Analysis of cost and schedule performance of international development projects
- Authors: Ahsan, Kamrul , Gunawan, Indra
- Date: 2010
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: International Journal of Project Management Vol. 28, no. 1 (2010), p. 68-78
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- Description: This study focuses on cost and schedule issues of international development (ID) projects. Through empirical analysis we examine ID project cost and schedule performance and the main reasons for poor project outcome. We look at 100 projects that are sponsored by the Asian Development Bank and hosted by several Asian countries. The study identifies that most late projects experience cost underrun – an unusual cost and schedule variation relation in projects. Further we identify the root causes of project delay and cost underrun. Research findings will benefit ID project professionals, organizations and the ID project body of knowledge. The study can be extended to analyse other developing country projects sponsored by different donors.
Implementation of SPC with FMEA in less-developed industries with a case study in car battery manufactory
- Authors: Akbarzadeh Khorshidi, Hadi , Gunawan, Indra , Esmaeilzadeh, Fathollah
- Date: 2013
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: International Journal of Quality and Innovation [P} Vol. 2, no. 2 (2013), p. 148 - 157
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- Description: 2014085138
Utilisation of data mining in mining industry: Improvement of the shearer loader productivity in underground mines
- Authors: Balaba, Benhur , Ibrahim, Yousef , Gunawan, Indra
- Date: 2012
- Type: Text , Conference proceedings
- Relation: Industrial Informatics (INDIN), 2012 10th IEEE International Conference, Beijing, China, 25-27 July 2012 p. 1041- 1046
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- Description: This paper presents an investigative study in which data were gathered and used in underground mining to improve the planned maintenance program and reliability of the shearer loader in the underground mining. A cost effective maintenance and operation strategy and practices is mandatory to meet the production demand and the required level of service of this critical asset of the plant. The study conducted and presented in this paper includes a detailed review of failure history data and the use of analytical technique available to understand failure characteristics and its effect on the throughput and the overall performance of the longwall operation. This is to achieve further productivity increases to meet business goals. Analytical tools such as Failure Mode and Effect and Criticality Analysis (FMECA) and Weibull analysis were used in this investigation. The study has highlighted the criticality of some failures and the actions needed in this industrial case to improve the reliability and planned maintenance for a better mining productivity.
Dynamic modeling and validation of post-combustion CO2 capture plants in Australian coal-fired power stations
- Authors: Bui, Mai , Gunawan, Indra , Verheyen, Vincent , Artanto, Yuli , Meuleman, Erik , Feron, Paul
- Date: 2013
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Energy Procedia Vol. 37, no. (2013), p. 2694-2702
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- Description: Flexible operation of post-combustion CO2 capture (PCC) plants can improve efficiency through coordinating the balance between consumer demands for electricity and CO2 emission reductions. This strategy however, will impose process disturbances while the PCC plant is ramped up, ramped down or turned off. This paper presents the preliminary development of a dynamic model for PCC in a brown coal-fired power plant using the process simulation software Aspen Plus Dynamics. Validation of the dynamic model will be against both steady state and dynamic data from the pilot plant. By gaining this understanding of the dynamic behavior, the technical and financial performance of PCC can be optimised.
Dynamic modelling and optimisation of flexible operation in post-combustion CO2 capture plants - A review
- Authors: Bui, Mai , Gunawan, Indra , Verheyen, Vincent , Feron, Paul , Meuleman, Erik , Adeloju, Samuel
- Date: 2014
- Type: Text , Journal article , Review
- Relation: Computers and Chemical Engineering Vol. 61, no. (2014), p. 245-265
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- Description: The drive for efficiency improvements in post-combustion CO2 capture (PCC) technologies continues to grow, with recent attention being directed towards flexible operation of PCC plants. However, there is a lack of research into the effect of process disturbances when operating flexibly, justifying a need for validated dynamic models of the PCC process. This review critically examines the dynamic PCC process models developed to date and analyses the different approaches used, as well as the model complexity and their limitations. Dynamic process models coupled with economic analysis will play a crucial role in process control and optimisation. Also discussed are key areas that need to be addressed in future dynamic models, including the lack of reliable dynamic experimental data for their validation, development of feasible flexible operation and process control strategies, as well as process optimisation by integrating accurate process models with established economic analysis tools. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd.
