Causes of Engineering Change Propagation: An Analysis During Product Lifecycle

This article identifies the causes of engineering change propagation during the development and production phases of the product lifecycle using a statistical method applied to a large engineering change data set from the locomotive industry. This research identified three key influencing variables that were found to be related to engineering change propagation, namely: the engineering subsystem issuing the change, the subsystem interface complexity, and the designer experience. Predicting key influencing variables can reduce change propagation and provides important insights to practicing engineering managers. In particular, the results of this study can be used to improve engineering change decision-making processes and the utilization of resources. Similar complex systems composed of multiple subsystems can also benefit from the findings of this research.     

A Business Intelligence Approach to Monitoring and Trend Analysis of National R&D Indicators

The economic growth and competitiveness of countries is strongly influenced by their national research and development (R&D) systems. Hence, national R&D managers must make appropriate decisions to develop their R&D systems. For this purpose, an integrated view on the dimensions of national R&D systems is much needed. Due to the distribution of relevant data sources for national, R&D indicators and the complexity of national R&D systems, establishing an integrated view is challenging. In this article, we propose a business intelligence architecture to monitor, analyze, and forecast national, R&D indicators. Data for these indicators are integrated from heterogeneous data sources. In a case study focusing on Iranian R&D indicators, a prototype system is designed and implemented to evaluate its effectiveness in practice. After monitoring the indicators using online analytical processing, trends for the indicators across 11 years are forecasted using time series analysis models. The prototype system provides an integrated view of the Iranian R&D system, so that national R&D managers can use the developed system for monitoring and trend analysis of Iranian R&D indicators. As a result of the analysis of these trends, implications and recommendations for the future of the Iranian R&D system are presented.     

A novel performance evaluation model for MRO management indicators of high-end equipment

High-end equipment oriented maintenance, repair and operation (MRO) management is crucial for asset intensive industries. The existing works mainly focus on providing the best possible joint optimisation for production and maintenance management without aiming at the complicated relationships among them. In the intelligence-connected era, the rapid development of Internet of things and big data technologies enables us to access, collect, and store the industrial big data, which is especially necessary for MRO management indicator evaluation, and so we try to apply big data analysis to visualise the system structure of complicated relationships among MRO indicators at different management levels. In this paper, the decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL) and improved analytical network process (ANP) are applied to build the performance evaluation model for MRO management indicators, in which DEMATEL is utilised to quantify the system structure of different management levels, and the improved ANP is introduced to calculate relative weights of corresponding indicators. The results point out to managers which indicators should deserve more attention in MRO management decision-making as well as joint optimisation for production and maintenance management. A case study illustrates the feasibility and practicality of the proposed model.     

Facility managers’ perceptions on building performance assessment

During the operational phase, building performance may decrease in various areas, so that the end users’ requirements are no longer met. Consequently, indicators are useful to assess and improve the performance of existing buildings. In this study, we carried out a literature review and organized a focus group with facility management experts to gather and analyze facility managers’ perceptions on operational indicators that could be used to assess the performance of buildings. The results revealed that the core indicators used to measure a building’s operational performance are related to safety and assets working properly, health and comfort, space functionality, and energy performance. The findings also revealed that these indicators can be obtained from three sources: a) facility managers/operators, who carry out corrective maintenance and perform technical inspections, b) regular users, who report complaints and fill-in satisfaction questionnaires, and c) sporadic users, who also fill-in satisfaction questionnaires. These indicators and their sources can contribute to a better analysis of building performance and the definition of measures to improve performance during the operational phase of a building.     

Fuzzy approach to dependability performance evaluation

This paper presents a model for dependability performance evaluation by fuzzy sets utilization. Basic dependability indicators (reliability, maintainability and maintenance support) are used for the analysis of technical systems' conditions from the aspects of design, construction, maintenance and logistics. These indicators as well as associated dependability expressions itself are described by linguistic variables, which are characterized by a membership function to the defined classes. The proposed model is primarily appropriate for introduction, analysis and synthesis of information related to quality of systems in operation. Such data are often available only as experts' judgment and estimations. A practical engineering example (mechanical system at bucket wheel excavator) has been presented to demonstrate the proposed dependability analysis and synthesis model. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

