Operations Research, Systems Engineering and Industrial Engineering Commons^™

A Lean Logistics Assessment Tool For Smes In The Manufacturing Sector, Diana Lorena Sanchez Ramirez

Open Access Theses

This study developed an assessment tool to rate the maturity of the current and desired states of lean logistics operations in small and medium enterprises. The tool consists of 48 best practices classified into 8 critical factors: Inventory, Transportation, Administration, Information Systems, Warehouse, Forecasting, Packaging and Supplier Network. Each of the best practices and critical factors were identified throughout a thorough literature review and comparative analysis between authors to define commonalities among them. Using gap analysis; this tool results in a SWOT matrix providing a roadmap for lean implementation. The resulting model was evaluated by subject matter experts in different …

Systems Theory Based Framework For Competency Models, Joseph M. Bradley

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to develop and apply a systems theoretic framework for design, analysis and transformation of competency models using an inductive research design. This research examines the origins and development of competency models from a systems theoretic perspective. Competency models have been largely developed by a comparative method first proposed by McClelland, or the use of Delphi method survey techniques. The assumption that a population containing an exemplar and fully successful members would enable population of a holistic competency model has reported numerous failures. Similarly, reporting on the use of Delphi methods has focused on attempting …

An Investigation Of Business Transformation Disruptors At The Military Strategic Command Level, Thomas Bock

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation contributes an empirical research on business transformation disruption in the military. Specifically, this exploratory research seeks a better understanding of disruption of business transformation and some of the factors that are likely to impact the transformation process at the military strategic command level. A lack of empirical studies existing in the literature, coupled with the continuous transformation challenges faced by military organizations, make it necessary to conduct this empirical study of business transformation disruption in the military.

This research was carried out utilizing a two-phase mixed-methods approach. The first phase included qualitative data gathering through a series of …

A Systems-Based Framework For The Assessment Of Performance Measurement System Implementations In R&D Organizations, Kenneth S. Baggett Jr.

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Performance measurement is utilized by organizations in all industries, including research and development (R&D). Measures are developed, data are collected, and the measurement results are used to drive the organization. The implicit hope is, of course, that the measures drive the organization to improve. However, literature identifies high failure rates directly related to performance measurement system (PMS) implementations. Establishing the fundamental operational characteristics associated with successful PMSs would provide a significant contribution towards the establishment of PMS assessment criteria. This research addresses this gap through the use of a grounded theory method employed to identify these operational characteristics, assesses the …

Assessing The Impact Of Electronic Health Record Systems Implementation On Hospital Patient Perceptions Of Care, Katherine Sofia Palacio Salgar

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The delivery of health care services has been impacted by advances in Knowledge Management Information Systems (KMIS) and Information Technology (IT). The literature reveals that Electronic Health Records Systems (EHRs) are a comprehensive KMIS. There is a wide recognition in the body of knowledge that demonstrates the potential of EHRs to transform all aspects of health care services and, in consequence, the performance of Health Care Delivery Organizations (HCDO). Authors of published research also agree that there is a need for more empirical contributions that demonstrate the impact of EHRs upon HCDO. It is argued that in most cases, studies …

Assessing Organizational Effectiveness Through The Competing Values Framework A Data Envelopment Approach, Raghavender Macherla

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations

This study proposes a model to diagnose organizations using the mathematical principles of data envelopment analysis (DEA) to the variables generated using competing values framework (CVF) in order to evaluate overall organizational effectiveness. The notion of organizational effectiveness is abstract and difficult to measure due to its complexity and multi-functional nature. Over the years, measurement of organizational effectiveness has remained a challenge due to the lack of agreement on the factors that should be assessed to determine effectiveness. This research is aimed at shedding some light into this topic by using data envelopment analysis as a tool to measure relative …

Interface Evaluation For Open System Architectures, Joshua A. Burger

Theses and Dissertations

This research develops a deterministic interface evaluation framework (IEF) in support of the principles identified in the Modular Open Systems Approach (MOSA). Interface evaluation in weapon system development requires a Decision Analysis (DA) method capable of handling a continuously growing alternative set and functioning with limited availability of senior decision makers. Value Focused Thinking (VFT) is selected as the best method for addressing the parameters of the framework. Inputs from the Medium Altitude Unmanned Aircraft System program office are used. An initial value threshold is established to guide open interface decisions, based on assessments of 15 historical decision scenarios. Open …

Design And Implementation Of Iso:9001 Standards At Sigma 6 Electronics, Inc., Robert Kirkpatrick, Dylan Geisen, Simon Schermerhorn

Industrial Technology and Packaging

ISO 9001 certification is a very long process that can take even the most dedicated team years to complete. For smaller companies such a process could be costly, confusing, and arduous. While many resources exist, it takes nearly the same amount of effort to tailor fit the examples as it does to create a whole new set.

