Operational Research Commons^™

Modeling And Optimization Of Radio Frequency Identification Networks For Inventory Management, Atipong Suriya, Jose D. Porter

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

Stock loss and out-of-stocks are outcomes of poorly designed inventory management systems and can lead to significant revenue losses. Inventory management systems (IMSs) based on radio frequency identification (RFID) have the potential to minimize these losses if they are properly designed and deployed. However, the placement of RFID readers to support IMSs is often done on a trial and error basis which is time consuming and results in less than optimal coverage. A methodology to find the optimal location and number of RFID readers in a warehouse facility to ensure a desired level of radio frequency signal coverage was developed …

Real-Time Dock Door Monitoring System Using A Kinect Sensor, Hector J. Carlo, Cristina Pomales- Garcia, Yeiram Martinez

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

This study presents a proof of concept where a single Microsoft Kinect sensor is used for automated monitoring of a dock door in real-time. The proposed system will automatically and in real-time: (1) detect when an object breaches the dock door perimeter, and its corresponding speed and direction, (2) count the number of pallets loaded/unloaded to/from a trailer, (3) record the loading/unloading time of each load, and (4) reconstruct an image of every loading/unloading trip at a dock door, irrespectively of the material handling travel speed and direction. Particular emphasis is given to discussing how to extend the proposed concept …

Enhancing Agility Of Supply Chains Using Stochastic, Discrete Event And Physical Simulation Models, Alok K. Verma

Engineering Technology Faculty Publications

Managing supply chains in today’s distributed manufacturing environment has become more complex. To remain competitive in today’s global marketplace, organizations must streamline their supply chains. The practice of coordinating the design, procurement, flow of goods, services, information and finances, from raw material flows to parts supplier to manufacturer to distributor to retailer and finally to consumer requires synchronized planning and execution. Efficient and effective supply chain management assists an organization in getting the right goods and services to the place needed at the right time, in the proper quantity and at acceptable cost. Managing this process involves developing and overseeing …

Xqx Based Modeling For General Integer Programming Problems, Vijay P. Ramalingam

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

We present a new way to model general integer programming (IP) problems with in- equality and equality constraints using XQX. We begin with the definition of IP problems folloby their practical applications, and then present the existing XQX based models to handle such problems. We then present our XQX model for general IP problems (including binary IP) with equality and inequality constraints, and also show how this model can be applied to problems with just inequality constraints. We then present the local optima based solution procedure for our XQX model. We also present new theorems and their proofs for our …

A Decision Modeling For Phasor Measurement Unit Location Selection In Smart Grid Systems, Seung Yup Lee

Wayne State University Theses

As a key technology for enhancing the smart grid system, Phasor Measurement Unit (PMU) provides synchronized phasor measurements of voltages and currents of wide-area electric power grid. With various benefits from its application, one of the critical issues in utilizing PMUs is the optimal site selection of units.

The main aim of this research is to develop a decision support system, which can be used in resource allocation task for smart grid system analysis. As an effort to suggest a robust decision model and standardize the decision modeling process, a harmonized modeling framework, which considers operational circumstances of component, is …

Lean Fire Management: A Focused Analysis Of The Incident Command System Based On Toyota Production System Principles, Jeremiah S. Fugate

Theses and Dissertations--Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

A primary role of the Incident Command System is to learn from past incidents, as illustrated by its origins in the wildland firefighting community. Successful emergency response operations under the Incident Command System has prompted its nationwide spread, this promulgation critically relies on the system’s capability to stabilize and continuously improve various aspects of emergency response through effective organizational learning. The objective of this study is to evaluate the potential to apply fundamental principles of the Toyota Production System (Lean manufacturing) to improve learning effectiveness within the Incident Command System. An in-depth review of literature and training documents regarding both …

Relaxation Adaptive Memory Programming For The Resource Constrained Project Scheduling Problem, Robert Christopher-Lee Riley

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The resource constrained project scheduling problem (RCPSP) is one of the most intractable problems in operations research; it is NP-hard in the strong sense. Due to the hardness of the problem, exact solution methods can only tackle instances of relatively small size. For larger instances commonly found in real applications heuristic solution methods are necessary to find near-optimal solutions within acceptable computation time limits. In this study algorithms based on the relaxation adaptive memory programming (RAMP) method (Rego, 2005) are developed for the purpose of solving the RCPSP. The RAMP algorithms developed here combine mathematical relaxation, including Lagrangian relaxation and …

Striping Truck Utilization Project, Jon R. Padfield, James Handy

JTRP Posters

This poster highlights research completed by the Joint Transportation Research Program (JTRP) led by Jon Padfield and James Handy, Purdue University for JTRP project SPR-3722, “Striping Truck Utilization for Crawfordsville and Greenfield District.” This poster highlights the transformation of striping trucks at both districts using Value Stream Mapping (VSM) through the Technical Assistance Program.

