Predictive Big Data Analytics for Supply Chain Demand Forecasting: Methods, Applications, and Research Opportunities

Big data analytics (BDA) in supply chain management (SCM) is receiving a growing attention. This is due to the fact that BDA has a wide range of applications in SCM, including customer behavior analysis, trend analysis, and demand prediction. In this survey, we investigate the predictive BDA applications in supply chain demand forecasting to propose a classification of these applications, identify the gaps, and provide insights for future research. We classify these algorithms and their applications in supply chain management into time-series forecasting, clustering, K-nearest-neighbors, neural networks, regression analysis, support vector machines, and support vector regression. This survey also points to the fact that the literature is particularly lacking on the applications of BDA for demand forecasting in the case of closed-loop supply chains (CLSCs) and accordingly highlights avenues for future research

Vulnerability Analysis of a Mutual Authentication Protocol Conforming to EPC Class-1 Generation-2 Standard

In this paper we scrutinize the security properties of an RFID authentication protocol conforming to the EPC Class-1 Generation-2 standard. The protocol is suitable for Gen-2 passive tags and requires simple computations. The authors claim that the scheme provides privacy protection and authentication and offers resistant against commonly assumed attacks. We propose a de-synchronization and an impersonation attack in which the disclosing of the secret information (i.e. secret key and static identifier) shared between the tag and the reader is unnecessary to success in these attacks

Vulnerability Analysis of a Mutual Authentication Protocol Conforming to EPC Class-1 Generation-2 Standard

In this paper we scrutinize the security properties of an RFID authentication protocol conforming to the EPC Class-1 Generation-2 standard. The protocol is suitable for Gen-2 passive tags and requires simple computations. The authors claim that the scheme provides privacy protection and authentication and offers resistant against commonly assumed attacks. We propose a de-synchronization and an impersonation attack in which the disclosing of the secret information (i.e. secret key and static identifier) shared between the tag and the reader is unnecessary to success in these attacks

SLRV: An RFID Mutual Authentication Protocol Conforming to EPC Generation-2 Standard

Having done an analysis on the security vulnerabilities of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) through a desynchronization and an impersonation attacks, it is revealed that the secret information (i.e.: secret key and static identifier) shared between the tag and the reader is unnecessary. To overcome the vulnerability, this paper introduces Shelled Lightweight Random Value (SLRV) protocol; a mutual authentication protocol with high-security potentials conforming to  electronic product code (EPC) Class-1 Generation-2 Tags, based on lightweight and standard cryptography on the tag’s and reader’s side, respectively. SLRV prunes de-synchronization attacks where the updating of internal values is only executed on the tag’s side and is a condition to a successful mutual authentication. Results of security analysis of SLRV, and comparison with existing protocols, are presented

An interactive product development model in remanufacturing environment: a chaos-based artificial bee colony approach

This research presents an interactive product development model in re-manufacturing environment. The product development model defined a quantitative value model considering product design and development tasks and their value attributes responsible to describe functions of the product. At the last stage of the product development process, re-manufacturing feasibility of used components is incorporated. The consummate feature of this consideration lies in considering variability in cost, weight, and size of the constituted components depending on its types and physical states. Further, this research focuses on reverse logistics paradigm to drive environmental management and economic concerns of the manufacturing industry after the product launching and selling in the market. Moreover, the model is extended by integrating it with RFID technology. This RFID embedded model is aimed at analyzing the economical impact on the account of having advantage of a real time system with reduced inventory shrinkage, reduced processing time, reduced labor cost, process accuracy, and other directly measurable benefits. Consideration the computational complexity involved in product development process reverse logistics, this research proposes; Self-Guided Algorithms & Control (S-CAG) approach for the product development model, and Chaos-based Interactive Artificial Bee Colony (CI-ABC) approach for re-manufacturing model. Illustrative Examples has been presented to test the efficacy of the models. Numerical results from using the S-CAG and CI-ABC for optimal performance are presented and analyzed. The results clearly reveal the efficacy of proposed algorithms when applied to the underlying problems. --Abstract, page iv

