Understanding the Workforce Needs of New Jersey's Retail Industry

Explores the changing skill and education needs of the modern retail workplace. Identifies key skills employers require and the jobs for which employers report the most difficulty finding and keeping skilled workers

Redesigning A Trolley for The Stairs Building Based on Material Aspect

In Bandung, some buildings have three levels or more with no escalator and elevator for their daily needs in moving goods. One example is the Telkom University dormitory. As a resident of a building, problems are often found unconsciously and that has not been found a clear solution, for example when moving goods from the ground to the top level. The goods are referred to as suitcases, gallons, dispensers, large bags, etc. Some people will call the services of a porter or friend to help them transport goods. Because of that, a clear solution must be made for goods mobilization activities to be more effective and efficient, therefore, transportation equipment such as trolleys with good material and it can accommodate the load of goods that are usually moved in buildings without elevators is a solution for this problem. Keywords Stairs trolley, Material, Dormitory, Bandun

Integration of e-business strategy for multi-lifecycle production systems

Internet use has grown exponentially on the last few years becoming a global communication and business resource. Internet-based business, or e-Business will truly affect every sector of the economy in ways that today we can only imagine. The manufacturing sector will be at the forefront of this change. This doctoral dissertation provides a scientific framework and a set of novel decision support tools for evaluating, modeling, and optimizing the overall performance of e-Business integrated multi-lifecycle production systems. The characteristics of this framework include environmental lifecycle study, environmental performance metrics, hyper-network model of integrated e-supply chain networks, fuzzy multi-objective optimization method, discrete-event simulation approach, and scalable enterprise environmental management system design. The dissertation research reveals that integration of e-Business strategy into production systems can alter current industry practices along a pathway towards sustainability, enhancing resource productivity, improving cost efficiencies and reducing lifecycle environmental impacts. The following research challenges and scholarly accomplishments have been addressed in this dissertation: Identification and analysis of environmental impacts of e-Business. A pioneering environmental lifecycle study on the impact of e-Business is conducted, and fuzzy decision theory is further applied to evaluate e-Business scenarios in order to overcome data uncertainty and information gaps; Understanding, evaluation, and development of environmental performance metrics. Major environmental performance metrics are compared and evaluated. A universal target-based performance metric, developed jointly with a team of industry and university researchers, is evaluated, implemented, and utilized in the methodology framework; Generic framework of integrated e-supply chain network. The framework is based on the most recent research on large complex supply chain network model, but extended to integrate demanufacturers, recyclers, and resellers as supply chain partners. Moreover, The e-Business information network is modeled as a overlaid hypernetwork layer for the supply chain; Fuzzy multi-objective optimization theory and discrete-event simulation methods. The solution methods deal with overall system parameter trade-offs, partner selections, and sustainable decision-making; Architecture design for scalable enterprise environmental management system. This novel system is designed and deployed using knowledge-based ontology theory, and XML techniques within an agent-based structure. The implementation model and system prototype are also provided. The new methodology and framework have the potential of being widely used in system analysis, design and implementation of e-Business enabled engineering systems

Multi crteria decision making and its applications : a literature review

This paper presents current techniques used in Multi Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) and their applications. Two basic approaches for MCDM, namely Artificial Intelligence MCDM (AIMCDM) and Classical MCDM (CMCDM) are discussed and investigated. Recent articles from international journals related to MCDM are collected and analyzed to find which approach is more common than the other in MCDM. Also, which area these techniques are applied to. Those articles are appearing in journals for the year 2008 only. This paper provides evidence that currently, both AIMCDM and CMCDM are equally common in MCDM

Water, energy and carbon footprints of a pair of leather shoes

The shoe market is very big and complex. It is not easy for the consumer to know or estimate the true value of a product´s features and the environmental impact it has. The aim of this study is to analyze and improve a pair of leather shoes, including materials selection and end of life strategies to lower environmental pressure due to water and energy use and CO2 equivalent emissions. The present study was divided into two main stages: In the first stage a literature survey on the footwear industry was conducted, including the current state of the footwear industry and the current trends in footwear eco-labelling. In the second stage, Life Cycle based footprints for carbon dioxide equivalents; water and energy were calculated and related to a functional unit. This unit was based on one pair of reference leather shoe, manufactured by Aretina Company in León, Guanajuato, México. The footprints were calculated following the framework of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) prescribed by ISO 14040 (ISO, 2006). The footprints analysis was performed by aid of the SimaPro software and included Life Cycle Inventories (LCIs) of water, energy and CO2 equivalents. The analysis showed that three important potential areas for eco-shoe development are the shoe sole, the inside textile and the paper packages

