Search results

The purpose of this paper is to develop an integrated engineering process control (EPC)–statistical process control (SPC) methodology for simultaneously monitoring and controlling autocorrelated multiple responses, namely, brightness and viscosity of the pulp bleaching process.

The pulp bleaching is a process of separating cellulose from impurities present in cooked wood chips through chemical treatment. More chemical dosage or process adjustments may result in better brightness but adversely affect viscosity. Hence, the optimum chemical dosage that would simultaneously minimize the deviation of pulp brightness and viscosity from their respective targets needs to be determined. Since the responses are autocorrelated, dynamic regression is used to model the responses. Then, the optimum chemical dosage that would simultaneously optimize the pulp brightness and viscosity is determined by fuzzy optimization methodology.

The suggested methodology is validated in 12 cases. The validation results showed that the optimum dosage simultaneously minimized the variation in brightness and viscosity around their respective targets. Moreover, suggested solution has been found to be superior to the one obtained by optimizing the responses independently.

This study provides valuable information on how to identify the optimum process adjustments to simultaneously ensure autocorrelated multiple responses on or close to their respective targets.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this paper is the first to provide application of the integrated EPC–SPC methodology for simultaneously monitoring multiple responses. The study also demonstrates the application of dynamic regression to model autocorrelated responses.

Different real cases indicate that the quality of a process is better monitored by a functional relationship rather than the traditional statistical process control (SPC) methods. This approach is referred to as profile monitoring. A serious objective in profile monitoring is the sensitivity of a model to very small changes of the process. The rapid progress of the precision manufacturing also indicates the importance of identifying very small shift types of a process/product profile curve. This sensitivity allows one to identify the fault of a process sooner compared to the case of lack of the capability.

This paper proposed a new method to monitor very small shift types of a polynomial profile for phase II of the SPC. The proposed method was named as MGWMA-PF. The performance capability of the proposed approach was evaluated through several numerical examples. A real case study was also used to investigate the capability of the proposed model.

The results addressed that the proposed method was capable of detecting very small shift types effectively. The numerical report based on the average run length (ARL) term revealed the more sensitivity of the proposed model compared to other existing methods of the literature.

This paper proposes a new method to monitor very small shift types of a polynomial profile for phase II of the SPC. The proposed method provides detecting a very small change manifested itself to the process.

Control charts have been widely used in the manufacturing industry as the most important statistical process control (SPC) technique. One assumption for successfully applying control charts is that the process is stable to begin with and adjustments are made only at a later point when the process is deemed to be out of control. A situation that often arises is when the process is subject to a slow trend caused by factors such as equipment deterioration, power decline during its consumption, or other reasons. For this type of situation, an integrated monitoring and adjustment approach can be considered and the relevant issues involved are discussed in this paper. This problem of implementing SPC is studied from the point of view of process management, together with the concept of engineering process control. A general approach is then formulated for monitoring processes with trend and subject to regular adjustments and a specific model for a general case with linear trend is studied in more detail.

The field of quality has undergone significant changes as reflected by changes in its definition, paradigms, approaches, techniques, and scope of application. This paper reviews emerging trends and issues focusing on quality engineering. Changes in customer expectation have driven the changes in the technology of design and manufacturing, which is becoming more important in satisfying individual customer expectations. This also calls for special attention to the engineering aspects of quality. Brief reviews on recent advances in the prominent quality tools such as statistical process control, quality function deployment, and design of experiment are reported. General trends in quality engineering research show the tools are being enhanced, integrated, computerized and broaden their application bases, where possible opportunities for further investigation are indicated. Among others these include contributions in multiple‐response optimization, intelligent quality systems, multivariate SPC, and practical and simple guidelines for actual implementation of various tools.

This paper is a case study on the successful application of Six Sigma methodology in the information technology industry. The purpose of this paper is to improve the resolution time performance of an application support process.

Through brainstorming, the potential factors influencing the resolution time are identified. From the potential factors, the important factors, namely, day-wise ticket volume, team’s software engineering skill and domain expertise are shortlisted using test of hypothesis, correlation, etc. Then a model is developed using principal component regression, linking the critical to quality characteristic with the root causes or important factors. Finally, a solution methodology is developed using the model to obtain the team composition and size with optimum software skill and domain expertise to resolve the tickets within the required time.

The implementation of the solution resulted in improving the process performance significantly. The process performance index increased from 0.00 to 1.2 and parts per million reduced from 501366.31 to 153. 33.

The software engineers can use the similar approach to improve the performance of core software activities such as coding, testing and bug fixing. The approach can also be used for improving the performance of other skill-based operations such as error reduction in medical diagnostics.

This is one of the rare Six Sigma case studies on improving skill-based processes such as software development. The study also demonstrates the usefulness of the Six Sigma methodology for solving dynamic problems whose solution needs to be continuously adjusted with the changes in the input or process conditions.