Flexible operation of CSIRO's post-combustion CO2 capture pilot plant at the AGL Loy Yang power station
- Authors: Bui, Mai , Gunawan, Indra , Verheyen, Vincent , Feron, Paul , Meuleman, Erik
- Date: 2016
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: International Journal of Greenhouse Gas Control Vol. 48, no. (May 2016), p. 188-203
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- Description: Flexible operation has the potehtial to significantly improve the economic viability of post-combustion CO2 capture (PCC). However, the impact of disturbances from flexible operation of the PCC process is unclear. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of flexible operation in a PCC pilot plant by implementing step-changes for improved dynamic data reliability. The flexible operation campaign was conducted at the CSIRO PCC pilot plant at AGL Loy Yang using monoethanolamine (MEA) absorbent. The pilot plant was operated under a broad range of transient conditions (changing flue gas flow, liquid absorbent flow and steam pressure) to capture the dynamics of a PCC process during flexible operation. The study demonstrated that the dynamics of flue gas flow rate was faster than absorbent flow rate. The greatest CO2 removal% was achieved at the lowest flue gas flow rate or at the highest absorbent flow rate; however, the latter provided improved energy efficiency. The steam pressure parameter could adjust the temperature of all columns simultaneously which can be used to compensate for effects from ambient conditions or heat losses. These results verify the technical feasibility of flexible PCC operation and provide a suitable dataset for dynamic model validation. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Dynamic operation of liquid absorbent-based post-combustion CO2 capture plants
- Authors: Bui, Mai , Gunawan, Indra , Verheyen, Vincent , Meuleman, Erik
- Date: 2016
- Type: Text , Book chapter
- Relation: Absorption-Based Post-Combustion Capture of Carbon Dioxide (Woodhead Publishing Series in Energy) Chapter 24 p. 589-621
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- Description: Dynamic (or flexible) operation has been proposed as a strategy to reduce the impact of integrating post-combustion CO2 capture (PCC) into power plants. It provides a means for counteracting ongoing variations in the composition of flue gas and absorbent, and also accounts for dynamic variations in carbon and electricity pricing, and electricity demand. For example, in periods of low energy demand, electricity prices will be lower and capture rates may be ramped up accordingly. During high-demand periods, electricity prices will be higher, and capture may be turned down or switched off completely. Flexible PCC operation can also coordinate the balance between electricity demand and legislative requirements for CO2 emission reductions, to improve the economic feasibility of PCC. However, dynamic PCC operation imposes process disturbances when the CO2 capture plant is ramped up or turned down. The immediate and long-term effects of these disturbances are unclear. Thus, recent research is now focusing on the feasibility of flexible PCC operation on a technical basis. Dynamic modeling and pilot plant studies will improve our understanding of dynamic PCC behavior and enable process control to be optimized. © 2016 Elsevier Ltd All rights reserved.
Dynamic operation of post-combustion CO2 capture in Australian coal-fired power plants
- Authors: Bui, Mai , Gunawan, Indra , Verheyen, Vincent , Meuleman, Erik , Feron, Paul
- Date: 2014
- Type: Text , Conference paper
- Relation: 12th International Conference on Greenhouse Gas Control Technologies, GHGT 2014 p. 1368-1375
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- Description: Flexible operation of post-combustion CO2 capture (PCC) plants can improve efficiency through coordinating the balance between consumer demands for electricity and CO2 emission reductions. This strategy however, will impose process disturbances and the immediate and long term impact is unclear. There is a justified need for the development of accurate dynamic PCC models, as well as practical experience in dynamic operation of PCC pilot plants. This paper presents CSIRO PCC pilot plant data from the 2012 and 2013 dynamic campaigns using MEA solvent. The step-change approach to dynamic plant operation was implemented and the use of density meters to instantaneously measure CO2 loading instantaneously was investigated.
