Analysis of OM-Based Literature Reviews on Facility Layout Planning

This work consists of a systematized review of the state of the art of reviews for the problem of Facility Layout Planning (FLP) within the Operations Management (OM) field to support the decisions taken for the improvement of the manufacturing and logistics in a factory environment. The first phase begins by defining the search strategies for obtaining the scientific literature, for which we used ten databases. With these, a base of 112 articles was obtained, but after the systematized process was reduced to 32 directly related articles. In the second phase, we executed a Dimensional analysis of these literature review articles employing a quantitative analysis of the sections and subsections of the selected articles. The third phase comprises the identification of gaps and future research lines. Finally, the conclusions obtained from the systematized review process are presented

Making Bombs for Peaceful Purposes: How Explosive Processes Render Lignocellulosic Biomass More Amenable to Biological Digestion

Experiments were performed to investigate the effects of shock waves – generated by explosive processes – on enhancing enzymatic digestibility of corn stover for conversion into biofuels, chemicals, or animal feed. Following an alkaline chemical pretreatment process, shock treatment was performed, which increased digestibility. Digestibility was assessed at a standard enzyme loading of 46.7 mg protein/g glucan. Without shock, the enzymatic conversion was 0.80 g glucan digested/g glucan fed. With shock, the enzyme loading is reduced by ~2× while maintaining a constant conversion. Shotgun shells and hydrogen detonation produced identical digestibility increases; however, hydrogen detonation eliminated the need to magnetically remove contaminants introduced from shotgun shells. Contrary to initial hypotheses, varying vessel geometry (depth = 1–3 ft, diameter = 4–8 in) or process conditions (peak pressure = 2.07–12.1 MPa, and solids concentration = 5–10%) had an insignificant impact on shock treatment efficacy within the experimental domain tested. Instead, the pressurization rate is the key parameter when scaling the shock treatment process. Specifically, the shotgun shell blast (108,000 MPa/s) and hydrogen detonation (4,160,000 MPa/s) generate pressure quickly enough to enhance digestibility; in contrast, the propane deflagration (37.2 MPa/s) did not. Therefore, process scaling is extremely simple, because a vessel that contains gas detonations should suffice. A slurry pump enables rapid cycling of the 20-L shock tube to already function at a commercially relevant scale. The maximum benefit of shock treatment has yet to be determined. Subsequent experiments performed with plasma discharge and solid explosives failed to increase digestibility, at the conditions employed; but, liquid-phase shock waves may be more effective

Introduction to Production: Philosophies, Flow, and Analysis

Production is a fundamental societal and economic activity. Production has to do with the transformation of raw materials into useful objects and includes the knowledge to complete the transformation effectively. Thus, production is a board topic ranging from philosophies about how to approach production such as lean and quick response manufacturing, how to organize production facilities, how to analyze production operations, how to control the flow of materials during production, the devices used to move materials within a facility, and strategies for coordinating multiple production facilities. An integrated introduction to production is presented in a set of learning modules. In significant part, these learning modules are based on over 20 years of interactions with the professional production community in the West Michigan region where Grand Rapids and Holland are the principal cities. This community consists almost exclusively of small and medium size companies engaged primarily in high mix, low volume manufacturing. Students in the Bachelor of Science in Engineering and Master of Science in Engineering programs at Grand Valley State University often work in production for these companies. Thus, interactions are facilitated particularly though master’s degree capstone projects, several of which are referenced in the learning modules. The learning modules are well-grounded in established production concepts. Emphasis is placed on proven procedures such as systematic layout planning, factory physics, various production flow control techniques such as kanban and POLCA, and discrete event simulation. Professional practice is a focus of the learning modules. Material from processional groups such as the Lean Enterprise Institute and the Material Handling Institute (MHI) is integrated. The opportunity to read and discuss professional publications presenting production improvement projects is provided. Students are referred to professional videos and web sites throughout the learning modules. All materials provided are referenced are open access and free of charge. When downloading the main file, it is important to also download and use the Main File Support as it contains supplemental materials.https://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/books/1022/thumbnail.jp

Designing efficient and contemporary ship recycling yards through discrete event simulation

