An analytical investigation into lead-time reduction in the manufacturing sector: a study of discrete manufacturing in Kurdistan region of Iraq

This thesis was submitted for the award of Doctor of Philosophy and was awarded by Brunel University LondonThe dynamic business environment has prompted the companies to improve their competitiveness in terms of manufacturing efficiencies by exploring faster, better and cheaper modes of product development. In this concern, different approaches are configured such as lean manufacturing, just in time and lead time reduction. The study focuses on a critical investigation into the reduction of Lead Time within discrete manufacturing in Kurdistan region of Iraq and the reasons behind this research, that area has evolved gradually as well as the government has an action plan for national recovery and development of reconstruction, where lead-time has become a major issue in manufacturing industry. Specifically, current research study aims at contributing to the strand by focusing on a critical investigation into the reduction of lead time within discrete manufacturing in Kurdistan region of Iraq, where lead-time has become a major issue in manufacturing industry. Mainly, the study has the goals of developing reliable techniques for reducing the lead time through application of assessment survey, capacity planning and key performance indicators in order to implement and control the manufacturing processes. The rationale behind the present study is consisted of economic development within the region, which has attracted a large number of foreign direct investments, but the expanded lead time is causing hurdles with the lack of a strategic plan for resolving the issue which has not keenly addressed in literature so current study would be beneficial for both the stakeholders such as researchers relying on literature and for practitioners as well. In order to conduct the analysis, current research applies the mixture of quantitative and qualitative research. Specifically, for quantitative analysis, a survey is conducted using questionnaires as data collection tool and SPSS analysis for exploring the cause and effect relationship. Mainly, the data are collected from eight Kurdistan based manufacturers. On the contrary, the qualitative analysis is conducted through the case studies. The development of a comprehensive conceptual framework has been applied for focusing on quick response manufacturing both at batch and mass production level. The framework is a contribution to academic knowledge. Through the outcomes of the study, specific factors which are explored to be the main causes of extension in lead time include ineffective forecasting for material requirements, capacity planning, inaccurate demand analysis, decreased resource efficiency and shipment delays. As the most effective solution to these issues, the findings explained that the lot for lot technique is much better than the fixed period requirements which are mostly used in the Iraq region. Moreover, just in time manufacturing strategy and closed loop capacity is also proven to be fruitful along with the splitting order tactic. It is concluded from the findings of this study that the basic issue lies with management in different areas like in human resource, quality, information acquiring, technological developments and operational efficiency. So, it is recommended to the practitioners to higher efficient management squad at the most basic level to eradicate the root cause of the lead time issue. This research will provide new simple strategies for reducing manufacturing lead-time because this is particularly important, as it can be used to provide guidance to industry practitioners on how to reduce manufacturing lead time.http://bura.brunel.ac.uk/bitstream/2438/14585/1/Twana%20Jaff%20%20Thesis%20Brunel%202017.pd

Application of lean scheduling and production control in non-repetitive manufacturing systems using intelligent agent decision support

This thesis was submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy and awarded by Brunel University.Lean Manufacturing (LM) is widely accepted as a world-class manufacturing paradigm, its currency and superiority are manifested in numerous recent success stories. Most lean tools including Just-in-Time (JIT) were designed for repetitive serial production systems. This resulted in a substantial stream of research which dismissed a priori the suitability of LM for non-repetitive non-serial job-shops. The extension of LM into non-repetitive production systems is opposed on the basis of the sheer complexity of applying JIT pull production control in non-repetitive systems fabricating a high variety of products. However, the application of LM in job-shops is not unexplored. Studies proposing the extension of leanness into non-repetitive production systems have promoted the modification of pull control mechanisms or reconfiguration of job-shops into cellular manufacturing systems. This thesis sought to address the shortcomings of the aforementioned approaches. The contribution of this thesis to knowledge in the field of production and operations management is threefold: Firstly, a Multi-Agent System (MAS) is designed to directly apply pull production control to a good approximation of a real-life job-shop. The scale and complexity of the developed MAS prove that the application of pull production control in non-repetitive manufacturing systems is challenging, perplex and laborious. Secondly, the thesis examines three pull production control mechanisms namely, Kanban, Base Stock and Constant Work-in-Process (CONWIP) which it enhances so as to prevent system deadlocks, an issue largely unaddressed in the relevant literature. Having successfully tested the transferability of pull production control to non-repetitive manufacturing, the third contribution of this thesis is that it uses experimental and empirical data to examine the impact of pull production control on job-shop performance. The thesis identifies issues resulting from the application of pull control in job-shops which have implications for industry practice and concludes by outlining further research that can be undertaken in this direction

Operational Research: Methods and Applications

Throughout its history, Operational Research has evolved to include a variety of methods, models and algorithms that have been applied to a diverse and wide range of contexts. This encyclopedic article consists of two main sections: methods and applications. The first aims to summarise the up-to-date knowledge and provide an overview of the state-of-the-art methods and key developments in the various subdomains of the field. The second offers a wide-ranging list of areas where Operational Research has been applied. The article is meant to be read in a nonlinear fashion. It should be used as a point of reference or first-port-of-call for a diverse pool of readers: academics, researchers, students, and practitioners. The entries within the methods and applications sections are presented in alphabetical order. The authors dedicate this paper to the 2023 Turkey/Syria earthquake victims. We sincerely hope that advances in OR will play a role towards minimising the pain and suffering caused by this and future catastrophes

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

Application of Optimization in Production, Logistics, Inventory, Supply Chain Management and Block Chain

The evolution of industrial development since the 18th century is now experiencing the fourth industrial revolution. The effect of the development has propagated into almost every sector of the industry. From inventory to the circular economy, the effectiveness of technology has been fruitful for industry. The recent trends in research, with new ideas and methodologies, are included in this book. Several new ideas and business strategies are developed in the area of the supply chain management, logistics, optimization, and forecasting for the improvement of the economy of the society and the environment. The proposed technologies and ideas are either novel or help modify several other new ideas. Different real life problems with different dimensions are discussed in the book so that readers may connect with the recent issues in society and industry. The collection of the articles provides a glimpse into the new research trends in technology, business, and the environment