TOWARD A SMART ECOSYSTEM WITH AUTOMATED SERVICES

New ICT architectures enable a better response to constant pressure on the industry and services to improve their business performance and productivity, especially in data processing. At the same time, due to the growing number of sensor modules, the amount of data that needs to be processed, in real time, is growing. Delays in communication with the cloud environment can lead to poor management decisions or user dissatisfaction. In automation and services, one of the new ICT architectures is Edge computing in the data processing. Edge computing is a networking architecture that brings computing close to the source of data in order to reduce latency and bandwidth use. Edge computing brings new power to data processing and the ability to process large amounts of data in real time. This is essential for predicting the behavior of machines, systems, or customers in order to detect errors or provide personalized service as in the case of smart vending machines. In that way, Edge computing enables taking steps toward establishing a smart ecosystem in automation and services

Plan de negocios para la reestructuración de Colombian Vending Machines (CVM SAS), empresa familiar de distribución de productos alimenticios de consumo masivo a través de máquinas de vending en Bogotá

CVM SAS es una empresa familiar dedicada a la distribución de productos alimenticios a través de máquinas de vending. tras casi dos años de operación, la compañía no ha logrado resultados satisfactorios, pese al gran potencial de crecimiento que tiene la industria. este documento presenta un diagnóstico, una evaluación y como resultado un plan de acción para reestructurar el negocio y hacerlo rentable.CVM SAS is a family business dedicated to foodstuffs distribution through vending machines. After almost two years of operation, the company hasn t achieved satisfactory results despite of the huge growth potential the industry has. This document presents a diagnosis, an evaluation and as a result an action plan to restructure the business and make it profitable.Administrador (a) de EmpresasPregrad

Diseño y construcción de máquina dispensadora automática de materiales de escritorio mediante el uso de la plataforma Arduino

The design of a desktop vending machine is an innovative idea in a low-key environment. This document explains the implementation of this project. Where the needs of the user and a new scheme of fast and safe sale became the bases of creation of the team. In the first stage of the project, it was researched about the different types of dispensing machines, their market, types of products to be dispensed and the most forms of automation. It avoids the vandalism, significant risks that runs this type of equipment. In the second stage, an analysis and selection of alternatives concerning the design and construction of the dispensing machine was established. In terms of the automation system, design and operation of the mechanism and protection of the machine. The materials and alternatives selected, join to the affordability in the Ecuadorian market and its ease of manufacturing. The third stage, involves programming on the Arduino MEGA platform, in order to operate the main mechanism of the machine and other electronic components. In addition, design calculations were obtained regarding to the total weight of the modules, resistance criteria, maximum bending stress, surface adjustments, dimensions of the machine components, calculations that were corroborated by the SolidWorks software. The manufacture of the reinforcement, casing, plate-beam, hopper and the dispensing mechanism was carried out by workshop-assisted process planning. The final stage corresponds to the start-up of the machine, where data was obtained that shows us which product had higher sales, as well as the vulnerable points of the machine.El diseño de una máquina dispensadora de materiales de escritorio es una idea innovadora en un entorno de poco apogeo. El presente documento explica la implementación de este proyecto, donde las necesidades del usuario y un nuevo esquema de venta rápido y seguro se convirtieron en las bases de creación del equipo. En la primera etapa del proyecto se investigó acerca de los diferentes tipos de máquinas dispensadoras, su mercado, tipos de productos a dispensar y por ende de las diferentes formas de automatización. Sin pasar por alto el vandalismo, riesgo más significativo que corre este tipo de equipos. En la segunda etapa se estableció un análisis y selección de alternativas concernientes al diseño y construcción de la máquina dispensadora, en cuanto al sistema de automatización, diseño y funcionamiento del mecanismo y protección de la máquina. Los materiales y alternativas seleccionados se apegaron a la asequibilidad en el mercado ecuatoriano y su facilidad de manufactura. La tercera etapa implica la programación en la plataforma Arduino MEGA, con la finalidad de hacer funcionar el mecanismo principal de la máquina y demás componentes electrónicos. Adicionalmente, se obtuvo cálculos de diseño en cuanto a peso total de los módulos, criterios de resistencia, esfuerzo de flexión máximo, ajustes de superficies, dimensiones de componentes de la máquina, cálculos que fueron corroborados por el software SolidWorks. La manufactura de la armadura, carcasa, placa-viga, tolva y del mecanismo de dispensación se realizó mediante planeación de procesos asistida en taller. La etapa final corresponde a la puesta en marcha de la máquina, donde se obtuvo datos que muestran el producto que tuvo mayores ventas, así como los puntos vulnerables de la máquina

