Operations Research, Systems Engineering and Industrial Engineering Commons^™

An Mip Approach To The U-Line Balancing Problem With Proportional Worker Throughput, Reyhan Erin, Andres L. Carrano, Moises Sudit

12th IMHRC Proceedings (Gardanne, France – 2012)

One of the major challenges faced by manufacturing companies is to remain competitive in dynamic environments, where fluctuations in customer demand and production rates require systems capable of adapting in a practical and economical way. A U-shaped production cell is considered one of the most flexible designs for adapting the workforce level to varying conditions. However, re-balancing efforts are time consuming and often require a new work allocation and line design. In this paper, a two-stage MIP model to determine the best cell design under varying workforce levels is proposed. The model seeks to maintain proportionality between throughput and the …

A Yard Crane Scheduling Problem With Practical Constraints, Amin Hossein Gharehgozli, Yugang Yu, Rene De Koster, Gilbert Laporte

12th IMHRC Proceedings (Gardanne, France – 2012)

The problem considered in this paper is to locate storage containers while a set of container storage and retrieval requests are sequenced. Two automated cranes stack and retrieve containers in a single block of a yard. The cranes cannot pass each other and must be separated by a safety distance. Storage containers are initially located at the seaside and land side input/output (I/O) points of the block. Each must be stacked in a specific location of the block, selected from a set of open locations suitable for stacking the storage container. Retrieval containers are initially located in the block and …

Modeling The Inventory Requirement And Throughput Performance Of Picking Machine Order-Fulfillment Technology, Jennifer A. Pazour, Russell D. Meller

12th IMHRC Proceedings (Gardanne, France – 2012)

Picking machines, also known as remote-order-picking systems, are an example of a stock-to-picker piece-level order-fulfillment technology that consists of two or more pick stations and a common storage area. An integrated closed-loop conveyor decouples the pick stations from the storage area by transporting the needed totes to and from the storage area and the pick stations. We develop a probabilistic model capable of quantifying the inventory differences between order-fulfillment technologies that pool inventory with technologies that do not pool inventory. To determine the throughput of a picking machine, we develop a methodology that incorporates existing analytical models for the picking …

An Integrated Framework For Configurable Product Assortment Planning, Seyed Ali Taghavi Behbahani

Wayne State University Dissertations

A manufacturer's assortment is the set of products or product configurations that the company builds and offers to its customers. While the literature on assortment planning is growing in recent years, it is primarily aimed at non-durable retail and grocery products. In this study, we develop an integrated framework for strategic assortment planning of configurable products, with a focus on the highly complex automotive industry. The facts that automobiles are highly configurable (with the number of buildable configurations running into thousands, tens of thousands, and even millions) with relatively low sales volumes and the stock-out rates at individual dealerships (even …

Development Of A Computer-Aided Design Supporting System For Transformative Product Design, Keunho Choi

Wayne State University Dissertations

Modern product innovation is often delivered by fusing technologies from different domains. To meet the current speedy pressure of product innovation, the conceptual design is a very critical stage to develop an innovative product. This research presents a new design paradigm, Transformative Product Design (TPD), to meet the demands in the conceptual design. TPD aims to design a new product from a combination out of a base product and reference products, which have been developed.

To expedite the TPD paradigm, Interaction Network is introduced to represent a product design by following a representative product design representation method in the teleological …

Introducing Fly Ash Into Lsi's Recipe, Andrew Mathias Beckrich

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

There has been published data that states that concrete producers can use Fly Ash as an alternative to Portland cement and still generate similar or better strength properties. By applying these principles to our industry and products, what new processes will need to be put in place and followed? What is the correct combination/portion of Fly Ash that will produce similar and better results as well as the adjusted new recipes? What type of cost is associated with the introduction of this new ingredient? Lastly, how does this affect the quality and reputation of the product?