Human Capital Management Within The Federal Government Utilizing Generational Stratification With A Focus On Generation Y, Ian Nathaniel Barford

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations

With many individuals in the Baby Boomer generation eligible to retire, many open positions will need to be filled by other Baby Boomers, or those from Generation X or Generation Y. Private industry has taken note of this and has been exploring workplace differences between Generation Y, Generation X, and Baby Boomers. Unfortunately for the federal government, data shows Generation Y is also separating; specifically quitting for unknown reasons. Understanding this apparent dichotomy between Generation Y and Generation X and Baby Boomer federal government employees is a current knowledge gap within the federal government's strategic human capital management focus.

From …

Prioritizing Offshore Vendor Selection Criteria For The North American Geospatial Industry, Simon Wolfgang Musaeus

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The U.S. market for geospatial services totaled US $2.2 billion in 2010, representing 50% of the global market. Data-processing firms subcontract labor-intensive portions of data services to offshore providers in South and East Asia and Eastern Europe. In general, half of all offshore contracts fail within the first 5 years because one or more parties consider the relationship unsuccessful. Despite the high failure rates, no study has examined the offshore vendor selection process in the geospatial industry. The purpose of this study was to determine the list of key offshore vendor selection criteria and the efficacy of the analytic hierarchy …

การศึกษากลยุทธ์ทางธุรกิจของมิเตอร์อัจฉริยะ, ธนพินท์ มังคละภาณุพงศ์

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

วิทยานิพนธ์เล่มนี้เป็นการศึกษาแผนกลยุทธ์ทางธุรกิจของมิเตอร์อัจฉริยะ ที่ใช้ Balanced Scorecard ในการแปลงกลยุทธ์ไปสู่ภาคปฏิบัติ โดยมีวัตถุประสงค์เพื่อหาดัชนีชี้วัด (Key Performance Indicator: KPI) และ ปัจจัยหลักแห่งความสำเร็จ (Critical Success Factor: CSF) สำหรับขั้นตอนในการทำ Balanced Scorecard จะเริ่มจากการกำหนดวิสัยทัศน์ และพันธกิจ ของธุรกิจมิเตอร์อัจฉริยะ หลังจากนั้นทำการวิเคราะห์ SWOT Analysis แล้วจับคู่ให้อยู่ในรูป TOWS Matrix เพื่อหาวัตถุประสงค์และตัวชี้วัดในการจัดทำแผนที่เชิงกลยุทธ์ (Strategy Map) โดยมีกรอบการวัดและประเมินผลของธุรกิจ ผ่านมุมมองการวัดผล 4 ด้าน คือ มุมมองการเรียนรู้และการเติบโต มุมมองกระบวนการภายใน มุมมองด้านลูกค้า และมุมมองด้านการเงิน โดยมีดัชนีชี้วัดทั้งหมด 32 ตัว และมีปัจจัยหลักแห่งความสำเร็จทั้งหมด 20 ตัว ตัวอย่างเช่นดัชนีชี้วัดและปัจจัยหลักสู่ความสำเร็จของมุมมองด้านการเรียนรู้และเติบโตคือ ความปลอดภัยของพนักงาน และจำนวนครั้งของการเกิดอุบัติเหตุในสายการผลิต มุมมองด้านกระบวนการภายในคือ อัตราของเสียจากการผลิตและจำนวนของเสียที่เกิดขึ้นในสายการผลิต มุมมองด้านลูกค้า คือ อัตราการส่งคืนสินค้าและจำนวนมิเตอร์อัจฉริยะที่ถูกส่งคืน และมุมมองด้านการเงิน คือ อัตราส่วนรายได้ในส่วนของลูกค้ารายใหม่และจำนวนลูกค้ารายใหม่ที่เพิ่มขึ้น โดยขั้นตอนสุดท้ายจะเป็นการกำหนดแผนปฏิบัติการ (Action Plan) ของธุรกิจเพื่อกำหนดหน้าที่ความรับผิดชอบ ขั้นตอนในการดำเนินงาน การควบคุมและติดตามผลการดำเนินงาน ผลจากการศึกษาโดยการสำรวจความคิดเห็นจากผู้เชี่ยวชาญพบว่า แผนยุทธศาสตร์และกลยุทธ์จะใช้ได้ในช่วงการเริ่มต้นธุรกิจ โดยมีแบบแผนปฎิบัติการในการควบคุมการดำเนินงานตามตัวชี้วัดในแต่ละมุมมอง