Contributos da Big Data aplicados à gestão da cadeia de abastecimento de smart vending machines

Mestrado em Engenharia e Gestão IndustrialA presente dissertação versa sobre os contributos da Big Data na gestão da cadeia de abastecimento com enfoque em smart vending machines. Pretende-se, pois, fazer uma prova de conceito aos impactos da informação no quotidiano das organizações. Para tal, é apresentada uma revisão bibliográfica sobre os conceitos e tendências da Big Data. Depois, é introduzido o tema da venda automática, sendo aduzidos os principais problemas resultantes da operação do smart vending. Por fim, é introduzido um modelo de análise e interpretação que serve de base a uma reflexão crítica e à apresentação de propostas de melhoria para o setor. Por fim, concluem-se os contributos positivos da Big Data no quotidiano das organizações, traduzindo-se na simplificação da operação, nomeadamente nos processos logísticos, e na abertura de novos canais de comunicação com os consumidores, que gera novas oportunidades e favorece a relação com estes.This dissertation deals with the contributions of Big Data in the supply chain management with a focus on smart vending machines. The aims to do a proof of concept at the information impacts on the daily life of organizations. It is presented a literature review of the concepts and trends in Big Data. Then, it is introduced the topic of vending and put forward the main problems resulting from smart vending operation. Finally, it is introduced an analysis and interpretation model that serves as a basis for critical reflection and presentation of proposals for improvement for the sector. Finally, we conclude to the positive contributions of Big Data in everyday organizations, resulting in the operation simplification, particularly in logistics processes, and opening new channels of communication with consumers, which creates new opportunities and promotes the relationship with these

Delight. Vending como facilitador da socialização e adaptação de hábitos alimentares saudáveis.

Tese de Mestrado para obtenção do grau de Mestre em Desin do Produto

Inventory and Service Optimization for Self-serve Kiosks

In the retail industry, labor costs constitute a big chunk of total operating costs and retailers are advancing towards process automation to minimize their operating costs and to provide reliable services to their customers. One such example of technological advancement is self-service kiosks that are becoming an integral part of our life, whether it be for cashing a cheque, self-checkout at retail stores, airports, hospitals, or checkout-free stores. Although self-serve kiosks are cost-effective due to low setup and operating costs, the technology is relatively new and poses new research questions that have not been studied before. This thesis explores and addresses strategic and operational challenges associated with self-serve kiosk technology. The first part of the thesis is based on a collaboration with MedAvail Technologies Inc., a Canada-based healthcare technology company, developing self-serve pharmacy kiosk technology to dispense over-the-counter and prescription drugs. MedAvail faces several challenges related to assortment and stocking decisions of medications in the kiosk due to its limited capacity and the thousands of drugs being ordered in various quantities. We address these challenges by analyzing pharmaceutical sales data and developing a data-driven stochastic optimization approach to determine optimized kiosk storage capacity and service levels and recommend assortment and stocking decisions under supplier-driven product substitution. A column-generation based heuristic approach is also proposed to solve the models efficiently. The second part of the thesis extends the self-serve kiosk inventory planning problem to a robust optimization (RO) framework under fill rate maximization objective. We propose a data-driven approach to generate polyhedral uncertainty sets from hierarchical clustering and the resulting RO model is solved using column-and-constraint generation and conservative approximation solution methodologies. The proposed robust framework is tested on actual pharmacy sales data and randomly generated instances with 1600 products. The robust solutions outperform stochastic solutions with an increase in out-of-sample fill rate of 5.8%, on average, and of up to 17%. Finally, the third part of the thesis deals with an application of pharmacy kiosks to improve healthcare access in rural regions. We present a mathematical function to model customer healthcare accessibility as the expected travel distance when multiple pharmacy location (store and kiosks) choices are available to customers. Customer choice behavior is modelled using a multinomial logit (MNL) model where customer utility for a pharmacy location depends on travel distance which is not exactly known but rather depends on kiosk fill rate. We model the problem as a newsvendor problem with fill-rate dependent demand to decide on kiosk stock level (or capacity) to minimize the weighted sum of expected travel distance and total cost. Sensitivity analysis over modelling parameters is carried out to derive insights and to determine problem settings under which pharmacy kiosks improve customer accessibility