The aim of this paper is to summarize the possibilities of foundry methods for the production of metallic foams. At present, there are a number of production technologies for this interesting material, to which increasing attention has been paid in recent years. What is unique about metallic foams is the combination of their physical and mechanical properties. As part of our research, we designed and verified four main methods of metallic foam production by the foundry technology, whose products are metallic foam castings with regular and irregular arrangements of internal cavities. All these methods use materials and processes commonly used in conventional foundry technologies. The main idea of the research is to highlight such technologies for the production of metallic foams that could be provided by manufacturing companies without the need to introduce changes in production. Moreover, foundry methods for the production of metallic foams have the unique advantage of being able to produce even complex shaped parts and can thus be competitive compared to today’s established technologies, the output of which is usually only a semi-finished product for further processing. This fact was the main motivation for the research.

Inventory can be evaluated from the point of view of a number of aspects. Production and trade organizations nowadays are under great pressure from their competitors and face high expectations from their customers. That is why the cost cutting in all areas can provide a significant competitive advantage. Inventory and its management and administration can therefore represent a source of substantial potential savings. Large inventory volume can significantly increase the costs, but its shortage influences the course of the manufacturing process and, ultimately, the customer satisfaction. It is therefore necessary to continuously optimize the inventory management system in the enterprise. The conducted research also involved an analysis of the structure and variability of the inventory consumption in a business organization dealing with the sale and storage of metallurgical materials. The objective of this article is to evaluate the possibility of the application of the tools used to analyze the structure and variability of inventories in the industrial and commercial practice.

Research background: Individual car transport significantly burdens the environment, especially in the centres of large cities. There is pollution, traffic jams and an increase in overall noise. In the area of passenger car transport, legislation is being significantly tightened. Therefore, there are also increasing demands on public transport operators in the Czech Republic. Previously, most of the fleet consisted of diesel vehicles. These have been gradually replaced by drives that are significantly more environmentally friendly, such as the Compressed natural gas drive. The requirements defined in relation to the reduction of vehicle emissions are increasingly stricter. A number of cities, not only within the European Union, are addressing significant issues concerning the future of public transport. Purpose of the article: The main objective of the article is to demonstrate an in-depth analysis of the operation of transport vehicles in the Statutory City of Ostrava, both from the cost and environmental point of view. The comparison of transport means using CNG, electric and diesel propulsion is made. Specific factors such as the route profile or the environmental impact of the mode of transport are also taken into account. The extent of the data processed and the multidimensional nature of the assessment offer a unique analysis of the problem. The article provides an exact view of the advantages and disadvantages of operating specific means of transport. Everything is based on data on transport operations in the city of Ostrava (the Czech Republic, EU). Methods: The comprehensive evaluation is based on the application of methods from the field of financial accounting, evaluation of measured data from the operation of transport means and, last but not least, on the analysis of empirical data from the given area. The analysed data set is unique due to the time period, as is the multi-criteria evaluation methodology.  Findings & value added: The analysis performed demonstrated the economic viability of operating CNG vehicles. The main added value of the article is the unique multi-criteria evaluation procedure for the vehicles. The paper shows the evaluation of a complex decision problem in the transport field in the form of a case study implemented in the city of Ostrava. The evaluation results then consider both cost and environmental factors, which can be described as a comprehensive and highly innovative approach. The defined assessment can then be applied to other European and world metropolises.

The aim of this study is the evaluation of the parameters of core mixtures using different binder systems with regard to the collapsibility of cores after casting and the resulting product quality of castings reflecting surface requirements based on non-ferrous alloys. The research compares organically bonded core mixtures based on phenol-formaldehyde resins for the production of cores with the shell molding (resin coated sand), currently used in the production of aluminum alloy castings in the Brembo Czech s.r.o., and mixtures using innovative inorganic binder systems based on geopolymers; GEOPOL® W. The aim of the research is to compare the advantages and disadvantages of these binder systems in order to evaluate the potential of inorganically bonded mixtures to replace organically bonded mixtures, which would lead to a significant reduction in the environmental impacts of industrial production of castings.

The transition of the most developed countries' societies to a new phase based primarily on the creation, dissemination and use of knowledge, i.e. innovative development, has become a typical feature of modern economies. Activating innovation requires fundamental changes in the structure of social production and education and in the system of management and organization as well as the coordination of activities, the exchange of information, the mutual interaction of enterprises and the transfer of technologies.The effective and controlled mutual cooperation of selected international scientific organizations, scientific and research centres and companies leads to reduced costs of product innovation through the use of synergies from the mutual cooperation of participating entities, creating an effective environment for sharing and disseminating knowledge, optimizing business processes and streamlining the subject of the innovation process. The article presents the outputs of the project, the aim of which is to analyze the mutual cooperation of selected entities in reducing the cost of developing innovative technology of the electrolysis process at work in the Russian Federation through an association of entities mentioned hereunder