An evaluation of the effects of the occupational safety and health inspectors’ supervision in workplaces

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of the administrational supervision of occupational safety and health (OSH) inspectors in the workplaces that they inspect. In the questionnaire survey, the respondents were OSH managers and workers’ OSH representatives in the chemical companies’ plants. For workers, the aggregated variable ‘General OSH enforcement operations’ was positively related to the aggregated variable ‘Effects of the current OSH inspection’. In contrast, for the OSH managers, the corresponding data did not reveal any correlation. The professional competence in carrying out the OSH inspections was positively related to the different variables of the aggregated variable ‘Effects of the current OSH inspection (Outputs)’. In contrast, for the workers’ OSH representatives, the analysis failed to confirm this relationship. The present findings are that OSH managers and workers’ OSH representatives desired that the OSH inspector should follow up more effectively that OSH management systems are being implemented in practice. They should provide more advice to workplaces in order to help them to exceed the minimum level laid down by law. Workers’ OSH representatives expressed clearly that the OSH inspector should more often impose binding obligations. The professional skills of the OSH inspectors need to correspond better to the needs of today's working life and to be able to react to system changes in the workplaces. The OSH enforcement approach should become more uniform and be harmonized between the individual OSH inspectors and the OSH agencies. The development of the quality of OSH inspections and the professional competence of inspectors are important aspects from the point of the effectiveness.     

60000m~3/h空分设备工程建设监理体会

简介60000m3/h空分设备工程建设的特点,介绍工程建设组织中的两个核心部分:冷箱和液体贮罐区,重点分析了原料空气和产品气体压缩系统、空气预冷和净化系统、空气分离系统以及液体产品贮运系统安装工程的质量监控重点。     

Structural equations modelling for relational analysis of JIT performance in maquiladora sector

This paper analyses the process of implementing a just-in-time (JIT) methodology in maquiladora assembly plants in Mexico, through 20 activities undertaken in the areas of administration, supervision and production. The proposed approach uses a factor analysis of each group of variables (validating their feasibility through an analysis of the correlation matrix) by sections, activities and benefits obtained. A structural equations model is proposed to show how key factors in the success of the implementation of JIT associated with productive activities interrelate with factors linked to benefits. The results forthcoming from the study show that the benefits obtained through the proper administration by senior managers of their powers are directly reflected in the plant’s productivity indices, such as increases in output, quality and the operational flexibility of production systems. Furthermore, a good relationship with and management of suppliers guarantees an acceptable level of control over inventories, regarding both work in process and the end product, and likewise impact upon productivity indices.     

A Literature Review of Supply Chain Collaboration Mechanisms and Their Impact on Performance

This article contributes a comprehensive literature review fulfilling the identified need for a systematic empirical study examining how well the mechanisms of supply chain collaboration (SCC) correspond with performance. A review of articles during the period of 2000–2017 reveals fundamental trends in adopted methodologies, scopes of SCC, and areas of performance. However, limited research focused on qualitative and simulation-based research in specific industries and geographic sections was found. A need for additional research on horizontal and internal collaboration, elements of power dependence in the relationship with performance, and the effects of SCC mechanisms on environmental and social performance was identified. This article contributes a maturity model for SCC that provides guidance to engineering managers to develop a roadmap for effectively implementing and improving the SCC process. The article suggests that engineering managers may benefit from examining case studies and the systems dynamics tool to explore how different collaboration levels lead to various performance outcomes in future.     

Bond graph analysis in robust engineering design

Within engineering design, optimization often involves building models of working systems to improve design objectives such as performance, reliability and cost. Bond graph models express systems in terms of energy flow and can be used to identify key factors that influence system behaviour. Robust Engineering Design (RED) is a strategy for the optimization of systems through experimentation and empirical modelling; however, experiments can often be prohibitively expensive for large or complex systems. By using bond graphs as a front‐end to RED, experiments on systems could be designed more efficiently, reducing the number of experiments required for accurate empirical modelling. Two case study examples are given which show that bond graphs can be used to good effect in the empirical analysis of engineering systems. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A survey on performance management of operating rooms and a new KPI proposal

