Approximation approach for the performance analysis of production lines under a kanban discipline

In a JIT production environment, pull-type control systems are usually implemented to reduce the lead time and to synchronize the production rate with the demand rate. The design of an effective production control system requires easy and reliable approaches for evaluating the effect of the major system parameters on its performance.In this paper we model the kanban control system of a manufacturing line as a Markov process. In addition, we develop an approximation approach to the model that permits reliable evaluation of manufacturing system performance in terms of throughput time and work-in-process. The validation of the approach is implemented by comparing the exact results (based on discrete event simulation) and the approximated results.A good approximation is observed for a large range of conditions.     

Analysis of a general Markovian two-stage continuous-flow production system with a finite buffer

Fluid flow models are used in the performance evaluation of production, computer, and telecommunication systems. In order to develop a methodology to analyze general Markovian continuous material flow production systems with two processing stages with an intermediate finite buffer, a general single-buffer fluid flow system is modelled as a continuous time, continuous-discrete state space stochastic process and the steady-state distribution is determined. Various performance measures such as the production rate and the expected buffer level are determined from the steady-state distributions. The flexibility of this methodology allows analysis of a wide range of models by specifying only the transition rates and the flow rates associated with the discrete states of each stage. Therefore, the method is proposed as a tool for performance evaluation of general Markovian continuous-flow systems with a finite buffer. The solution methodology is illustrated by analyzing a production system where each machine has multiple up and down states associated with their quality characteristics.     

创新质量管理机制推进企业卓越发展

为满足企业发展和质量管理提升需要，兰州石化分公司根据重组后的质量管理现状，从业务整合入手，建立了专业化、扁平化、一体化运行的质量管理新机制；通过导入“零缺陷”、“精细化”等管理思想和方法，推进卓越绩效管理模式，推进质量管理从符合向卓越型转变。从产品质量管理向企业质量经营转变，以全员、全过程、全方位管理为基本原则，以过程管理为基本方法，以质量攻关和QC小组活动为基本手段，以PDCA循环和持续改进为基本法则，建立了完整的质量指标体系和绩效评价体系，并有效应用于企业管理的全过程，企业质量经营绩效和客户满意水平大幅改进，达到行业领先水平。     

炉篦条消失模铸造工艺优化

炉篦条是冶金设备烧结机上的一个重要零件,对铸件技术要求高,工作面不允许有铸造缺陷,采用消失模铸造生产炉篦条是一种先进、高效的生产工艺。针对原消失模铸造工艺经常出现的夹渣、夹砂等问题以及铸件报废的原因,在对原工艺认真分析的基础上对炉篦条铸件铸造工艺进行了优化:改变铸件浇冒口的设计,将原来的2个冒口向铸件长度方向的中间靠近;将铸件在浇注位置方向上的工作面朝下,以保证工作面的铸造质量;从管理、工艺实施和监督检查方面进行严格控制,消除气孔,保证涂料烘干,防止涂料返潮。通过优化铸造工艺,有效提高了生产效率,降低了生产成本。批量生产也证明了优化工艺性能稳定,产品质量可靠。     

Product and Process Modularity's Effects on Manufacturing Agility and Firm Growth Performance

Modularity in product design has been hailed as a way to speed new product development (NPD), to reduce NPD cost, and to enhance customization possibilities for consumers. Modularity in process design may speed new product manufacturing setup times, reduce costs, and enhance the profitability of the lower volumes that customization often entails. However, empirical evidence is scarce that either product or process modularity—individually, jointly, or sequentially—actually produce these or other proposed benefits (e.g., performance growth). This study builds on general modular systems theory (GMST) by examining the theoretical relationship between product and process modularity and the effects of each on firm growth performance. Using structural equation modeling, partial versus complete mediation by manufacturing agility is also scrutinized. In one pair of models, product modularity and process modularity are separate direct antecedents to manufacturing agility, which is modeled to affect firm growth performance; in a second pair of models, product and process modularity are related antecedents to manufacturing agility, with product modularity preceding process modularity. Results from the best‐fitting model show that product modularity directly and positively affects process modularity, manufacturing agility, and firm growth performance. Process modularity was unrelated to manufacturing agility, and neither process modularity nor manufacturing agility predicted growth performance. Consistent with GMST, the study provides empirical evidence of the power of one element of a modular system to orchestrate a fit between a firm's product and manufacturing strategies and to directly drive system performance. Thus, modularity in product design is revealed as the key to understanding GMST effects concerning how changes in one system generate changes in other systems.     