การศึกษาปัจจัยที่ก่อให้เกิดตามดในกระบวนการหล่อฉีดแรงดันสูง, แพรวดี แก้วคงคา

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

วัตถุประสงค์ของงานวิจัยนี้คือการศึกษาปัจจัยที่ส่งผลต่อตามดในกระบวนการหล่อฉีดแรงดันสูงอลูมิเนียม R14 สำหรับคอมเพรสเซอร์ของชิ้นส่วนยานยนต์ ที่แรงดันในการฉีด 75 ถึง 85 เมกกาปาสคาล ความเร็วในการเคลื่อนที่ของลูกสูบที่ความเร็วต่ำ 0.16 ถึง 0.30 เมตรต่อวินาที ความเร็วในการเคลื่อนที่ของลูกสูบที่ความเร็วสูง 1.8 ถึง 3.0 เมตรต่อวินาที ระยะที่ลูกสูบเคลื่อนที่ด้วยความเร็วสูง 320 ถึง 340 มิลลิเมตร และแรงดันสุญญากาศ -93.0 ถึง -100.0 กิโลปาสคาล โดยการตรวจสอบการวิเคราะห์พื้นผิวตอบสนองกับวิธีบ็อกซ์-เบหน์เคน การออกแบบเพื่อศึกษาปัจจัยและความสัมพันธ์ของพารามิเตอร์และหาสภาวะที่เหมาะสมเพื่อลดสัดส่วนตามดให้เกิดขึ้นน้อยที่สุด จากผลการทดลองพบว่าทั้ง 5 ปัจจัยมีอิทธิพลต่อการเกิดข้อบกพร่องประเภทตามดอย่างมีนัยสำคัญที่ระดับความเชื่อมั่น 95 เปอร์เซ็นต์ ส่งผลให้สัดส่วนของเสียตามดลดลงเหลือ 5.18 เปอร์เซ็นต์จากการตั้งค่าสภาวะที่เหมาะสมจากการทดลองได้แก่ แรงดันในการฉีดคือ 85 เมกกะปาสกาล การเคลื่อนที่ของลูกสูบที่ความเร็วต่ำคือ 0.30 เมตรต่อวินาที การเคลื่อนที่ของลูกสูบที่ความเร็วสูงคือ 2.49 เมตรต่อวินาที ระยะที่ลูกสูบเคลื่อนที่ด้วยความเร็วสูงคือ 326.81 มิลลิเมตร และแรงดันสุญญากาศที่ -97.28 กิโลปาสกาล

Where Are The People? The Human Viewpoint Approach For Architecting And Acquisition, Holly A. H. Handley, Beverly G. Knapp, Defense Acquisition Univ Ft Belvoir Va

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Faculty Publications

The U.S. Department of Defense Architecture Framework (DoDAF) provides a standard framework for transforming systems concepts into a consistent set of products containing the elements and relationships required to represent a complex operational system. However, without a human perspective, the current DoDAF does not account for the human performance aspects needed to calculate the human contribution to system effectiveness and cost. The Human Viewpoint gives systems engineers additional tools to integrate human considerations into systems development by facilitating identification and collection of human-focused data. It provides a way to include Human Systems Integration (HSI) constructs into mainstream acquisition and systems …

Testing Virtual Machines For Cadrc Server Hosting, Robin Verweij

Computer Science and Software Engineering

No abstract provided.

Single-Depot Vehicle Routing Problem For Home Delivery Of Pharmaceutical Products, Kimberly Starr Harms

Masters Theses

Some retail pharmacies offer home delivery services to establish a competitive advantage in the growing healthcare market. The handling of orders for home delivery includes several internal and external processing and transportation activities. In this work, models were developed for use in a pharmacy delivery system to assist personnel in their daily activities. This work includes standard operating procedures for picking, packing and loading of delivery orders and the assignment and routing of vehicles to deliver customer orders. Results from simulated delivery areas identified interesting tradeoffs when comparing densely populated areas to sparsely populated areas. In addition, recommendations for order …

Algorithmic And Mathematical Programming Approaches To Scheduling Problems With Energy-Based Objectives, Kan Fang

