Production Scheduling

Generally speaking, scheduling is the procedure of mapping a set of tasks or jobs (studied objects) to a set of target resources efficiently. More specifically, as a part of a larger planning and scheduling process, production scheduling is essential for the proper functioning of a manufacturing enterprise. This book presents ten chapters divided into five sections. Section 1 discusses rescheduling strategies, policies, and methods for production scheduling. Section 2 presents two chapters about flow shop scheduling. Section 3 describes heuristic and metaheuristic methods for treating the scheduling problem in an efficient manner. In addition, two test cases are presented in Section 4. The first uses simulation, while the second shows a real implementation of a production scheduling system. Finally, Section 5 presents some modeling strategies for building production scheduling systems. This book will be of interest to those working in the decision-making branches of production, in various operational research areas, as well as computational methods design. People from a diverse background ranging from academia and research to those working in industry, can take advantage of this volume

A Heuristic Method for Task Selection in Persistent ISR Missions Using Autonomous Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

The Persistent Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (PISR) problem seeks to provide timely collection and delivery of data from prioritized ISR tasks using an autonomous Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV). In the literature, PISR is classified as a type of Vehicle Routing Problem (VRP), often called by other names such as persistent monitoring, persistent surveillance, and patrolling. The objective of PISR is to minimize the weighted revisit time to each task (called weighted latency) using an optimal task selection algorithm. In this research, we utilize the average weighted latency as our performance metric and investigate a method for task selection called the Maximal Distance Discounted and Weighted Revisit Period (MD2WRP) utility function. The MD2WRP function is a heuristic method of task selection that uses n+1 parameters, where n is the number of PISR tasks. We develop a two-step optimization method for the MD2WRP parameters to deliver optimal latency performance for any given task configuration, which accommodates both single and multi-vehicle scenarios. To validate our optimization method, we compare the performance of MD2WRP to common Traveling Salesman Problem (TSP) methods for PISR using different task configurations. We find that the optimized MD2WRP function is competitive with the TSP methods, and that MD2WRP often results in steady-state task visit sequences that are equivalent to the TSP solution for a single vehicle. We also compare MD2WRP to other utility methods from the literature, finding thatMD2WRP performs on par with or better than these other methods even when optimizing only one of its n + 1 parameters. To address real-world operational factors, we test MD2WRP with Dubins constraints, no-y zones in the operational area, return-to-base requirements, and the addition and removal of vehicles and tasks mid-mission. For each operational factor, we demonstrate its effect on PISR task selections using MD2WRP and how MD2WRP needs to be modified, if at all, to compensate. Finally, we make practical suggestions about implementing MD2WRP for flight testing, outline potential areas for future study, and offer recommendations about the conduct of PISR missions in general

Business strategy driven IT systems for engineer-to-order and make-to-order manufacturing enterprises

This thesis reports research into the specification and implementation of an Information Technology (IT) Route Map. The purpose of the Route Map is to enable rapid design and deployment of IT solutions capable of semi-automating business processes in a manufacturing enterprise. The Map helps structure transition processes involved in “identification of key business strategies and design of business processes” and “choice of enterprise systems and supporting implementation techniques”. Common limitations of current Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems are observed and incorporated as Route Map implications and constraints. Scope of investigation is targeted at Small to Medium Sized Enterprises (SMEs) that employ Engineer-To-Order (ETO) and Make-To-Order (MTO) business processes. However, a feature of the Route Map is that it takes into account contemporary business concerns related to “globalisation”, “mergers and acquisitions” and “typical resource constraint problems of SMEs”. In the course of the research a “Business Strategy Driven IT System Concept” was conceived and examined. The main purpose of this concept is to promote the development of agile and innovative business activity in SMEs. The Road Map encourages strategy driven solutions to be (a) specified based on the use of emerging enterprise engineering theories and (b) implemented and changed using componentbased systems design and composition techniques. Part-evaluation of the applicability and capabilities of the Road Map has been carried out by conducting industrial survey and case study work. This assesses requirements of real industrial problems and solutions. The evaluation work has also been enabled by conducting a pilot implementation of the thesis concepts at the premises of a partner SME