The purpose of this senior project is to research examples and help fit them to a small manufacturing company, Sigma 6 Electronics, Inc. An interlinked, or combined, quality manual/procedures were chosen to aid Sigma 6 Electronics through making the documentation clear and perfectly …

A Heuristic For The Analysis Of Truncated Standard Normal Distribution Assemblies, John Walter Ralls, Cesar Ariel Pinto, Shannon R. Bowling, Resit Unal, Charles B. Daniels, S. Long (Ed.), E.H. Ng (Ed.), C. Downing (Ed.)

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Faculty Publications

The analysis of data sets and process conditions commonly assume the use of standard normal distributions and truncated standard normal distributions (TSND). The use of these distributions has application to various engineering disciplines along with numerous other industries (e.g., financial industries, medical fields, management, etc.). For engineering managers, the use of truncated standard normal distributions has particular relevance when evaluating process conditions commonly associated with assembly tolerances, manufacturing, and associated measures of quality. This article summarizes a heuristic approach for the analysis of assembly-level truncated standard normal distributions and associated research from a recent dissertation (Ralls, 2014). This article provides …

Employee-Task Assignments For Organization Modeling: A Review Of Models And Applications, Cansu Kandemir, Holly A. H. Handley, S. Long (Ed.), E.-H. Ng (Ed.), C. Downing (Ed.)

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Faculty Publications

In this study, we present a review of task assignment problems in organizations, an area that has become more important as tasks become more complex and personnel skills become more specialized. The challenge is to design task assignments that meet all requirements and result in the best organizational performance. The consequences of poor design include failed tasks, reduced efficiency, and inability to meet deadlines. Moreover, inequity of workload between employees can cause lack of job satisfaction, loss of motivation and also boredom.

In general, work processes in organizations consist of different tasks, which require different expertise. Personnel usually have various …

Positioning Automated Guided Vehicles In A General Guide-Path Layout, Abraham Mendoza, Jose A. Ventura

13th IMHRC Proceedings (Cincinnati, Ohio. USA – 2014)

The locations of dwell points for idle vehicles in an automated guided vehicle (AGV) system determine the response times for pick-up requests and thus affect the performance of automated manufacturing systems. In this study, we address the problem of optimally locating dwell points for multiple AGVs in general guide-path layouts with the objective of minimizing the maximum response time in the system. We propose a mixed integer linear programming (MILP) formulation for the problem. We also develop a generic genetic algorithm (GA) to find near optimal solutions. The MILP model and GA procedure are illustrated using a two-dimensional grid layout …

Integrating Analysis Into A Warehouse Design Workflow, Leon Mcginnis, Timothy Sprock

13th IMHRC Proceedings (Cincinnati, Ohio. USA – 2014)

Supply chain analyses, including those related to material handling systems, are typically purpose-built to answer specific questions and therefore have many different implementations depending on the question, the instance data, and the solver. The purpose-built nature of these models makes it difficult to integrate them into an iterative design workflow. Despite the myriad analysis implementations, the fundamental structure of these systems and their problem domain remains unchanged, suggesting that perhaps analyses could be automatically generated on demand, given an appropriate specification of the particular system to be analyzed. We apply model-based systems engineering (MBSE) methodologies to explore this possibility in …

Throughput Analysis Of S/R Shuttle Systems, Georg Kartnig, Jörg Oser

13th IMHRC Proceedings (Cincinnati, Ohio. USA – 2014)

Shuttle systems are used in high performance automated storage/retrieval unit load systems. Each storage level is serviced by one transfer car travelling in dual command operation. One buffer slot is located at both ends of each level. This decouples horizontal travel from vertical input/output moves, which in this case requires two independent vertical reciprocating lifts at each end of the aisle. Other systems work with only one lift used in lower throughput applications. The content of this paper is treated in the following sections starting with a problem definition and a literature survey. This is followed by a detailed functional …

Variation In Lifting Behavior During A Highly Repetitive Manual Material Task, Steven A. Lavender

13th IMHRC Proceedings (Cincinnati, Ohio. USA – 2014)

Presenters will provide.

Clickstream Big Data And “Delivery Before Order Making” Mode For Online Retailers, Yeming Yale Gong, Haoxuan Xu

13th IMHRC Proceedings (Cincinnati, Ohio. USA – 2014)

Our research is inspired by a leading online retailer using clickstream big data to estimate customer demand and then ship items to customers or hubs near customers by a mode of “delivery before order making” (DBOM) mode. Using clickstream data to obtain advance demand information in order quantities, we integrate the forecasting with a singleitem uncapacitated dynamic lot sizing problem in a rolling-horizon environment. Using the simulated clickstream data, we evaluate the performance of DBOM mode.

