On the Interface Between Operations and Human Resources Management

Operations management (OM) and human resources management (HRM) have historically been very separate fields. In practice, operations managers and human resource managers interact primarily on administrative issues regarding payroll and other matters. In academia, the two subjects are studied by separate communities of scholars publishing in disjoint sets of journals, drawing on mostly separate disciplinary foundations. Yet, operations and human resources are intimately related at a fundamental level. Operations are the context that often explains or moderates the effects of human resource activities such as pay, training, communications and staffing. Human responses to operations management systems often explain variations or anomalies that would otherwise be treated as randomness or error variance in traditional operations research models. In this paper, we probe the interface between operations and human resources by examining how human considerations affect classical OM results and how operational considerations affect classical HRM results. We then propose a unifying framework for identifying new research opportunities at the intersection of the two fields

Nouveau modèle de planification industrielle et commerciale avec approvisionnement long dans l'industrie automobile : approche par simulation-optimisation

Face to uncertain environment and growing globalization of the supply chains, the salesand operations planning (S&OP) aims to adapt efficiently the industrial capacities to themarket demand. In this research, we present an original S&OP model that uses flexibilityconstraints to improve the coordination between sales and logistics functions. A first simulationmodel is developed to study the system dynamics and the impact of different parameters onsystem’s performance in terms of costs and customer satisfaction. We introduce a multiobjectivesimulation-optimization model to investigate the optimal policies. Several optimization methodsare compared and recommendations are given for the practical implementation of our solution.Then, we compare the performances of several policies for managing parts inventories whenthey are coupled with our flexible S&OP. Based on real data of the automobile manufacturerRenault, we present a detailed comparative study. We present several managerial insights on thetype of policies to favor depending on the system characteristics. This research is particularlyrelevant for other industries that face strict customer requirements, uncertain demand and longprocurement lead time.Face à un environnement incertain et une internationalisation croissante de la chaîne logistique, la planification industrielle et commerciale (PIC) permet d’adapter efficacement les capacités industrielles à la demande du marché. Dans cette étude, nous présentons un modèle original de PIC utilisant des contraintes de flexibilité, pour améliorer la coordination entre les fonctions commerciales et logistiques. Un premier modèle de simulation permet d’étudier la dynamique du système ainsi que l’impact des différents paramètres sur les performances en termes de coûts et de satisfaction client. Afin d’étudier les politiques optimales, nous proposons un nouveau modèle de simulation-optimisation multi objectif. Différentes méthodes d’optimisation sont comparées, et plusieurs recommandations sont émises pour l’implémentation pratique de notre solution. Enfin, nous comparons les performances de plusieurs politiques de gestion des stocks lorsqu’elles sont couplées avec notre méthode de PIC flexible. À partir de données réelles du constructeur automobile Renault, nous présentons une étude comparative détaillée. Nous proposons plusieurs préconisations pratiques sur le type de politiques à privilégier selon les caractéristiques du système. Ces travaux de recherche sont particulièrement pertinents et applicables à d’autres industries confrontées à de fortes exigences commerciales,une faible visibilité sur la demande future et des approvisionnements longs

Production Systems with Deteriorating Product Quality : System-Theoretic Approach

Manufacturing systems with perishable products are widely seen in practice (e.g., food, metal processing, etc.). In such systems, the quality of a part is highly dependent on its residence time within the system. However, the behavior and properties of these systems have not been studied systematically, and, therefore, is carried out in this dissertation. Specifically, it was assumed that the probability that each unfinished part is of good quality is a decreasing function of its residence time in the preceding buffer. Then, in the framework of serial production lines with machines having Bernoulli and geometric reliability models, closed-form formulas for performance evaluation in the two-machine line case were derived, and develop an aggregation-based procedure to approximate the performance measures in M\u3e2-machine lines. In addition, the monotonicity properties of these production lines using numerical experiments were studied. A case study in an automotive stamping plant is described to illustrate the theoretical results obtained. Also, Bernoulli serial lines with controlled parts released was analyzed for both deterministic and stochastic releases. Finally, bottleneck analysis in Bernoulli serial lines with deteriorating product quality were studied

Enabling flexibility through strategic management of complex engineering systems

”Flexibility is a highly desired attribute of many systems operating in changing or uncertain conditions. It is a common theme in complex systems to identify where flexibility is generated within a system and how to model the processes needed to maintain and sustain flexibility. The key research question that is addressed is: how do we create a new definition of workforce flexibility within a human-technology-artificial intelligence environment? Workforce flexibility is the management of organizational labor capacities and capabilities in operational environments using a broad and diffuse set of tools and approaches to mitigate system imbalances caused by uncertainties or changes. We establish a baseline reference for managers to use in choosing flexibility methods for specific applications and we determine the scope and effectiveness of these traditional flexibility methods. The unique contributions of this research are: a) a new definition of workforce flexibility for a human-technology work environment versus traditional definitions; b) using a system of systems (SoS) approach to create and sustain that flexibility; and c) applying a coordinating strategy for optimal workforce flexibility within the human- technology framework. This dissertation research fills the gap of how we can model flexibility using SoS engineering to show where flexibility emerges and what strategies a manager can use to manage flexibility within this technology construct”--Abstract, page iii

Amélioration des processus de prévision et de gestion des stocks dans le cas d'une chaîne logistique des pièces de rechange