Salford postgraduate annual research conference (SPARC) 2012 proceedings

These proceedings bring together a selection of papers from the 2012 Salford Postgraduate Annual Research Conference (SPARC). They reflect the breadth and diversity of research interests showcased at the conference, at which over 130 researchers from Salford, the North West and other UK universities presented their work. 21 papers are collated here from the humanities, arts, social sciences, health, engineering, environment and life sciences, built environment and business

Determining information systems contribution to manufacturing agility for SME's in dynamic business environments

This thesis was submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy and awarded by Brunel University.Since the concept of agile manufacturing was coined in the early nineties, the study of the contribution of information systems to agility has lacked a thorough analysis. Information systems have been labelled in the academic literature as critical, key and important in achieving and supporting agility. On the other hand, there is a large number of documented cases where IS have failed to deliver expected benefits. The aim of this study has been to determine the contribution of information systems to manufacturing agility. This study required the development of a research survey with the purpose of testing seven IT/IS proficiency characteristics of agility, three characteristics of a dynamic business environment and the type of IS applications used in manufacturing organisations. The analysis of the survey suggested that the business environment does not exert great influence on the IT/IS proficiency characteristics; also no association was found with the use of a specific type of manufacturing IS and the IT/IS proficiency characteristics. The results of the analysis of the survey were further expanded in a multiple case-study. Profitable SMEs with some agile processes in place participated in a multiple case-study that covered the agility of manufacturing and other business process, business and IT strategies, and skills and expertise of employees affecting the realisation of benefits of IS. The study revealed that information systems are neither the most important, the most overwhelming, the most difficult part of the equation to achieve agility nor are they principal enablers of manufacturing. Identified principal enablers of agile manufacturing include providing training to employees, right attitude of workforce towards change, having a flexible manufacturing base and people's knowledge and skills. Moreover, the use of low performing information systems was not an impediment to moving towards agility. The results of the multiple case-study tend to indicate that information systems play a more significant role in enhancing agility once principal enablers have been implemented. Certainly, IS may be required to support manufacturing agility but that information systems are not sufficient to achieve it. The study revealed that skills and expertise of people were used as means to overcome the problems and shortcomings generated by low performing IS. A new taxonomy of enablers of agility has been defined, identifying IS as second-order enablers of agility. Also, a proposed new framework has considered the adoption of an IT strategy to influencing a business strategy as a mean of enhancing the agility of business processes already achieved through the implementation of principal enablers

Development of a measurement for technology learning process (TLP)

Advanced Manufacturing Technologies (AMTs) are widely used by manufacturing organisations all over the world. Unfortunately, the process of implementation of AMT projects has been unsatisfactory and sometimes led to total failure. In the literature, various reasons are brought forward for the deficiency of companies to deal with such technologies. Most cited reasons were managerial incompetence, organisational inertia and lack of and/or insufficient Technology Learning Process (TLP). Particularly, the Technology Learning Process (TLP) was widely recognised as a significant factor influencing technological change management. For instance, several authors believed that the failure of companies to manage technological change was due to the absence of effective TLP. Hence, studying and identifying the impact of TLP on the technological change management and on operations management is of real importance to reduce this rate of failure. In order to understand how TLP was implemented and what measures were used to determine the practice level of TLP, face-to-face interviews with experienced industrial project managers were held. Based on these interviews, this study developed 46 parameters in order to assess the practice level of TLP in Irish organisations. These parameters were classified into four levels including Basic Level, Average Level, Advanced Level, and World-Class level. To examine the impact of these parameters on the technological change management, postal and online questionnaires were designed and dispatched to all pharmaceutical and chemical firms in Ireland. This was a two-fold objective survey. The first objective was to verify the suitability of this set of parameters over a larger sample of pharmaceutical and chemical organisations. The second objective was to determine the level of TLP practice within the pharmaceutical and chemical firms in Ireland and to investigate the impact of each parameter of this set of parameters on the process of implementation of AMT projects and also on the organisation performance as a whole. The suitability of the proposed conceptual model on wide population was verified. The developed set of parameters was found not only to have significant impact on the process of AMT implementation but also have an influence on the organisation performance