浅调剖质量管理体系的构建

针对调剖井的管理制度、质量监督、新技术应用等方面的工作,总结了在调剖过程中,从方案设计到效果评价的整个过程中的具体做法,探索了实施科学管理的工作方法,构建了完善的调剖质量管理体系。并通过总结2010年围绕调剖施工质量而开展的工作,真实地评价了调剖施工效果,累计增油1.41×104t,控制产液12.4×104t,控制注水40.9×104m3,创造经济效益947.5万元,投入产出比为1:1.52。     

喇嘛甸油田新井解释质量控制

喇嘛甸油田近几年乃至今后很长一段时间内,平均年钻井上千口,新井投产时间紧、任务重。在人力设备资源有限的前提下,为保证新井解释质量和投产进度,通过对测井解释流程进行分析,采用对参数解释、油层对比及水淹层解释、数据保存管理等环节进行多级审核或分步审核控制,提高解释质量;建立了参数、对比和水淹解释一体化质量控制体系;对出错频率高的技术环节及地质条件特殊的井层,制定了特殊井层应急处理流程和全井质量控制流程,实现了新井解释规范化、系统化管理。该质量控制体系缩短单井解释周期8.7h,提高新井解释精度6.5个百分点,为新井投产提供了及时、准确的基础资料,为油田持续稳产提供了保障。     

Business processes inter-operation for supply network co-ordination

In a global supply network, the overall improvement of operational efficiency and customer satisfaction can only be achieved through greater co-ordination and collaboration of all the network members. However, full benefits of close co-operation within a global supply network can only be achieved when the business processes of the individual companies can inter-operate. Currently available commercial solutions are inadequate in supporting full network co-ordination in terms of business process changes and technical arrangements. This paper proposes a system that aims to improve the co-ordination of production planning and control activities across the supply network. To achieve this, it is important to develop new business processes and principles for company collaboration and corresponding information systems. This process starts from the identification of business and system requirements, which underlie the general business solutions for network co-ordination, developing the guiding design principles and subsequent process design and system implementation.     

Design and application of task administration protocols for collaborative production and service systems

This research investigates the design of Task Administration Protocols (TAPs) for effective task allocation and administration in collaborative production/service systems. Customer-focused and concurrent engineering service systems process tasks more effectively as a result of the power of collaboration among multiple participants. In such environments, however, complex situations might arise that require decisions that cannot be handled by simple Coordination Protocols (CPs). To design an effective control mechanism to manage complex situations, this research identifies basic problems in collaborative task administration and proposes the design framework of protocols to solve the problems. In the framework, TAPs consist of three component-protocols: (1) Task Requirement Analysis Protocol, (2) Shared Resource Allocation Protocol, and (3) Synchronization and Time-Out Protocol. Each component protocol is activated to address priority-based allocation, resource-aware allocation, and task re-allocation at a different task administration context, ranging from task initialization, task allocation, to task monitoring, respectively. To analyze feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed design, TAPs are applied to two collaborative production/service systems. Simulations are conducted to evaluate the performance achieved by different TAPs and non-TAP CPs under various load conditions. The results show that there is a significant performance improvement by TAPs over CPs in most cases, e.g., 84% vs. 64% in terms of task completion ratio. The advantage of TAPs can be explained by their design with relatively higher level of collaborative intelligence, addressing more complex control logic than non-TAP CPs.     

Validation of Expert Systems for Innovation Management: Issues, Methodology, and Empirical Assessment

Faced with the complexities of managing new product development, most of us would welcome the support of a computer-based system that captures the knowledge and the reasoning capabilities of experts in our field. Considerable effort has been focused on the design and development of expert systems for applications such as new product management. However, design and development are only two steps on the path to successful implementation of a useful expert system. A rigorous validation process is essential for ensuring that the expert system performs as intended. Using the INNOVATOR expert system as an example, Sundaresan Ram and Sudha Ram propose and test a framework for validating expert systems designed for new product management. The proposed validation framework considers three aspects of the expert system: its knowledge acquisition methodology, its performance, and its utility. Validation of an expert system's knowledge acquisition methodology involves assessment of the knowledge sources used, the criteria for selecting human experts, and the methods used for knowledge acquisition. Using multiple sources improves the likelihood that the expert system will capture the necessary core knowledge. Similarly, selection of the experts who are to supply the knowledge used by the expert system should be based on reliable measures of new product expertise rather than ad hoc measures. The system's performance is evaluated through formal tests of the accuracy and the completeness of the knowledge base, the consistency and the accuracy of the decisions made by the system, and the reasoning process by which the system reaches its decisions. Such tests may involve direct examination of the system by experts, and Turing tests, which compare both the recommendations and the reasoning process of the system with those of selected experts. Both types of tests may involve experts from whom knowledge was acquired during the development of the system as well as experts who were not involved in the design and development of the system. Assessment of an expert system's utility focuses on user perceptions of system performance and utility as well as the design of the user interface. First, end-users must evaluate the relevance of the chosen problem domain. In other words, the validation process must verify that the expert system addresses an important problem that requires decision support tools. Second, the expert system must provide a logical, systematic approach to solving the problem. Finally, the expert system must provide a consistent, intuitive user interface.     