OEE improvement of thermoforming machines through application of TPM at Tibaldi Australasia
- Authors: Chundhoo, Vickram , Chattopadhyay, Gopinath , Gunawan, Indra , Ibrahim, Yousef
- Date: 2017
- Type: Text , Conference proceedings , Conference paper
- Relation: 2017 IEEE International Conference on Industrial Engineering and Engineering Management, IEEM 2017; Singapore, Singapore; 10th-13th December 2017 p. 929-933
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- Description: Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) evaluates quantitatively how effectively a manufacturing operation is utilised. Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) was considered by Tibaldi, a leading food manufacturer in Australia for achieving OEE. This research project has identified performance gaps, developed plan and implemented it in Thermoforming area of the business. The developed methodology helped Tibaldi in improving productivity and quality through TPM involving machines, equipment, processes, and employees. This paper demonstrates how this can be achieved by reducing lead time and establishing lean environment. Productivity improvement through the devised methodology led to further enhancement of competitiveness of the organisation for domestic and international markets of processed food manufactured by Tibaldi Australia. Lessons learned from application of TPM in Thermoforming, a key asset area, is rolled out to other sections of the plat and results from this pilot study are presented in this paper.
Train unloading facility defect elimination program
- Authors: da Costa Cunha, Cristiano , Gunawan, Indra
- Date: 2014
- Type: Text , Conference paper
- Relation: Asset Management Conference
- Full Text: false
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- Description: A total of 4% of availability increase was achieved in an Iron Ore Train Unloader facility. A Six Sigma approach, supported by statistical techniques such as Pareto and Jackknife, is used to identify the main causes of loss and implement corrective actions, based on repetitive data collected within the time usage model accounting system. A classification method was utilised to separate production delays into different categories and target the focus of the defect elimination program in a staged approach. Via root cause analysis and fishbone diagrams, effective defect elimination tasks are identified to eliminate process outliers. Prioritisation tools and effective resource allocation are utilised to achieve an increased value adding defect elimination strategy. A control process of ongoing monitoring and data analysis is implemented to maintain sustainability of the program throughout the lifecycle of the asset and continuously improve availability. A total of 3.3 Mt of increased iron ore productivity within the Iron Ore Train Unloader facility was the result observed in the last 12 months.
Cyclic production for robotic cells served by multi-function robots with resumable processing regime
- Authors: Foumani, Mehdi , Ibrahim, Yousef , Gunawan, Indra
- Date: 2013
- Type: Text , Conference paper
- Relation: 2013 IEEE International Conference on Industrial Engineering and Engineering Management, Bangkok, (10 - 13 December 2013) p. 551-555
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- Description: This paper addresses the problem of finding the optimal robot move cycle to minimise the cycle time of two-machine cells. The earlier robot's function was mainly moving parts between machines in a manufacturing process. We lift this assumption on robot tasks and assumed a special robot, namely multi-function, which performs a unique operation in transit. This robot starts performing this operation after unloading a part from input buffer and finishes it before loading the part to the output buffer. The processing mode on robot is “stop resume”. Thus, regardless of the gap interrupts during the operation, the robot continues processing on part when it is reloaded to the robot without any loss in time. The focus of this study is on one-unit cycles since they are very popular in industry. The cycle time of two possible one-unit cycles is obtained, and the optimality condition of them is determined.