Ship recycling, similar to any other recycling industry, can be considered as the most environmentally friendly option for end-of-life ships than the other alternatives. However, lack of safety, lack of environmental awareness as well as lack of a global and local regulatory framework resulted in ships being dismantled in undesirable conditions which forced international regulators to focus on developing international regulations and standards.;The International Maritime Organization's (IMO) Hong Kong Convention and the European Union's Ship Recycling Regulation are examples of the aforementioned new regulations. Both regulations require ship recycling yards to improve existing HSE standards to stay compliant. These HSE measures will negatively impact on running costs, therefore, ship recycling yards will need to increase their production efficiency to remain competitive.;Even though the industry requires support during this transition, there is no study within the current body of literature that focuses on increasing the productivity of the ship recycling facilities. Hence, there is a need to develop a framework to design contemporary and efficient ship recycling yards. Increasing production efficiency in ship recycling yards will not only decrease the costs, but it will also increase the throughput of the yards which will generate more income and positively impact on overall profitability.;Therefore, this PhD study addresses this gap through the development of a simulation framework for ship recycling industry to design and optimise the ship recycling yards. The study adopts a case-based approach where numerous design alternatives will be studied through the proposed framework. The main aim of this study is to increase the productivity of ship recycling yards and optimise their procedures towards achieving cost-efficient facilities.;Overall research conducted in this study will be significant contribution to the maritime literature as a novel framework for ship recycling yard design and optimisation is developed. The process models of this framework are developed based on real ship recycling procedures, therefore, the framework can be considered ready for practical implementation.Ship recycling, similar to any other recycling industry, can be considered as the most environmentally friendly option for end-of-life ships than the other alternatives. However, lack of safety, lack of environmental awareness as well as lack of a global and local regulatory framework resulted in ships being dismantled in undesirable conditions which forced international regulators to focus on developing international regulations and standards.;The International Maritime Organization's (IMO) Hong Kong Convention and the European Union's Ship Recycling Regulation are examples of the aforementioned new regulations. Both regulations require ship recycling yards to improve existing HSE standards to stay compliant. These HSE measures will negatively impact on running costs, therefore, ship recycling yards will need to increase their production efficiency to remain competitive.;Even though the industry requires support during this transition, there is no study within the current body of literature that focuses on increasing the productivity of the ship recycling facilities. Hence, there is a need to develop a framework to design contemporary and efficient ship recycling yards. Increasing production efficiency in ship recycling yards will not only decrease the costs, but it will also increase the throughput of the yards which will generate more income and positively impact on overall profitability.;Therefore, this PhD study addresses this gap through the development of a simulation framework for ship recycling industry to design and optimise the ship recycling yards. The study adopts a case-based approach where numerous design alternatives will be studied through the proposed framework. The main aim of this study is to increase the productivity of ship recycling yards and optimise their procedures towards achieving cost-efficient facilities.;Overall research conducted in this study will be significant contribution to the maritime literature as a novel framework for ship recycling yard design and optimisation is developed. The process models of this framework are developed based on real ship recycling procedures, therefore, the framework can be considered ready for practical implementation

Folk Housing in Northeastern Mexico: a Key to Culturogeographic Regionalization.

Folk housing is one of the elements of material culture which geographers often employ in understanding the cultural aspects of regional studies. As one of the most obvious features of the cultural landscape, folk housing serves as a tool in the determination of culturogeographic regions, the final objective of this study. In this atomistic regional approach, geometry is the principle feature of interest. In other words, the one-dimensional plan type and the three-dimensional form class are the elements of focus in order to distinguish regionality. As opposed to other sub-systems of structural analysis, geometry, especially house from, distinguishes regions of influence and surpasses both environmental and socioeconomic barriers. Once a part of New Spain\u27s vast northern frontier, the northeast Mexican borderlands---presently the states of Coahuila, Nuevo Leon, and Tamaulipas---became characterized as a buffer zone between two major colonizing cultures. The mixing of influences of these two nations, the Spanish---later the Mexicans---from the South and the Anglo-Americans---among other European immigrants---from the North, perhaps has become most apparent through time in the cultural landscape. To add to these two major ethnic groups are Native Americans, namely the Tlaxcalan and Huastec cultures, the latter a northern extension of the Maya-Quiche group. Northeastern Mexico\u27s folk architecture clearly represents these major cultural elements. The purpose of this dissertation is to provide one important component that would contribute to an ultimate determination of northeastern Mexico\u27s culturogeographic regions and, thus, to better understand the geographic expression of culture. Due to the persistence of traditional modes of life in this region, as in the rest of Mexico, the folk house seems to be an adequate tool in which to accomplish such a task. For these reasons, this can be considered a region worthy of regional culturogeographic research, as the existence of folk dwellings is still highly visible here, despite proximity to an industrialized nation such as the United States and the industrial zones of Mexico itself