Design of RFID-enabled Aircraft Reverse Logistics Network Simulation

The reverse logistics (RL) of aircrafts pose a big challenge to its owners due to the complexity of its RL network, and the inherit problems of realizing a reliable system for efficiently monitoring and tracking the numerous parts of end-of-life (EOL) aircrafts in the RL network. Radio frequency identification (RFID) technology, through its automatic and wireless data capture capability, offers great potential for counteracting this problem. Although widespread and cost-effective, traditional barcode system, unlike RFID technology, requires manual scanning and line-of-sight for its use. In this research, thorough review of literature was conducted to identify the technological and economical impacts of RFID technology in both forward and RL network, and the knowledge acquired was employed to develop a scenario based approach for determining suitable RFID solutions for use in different sections of the EOL aircraft RL network. Process maps for case-level barcode tagging, item-level RFID tagging, case-level RFID tagging and pallet-level RFID tagging in EOL aircraft RL were developed and simulated in Arena simulation software in order to comparatively analyze the Return-On-Investment (ROI) of the different RFID technology levels. The results of our research, focusing on passive RFID technology, demonstrate that use of RFID technology in EOL aircraft RL network offers great potential compared to barcode system; however, the high initial investment cost of RFID technology deployment may necessitate proper planning, such as business process re-engineering (BPR), tag reuse and phased implementation, to achieve more positive ROI

Semantic discovery and reuse of business process patterns

Patterns currently play an important role in modern information systems (IS) development and their use has mainly been restricted to the design and implementation phases of the development lifecycle. Given the increasing significance of business modelling in IS development, patterns have the potential of providing a viable solution for promoting reusability of recurrent generalized models in the very early stages of development. As a statement of research-in-progress this paper focuses on business process patterns and proposes an initial methodological framework for the discovery and reuse of business process patterns within the IS development lifecycle. The framework borrows ideas from the domain engineering literature and proposes the use of semantics to drive both the discovery of patterns as well as their reuse

A Technical and Business Perspective on Wireless Sensor Network for Manufacturing Execution System

Motivated by the complex production management with difficulties in error-prone assembly system and inaccurate supply chain inventory, this paper designs a novel manufacturing execution system (MES) architecture for intelligent monitoring based on wireless sensor network (WSN). The technical perspective includes analysis on the proposed manufacturing resource mutual inductance method under active sensing network, appreciation technology of multisource information, and dynamic optimization technology for manufacturing execution processes. From business perspective, this paper elaborates the impact of RFID investment on complex product by establishing a three-stage supply chain model that involves two suppliers carrying out Stackelberg games (manufacturer and retailer). The optimal cost threshold values of technology investment are examined for both the centralized and the decentralized scenarios utilizing quantitative modeling methods. By analyzing and comparing the optimal profit with or without investment on WSN, this paper establishes a supply chain coordination and boosting model. The results of this paper have contributed significantly for one to make decision on whether RFID should be adopted among its members in supply chain. The system performance and model extension are verified via numerical analyses

RFID Technology in Intelligent Tracking Systems in Construction Waste Logistics Using Optimisation Techniques

Construction waste disposal is an urgent issue for protecting our environment. This paper proposes a waste management system and illustrates the work process using plasterboard waste as an example, which creates a hazardous gas when land filled with household waste, and for which the recycling rate is less than 10% in the UK. The proposed system integrates RFID technology, Rule-Based Reasoning, Ant Colony optimization and knowledge technology for auditing and tracking plasterboard waste, guiding the operation staff, arranging vehicles, schedule planning, and also provides evidence to verify its disposal. It h relies on RFID equipment for collecting logistical data and uses digital imaging equipment to give further evidence; the reasoning core in the third layer is responsible for generating schedules and route plans and guidance, and the last layer delivers the result to inform users. The paper firstly introduces the current plasterboard disposal situation and addresses the logistical problem that is now the main barrier to a higher recycling rate, followed by discussion of the proposed system in terms of both system level structure and process structure. And finally, an example scenario will be given to illustrate the system’s utilization