Comparing Industry And Academic Perspectives On Cross-Docking Operations, Paul Buijs, Iris F.A. Vis

13th IMHRC Proceedings (Cincinnati, Ohio. USA – 2014)

This paper performs a comparative analysis on the industry and academic perspectives on cross-docking operations. Detailed descriptions are provided for three typical cross-dock settings by means of case illustrations. The purpose of these descriptions is to inspire break-through innovations in future cross-docking research by identifying constraints, decision problems, and performance indicators that are thoroughly anchored in current practice.

Comparison Of Alternative Configurations For Dense Warehousing Systems, Kevin R. Gue, G. Don Taylor

13th IMHRC Proceedings (Cincinnati, Ohio. USA – 2014)

In heavily constrained environments requiring very high density storage, traditional aisle-based warehousing may not provide viable options. One feasible manifestation of high density storage systems is the ‘puzzle-based’ system, in which unit loads are moved through the system via manipulation of empty (escort) locations to retrieve desired items. Another option would be the use of movable concentric rings, with escorts being utilized to enable lateral movements of unit loads between the rings. In this paper, the authors present analytical results to compare retrieval time performance for these two types of high density storage systems for randomly demanded items under various …

Analysis Of Class-Based Storage Strategies For The Mobile Shelf-Based Order Pick System, Shobhit Nigam, Debjit Roy, Rene De Koster, Ivo J.B.F. Adan

13th IMHRC Proceedings (Cincinnati, Ohio. USA – 2014)

Mobile Shelf-based Order Pick (MSOP) systems are gaining significant in- terest for e-commerce fulfillment due to their rapid deployment capability and dynamic organization of storage pods based on item demand profiles. In this research, we model the MSOP system with class-based storage strategies and alternate pod storage policies using multi-class closed queuing networks. We observe that though closest-open location pod storage policy do not allow to efficiently use the storage spaces in comparison to random location pod storage policy in an aisle, it increases the system throughput for all item classes.

A Two-Level Stochastic Model To Estimate Vessel Throughput Time, Debjit Roy, Vibhuti Dhingra, Rene De Koster

13th IMHRC Proceedings (Cincinnati, Ohio. USA – 2014)

A good estimate of the vessel sojourn time is essential for better planning and scheduling Of container terminal resources,such as berth scheduling,quay crane(qc)assignment And scheduling,and fleet size planning. However,estimating the expected vessel so journ Time is a complex exercise because the time is dependent on several terminal operating Parameters such as the size of the vessel,the number of containers to be loaded and Unloaded,and the through put of the qcs. The through put of the qcs in turn depends On the type and number of transport vehicles,number of stack blocks,the topology of The vehicle travel path,the layout of the terminal,and …

An Empirical Study About The Effectiveness Of Lean Empowerment In Warehouses, Kai Furmans, Payam Dehdari

13th IMHRC Proceedings (Cincinnati, Ohio. USA – 2014)

Lean Management is well established in production environments. Some empirical evidences are available which suggest that in production systems lean management achieves positive results. For warehousing, some works have already been done, which deal with the application and adaption of lean tools for usage in warehousing. In order to answer the question, whether the application of lean tools leads to a better performance however, no study is available today. Therefore, an empirical study has been conducted, where the effectiveness of lean empowerment has been tested and compared to the performance of warehouse, who continued to work as before.

Performance Comparison Of Various Order Picking Methods In Different Behavioral Contexts, Jelle De Vries, Rene De Koster, Daan Stam

13th IMHRC Proceedings (Cincinnati, Ohio. USA – 2014)

Three manual picker-to-parts order picking methods (parallel picking, zone picking, and dynamic zone picking) are employed in an experimental warehouse setup and compared in terms of productivity, quality, and job satisfaction. Participants worked in teams and were subject to either an individual- based, or a team-based incentive scheme. Furthermore, the influence of individual participants’ dominant regulatory focus (promotion or prevention) was taken into account. The outcomes show that in parallel picking an incentive system focused on individual performance is beneficial for productivity and quality compared to an incentive system focused on team performance, whereas team-based incentives are more productive in …

A Framework For The Robust Design Of Unit Load Storage Systems, Marc Goetschalckx, Edward Huang, Pratik Mital

13th IMHRC Proceedings (Cincinnati, Ohio. USA – 2014)

The unit load storage assignment problem determines the assignment of a set of unit loads with known arrival and departure times to a set of unit storage locations in a warehouse. The material handling device(s) can carry at most one unit load at the time. In this research it is assumed that each of the storage locations can be accessed directly without load relocations or rearrangements and that the travel times between the storage locations and from and to the warehousing docks can be computed in advance. The objective is to minimize the total travel time of the material handling …

Modeling Conveyor Merges In Zone Picking Systems, Rene De Koster, Ivo J.B.F. Adan, Jacques Resing

13th IMHRC Proceedings (Cincinnati, Ohio. USA – 2014)