Scheduling rotationally arranged robotic cells served by a multi-function robot
- Authors: Foumani, Mehdi , Gunawan, Indra , Ibrahim, Yousef
- Date: 2014
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: International Journal of Production Research Vol. 52, no. 13 (2014), p. 4037-4058
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- Description: Automated material handling systems are usually characterised by robotic cells that result in the improvement of the production rate. The main purpose of this research is to study the scheduling of a rotationally arranged robotic cell with the multi-function robot (MFR). This special class of industrial robot is able not only to transfer the part between two adjacent processing stages but also to perform a special operation in transit. Considering MFR for material handling and operation, the objective function of the research here is the maximisation of production rate, or equivalently the minimization of the steady-state cycle time for identical part production. This problem is modelled as a travelling salesman problem to give computational benefits with respect to the existing solution methods. Then, the lower bound for the cycle time is deduced in order to measure the productivity gain of two practical production permutations, namely uphill and downhill permutations. As a design problem, a preliminary analysis initially identifies the regions where the productivity gain of a regular multi-function robotic cell is more than that of the corresponding single-function robotic cell for both small- and large-scale cells. The conclusion shows the suggested topics for future research.
- Description: C1
Quantifying the impact of using multi-function robots on productivity of rotationally arranged robotic cells
- Authors: Foumani, Mehdi , Ibrahim, Yousef , Gunawan, Indra
- Date: 2015
- Type: Text , Conference paper
- Relation: 2013 IEEE International Conference on Industrial Engineering and Engineering Management , Bangkok, 2013 p. 1194-1198
- Full Text: false
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- Description: This paper investigates the scheduling of a rotationally arranged robotic cell with the Multi-Function Robot (MFR). The earlier known robotic study in this area assumed that the robot only moves the part between machines. We lift this assumption on robot tasks and assumed a special class of robots which is also able to perform a special operation in transit. The aim is to find a minimum cycle time for identical part production. Considering additive and constant travel-time, the distance between any two machines is varying or constant based on the robot acceleration/deceleration for incompact and compact cells. The lower bound of the cycle time is deduced to evaluate the optimality of two practical permutations namely uphill and downhill. It also identifies the regions where using a Multi-Function Robotic Cell (MFRC) is more economical than a Single-Function Robotic Cell (SFRC).
Cyclic scheduling in small-scale robotic cells served by a multi-function robot
- Authors: Foumani, Mehdi , Ibrahim, Yousef , Gunawan, Indra
- Date: 2013
- Type: Text , Conference proceedings
- Relation: IECON 2013 - 39th Annual Conference of the IEEE Industrial Electronics Society, Nov. 2013, Vienna, Austria pp.4362-4367
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- Description: The industrial robot is one of the popular devices used in fully automatic production lines as material handling tool. A consequential problem is finding a cyclic robot movement which gives the maximum cell output in mass production environments. The Robotic Cell Scheduling Problem (RCSP) is predominantly separated into two different problems: Single-Function Robotic Cell (SFRC) and Multi-Function Robotic Cell (MFRC) scheduling problem. These problems are layout-oriented and operation-oriented, respectively. Literature concerning with former case considered a robotic system served by a transporting robot performing a single task. This kind of transporting robot is usually called Single-Function Robot (SFR). For the latter case, the robotic system served by a Multi-Function Robot (MFR) which simultaneously perform an arbitrary task in addition to parts transportation task. Giving a real-life example of MFRs, the use of a class of grippers performing in-process control is significantly increased in industry. The grippers, install at the end of MFR arm, can perform quality control tasks (e.g. accurately measure diameters) while part is carried to next machine. Figure 1 shows an example of these grippers used for measuring the diameter of crankshaft [1]. The measuring heads are integrated into the automation by adding gages and crankshaft locating features to MFR using in these lines. Also, there is a special kind of MFR, namely SDA10, which is suitable for assembly and part transfer in production lines especially if fixturing is costly [2]. Thus, it is crucial to undertake a comprehensive research onto effect of MFRs on production rate.