Performance management of operating rooms is of great importance in hospital management. From the patients' point of view, operating room capacity management ensures available capacity when needed and thus ensuring short (er) waiting time. From the hospital point of view, efficiently and effectively managing these expensive resources is a major concern. Because there are too many performance indicators with a lack of standardization on definitions and there is no one-size-fit-all metric that can assess the overall performance, how to measure is still a challenging question. This paper starts with describing the operating room's characteristics and presents a systematic literature survey exploring different sources for information on operating room performance management. The literature is screened for lists of performance indicators currently used by managers. Aside from the nature of indicators, the way these indicators are used is also investigated. The literature ends with the suggestion of a new key performance indicator (overall operating room effectiveness [OORE]) that is intended to be used in measuring the overall performance of operating rooms from a lean thinking perspective. To increase the ability of finding root causes of low performance, a delay categorization framework is also proposed. Implementation of the KPI is illustrated using a real-world data. In the conclusion, all the elements studied are brought together, and recommendations for research and practice are formulated.     

Academic performance and institutional resources: a cross-country analysis of research universities

Links between institutional academic performance and academic resources are of relevance for university managers, country officials and the public at large. This study aims to shed light on the issues using reliable data on research performance indicators as well as educational and resource indicators from research universities in Spain, Italy, Australia and Canada. The four countries selected for the study represent different academic traditions and belong to different geopolitical regions, yet they have relatively similar higher education systems in terms of student population, institutional resources and research production. Our study explores differences and similarities among them to better assess the performance of research universities from the four countries in a global context. The indicator set includes research production (number of indexed articles per year) and its quality (citation impact and number of highly cited papers), education production (full-time equivalent FTE student load and degree completions per year) and the resource base (annual ordinary expenditure and FTE number of faculty). We consider the raw indicators as well as a set of composite indicators normalised by measures of scale. Across the profile of universities in our complete sample, institutional size is the prime determinant of research production, with systematic differences in quality related to country, research intensity and resourcing level. Our data show that research universities allocate resources to research and education in country-specific and size-specific ways that are reflected in research performance.     

Integrating Reliability in Systems Engineering Management

Abstract

Understanding how engineering disciplines, activities, and artifacts are connected between them is key to success as an engineering manager. However, engineering managers are often unaware of these relationships in the area of reliability engineering. This results in omitting necessary reliability activities, incorrectly executing them, and/or executing them at the wrong time. This paper discusses how reliability activities effectively integrate in the system’s life cycle, enabling engineering managers to understand what has to be done, when and why, from a reliability point of view. We contend that this understanding facilitates communication between systems engineers and reliability experts. Eight real cases are presented to show the negative consequences of managing engineering projects without a systemic understanding of reliability. Based on such experience, a number of recommendations are given for engineering managers.     

A Systems Thinking Approach to Managing Sustainment Phase Redesign Planning

This study applies a systems thinking approach to sustainment-phase redesign planning for large-scale, complex, sustainment-dominated systems (SDSs) found in the airline, aerospace and defense, healthcare, and utilities industries. Maintaining the SDS’s effectiveness throughout its long life presents a significant engineering and business challenge. This research contributes to the literature by developing an academically rigorous redesign-planning framework (RPF) through the lens of management and systems theories and the use of the grounded theory, research methodology. With the RPF, engineering managers can now simultaneously consider key issues, improvement opportunities, and risks of SDSs to develop and execute strategic, sustainment redesign plans that improve SDS performance at a lower lifecycle cost.     

Analysis and improvement of multi-product assembly systems: an application study at a furniture manufacturing plant

In this paper, we introduce an application study of modelling, analysis and continuous improvement of an assembly system at a furniture manufacturing plant using production systems engineering methods. Analytical models have been developed to characterise the assembly system making multiple products, and recursive procedures have been derived to evaluate line production rate. Lot size analysis is carried out, and bottleneck analysis methods are introduced to identify the bottlenecks, whose improvement can lead to the largest improvement in system performance. Such methods provide a quantitative tool for plant engineers and managers to operate and improve assembly line with high productivity, and are also applicable to other large-volume manufacturing systems.     