An integrated approach for lean production using simulation and data envelopment analysis

According to the extant literature, improving the leanness of a production system boosts a company’s productivity and competitiveness. However, such an endeavor usually involves managing multiple, potentially conflicting objectives. This study proposes a framework that analyzes lean production methods using simulation and data envelopment analysis (DEA) to accommodate the underlying multi-objective decision-making problem. The proposed framework can help identify the most efficient solution alternative by (i) considering the most common lean production methods for assembly line balancing, such as single minute exchange of dies (SMED) and multi-machine set-up reduction (MMSUR), (ii) creating and simulating various alternative assembly line configuration options via discrete-event simulation modeling, and (iii) formulating and applying DEA to identify the best alternative assembly system configuration for the multi-objective decision making. In this study, we demonstrate the viability and superiority of the proposed framework with an application case on an automotive spare parts production system. The results show that the suggested framework substantially improves the existing system by increasing efficiency while concurrently decreasing work-in-process (WIP).Q10006980682000012-s2.0-8511520297

Additive Manufacturing of Slow-Moving Automotive Spare Parts: A Supply Chain Cost Assessment

This study develops a cost model for the additive manufacturing (AM)-produced spare parts supply chain in the automotive industry. Moreover, we evaluate the economic feasibility of AM for slow-moving automotive spare parts by comparing the costs of the traditional manufacturing (TM) spare parts supply chain (SPSC) with centralized, outsourced AM SPSC. Data from a multiple case study of an OEM in the automotive industry regarding SPSC is utilized. The supply chain costs of 14 individual spare parts were analyzed, and the total SPSC cost for the AM and TM, were compared. Three of the fourteen parts showed potential for cost-savings, if they were produced with AM instead of TM. In this context, AM polymer parts showed greater potential than metal to replace TM as the more economical option of manufacturing from a total supply chain cost perspective. This study shows that the AM competitiveness to TM, from a financial perspective, increases for spare parts with low demand, high minimum order quantity, and high TM production price. The SPSC cost model included: cost of production, transport, warehousing, and service costs. This study contributes to the emerging field of part identification for AM and the existing literature regarding cost modeling in SPSCs

Planning and Scheduling Optimization

Although planning and scheduling optimization have been explored in the literature for many years now, it still remains a hot topic in the current scientific research. The changing market trends, globalization, technical and technological progress, and sustainability considerations make it necessary to deal with new optimization challenges in modern manufacturing, engineering, and healthcare systems. This book provides an overview of the recent advances in different areas connected with operations research models and other applications of intelligent computing techniques used for planning and scheduling optimization. The wide range of theoretical and practical research findings reported in this book confirms that the planning and scheduling problem is a complex issue that is present in different industrial sectors and organizations and opens promising and dynamic perspectives of research and development

Business Process Management Education in Academia: Status, challenges, and Recommendations

In response to the growing proliferation of Business Process Management (BPM) in industry and the demand this creates for BPM expertise, universities across the globe are at various stages of incorporating knowledge and skills in their teaching offerings. However, there are still only a handful of institutions that offer specialized education in BPM in a systematic and in-depth manner. This article is based on a global educators’ panel discussion held at the 2009 European Conference on Information Systems in Verona, Italy. The article presents the BPM programs of five universities from Australia, Europe, Africa, and North America, describing the BPM content covered, program and course structures, and challenges and lessons learned. The article also provides a comparative content analysis of BPM education programs illustrating a heterogeneous view of BPM. The examples presented demonstrate how different courses and programs can be developed to meet the educational goals of a university department, program, or school. This article contributes insights on how best to continuously sustain and reshape BPM education to ensure it remains dynamic, responsive, and sustainable in light of the evolving and ever-changing marketplace demands for BPM expertise