Open Access Dissertations

This dissertation studies scheduling as a means to address the increasing concerns related to energy consumption and electricity cost in manufacturing enterprises. Two classes of problems are considered in this dissertation: (i) minimizing the makespan in a permutation flow shop with peak power consumption constraints (the PFSPP problem for short) and (ii) minimizing the total electricity cost on a single machine under time-of-use tariffs (the SMSEC problem for short). We incorporate the technology of dynamic speed scaling and the variable pricing of electricity into these scheduling problems to improve energy efficiency in manufacturing.The challenge in the PFSPP problem is to …

Theory Of Constraints Project Management In A Manufacturing Environment, Shihching Kraft

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The following thesis covers the concepts of Theory of Constraints (TOC) Project Management. Introduced by Eliyahu M. Goldratt in I 984, TOC is a management philosophy that focuses on the use of critical chain project management to prioritize everyday tasks in a company. In TOC Project Management, there is always at least one resource constraint that limits the speed at which projects are completed. TOC management philosophy also recognizes that most projects in the manufacturing industry face unknown schedule delays that could cause projects to be completed late or over the planned budget. During project plan creation, plans are developed …

Development Of Availability And Sustainability Spares Optimization Models For Aircraft Reparables, Edmund K. W. Pek

Theses and Dissertations

The Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) conducts Logistics Support Analysis (LSA) studies in various engineering and logistics efforts on the myriad of weapon systems. In these studies, inventory spares provisioning, availability and sustainability analyses are key focus areas to ensure asset sustenance. In particular, OPUS10, a commercial-off-the-shelf software, is extensively used to conduct reparable spares optimization in acquisition programs. However, it is limited in its ability to conduct availability and sustainability analyses of time-varying operational demands, crucial in Operations & Support (O&S) and contingency planning. As the RSAF seeks force structure expansion to include more sophisticated weapon systems, the …

Predicting Hospital Patients' Admission To Reduce Emergency Department Boarding, Mohammadmahdi Moqri

Graduate Masters Theses

Emergency Department (ED) boarding - the inability to transfer emergency patients to inpatient beds- is a key factor contributing to ED overcrowding. This paper presents a novel approach to improving hospital operational efficiency and, therefore, to decreasing ED boarding. Using the historic data of 15,000 patients, admission results and patient information are correlated in order to identify important admission predictor factors. For example, the type of radiology exams prescribed by the ED physician is identified as among the most important predictors of admission. Based on these factors, a real-time prediction model is developed which is able to correctly predict the …

Calibration Of Microscopic Traffic Flow Models Considering All Parameters Simultaneously, Victor Hugo Molano Paz

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This study proposes a methodology to calibrate microscopic traffic flow simulation models. The proposed methodology has the capability to calibrate simultaneously all the calibration parameters as well as demand patterns for any network topology. These parameters include global and local parameters as well as driver behavior and vehicle performance parameters; all based on multiple performance measures, such as link counts and speeds. Demand patterns are included in the calibration framework in terms of turning volumes.

A Simultaneous Perturbation Stochastic Approximation (SPSA) algorithm is proposed to search for the vector of the model‟s parameters that minimizes the difference between actual and …

Utilizing Atcs Data To Inform A Dynamic Reassignment System For Muni Metro Light Rail Vehicles Departing Embarcadero Station, April M. Hickey

Master's Theses

This is a report of a professional project intended to act as an informational tool for the evaluation of a dynamic dispatch system at Embarcadero Station for the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA). Systems that operate dispatch algorithms do so in response to on-time performance and reliability. The optimization problem is documented in many transportation contexts including airline networks, bus dispatch, and freight routing. According to the research, optimizing available options and re-routing based on available options can create a more efficient system that would minimize operating costs and improving service reliability for customers.

The methodology presented here uses …

A Sociotechnical Systems-Based Process To Facilitate The Development Of A Change Intervention Deployment Plan, Jorge Luis Nadal

EMSE Doctoral Projects

The purpose of this project was to formulate a process to facilitate the development of an effective change intervention deployment plan. The premise is that without a proper deployment plan, the successful implementation of a change intervention in an organization will be slow and require multiple revisions. This research utilized a Sociotechnical Systems (STS) approach to analyze the implementation of a major change intervention.

