Previous Research Projects / Experiences

Cellular Design, and Optimal Routing for High Mix Low Volume Manufacturing

• A part-machine matrix was constructed which grouped parts requiring similar manufacturing processes.

• A cellular design was proposed based on the results of the part-machine matrix.

• A flow chart detailing the logic behind assigning parts to manufacturing cells was developed.

• A new plant layout implementing cellular manufacturing and optimizing part movement through the facility.  

Layout Optimization for Label Printing Facility

• The current layout of the company was analyzed based on analytical and simulation models.

• In the first revision of the layout, the travel distance was used to minimize the non-value added transportation time.

• Three layouts options were considered and each of the proposed options provides significant improvement in the process flow with reduced work and process travel time and congestion.

• Efficiencies of tool utilization is improved and managed seamlessly.

Energy Optimization for Boiler Controller

• Boiler control units were studied for energy savings with gathering data, analyzing data, developed initial findings and prepared the final recommendations for independent and objective study.

• The statistical analysis of gas consumption usage was performed and compared with boiler control units.

End-of-Line Inspection for Annoying Noises in Automobiles Using Spherical Beamforming

• The feasibility study of a new acoustic imaging inspection methodology for detection and classification of annoying noises in vehicle cabins using spherical beamforming technology.

• The approach is to evaluate localization accuracy using a series of designed experiments to establish the sensitivity of the system to both source-based and plant environmental factors at their operating limits.

Paint Bank Sequence Optimization on Assembly in an Automotive Manufacturing Plant

• A heuristic sequencing algorithm for the paint-to-assembly bank was developed.

• The evaluation of the impact of changes to the product mix as well as to the vehicle options through performance analysis on the final assembly schedule based on paint shop disruption. 

• Analyzing the violation effect on the sequence where the violations are counted based on the assembly shop restrictions through the use of a penalty function.

Robotic Manufacturing System Failure Prediction Methodology Development of Automotive Manufacturing

• Optimization prediction models based on ARMA and ANN using robotics failure data to improve the throughput for the automotive body shop robotic manufacturing.

Manufacturing Process Optimization of PVC Alloy Casting for Automotive Interior Trim Application

• Analytical models for many different robotic cell scenarios to help determine the optimal schedule of robot move sequences. 

• The robot scheduling through the use of dispatching rules based on simulation. 

• Compared analytical models and simulation models.

Metamodeling and Multi Axis Loss Function for Returnable Containers in Automotive Closed Loop Supply Chain

• Container resource planning using simulation with metaheuristic optimization and metamodeling based on Steepest Ascent Method.

• The container fleet is optimized per built-in Tabu Search and Neural Network algorithms. 

• Validation of the metamodel by comparing results with Mixed Integer approach. 

•  Multi Axis Loss Function analogous to Taguchi’s Quality Loss Function, more effectively captures reverse logistics cost for a closed loop auto parts supply chain.

Relationships between Waste and Operating Performance in Blanking Manufacturing Facility

• Relationships and effects of the traditional seven waste types (overproduction, processing, inventory, transportation, defects, waiting, and motion)  and the plant’s selected seven types of operations performance measures namely, (throughput, productivity, efficiency, cycle time, work in process, in process quality and leveled and balanced schedules).

• Operating performance measures and waste reduction and elimination relationship matrix (OPM-WRE) development.

• A t-test was performed to validate the hypothesis of waste effects on operations and operations performance effects on waste.

Innovative Predictive Machine Failure Methodology Development using e-Manufacturing and CBM

• A review of methods used to create behavioral models for prognostics and proposed the use of Monte Carlo simulation to enhance the sparse data sets.

• This methodology is applied to elevator door operation system data to increase the number of support data sets.

Design a Reconfigurable Assembly Line for Power Drive Products

• Design a reconfigurable assembly line to accommodation different category power drive products including new products and identify optimal production requirements.

• Develop simulation model to evaluate performance of the production line under a combination of product mix and product volume.

Development of a Real-Time Web-enabled Platform

• Device-to-Business (D2B) is an intelligent tool that enables a product or a system to directly link to a business decision making devices or systems.

• The goal is to enable a product to order its own parts or call for automated services to achieve near-zero-downtime performance through the D2B platform.

• Create a baseline machine condition-monitoring platform, including a real-time Web-enabled platform, allowing access to machine condition information from anywhere in the world.

• Integrate web-enabled systems to the eBusiness systems

Web-enabled e-Maintenance Platform for eBusiness: Integration and Optimization

• Create a basic Web-enabled platform for initial machine condition monitoring

• Perform historical and statistical analysis on machine data and information

• Perform optimization of predictive and preventative maintenance strategies for the project’s process in order to aid decision-making, such as maintenance policy, preventative maintenance and scheduling. Analysis includes mean time between failure (MTBF), mean time to repair (MTTR), and failure mode analysis (FMA) factors including the evaluation of spare part inventory systems, maintenance personnel scheduling, and optimizing the schedule to maximize productivity.

MRO (Maintenance, Repair, and Operation) Lean Supply Chain Development

• Develop a lean MRO supply chain to provide the right MRO parts in a most cost effective manner

• Development of integration of maintenance supply chain for service and MRO

• Develop algorithm for optimal MRO inventory level

Web enabled platform testbed for monitoring

• This testbed project will illuminate the utilization of the web to perform, monitoring, analysis and prediction the Functional Test Cell at manufacturing facility.

• The main objectives of this testbed is to define, design and develop a system for real time remote monitoring, and perform signature analysis of system data over web.

Internal Supply Chain Management with Uncertain Demand and Product Mix

• Dynamics reduction and stability analysis of supply chain system

• Enterprise modeling based on knowledge intensive computer simulation

• Available to promise decision-making in terms of both material and capacity along supply chain echelons based on constraint optimization

• Master production scheduling based on feedback information

• Genetic Algorithm based Product Mix and Material match

Modeling and Simualtion Analysis for Airbag Sensors

• Process modeling and improvement with Simulation Software, GPSS and Taylor II

• Build flexible model for Side Impact Sensor (SIS), Fuel Vaporized Pressure Sensor (FVPS) and Integrated Coil Driven Assembly (ICDA) line

• Identify yield, down time, unit per hour (UPH), utilization

• Identify reason for less utilization and bottlenecks

• Genetic Algorithm (GA) based product commitment on available material and capacity using Visual Basicenetic

Modeling and Simulation of Printed Circuit Board (PCB) and Hard Disk Drive (HDD)

• Shop-floor modelling and improvement with Arena simulation software

• Modeling of PCB assembly, head disk assembly and hard disk assembly shop-floor

• Throughput, lead-time and work-in-process improvement

• Daily production operations scheduling for PCB, and HDD based on customer orders

• Assembly line setup and balancing

• Shop floor data including WIP, machine utilization, throughput and so on visualization

Biomass Energy - Briquetting: Manufacturing and Marketing

• Biomass briquettes, mostly made of compressed compounds of rice husk, saw dust, bagasse, ground nut shells, municipal solid waste, agricultural waste, etc. with the screw press technology. The study used rice husk and saw dust with heated die.

• Experimental study on hot run condition with a preheater.

• By briquetting technology with preheating option the loose biomass becomes a competitive green fuel to be commercialization in the market.

• Marketing survey was conducted.

Accidential Hazard Reduction in Small Boiler Operations

• Boiler Accidental Hazard Survey.

• Recommendations for hazard reduction