Designing and implementing auxiliary operational processes

Thesis (M.B.A.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sloan School of Management; and, (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Engineering Systems Division; in conjunction with the Leaders for Manufacturing Program at MIT, 2008.Includes bibliographical references (p. 83-84).Amazon.com, one of the largest and most profitable online retailers, has been experiencing such dramatic growth rates that it must continually update and modify its fulfillment process in order to meet customer demand for its products. As the volume of customer orders increases, management at the different fulfillment centers must determine the optimal way to increase the throughput through their facility. Many times the answer lies in improving the primary process, but occasionally it makes better sense if an auxiliary process is built or expanded to meet the increased demand.This thesis analyzes the decision criteria necessary to determine when an auxiliary process should be designed in addition to an established primary process. The author's internship project will be presented as an example of how to implement such a secondary method. The six-month LFM project focused on increasing the Fernley, Nevada fulfillment center's capacity by making improvements to its manual sortation/packaging. This process, nicknamed BIGS, was originally built to offload large and troublesome orders from the primary, automated process path. The unique labor-intensive procedures used in this process held several advantages that justified its existence and the investments necessary to expand its capacityby Zachary R. Smith.S.M.M.B.A

Development of a Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene toner for an electrophotography based additive manufacturing process

Research in to utilising electrophotography for Additive Manufacturing has been under investigation for over a decade. However, the research has been primarily focused on resolving the height limitations caused by charge accumulation and also the development of toners from tough engineering polymers. The aim of this study is to develop a suitable negatively charging engineering polymer for the Selective Laser Printing process and a more efficient method of generating toners with a suitable particle range and to assess the mechanical properties of parts produced using the toner developed through this route. The study is comprised for two parts; Chemical and Mechanical toner production. The chemical production method utilises a process, Evaporative Limited Coalescence, to produce an engineering toner in the desired 20-50μm range. It was found that during the chemical production process the negatively charging polymer was converted to charge positive. Analytical assessment of the toner was carried out to explain the change in polarity. Mechanical milling trials were also conducted under both ambient and cryogenic conditions, as well as a novel method to reduce the feed-stock material to the desired particle size range. The results suggest a significant increase in efficiency compared to prior research. Printing trials were conducted using the mechanically milled toner to assess the mechanical properties for different heating, pressure and stand-off distance conditions. It was found that, due to insufficient heating and applied pressure the final samples suffered from high porosity and poor tensile strength

Relationship between lean manufacturing practices and sustainability in manufacturing organisations: Mediating effect of manufacturing performance and moderating effect of ethical climates

Lean manufacturing practices (LMP) is considered as a manufacturing philosophy that can lead to global manufacturing performance by adopting and carefully implemented in the organisations. In fact, it gives the manufacturers a competitive advantage by enhancing the economic, environmental and social. In line with that, this study was aimed to examine the relationship between LMP and sustainability among Malaysia’s manufacturing organisations. Specifically, it aimed at investigating both the mediating role of manufacturing performance (MP) on the relationship between LMP on sustainability, and the moderating role of ethical climate (EC) on the relationship between LMP on manufacturing performance. The motivation for this study was motivated by the sustainability issue of previous research that needs to be more investigated for the good of the organisations. In addition, further exploration is also needed on the impact of lean manufacturing on long-term sustainability. In this case, sustainability in production is seen as the leading feasible solution that needs to be explored. Furthermore, studies in examining the influence of EC on MP where the effect of possible mediating and moderating variables that had been proposed to explain the inconclusiveness, were limited. Consequently, this study integrated theories Resource Based View (RBV) and the Stakeholder Theory to map and position the possible relationships between the variables in the conceptual framework. Since the quantitative method was applied, the questionnaires were developed through extensive literature review. The population size for this study was 2368 based on Malaysia Federation of Manufacturing in Malaysia (FMM). In this study, the unit of analysis was the companies embodied from middle up to the top management. The survey questionnaires were randomly distributed to 335 manufacturing organisations in Malaysia as the sample with a 30.4 percent response rate. The data collected were analysed by performing the PLS-SEM technique. The results indicated that i) the positive relationship between LMP and SUS, ii) the positive relationship between LMP and MP, iii) the positive relationship between MP and SUS, iv) the positive relationship between EC and MP, v) mediating role of MP between LMP on SUS were established, vi) EC as a moderator did not support the relationship between LMP on MP. Generally, LMP and MP positively improved sustainability, showing that these are the important elements that should be seriously considered by practitioners. Therefore, this study could broaden the boundary of the existing literature, and contributes to the body of knowledge related to lean manufacturing practices, sustainability, manufacturing performance and ethical climate theoretically, practically, and methodologically

Orbiting quarantine facility. The Antaeus report

A mission plan for the Orbiting Quarantine Facility (OQF) is presented. Coverage includes system overview, quarantine and protocol, the laboratory, support systems, cost analysis and possible additional uses of the OQF