基于ARMA模型的地铁站环控系统能耗预测

本文通过对时间序列的研究分析,提出一种基于自回归移动平均(ARMA)模型来预测地铁站环控系统能耗的方法。对采集的地铁站环控系统能耗数据进行平稳性检验和白噪声检验;依据数据样本的自相关系数、偏自相关系数及AIC准则确定模型最优参数,建立可有效预测地铁站环控系统能耗的ARMA模型;采用4种方法对拟合模型的有效性进行检验;利用平均绝对误差(MAE)和均方根误差(RMSE)对模型拟合效果进行分析。结果表明,该方法能够有效提取能耗数据中有用的信息,MAE和RMSE分别可达0.101和0.470,对于地铁站环控系统能耗预测具有较高的拟合精度。     

Testing Information Order Effects in a Long Series of Evidence

Abstract:

This research investigates order effects in a long evidence series in a decision-making context. The article provides an application to practicing engineering managers, a detailed explanation of the belief revision model, extensions, competing theories, implications, and experimental findings. The belief revision model was tested in a long series context and found a significant recency effect, contrary to model predictions. The results suggest that the current belief revision model does not account for sequential manipulations, which affect mental effort. We recommend further investigation into the impact of mental effort and discuss the challenges that engineering managers face when trying to build knowledge to make decisions in information intensive environments.     

基于互信息与支持向量回归的盾构掘进载荷预测方法研究

掘进载荷是盾构施工中的重要控制量,直接关系着施工安全与效率。通过对掘进载荷影响因素的分析,建立了一种基于工程实测数据分析的掘进载荷特征选择及预测方法。首先,对工程实测数据进行极值归一化预处理,以降低不同参数间量纲和量级的差异产生的支配性影响;其次,通过参数分析和基于互信息的特征选择选取主要的影响参数作为输入;最后,通过支持向量回归（support vector regression,SVR）建立掘进载荷的预测模型,并结合天津地铁9号线盾构施工工程案例检验其预测表现。结果表明,所建立的掘进载荷预测方法能够在工程实测数据包含的众多影响参数中筛选出少量关键特征,实现对掘进载荷的合理预测。研究结果可以为盾构掘进参数的调控提供参考,也为具有众多参数的工程实测数据的分析提供一种思路。     

Engineering‐driven performance degradation analysis of hydraulic piston pump based on the inverse Gaussian process

As a key aircraft component, hydraulic piston pumps must be developed with high reliability. However, collecting failure time data of such pumps for reliability analysis is a big challenge. To save testing time, performance degradation data obtained from degradation tests can be used for quick reliability estimation of hydraulic piston pumps. This paper proposes an engineering‐driven performance degradation analysis method considering the nature of mechanical wear of hydraulic piston pumps. First, the failure mechanism of a type of hydraulic piston pump is investigated. By taking into account the close relationship between the degradation rate and the failure mechanism, an inverse Gaussian (IG) process model with a variable rate is developed to describe the degradation behavior of the pump. Under this model, a Bayesian statistical method is developed for degradation data analysis. The corresponding procedure for model parameter estimation and reliability evaluation is also presented. The proposed degradation analysis method is illustrated using a real experimental data. The results show that the engineering‐driven approach is quite effective in evaluating the lifetime of the hydraulic piston pump and will improve the overall reliability of aircraft operation in the field.     

Automatic translation of plant data into management performance metrics: a case for real-time and predictive production control

A scalable and repeatable solution for linking shop-floor control system to a discrete event simulation (DES) model is presented. The key objective is to automatically translate the real-time data from the control system (e.g. supervisory control and data acquisition, SCADA) into KPI transfer functions of the production process. Such a seamless translation allows for the integration of engineering data emitted at plant level to higher level information system for decision-making. The solution provides a platform for researchers and practitioners to utilise the capabilities of real-time DAQ and control with that of discrete event simulation to accurately measure the key manufacturing systems performance metrics. In addition to the real-time capabilities, the predictive capabilities of the solution provide the managers to look ahead and to conduct What-if scenarios. Such capability enables line management to optimise performance and predict destabilising factors in the system ahead of time. A fully operational version of the designed solution has been deployed in a brewery’s live production system for the first time. The brewhouse production line model measures the utilisation of resources, Overall Equipment Effectiveness, and Overall Line Effectiveness in real-time and fast-forward mode simulation. The results of the predictive models (What-if-Scenarios) have been validated and verified by statistical means and direct observations. The accuracy of the estimated parameters is highly satisfactory.