基于T-S模型的一类时滞非线性系统模型预测控制

针对具有状态时滞特性的非线性离散系统,利用线性矩阵不等式的方法和Lyapunov稳定性理论,研究了基于状态反馈的非线性系统模型预测控制问题。基于T-S模糊模型对非线性离散系统进行描述并给出一种"min-max"预测控制算法,采用模型预测控制与模糊理论相结合的方法,利用平行分布补偿的原理,通过在每一个采样时刻优化无穷时域的性能指标,来求解在范数有界条件下相应的状态反馈控制律,讨论了预测控制器的设计问题,分析了此设计问题的可解性,给出了状态反馈控制器基于线性矩阵不等式的设计算法,保证了系统的稳定性,通过仿真实例证明了所提控制算法的有效性及系统的稳定性。该方法能够在化工、冶金、机械等具有时滞特性的工业生产过程中得到很好的应用。     

完善质量管理体系 提高产品设计质量

通过对企业产品设计与开发过程控制现状的分析,找出影响产品设计和开发过程控制的关键因素,提出相应的改进建议,完善质量管理体系,提高产品设计质量,以实现生产一代、贮备一代、研发一代的产品更新结构。     

农机自动驾驶设备作业检测系统的设计与实现

为了满足精准农业领域对农机自动驾驶系统作业进行性能评估和质量管控的需求,解决常规人工测量中误差大、不确定度高的难题,设计一种在真实作业环境中使用的高精度检测系统,使用组合导航系统为核心组件搭建硬件采集设备,运用动态后处理技术(PPK)对观测数据进行深耦合处理,并开发基于JavaScript的自动化评估软件,实现检测过程中的人机交互、数据提取、地图直观显示和结果统计。选择不同型号的样机在硬化场地和农田熟地进行试验,结果表明:系统采集的作业数据连续、稳定,耦合处理的精度较高,能够直观准确地评估农机自动驾驶设备的作业性能。系统可应用于北斗农机辅助自动驾驶设备的作业评价和质量鉴定,有助于推动国家农机购置补贴和质量认证政策的落地。     

"Managing" Learning by Doing: An Empirical Study in Semiconductor Manufacturing

This article examines the contributions of human resource and organizational practices to the development and supply chain management interface. It addresses this issue in the context of the semiconductor industry by highlighting the importance of these practices for learning‐based improvement in manufacturing. One of the most important factors for competitiveness in the semiconductor industry is the ability to manufacture new process technologies with high yields and low cycle times. The more effective management of new process technologies within the manufacturing facility aids firms in managing production costs, volumes, and inventories. Efficient management of new process development and introduction translates into enhanced internal supply chain management performance by improving the design of internal workflows, manufacturing performance, and the acquisition and installation of new manufacturing processes. Because much of the knowledge that underpins semiconductor manufacturing is idiosyncratic, however, firm‐level differences in human resource and organizational practices are likely to have consequences for performance. The article derives learning curve models of the rate of improvement in manufacturing yield (i.e., the rate of learning) and cycle time (i.e., the speed of production) following the introduction of a new process technology in a manufacturing facility. It then tests the influence of the use by semiconductor manufacturers of teams for problem solving and intrafirm knowledge transfer, the level of internal adoption of information technology (IT), and more extensive and effective workflow and production scheduling systems on manufacturing performance. It finds that the manners in which semiconductor manufacturers allocate engineering resources to problem‐solving activities, utilize information technology in the manufacturing facility, schedule production, and control the “shop floor” influence the levels and rates of improvement in both manufacturing performance measures. The article makes several contributions to the literature on product and process development and, accordingly, to research on the product development/supply chain interface. In particular, the model of organizational‐based learning provides a better understanding of the determinants of learning‐based performance improvement. In particular, better manufacturing performance results not strictly from greater cumulative volume but also from the actions of managers that affect the organization of establishment‐level problem‐solving activities and information exchange. The article also demonstrates that human resource and organizational practices in both the development and the adoption of new process technologies improve manufacturing performance by accelerating new product introduction, improving workflow, and enhancing the efficiency of manufacturing processes.     