The purpose of this paper is to develop a guideline of the control procedure and tools depending on dominance pattern. In Lean Six Sigma (LSS) implementation, the control phase plays a vital role in sustaining the gains achieved from the improvement phase. The process control schemes should be developed by studying the process dominance pattern as suggested by Juran.

Discussion has been made on identification of various methods with the help of a few real life examples for effective LSS implementation.

The dominance pattern helps in identifying the control mechanism. However, with the advent of new business processes, the dominance pattern needs a little bit of modification.

The case studies mainly are from the manufacturing sector and one from the service sector, where authors have studied the control mechanism. There exists scope of future research in service sector for adequate representation.

The treatise provides a road map to the practitioners for an effective implementation of the control phase in LSS. It is also expected to provide the scope of future work in this direction for both researchers and practitioners.

The purpose of this paper is to develop a control chart pattern recognition methodology for monitoring the weekly customer complaints of outsourced information technology-enabled service (ITeS) processes.

A two-step methodology is used to classify the processes as having natural or unnatural variation based on past 20 weeks' customer complaints. The step one is to simulate data on various control chart patterns namely natural variation, upward shift, upward trend, etc. Then a deep learning neural network model consisting of two dense layers is developed to classify the patterns as of natural or unnatural variation.

The validation of the methodology on telecom vertical processes has correctly detected unnatural variations in two terminated processes. The implementation of the methodology on banking and financial vertical processes has detected unnatural variation in one of the processes. This helped the company management to take remedial actions, renegotiate the deal and get it renewed for another period.

This study provides valuable information on controlling information technology-enabled processes using pattern recognition methodology. The methodology gives a lot of flexibility to managers to monitor multiple processes collectively and avoids the manual plotting and interpretation of control charts.

The application of control chart pattern recognition methodology for monitoring service industry processes are rare. This is an application of the methodology for controlling information technology-enabled processes. This study also demonstrates the usefulness of deep learning techniques for process control.

Generic business process models for the supply chain do not cover the specific requirements of the cold chain catering to the needs of temperature-sensitive, perishable goods. The purpose of this paper is to draft a reference model specific to the cold chain.

Following an object-oriented modeling approach, conceptual elements that have been synthesized from a literature review are transferred into the static view (object model) of the reference model. In addition, the reference model’s dynamic properties representing the business process view are outlined.

While a few atomic process steps are sufficient to model the cold chain’s dynamic properties, the complexity of the cold chain lies in the object model. The classes of the object model are highly interrelated and cover four domains: perishable product, information technology, infrastructure/equipment and regulatory framework. This technical approach is more adequate to the complex nature of cold chains than typical business process models.

In the present draft status, the reference model is limited by the pure conceptual approach of this paper. As it is in the nature of things for a draft of a reference model, case studies to challenge the draft and a discourse of experts are required before detailed specifications can be added or any software implementation can be started. It is expected that the reference model is able to substantially support further research on cold chain design and optimization.

The cold chain reference model is intended to be a standard toolbox for planning and evaluating cold chains. By integrating the technical, information technology and regulatory objects behind the business processes, it allows to design and analyze cold chains from a more holistic perspective.

To the best knowledge of the author, this paper is the first to outline a reference model for the cold chain that goes beyond the business processes.

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the technology behind RFID systems, identify the applications of RFID in various industries, and discuss the technical challenges of RFID implementation and the corresponding strategies to overcome those challenges.

Comprehensive literature review and integration of the findings from literature.

Technical challenges of RFID implementation include tag cost, standards, tag and reader selection, data management, systems integration and security. The corresponding solution is suggested for each challenge.

A survey type research is needed to validate the results.

This research offers useful technical guidance for companies which plan to implement RFID and we expect it to provide the motivation for much future research in this area.

As the infancy of RFID applications, few researches have existed to address the technical issues of RFID implementation. Our research filled this gap.

This paper seeks to evaluate the EU's “active ageing” agenda as a governance strategy for the activation of older workers, and its impact on the regulation both of those who make, and those who are the objects of, policy. This case study is used to reflect more broadly on the implications of governance strategies for the regulation of social subjects in the European Union (EU).

The paper adopts a model of governance comprising two dimensions, namely formal policy (policy aims) and operational policy (policy means). This model is used to explain how and to what effect, discourses and institutions interact in EU governance to produce particular forms of social subject regulation; in this case, activation.

For the operational dimension, the paper explores how contradictions and tensions within and between employment, pensions and social inclusion policies are reflected in, and the products of, a re‐allocation of responsibilities between the EU, member states, social partners, and individuals. For the formal dimension, it explains how employment for older workers is constructed as having a different meaning to the employment of other workers, and how EU discourse on active ageing disguises crucial inequalities between groups of older workers, both pre‐ and post‐retirement.

The paper concludes that active ageing policy in the EU institutes a new category of social subject, apparently eliding the former distinction between employment and retirement, namely the “activated retiree”.

The paper demonstrates the efficacy of the two‐dimensional approach to the empirical analysis of governance strategies and identifies how key tensions in the production of EU social policies directly impact on the regulation of social subject categories in the EU.