Artificial Intelligence in the Context of Human Consciousness

Artificial intelligence (AI) can be defined as the ability of a machine to learn and make decisions based on acquired information. AI’s development has incited rampant public speculation regarding the singularity theory: a futuristic phase in which intelligent machines are capable of creating increasingly intelligent systems. Its implications, combined with the close relationship between humanity and their machines, make achieving understanding both natural and artificial intelligence imperative. Researchers are continuing to discover natural processes responsible for essential human skills like decision-making, understanding language, and performing multiple processes simultaneously. Artificial intelligence attempts to simulate these functions through techniques like artificial neural networks, Markov Decision Processes, Human Language Technology, and Multi-Agent Systems, which rely upon a combination of mathematical models and hardware

Intelligent Approaches for Routing Protocols In Cognitive Ad-Hoc Networks

This dissertation describes the CogNet architecture and five cognitive routing protocols designed to function within this architecture. In this document, I first provide detailed modeling and analysis of CogNet architecture and then provide the detailed approach, mathematical analysis, and simulation results for each of the developed cognitive routing protocols. The fundamental idea for these cognitive routing protocols is that a proper and adaptive network topology should be constructed from network nodes based on predictions using cognitive functions and past experience. The nodes in the cognitive radio network employ machine learning techniques to use past experience and make wise decisions by predicting future network conditions. The cognitive protocol architecture is a cross-layer optimized construct where the lower layer knowledge of the wireless medium is shared with the network layer. This dissertation investigates several intelligent approaches for cognitive routing protocols, such as the multi-channel optimized approach, the scalability optimized cognitive approach, the multi-path optimized approach, and the mobility optimized approach. Analytical and simulation results demonstrate that network performance can be increased significantly by applying cognitive routing protocols

Benchmarking VisualStudio.NET for the development and implementation of a manufacturing execution system

The focus of this thesis is to show the utility of Microsoft\u27s\u27 .NET framework in developing and implementing a MES system. The manufacturing environment today, more than ever, is working towards achieving better yields, productivity, quality, and customer satisfaction. Companies such as DELL are rapidly outgrowing their competition due to better management of their product lifecycles. The time between receiving a new order to the time the final product is shipped is getting shorter. Historically, business management applications such as Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems and Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems have been implemented without too much importance given to the operational and shop floor needs. The fact is that these business systems can be successful only when they are properly integrated with real-time data from the shop floor, which is the core of any manufacturing set-up. A Manufacturing Execution System or a MES is this link between the shop floor and the top floor. MESA international defines MES as Systems that deliver information enabling the optimization of production activities from order launch to finished goods Thus, a MES provides the right information to the right people at the right time in a right format, to help them make well-informed decisions. Thus, a necessity for an efficient MES is high capability of integration with the existing systems on the operational level. This is where Microsoft\u27s\u27 VS.NET fits in. Microsoft defines .NET as A set of software technologies for connecting information, people, systems and devices . The vision of .NET is to enable the end user to connect to information from any place at anytime, using any device and in a manner that is independent of the platform on which the service is based. The building block of the .NET framework is the Common Language Runtime or CLR, which is capable of converting data from its original format into a format understandable to .NET and then use that format to interface with its client. This feature that .NET provides holds the key in the context of a MES development and implementation. The aim of this applied research is to design a MES using VS.NET to control the working of a Flexible Manufacturing System (FMS) namely CAMCELL. The architecture used for the MES will then be gauged against an MES implementation done previously using a Siemens\u27 PC-based automation technology and Visual FoxPro. This study will integrate the Siemens\u27 technology with the .NET framework to enhance the resulting MES efficiency. The shop floor details or the real-time data collection will be done using the databases from WinCC and data aggregation and manipulation will be done within the .NET framework. The software architecture used for this study will achieve vertical integration between the CAMCELL ERP layer, the MES layer and the Control layer. The study will demonstrate how the data stored in a high level ERP database can be converted into useful information for the control layer for process control and also how real-time information gathered from the control layer can be filtered into useful information up to the ERP layer to facilitate the decision making process. VS.NET user interface screens will be proposed to support these activities. The performance of the proposed architecture will be compared to that from previous studies, thus benchmarking VS.NET for the implementation of the MES