Investigation Into The Usability Of Micromechanical Models To Predict The Behavior Of A Nanocomposite Polymer, Jason Handlogten

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

The purpose of this thesis was to determine the acceptability of a set of existing nanocomposite test specimens for tensile testing and then to determine the Young's and shear modulus of these test specimens. If the test specimens were found to be acceptable, the accuracy of three micromechanical models was to be evaluated by comparing their predictions to the mechanical properties determined from testing the specimens. The set of existing nanocomposite test specimens had a distinct concave shape on two surfaces that were believed to be intended as flat. In order to determine if they adhered to the Type I …

Project-Risk Management And Decision Analysis In Maritime Maintenance And Repair, Michael C. Plumb, C. Ariel Pinto, Rafael Landaeta, Resit Unal, Thomas Murphy

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Faculty Publications

The purpose of this paper is to provide insights regarding the implementation of using Project Risk Management (PRM) and Decision Analysis (DA) in managing projects for complex systems such as maritime vessels. The PRM approach apprehends many forms of risk both internal and external within a given project and assists the manager in determining the level of importance of each individual project phase and component to optimize project success. Ship Maintenance and Repair project decision-making requires that risk management and risk analysis techniques be applied in order to guide management in making better decisions to meet ship service life perspective. …

Editorial: International Journal Of Critical Infrastructures, Holly Ann Heine Handley, C. Ariel Pinto, Adrian V. Gheorghe

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Faculty Publications

(First paragraph) This special issue of the International Journal of Critical Infrastructures is a compilation of the papers presented at the Fourth Annual Conference on Next Generation Infrastructures held in Virginia Beach, Virginia, in November, 2011. This conference was sponsored by Old Dominion University, Norfolk, Virginia, USA and by the Next Generation Infrastructures Foundation, Delft, The Netherlands. The participants travelled from around the globe to converse about ideas that address both concerns for the present and optimism for the future of critical infrastructures. The conference, held in the USA for the first time, provided a platform for vibrant discussions on …

A System Dynamics Model For Simulating Ambulatory Health Care Demands, Rafael Diaz, Joshua G. Behr, Mandar Tulpule

VMASC Publications

Introduction: This article demonstrates the utility of the system dynamics approach to model and simulate US demand for ambulatory health care service both for the general population and for specific cohort subpopulations over the 5-year period, from 2003 to 2008. A system dynamics approach that is shown to meaningfully project demand for services has implications for health resource planning and for generating knowledge that is critical to assessing interventions.

Methods: The study uses a cohort-component method in combination with structural modeling to simulate ambulatory health care utilization. Data are drawn from the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey and the National …

Epistemic Uncertainty Analysis: An Approach Using Expert Judgment And Evidential Credibility, Patrick Hester

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Faculty Publications

When dealing with complex systems, all decision making occurs under some level of uncertainty. This is due to the physical attributes of the system being analyzed, the environment in which the system operates, and the individuals which operate the system. Techniques for decision making that rely on traditional probability theory have been extensively pursued to incorporate these inherent aleatory uncertainties. However, complex problems also typically include epistemic uncertainties that result from lack of knowledge. These problems are fundamentally different and cannot be addressed in the same fashion. In these instances, decision makers typically use subject matter expert judgment to assist …

Identification And Implementation Of Patterns Towards A Model Of Environmental Sustainability, S. Jimmy Gandhi, Santiago Perez, Danial Rushton, Robert Cloutier, Ipek Bozkurt, C. Ariel Pinto

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Faculty Publications

Much like the Quality Revolution did in the 1980's, corporate sustainability has the potential to drive significant changes in the processes and structure of various organizations in the coming decade. With a rapidly growing global population and an ever increasing global demand for resources (Population-Resource-Center, 2012). Sustainability has emerged as one of the primary challenges that organizations will have to deal with in the 21st century. An increasing realization among business executives that profitability by itself is not enough as a measure of success is also driving the increased adoption of sustainable practices in the corporate world (Lowitt and Grimsley, …

Research Methodologies: A Look At The Underlying Philosophical Foundations Of Research, Nathapon Siangchokyoo, Andres Sousa-Poza

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Faculty Publications

Quantitative and qualitative research methodologies have had their greatest share of debates dating back to the 1970s. Researchers have long argued over the underlying philosophical features between the two methodologies and their ability to derive knowledge (Onwuegbuzie & Leech, 2005, Sale, Lohfeld, & Brazil, 2002; Powell, Mihalas, Onwuegbuzie, Suldo and Daley, 2008; Sechrest and Sidani, 1995). More recently, modern researchers have argued that the integration of quantitative and qualitative methods into a single methodology (known simply as mixed methods research) allows researchers to answer questions otherwise unobtainable (Carey, 1993). The emergence of mixed methods research has gained increasing popularities in …

