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Providing operationsexpertise for theresponsive, efficient
and lean enterprise
Lean Engineering Research Group
Professor Dave Stockton
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Research areasRESEARCH AREAS
Operations design, planning andcontrol of complex workenvironments
Autonomous planning ofcomplex systems
Implementing Lean & 6-improvement practices
Supply chain demandforecasting and resourceplanning
Servitisation & service support
High variety/low volume flowprocessing Product & process cost
modelling
BUSINESS RELEVANCE Increasing levels of product
& demand customisation andservitisation
Increasing levels of product& process development
Increasing levels ofcomplexity in the operationsenvironment
Need for increased levels ofcompetitiveness cost,quality, lead time, delivery,productivity and choice
Increasing environmentalconcern
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100th
Generation:
5 Operators
150th
Generation:
4 Operators
1stGeneration:
8 Operators
50
th
Generation:6 Operators
Multi-Part Flexible Manpower Lines
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Material entry points Schedule release points Capacity constrainedprocesses
Divergent, convergentbottleneck processes
Shipping points
Self-optimising modelsfor synchronous materials flow
Material
Entry
Process
Process
Capacity
Constrained
ProcessProcess
Divergent
Process
Process
Process
Convergent
ProcessProcess
Bottleneck
Process
Process
Shipping
Exit
ProcessSR
P
SR
P
SR
P SR
P
SR
P
SR
P
Backward
Schedule
Foreward
Schedule
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Cost modelling using Artificial NeuralNetworks & Fuzzy Logic
0 10 20 30
0.20
0.40
0.60
0.80
1.00
0
TruthValues
Surface Curvature
Complexity
Curvature is
Moderate
Curvature
is ComplexCurvature
is Simple
0 10 20 30
0.20
0.40
0.60
0.80
1.00
0
TruthValues
Surface Curvature
Complexity
Curvature is
Moderate
Curvature
is ComplexCurvature
is Simple
Metric
processing
element
pe1
pe2
pe3
Metric
pe5
pe6
pe7
pe4
Roll
Changing
Cost
Hidden
Layer
Input
Layer
Output
Layer
Input
Values
External
Shape
Complexity
(x2)
Complexity
of
Curves
(x1)
Average
PlyLength
(x3)
PlyLay-Up
Cost
Inspection
Cost
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Automatic development of cost models
Data miningof outputfrom VirtualEngineering
models toidentify costrelationships
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Accelerated process excellenceusing virtual process simulation
Advanced Visualization
Self-OrganisedRelationships
Optimization Performance Analysis
Creative ProblemSolving Lean Training Change Management
Figure 1: V-DEPS
Performance& results
analysis toolOptimisationtool
Simulationmanagement
tool
Changemanagement
tool
Creativeproblem
solving tool
Advanced visualisation capability & lean training environment
ExternalI/O
Self-organised
relationshipnetworks
Runsimulations& optimise
Modelupdating
Identifylean
changesAnalyseresults
Tools to visualisethe operation ofcomplex systems
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Improving demand forecasting andresource planning using AI techniques
Fuzzy Logic - dataaggregation
Artificial neuralnetworks - knowledge
retrieval and modeldevelopment Genetic algorithms
optimisation ofsystem and supply
chain inventory andcapacity plans
K
nowledge
Id
entification
System
Knowledge
Co
llection
System
Knowledge
AnalysisSystem
Optimiser
Is
forecasting
accuracyOK?
Forecasting
ModelsApplication
No
Yes
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Principles of self-organisation