1,721,168 research outputs found
Packaging Logistics
No full textThe chapter discusses the important role of packaging as part of a company’s market and operations management. Packaging has been evolving for centuries and continues to do so, forcing consumers to change their habits. From simple
protection tools to safeguarding carried items, packaging has become a marketing
and communication instrument as important as contents. E-commerce and onlineretailers growth change again the packaging role during purchasing, bring it back
as mere logistics and protection tool. In the first basic section, a brief history of
packaging is described. Starting from the most important steps, which characterize
packaging from the very beginning, in prehistory, followed by the commercial discoveries of the Middle Ages, the industrial revolution, until the present day with the
newest and most ingenious packaging solutions. With a focus on marketing, design,
logistics, environmental impact, and costs, a complete reference framework underlining how each of these aspects change along the supply chain steps is presented. The
advanced and second section of the chapter presents case studies, models and methods for packaging costs evaluation and unit load design. Logistics and packaging are
fundamental business leverages for a modern company, therefore any improvements
can represent opportunities and generate profits. The chapter ends with a discussion about state-of -the-art research in packaging: the last decade showed a strong
development of the e-commerce market, and the central role of packaging changed.
Furthermore, the evolution of technologies, materials and Internet Communication
Technologies in the last few years have improved the packaging world as well creating, for example, intelligent packaging that can communicate with consumers or
interact with products, allowing the traceability of a single item within the entire
supply chain. Packaging is a fundamental resource for end-customers and all actors
involved in the entire supply chain
Perspectives on Operations Management Developments and Research
No full textIn this chapter, we discuss major technological and societal developments
that determine our lives to a large extent, not in the least the way we organize
our resource needs and hence logistics and supply chains. After outlining these
developments globally, we give some examples of truly disrupting business models
that are fundamentally changing our logistics and supply chain operations. Next, we
look in more depth at the manifestation of the digital revolution in manufacturing
and supply chains, as well as the many opportunities that these technologies offer in
addressing a number of major societal challenges
Operations, Logistics and Supply Chain Management: Definitions and Objectives
No full textOperations, logistics and supply chains are catalysts in any modern economy and therefore essential contributors to economic prosperity and societal welfare.
This chapter briefly sketches the origins of the field and presents a case study on the
importance of a balanced logistical organization from the 17th century, after which
formal definitions and objectives are introduced. In addition, we discuss relations
with other management areas as well as with other science domains such as law or
social and political sciences. Topics and concepts in this chapter are discussed at an
elementary level, aiming to provide an introduction to the topical field of operations,
logistics, and supply chain managemen
Objectives, Educational Developments and Structure of the Book
No full textOperations, logistics, and supply chains are essential enablers in a modern economy. At the same time, operational, logistics, and supply chain systems
are changing fundamentally as a result of technological and societal developments,
requiring both researchers as well as skilled professionals to rethink them and to
incorporate new functionalities. This in turn poses new demands on the way vocational and academic learning, as well as on-the-job training programs for operations,
logistics, and supply chain management are designed. This book is an attempt to
serve students, researchers, and business practitioners by providing information and
background material at various levels. In this introductory chapter, we discuss the
scope and structure of the book. Reading this chapter is recommended to determine
how to use the book in classroom lectures and seminars, gather background information or for studying specific topics. In each chapter, suggestions for further reading
and resources for the growth of lateral and critical thinking are provided in order to
spread the learning curve—sometimes even slightly beyond the operations, logistics,
and supply chain management domain. Readers are encouraged to explore the additional material for their own development and to build general learning and research
capacities
Manufacturing Planning and Control Systems
No full textIn this chapter, we discuss essentials of the best-known manufacturing planning and control systems. Each of these systems has its merits but each one also requires a number of conditions to be fulfilled in order to perform near-optimally, often without being explicit about these conditions. The focus of this chapter will be on discrete manufacturing planning and control with limited attention to pro- cess industries. We begin the discussion at a basic level with the most elementary result of efficiency-driven production, the Economic Production Quantity, and an extension to non-stationary deterministic demand. Next, we continue with an intro- duction to Materials Requirements Planning (MRP) and Manufacturing Resources Planning (MRP II), followed by a discussion of capacity oriented Hierarchical Pro- duction Planning (HPP). On a more advanced level, we introduce an entirely different approach based on the adoption of the Just-in-Time (JIT) and Lean Manufacturing (LM) philosophies. JIT and LM are more than just other planning models; they propose an entirely different approach to organizing manufacturing and assembly processes. A case study on the Toyota production system helps to understand key concepts of Lean Manufacturing. We continue with the concepts of Workload Con- trol and the Theory of Constraints, which can be seen as means to keep internal lead times stable and hence predictable. Finally, we provide a glimpse on state-of -the-art and future developments, with a focus on digital and cloud manufacturing
DOUBLE PRESSING FOR PORCELAIN STONEWARE TILES: AN EXPLORATORY ANALYSIS
No full textDouble pressing systems have recently been introduced to speed up and improve the pressing step of porcelain stoneware tiles. In this paper, double pressing systems using discontinuous pre-compaction are analysed, both technically and economically. Two operative conditions are considered: the traditional forming of tiles during pressing is compared with the innovative production of a unique large-sized slab, subsequently customized according to market requirements. Furthermore, manufacturing conditions are explored with infrequent or frequent production runs, due to increasingly smaller production batches, in order to evaluate which production process is more suitable when changing operative conditions are managed.The analysis is carried out experimentally, by collecting data in existing pilot plants, producing batches of products of different size and colour. Details are provided concerning the technical characteristics of the systems, along with costs per manufactured square metre for investments, personnel, maintenance, spare parts and electric power. A case in which some production days are reserved for each manufactured batch is compared to a case in which production runs are repeated more frequently in a day.Manufacturing large-sized slabs and customization has shown to be an efficient solution for companies operating in changing markets. Further research should study double pressing systems using continuous pre-compaction. The proposed analysis, by presenting an evaluation process and sharing data collected experimentally, provides innovative support for addressing decision makers when new pressing systems for porcelain stoneware tiles are selected
Analytical and Numerical Modeling of AS/RS Cycle Time in Class-Based Storage Warehousing
No full textThis work presents an analytical model for the computation of travel time for Automated Storage and Retrieval Systems (AS/RS) with a three (ABC) class based storage in a rectangular in time warehouse. In particular, the authors provide a method for the analytical closed form evaluation of the expected mean travel time for the single/dual command cycles in the configuration with the input/output located in the bottom/left corner of the warehouse and varying the ABC curve.