浅谈钻井队质量管理体系的有效实施

随着石油企业的深化改革和一线施工作业队伍＂杜邦理念＂的推进,与安全生产密切相关的质量管理体系在钻井队有效运行的问题,越来越受到各级组织、各级领导的密切关注和高度重视。同时钻井队也越来越重视自身质量管理方面的表现和形象,并期望有一套系统的方法来推动钻井施工队伍建设,以满足质量管理体系的要求,实现质量、安全、环保、清洁生产目标。     

论提高采油工程规划方案的质量

阐述了在采油工程规划方案编制中,采用"PDCA"质量环运行模式使质量管理体系贯穿于采油工程规划质量形成的全过程。对采油工程规划系统过程中单个过程及其之间的联系和相互作用进行连续的控制,保证了采油工程规划方案编制工作的顺利实施,提高了采油工程规划方案编制质量。     

油气井控装备在制造过程中的质量控制

为加强井控装备在制造过程中的质量控制,在对国内井控装备制造企业实际生产情况进行实地调研分析的基础上,从工艺过程策划、工序质量控制点设置、过程质量审核、质量信息反馈、不良产品控制以及实施驻厂监理等方面进行了分析,就如何解决实际问题以及采用的方式方法进行了阐述。认为,井控装备是对油气井实施压力控制、进行预防、检测的关键设备;对于石油装备制造企业来说,井控装备的质量优劣直接影响到装备的使用性能。     

Costing RAM design and test analysis model for production facility

The objective of this paper is to provide a model for effective implementation of costing RAM (reliability, availability and maintainability) management in the design and procurement of production facility. This research proposed a two-stem model of costing RAM design and test for production facility. In Step 1, a static model is proposed to find an initial system configuration to meet the required performance based on system RAM and life cycle cost (LCC) and analyze the trade-off relationships between various RAM factors (reliability and maintainability) and LCC. In Step 2, we developed time and failure truncated models for system reliability test and analysis. For computational purposes, we developed computer programs and have shown the sample results. By the sample test run, the proposed model has shown possibilities to provide a good method to analyze system performance evaluation for both design and operational phase. This model can be applied to a wide variety of systems, not only for costing RAM of the production facilities but also for the other kind of equipment.     

Integrating the Kano model into a robust design approach to enhance customer satisfaction with product design

The aesthetic qualities of products are critical factors in achieving higher customer satisfaction. This study presents a robust design approach incorporating the Kano model to obtain the optimal combination of design form elements. This can effectively enhance customer satisfaction and aesthetic product qualities with multiple-criteria characteristics. The Kano model is used to better understand the relationship between performance criteria and customer satisfaction, and to resolve trade-off dilemma in multiple-criteria optimization by identifying the key criteria in customer satisfaction. The robust design approach combines grey relational analysis with the Taguchi method to optimize subjective quality with multiple-criteria characteristics. This simultaneously yields the optimal aesthetic performance and reduces the variations in customer evaluations. Based on Kano model analysis, a weight adjustment process determines the weight of each product criterion for achieving the desired customer satisfaction performance. This process guides the prioritizing of multiple criteria, leading to higher customer satisfaction. A mobile phone design experiment was conducted to verify the benefits of using the proposed integrative approach. Results show that the generated optimal mobile phone design can effectively enhance overall aesthetic performance and customer satisfaction. Although mobile phone designs are the examples of this study, the proposed method may be further used as a universal robust design approach for enhancing customer satisfaction and product quality with multiple-criteria characteristics.     

Life-Cycle Management of Supplier Literature: The Pertinent Issues

In order to support the design and development of new products that are of enhanced quality, reliability, and performance, the need for design information to be accurate, current, and accessible should be a major influence and priority for individuals and organizations alike. This article identifies standard supplier literature as a key source of design information; it is widely used and heavily relied upon within the early phases of new product development where the cost and quality of an artifact are largely defined. Subsequently, it presents and discusses the results of an extensive investigation into the way this information source was organized and handled within a typical engineering organization. In general, this revealed that an array of deficient "systems" were used for classifying it, and there were no formal procedures in place for its life-cycle management, with corresponding consequences for the effectiveness of the design operation.