systems.
The growing adoption of remote and hybrid work has transformed organizational leadership practices, creating new challenges for trust, communication, and employee engagement. Despite increasing scholarly attention, limited research has examined how employees in high power-distance cultural contexts perceive leadership in remote work environments or how these perceptions contribute to Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth. This study explores how employees in Indonesian organizations interpret leadership behaviors in remote settings and how these interpretations influence psychological safety and employee voice. Using an interpretive qualitative approach grounded in constructivist epistemology, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 48 employees from the technology, financial services, higher education, government, and professional services sectors across Indonesia. Data were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis (RTA). Four empirical themes were developed: behavioral consistency as the foundation of remote trust; the relational weight of supervisory disclosure; the cultural renegotiation of hierarchy; and the communicative significance of digital micro-behaviors. These themes support three theoretical mechanisms within one integrated model. Digital micro-behaviors provide the signals employees interpret; trust develops through asymmetric accumulation; and cultural permission structures develop partly in parallel, with trust and permission jointly determining whether psychological safety and voice become available. By specifying the conditions under which remote employees can participate meaningfully in organizational decision-making and receive fair and dignified treatment, the findings demonstrate how remote leadership practices can advance SDG 8 through employee participation, psychological safety, inclusive leadership, fairness, and quality of working life. The study offers implications for leadership development, organizational communication design, and inclusive remote-work practices.
This study develops a life-cycle engineering-management framework for intelligent systems in industrial settings and examines its applicability through a descriptive comparison of four publicly documented cases: Siemens, Atlas Copco, Vallourec, and thyssenkrupp Materials Services. Peer-reviewed studies published in 2020–2025 and official corporate disclosures published in 2019–2025 were screened using explicit relevance and traceability criteria. A structured extraction matrix recorded the industrial context, technology, deployment area, life-cycle stage, responsible actors, intended function, and availability of performance data. Inferential statistics and author-generated estimates were not used because the public sources did not provide replicated observations, consistent baselines, or common denominators. The cases document heterogeneous systems: a generative artificial-intelligence assistant for industrial engineering, connected compressor monitoring, digital traceability and operational support for tubular products, and artificial-intelligence-supported materials logistics. The evidence supports comparison of disclosed functions and management requirements, but it does not support causal claims or rankings based on return on investment, downtime, quality, energy, emissions, or workforce outcomes. The resulting framework links planning, design, integration, operation, and upgrade or retirement to a management decision, systems-engineering task, responsible actor, indicator, and implementation risk. It provides a reproducible basis for future plant-level evaluation while keeping conclusions within the limits of public secondary data.
Owners, contractors, and consultants are among the stakeholders most vulnerable to high risk due to their intricate interactions over project phases. This study aims to identify and categorize the primary and secondary risk factors associated with these three parties and to examine the causal relationships among them to inform risk mitigation. A hybrid approach combining fuzzy theory and the Decision-Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL) method was adopted to analyze 32 secondary risk factors grouped under 3 primary risk factors. Nine experts, each with at least fifteen-year experience in risk management in engineering organizations, were consulted to identify and examine the risk factors. Based on the fuzzy DEMATEL (FD) model, risks were analyzed through a weighted impact matrix, and all risks were prioritized by identifying the causes leading to their effects. Owner risk (Degree of Dispatching ($D$) $-$ Degree of Receiving ($R$) = +0.739) and contractor risk ($D - R$ = +0.108) were classified as causes, whereas consultant risk ($D - R$ = -0.84) was classified as an effect. The risk factors were coded RC1–RC32. From the consultant side, the second most prominent sub-factor ($D + R$ = 2.635) was regulatory non-compliance (RC15), which affected approval timelines and coordination with the consultant. As regards the owner, poor communication (RC5, $D + R$ = 5.756) was a causal sub-factor. For the contractor, regulatory non-compliance (RC26, $D + R$ = 2.690) was the most prominent causal sub-factor. The analysis revealed divergent risk perceptions among stakeholders, thus highlighting the importance of a collaborative risk management framework.
Despite the rapid expansion of simulation-driven design in discrete manufacturing, the governance of computer-aided engineering (CAE) data remains largely disconnected from enterprise product lifecycle management (PLM) systems, creating configuration traceability gaps, limiting validated model reuse, and impeding reproducibility. While simulation process and data management (SPDM) frameworks have been proposed architecturally, limited empirical evidence exists on end-to-end implementations reporting measurable outcomes across contrasting industrial domains. This paper presents PLM for CAE, a framework embedding simulation lifecycle management natively within the PLM data model and process engine. The architecture extends the PLM product structure with simulation-specific object types and integrates high-performance computing (HPC) environments through boundary-layer agents that enforce governed inputs and harvest execution metadata. Mandatory workflow review gates govern simulation progression from request to archival, establishing a continuous digital thread between design revision and simulation outcome. Evaluation across two industrial deployments—a global railway equipment manufacturer prioritizing regulatory compliance and multi-site traceability, and a global consumer goods manufacturer focused on model reuse velocity—showed observed improvements over a twelve-month post-implementation period. The deployments reported design-to-simulation traceability of 85–95%, model reuse rates of 30–65%, preparation time reductions of 20–40%, and a 50–75% reduction in simulation retrieval time. These results provide preliminary empirical support for the applicability of PLM-native simulation governance in large engineering enterprises, while recognizing that the observed improvements may also reflect concurrent organizational and process changes.