A Human View Model For Socio-Technical Interactions, Holly A. H. Handley, Andreas Tolk

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Faculty Publications

The Human View was developed as an additional architectural viewpoint to focus on the human part of a system. The Human View can be used to collect and organize data in order to understand how human operators interact and impact the other elements of a system. This framework can also be used to develop a model to describe how humans interact with each other in network enabled systems. These socio-technical interactions form the foundation of the emerging area of Human Interoperability. Human Interoperability strives to understand the relationships required between human operators that impact collaboration across networked environments, including the …

Modeling And Evaluating Role And Team Work Processes Using The Improved Performance Research And Integration Tool, Holly A. H. Handley, Pilar Pazos

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Faculty Publications

The Human View architecture was designed to capture the human requirements of a system and to answer questions about the interactions between humans and systems. Data captured in the Human View can be used to populate a simulation model to evaluate the performance of the humans interacting in a work process. The work process model can be used to investigate different types of human system analyses, at both the role and team levels, and to identify the appropriate metrics to evaluate the results. This study examined individual role performance using the metrics readily available in the simulation tool, and then …

Agile Knowledge Management: A Review, Reconceptualization, And Extension To Military Applications, Dogan Ozturk, Rafael E. Landaeta, Resit Unal, Cesar Ariel Pinto, Gokay Sursal

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Faculty Publications

This study contributes to the literature by integrating agility in knowledge management (KM) operations, especially in military environments via major findings of (a) introducing a new approach to KM with integration of 'agility'; (b) articulating the application of an enhanced process of Agile Knowledge Management (AKM) across the military. The purpose of the study is to explore the conceptual background of agility in KM, re-conceptualize it and extend it to military applications with a special focus on counterinsurgency (COIN). An initial qualitative exploration of agility in KM was performed. Three different concepts and their interrelationships were analyzed: (a) KM, (b) …

Large Aircraft Infrared Countermeasures (Laircm) Systems Engineering Case Study, Air Force Center For Systems Engineering, William Albery

AFIT Documents

No abstract provided.

Multiobjective Design Optimization Of Gas Turbine Blade With Emphasis On Internal Cooling, Narasimha Nagaiah

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In the design of mechanical components, numerical simulations and experimental methods are commonly used for design creation (or modification) and design optimization. However, a major challenge of using simulation and experimental methods is that they are timeconsuming and often cost-prohibitive for the designer. In addition, the simultaneous interactions between aerodynamic, thermodynamic and mechanical integrity objectives for a particular component or set of components are difficult to accurately characterize, even with the existing simulation tools and experimental methods. The current research and practice of using numerical simulations and experimental methods do little to address the simultaneous “satisficing” of multiple and often …

An Unstable Balance: Exploration, Exploitation, And Innovation Decline During Development, Craig Randall

2012

he ability to innovate is considered central to firm performance and the consensus is that firms should balance exploration and exploitation innovation to succeed. Studies using an exploration/exploitation perspective have gained increasing interest, and have generally concluded that exploration innovation rates are too low. Researchers have concentrated on the early aspects of the innovation planning process: the Search, Portfolio Selection, and Design Phase, and have also studied the benefits of pursuing a serial or parallel pursuit of exploration and exploitation. Largely missing from exploration/exploitation innovation literature, however, is the development phase—which is among the longest and resource intensive phases of …

Systems Analysis For Urban Water Infrastructure Expansion With Global Change Impact Under Uncertainties, Cheng Qi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Over the past decades, cost-effectiveness principle or cost-benefit analysis has been employed oftentimes as a typical assessment tool for the expansion of drinking water utility. With changing public awareness of the inherent linkages between climate change, population growth and economic development, the addition of global change impact in the assessment regime has altered the landscape of traditional evaluation matrix. Nowadays, urban drinking water infrastructure requires careful long-term expansion planning to reduce the risk from global change impact with respect to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, economic boom and recession, as well as water demand variation associated with population growth and migration. …