The main scope of these works is the spare parts supply chain management, particularly the improvement of forecasting and inventory management performance. The specificity of low and erratic demand does not allow the use of conventional approaches of forecasting. Moreover, the associated performance measurements, based on purely statistical indicators, are not adapted to this context. Indeed, it should align with different levels of expectations of the maintenance contracts. After a presentation of the processes and tools used by the dedicated literature. Here we propose new performance analysis approaches seeking to combine the statistical performance of forecasting methods and inventory management performance while considering decision makers priorities and using demand pattern as well as parts age segmentations. These works also address the use of customer differentiation in the inventory model based on forecasting, by comparing the performance of the critical level policy with the common stock and separated stock policies. Each studied process was associated with a comparative analysis of different forecasting methods and inventory management models based on real data of the spare parts supply chain of GE Healthcare, which allowed us to define a set of methods and parameters recommendations according to both part segmentations and supply chain priorities.Le cadre général des travaux de cette thèse est la chaîne logistique des pièces de rechange et particulièrement l’amélioration de sa performance en prévision et en gestion des stocks à plusieurs niveaux de service. La spécificité d’une demande faible et erratique ne permet pas l’utilisation des approches classiques de prévision. Par ailleurs, les mesures de performance associées reposant sur des indicateurs purement statistiques ne reflètent pas nécessairement les objectifs de gestion d’une chaîne logistique qui cherche à s’aligner avec différents niveaux d’exigence des contrats de maintenance. Après une description des processus et des outils en prévision et en gestion de stocks utilisés dans ce contexte, ces travaux proposent de nouvelles approches de sélection des méthodes de prévisions qui intègrent prévision et gestion de stocks, qui permettent la priorisation en service ou en inventaire et qui utilisent une segmentation par profil de la demande et par niveau de maturité des pièces. Par la suite, ces travaux considèrent le cas de la différenciation client dans le modèle de gestion de stocks basé sur des prévisions, en comparant la performance de la politique à niveau critique avec les politiques classiques à stock commun ou séparé. Chaque processus étudié a été accompagné d’une analyse comparative entre différentes méthodes de prévisions et politiques de gestion de stocks sur des données réelles du cas d’application industrielle de la chaine logistique de GE Healthcare. Ce qui a permis de construire un ensemble de recommandations en fonction de la segmentation de la pièce et des priorités des décideurs

Develop a Lean project management framework for the construction companies in order to improve the time and cost efficiencies of their construction operations

This research explores how Lean management principles, tools and techniques could be used in conjunction with project management theories to develop a Lean project management framework for the Saudi construction firms in order to improve the time and cost efficiencies of their operations. It critically evaluates the applicability of Lean's philosophy in the construction industry. It also investigates the management implication of traditional project management practices and the performance-improvement potential of pro-Lean practices. It examines how the adoption of Lean's Kanban can help firms to address the problem of time and cost overruns. It uses Simio 10 computer simulation software to simulate the impact of Kanban's adoption on the time and cost efficiencies of construction activities using 54 real-life scenarios. It identifies the key drivers, enablers and barriers to the adoption of Kanban in the Saudi construction industry using semi-structured interviews and web-based survey questionnaires. This research has found that construction firms in Saudi Arabia are struggling with the management of delays and that their activities are characterised by cost and schedule overruns. Saudi Arabia has, for many years, invested billions of pounds in infrastructure projects, particularly on transport initiatives such as new roads, ports and bridges. However, not many of these initiatives have been completed in time or on budget. In fact, delays and cost overruns are so common in the country that they have become seen as the norm and as a reality that project managers should just accept. This research has also found that the principles of 'Lean Construction' and Kanban's 6 rules in particular offer a viable solution to many of the current problems of Saudi construction firms. Kanban enables construction companies to switch from push-based systems to pull-based systems which involve real-time monitoring of consumption and demand-triggered replenishment. Kanban's adoption also ensures that the capacities of upstream and downstream processes are perfectly aligned, which helps firms to reduce bottlenecks, avoid backlogs and fine-tune their processes and construction activities. Moreover, this research has found that Lean construction's success depends heavily on senior management's commitment and also on staff training and understanding of the technical requirements of Lean's systems. In fact, lack of commitment and senior managers' short-sighted investment policies are identified as the two most significant barriers to Lean construction's principles' adoption and operationalisation.Ministry of Education in Saudi Arabi

Analysis of a simple CONWIP system with impatient customers

Summarization: We study a single-stage, constant work-in-process (CONWIP) production system that produces one product to stock to cope with random demand. During stockout periods, the system incurs three types of potential customer loss: Balking, i.e., arriving customers may be unwilling to place orders and leave immediately. Rejection, i.e., the system rejects new customer orders if its backlog has reached a certain limit, called the base backlog. Reneging, i.e., outstanding customers waiting in queue may become impatient and withdraw their orders. The objective is to determine the CONWIP level and the base backlog that maximize the mean profit rate of the system. This quantity is estimated analytically using a finite capacity M/M/1 queueing model, in which the arrival rate is a decreasing but otherwise arbitrary function of the backlog and customer reneging times have an arbitrary but known distribution. Certain properties of the mean profit rate are established which ensure that the optimal control parameters can be determined in finite time by exhaustive search. Numerical results show that managing inventories and backlog jointly achieves higher profit than other control policies.Παρουσιάστηκε στο: IEEE International Conference on Automation Science and Engineerin