This research was in part prompted by a request by management of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) for the researcher to examine why it has taken so long to successfully implement this large-scale change …

Approximate Algorithms For The Combined Arrival-Departure Aircraft Sequencing And Reactive Scheduling Problems On Multiple Runways, Gulsah Hancerliogullari

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The problem addressed in this dissertation is the Aircraft Sequencing Problem (ASP) in which a schedule must be developed to determine the assignment of each aircraft to a runway, the appropriate sequence of aircraft on each runway, and their departing or landing times. The dissertation examines the ASP over multiple runways, under mixed mode operations with the objective of minimizing the total weighted tardiness of aircraft landings and departures simultaneously. To prevent the dangers associated with wake-vortex effects, separation times enforced by Aviation Administrations (e.g., FAA) are considered, adding another level of complexity given that such times are sequence-dependent. Due …

Current Barriers To Successful Implementation Of Fist Principles, Brandon Keller, Joseph R. Wirthlin

Faculty Publications

The Fast, Inexpensive, Simple, and Tiny (FIST) framework proposes a broad set of organizational values, but provides limited guidance on practical implementation. Implementing FIST principles requires clarifying the definitions of “fast,” “inexpensive,” and “simple,” recognizing where FIST does and does not apply. Additionally, a subset of the FIST heuristics was expanded upon to increase their usefulness for practitioners. The primary research findings are that FIST principles are less conducive for highly complex or novel systems, immature technologies, future needs, acquisitions in early development phases, or when performance is the foremost value. FIST principles were also found to be constrained by …

The Rq-Tech Methodology: A New Paradigm For Conceptualizing Strategic Enterprise Architectures, Christine Ann Hoyland

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this research is to develop and apply a system-theoretic based methodology and corresponding model for Enterprise Architecture development. Enterprise Architectures can assist managers by illustrating the systemic relationships within an organization and the impact changes to the organization could make. Unfortunately, today's modeling practices are proprietary, time-consuming, and generally ineffective as tools for understanding the consequences of strategic-level planning decisions across all levels of the enterprise. This research supports the conclusion that system-specific solutions produce islands of technology and can be prevented by employing better enterprise change planning.

This research combined the practice of Enterprise Architectures with …

Micro To Macro Dynamics Of Shared Awareness Emergence In Situations Theory: Towards A General Theory Of Shared Awareness, Samuel F. Kavacic

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Engineering Management is an interdisciplinary field of study. As such, Engineering Management must rely on the energies of its participants to integrate toward the problem being solved. Many techniques exist to aid the researcher towards a common goal; however, it can only be surmised on how effective the techniques have been. Not until the activity is over and the participants reflect back on their results can they know whether they shared a common understanding of the problem. This study explores the emergence of shared awareness based the interactions of disparate perspectives at a particulate level. The study builds from observations …

An Investigation Of The Impact Of Requirements Engineering Skills On Project Success, Cynthia Atkins

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A survey of project managers and requirements engineers was conducted to determine what skills, qualifications, and experiences were associated with project success. Survey results indicated that projects using Joint Application Development (JAD) sessions, use cases, and prototypes to engineer requirements were most successful. Other indicators of project success, according to participants, included an adequate allotment of time for requirements engineering—at least 15% of a project's time—and the use of project managers and requirements engineers with professional work experience. In particular, data indicated that Project Managers with at least five years of experience in Information Technology resulted in more successful projects.

Cost Distribution Analysis Of Remote Monitoring System Use In The Treatment Of Chronic Diseases, Adeola Yusuf

Industrial Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

The cost of the treatment of chronic diseases is very high and this has a huge impact on the health-care system. Several factors contribute to this high cost. Some of these include the direct costs of treatment and the costs of several potential complications that arise as a result of the presence of other diseases. The goal of this study is to evaluate a cost-effective way of managing some of the common chronic diseases by analyzing the potential cost savings of utilizing remote monitoring systems (RMS) as opposed to the use of the traditional bundle (which includes regular visits to …

Decision Support Tool For Operations Management Course And Instructor Scheduling, Morgan Ulesich

Industrial Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

The goal of this project is develop a decision support tool that will assist the Operations Management Department at the University of Arkansas with scheduling courses and instructors for the upcoming academic year. The staff of the department dreads this time each year because it takes countless hours to complete the daunting task. Creating an abstract mathematical model will assist the department in scheduling the courses. The model will have the ability to optimize the schedule of the courses and instructors from a large number of variables and constraints that the department requires. An optimization software package can solve the …

Reliability Analysis Of Social Networks, Kellie R. Schneider

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The primary focus of this dissertation is on the quantification of actor interaction and the dissemination of information through Social networks. Social networks have long been used to model the interactions between people in various Social and professional contexts. These networks allow for the explicit modeling of the complex interrelations between relevant individuals within an organization and the role they play in the decision making process. This dissertation considers Social networks represented as network flow models in which actors have the ability to provide some level of influence over other actors within the network. The models developed incorporate performance metrics …