A numerical simulation analysis adopting a numerical modeling has been developed, in order to validate the proposed model accordingly with a multi scenario analysis. The performance of the system obtained by the adoption of the proposed analytical travel time models under different configurations of the warehousing system (shape and dimension of the classes, ABC curve), have been evaluated and discussed
A MULTIPLE SINGLE-PASS HEURISTIC ALGORITHM FOR THE STOCHASTIC ASSEMBLY LINE RE-BALANCING PROBLEM
No full textAssembly line re-balancing is a problem frequently tackled by companies, as continuous changes in product features and volume demand caused by the volatility of today’s markets produce assembly tasks re-definition and line cycle time fluctuations. Hence, managers have to adapt the balancing of their lines to accomplish with the new conditions, while trying to keep to a bare minimum increases in completion costs and in costs related to changes in tasks assignment. In particular, modifications in line balancing impact on operators training, equipment switching and moving, along with quality assurance. The stochastic assembly line re-balancing problem basically consists in a multi-objective problem where two objectives, total expected completion cost of the new line and similarity between the new and the existing line, have to be jointly optimized. In this paper, a multiple single-pass heuristic algorithm is consequently developed with the aim to find the most complete set of dominant solutions representing the Pareto front of the problem. Multiple single-pass procedures iterate the execution of single-pass algorithms, in order to generate a set of solutions, rather than to create a unique purpose. Given such a set, the best-performing solutions, in accordance with the multi-objective nature of the problem, are presented to the line designer, who selects the final assembly line balancing considering also additive factors that can be hardly inserted in a mathematical approach (i.e. simplicity of learning re-assigned tasks, time requested for the re-allocation of tools necessary for executing re-assigned tasks, experience requested for maintenance of tools necessary for executing re-assigned tasks). By means of a wide experimentation including comparisons with a multi-objective genetic algorithm, the behaviour of the proposed methodology is set and optimized
Integrating ergonomics and lean manufacturing principles in a hybrid assembly line
No full textLean manufacturing is a production method that was established in the wake of the Japanese Toyota Production System and rapidly established in the worldwide manufacturing industry. Lean characteristics combine just-in-time practices, work-in-progress and waste reduction, improvement strategies, defect-free production, and standardization. The primary goal of lean thinking is to improve profits and create value by minimizing waste. This study introduces a novel mathematical model to design lean processes in hybrid assembly lines. The aim was to provide an effective, efficient assembly line design tool that meets the lean principles and ergonomic requirements of safe assembly work. Given the production requirements, product characteristics and assembly tasks, the model defines the assembly process for hybrid assembly lines with both manual workers and automated assembly machines. Each assembly line solution ensures an acceptable risk level of repetitive movements, as required by current law. This model helps managers and practitioners to design hybrid assembly lines with both manual workers and automated assembly machines. The model was tested in a case study of an assembly line for hard shell tool cases. Results show that worker ergonomics is a key parameter of the assembly process design, as other lean manufacturing parameters, e.g. takt time, cycle time and work in progress
A new approach to the automatic analysis and control of material handling systems: Integrated Layout Flow Analysis (ILFA)
No full textIn the majority of small and medium sized enterprises (SEMs), the direct costs of material handling cannot be clearly measured. There are several reasons for this, including the large number of product types, complexity of their production cycle, and continuous change in markets. Therefore, production managers require flexible tools to create a suitable material handling system model which explicitly and rapidly calculates the indices required as these are traditionally neglected or laboriously approximated, (i.e., time and cost in material flow inside the factory, storage area requirements, and MH utilization percentage). This paper proposes an integrated approach to analyzing and controlling material handling operations in an industrial manufacturing plant from a “full quantitative” point of view. The model presented unites quite different fields of research into a unique methodology. This material handling model rapidly and automatically provides production managers with extensive and significant information. As a result, integrated layout flow analysis interrelates systematic layout planning with operational research algorithms and visual interactive simulation, using a complete software platform to implement them. This integrated layout flow analysis approach focuses on determining the space requirement for manufacturing department buffers, the transportation system requirements, the performance indices, and the time and cost of material flows spent in the layout and in MH traffic jams
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