In many order picking and sorting systems conveyors are used to transport products through the system and to merge multiple flows of products into one single flow. In practice, conveyor merges are potential points of congestion, and consequently can lead to a reduced throughput. In this paper, we study merges in a zone picking system. The performance of a zone picking system is, for a large part, determined by the performance of the merge locations. We model the system as a closed queueing network that describes the conveyor, the pick zones, and the merge locations. The resulting model does not …

A New Approach For Generating Facility Layouts Using An Algorithmic Approach, Volker Sadowsky, Christian Mosblech

13th IMHRC Proceedings (Cincinnati, Ohio. USA – 2014)

In this paper a new approach is described to automatically create layouts for material flow systems. The current research in progress aiming at adopting the methods and algorithms of the Electronic Design Automation to be used in logistics planning is presented. These methods are already applied to create microchips being multiple times more complex than material flow systems while following the same goal: Functional units have to be placed on a predefined area and are linked by connections weighted differently. This basic requirement can be applied to microchip designs as well as material flow systems. The common condition is to …

Setting Cutoff Times For Picking Systems With Capacity Degradation, Kevin R. Gue

13th IMHRC Proceedings (Cincinnati, Ohio. USA – 2014)

In the new landscape of e-commerce distribution, firms must offer increasingly aggressive delivery promises and then make good on them. These promises often take the form of a cutoff time, such that orders placed before the cutoff time receive premium service (next-day, same-day, etc.) and those placed afterward do not. Later cutoff times are stronger, of course, but the fulfillment system might not be able to process the order before the deadline. How late is too late? We develop a deterministic model to answer this and related questions when the order fulfillment system batches orders for efficient picking operations and …

Robust Truckload Relay Network Design Under Demand Uncertainty, Hector A. Vergara, Zahra Mokhtari

13th IMHRC Proceedings (Cincinnati, Ohio. USA – 2014)

This research addresses the issue of incorporating demand uncertainty in the strategic design of relay networks for truckload transportation. An existing composite variable mathematical model for the design of hybrid relay networks is extended by developing its robust counterpart. The proposed approach considers uncertainty in the number of truckloads to be dispatched between a pair of nodes in the network which is characterized by a symmetric interval around the expected demand value. A two-step heuristic approach is used to solve the robust model. Several numerical experiments are carried out to study the differences between the solutions obtained with the robust …

Experimental Validation Of Travel Time Models For Shuttle-Based Automated Storage And Retrieval System, Zaki Sari, Latefa Ghomri, Banu Y. Ekren, Tone Lerher

13th IMHRC Proceedings (Cincinnati, Ohio. USA – 2014)

In this paper, we aim to validate travel time models for single and dual command cycle displacements of lifts and shuttles in a shuttle-based automated storage and retrieval system (SBS/RS) by using experimental computer simulation. The models under consideration take into account acceleration and deceleration delays. We use ARENA 12 software for the simulation modeling. By simulation, we emulate the real functioning of the system. Therefore, we assume that the results from the ARENA simulation are equivalent to the onsite experimentation. Simulation results are very close to those obtained by analytical travel time models. This shows the high precision of …

Model And Algorithm For Supply Chain Analysis In Energy-Wood Industry, Thorsten Schmidt, Hannes Hahne

13th IMHRC Proceedings (Cincinnati, Ohio. USA – 2014)

Short rotation coppices are a renewable energy concept based on renewable raw material. This paper proposes a model and calculation method which generates valid supply chains using quantified technological and infrastructural constraints.

Integrate Vehicle Routing And Truck Sequencing In Cross-Docking Operations, Ching-Jung Ting, Ting-Don Chen

13th IMHRC Proceedings (Cincinnati, Ohio. USA – 2014)

Cross-docking is a an important logistics strategy in which freight is unloaded from inbound vehicles and directly loaded into outbound vehicles, with little or no storage in between. This study considers a crossdocking system which combines the vehicle routing problem with crossdocking (VRPCD) for both inbound and outbound operations and truck sequencing problem at docks. The objective is to minimize the logistics center operation costs and transportation costs. We first formulated the integrated problem with a mixed integer programming model. Since VRPCD and sequencing problems are NP-hard, the integrated problem is also an NP-hard problem. We propose an ant colony …

The Cube Per Order Index Slotting Strategy, How Bad Can It Be?, Peter C. Schuur

13th IMHRC Proceedings (Cincinnati, Ohio. USA – 2014)

A well-known and frequently applied policy to assign stock keeping units (SKUs) to (dedicated) storage locations in a warehouse is the Cube per Order Index (COI) slotting strategy. Basically, COI stores an SKU based on how frequently it is picked per unit of stock space required. Fast movers are located close to the Input-Output points. For single command order picking, COI slotting is well-known to minimize order picking travel time. For multi command this is no longer true. An interesting question is: how bad can it be? In this paper we show that there is no limit to this badness. …