Scheduling dual gripper robotic cells with a hub machine
- Authors: Foumani, Mehdi , Ibrahim, Yousef , Gunawan, Indra
- Date: 2013
- Type: Text , Conference proceedings
- Relation: Industrial Electronics (ISIE), 2013 IEEE International Symposium, Taipei, Taiwan, 28th-31st May 2013 p1-6
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- Description: This paper introduces a new methodology to optimise the cycle time of dual-gripper robotic workcells. The workcell under study is composed of a group of m production machines. In order to produce a completed part, a chain of m-1 secondary operations are performed by m-1 different machines, and a hub machine is alternately visited for m primary operations. Indeed, parts must reenter the hub machine after any one of secondary operations. Those types of robotics workcells are used for high capacity production such as in photolithography manufacturing, These cells are cluster tools for semiconductor manufacturing where a wafer visits a processing stage several times for the atomic layer deposition (ALD) processes. For electroplating lines, these cells are also common in practice where there is a multifunction production stage that is visited by parts over once. This optimisation methodology is limited to the dual-gripper robotic cells, where identical parts are produced and these parts completely follow a similar sequence. The lower bound of cycle time for such dual-gripper robotic cells is obtained by finding the cycle time of all related robot move cycles, and subsequently optimal robot task sequence, which is a two-unit cycle, is determined.
Stochastic scheduling of an automated two-machine robotic cell with in-process inspection system
- Authors: Foumani, Mehdi , Smith-Miles, Kate , Gunawan, Indra , Moeini, Ashgar
- Date: 2015
- Type: Text , Conference proceedings
- Relation: 45th International Conference on Computers and Industrial Engineering, CIE 2015; Universite de Lorraine, LCOMS Metz; France; 28th-30th October 2015. In Proceedings - CIE 45: 2015 International Conference on Computers and Industrial Engineering
- Full Text: false
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- Description: This study is focused on the domain of a two-machine robotic cell scheduling problem. Particularly, we propose the first analytical method for minimizing the partial cycle time of such a cell with a PC-based automatic inspection system to make the problem more realistic. It is assumed that parts must be inspected in one of the production machines, and this may result in a rework process. The stochastic nature of the rework process prevents us from applying existing deterministic solution methods for the scheduling problem. This study aims to develop an in-line inspection of identical parts using multiple contact/non-contact sensors. Initially, we present a heuristic method that converts a multiple-sensor inspection system into a single-sensor inspection system. Then, the expected sequence times of two different cycles are derived based on a geometric distribution, and finally the maximum expected throughput is pursued for each individual case.
Resolution of deadlocks in a robotic cell scheduling problem with post-process inspection system: Avoidance and recovery scenarios
- Authors: Foumani, Mehdi , Gunawan, Indra , Smith-Miles, Kate
- Date: 2015
- Type: Text , Conference proceedings
- Relation: 2015 IEEE International Conference on Industrial Engineering and Engineering Management, Singapore, 6th-9th December, 2015. p. 1107-1111
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- Description: The phenomenon of deadlock in robotic cells has been long ignored by most scheduling literature. A deadlock situation arises if a part cannot change its current state indefinitely since the destination machine is occupied by another part. The probability of the deadlock occurrence is likely to be large when the processing route cannot be predicted with certainty due to inspection processes. Our focus here is on a specific robotic cell with a post-process inspection system where the inspection is performed on an independent inspection machine. Avoidance and recovery policies are applied to overcome deadlocks originated from this cell. We develop these policies to prevent deadlock or alternatively resolve it during the online implementation of cycles. The former policy minimizes the storage cost, whereas the later policy minimizes the expected cycle time. An analysis of the scheduling problem that involves timings and costs is also carried out for comparing policies.
Quantifying the impact of using multi-function robots on productivity of rotationally arranged robotic cells
- Authors: Foumani, Mehdi , Ibrahim, Yousef , Gunawan, Indra
- Date: 2013
- Type: Text , Conference proceedings
- Relation: Industrial Engineering and Engineering Management (IEEM), 2013 IEEE International Conference , Bangkok, Thailand, 10-13 Dec. 2013 p 1194-1198
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Generally, an industrial robot is named the Single-Function Robot (SFR) if it is only able to perform one task like material handling. However, a Multi-Function Robot (MFR) predominantly performs two tasks concurrently: material handling and a special operation. This type of recent robot with this ability can raise production rate. A robot equipped by a special kind of gripper namely Grip-Gage-Go is a real-life applications of MFRs. This gripper makes MFR competent to measure the diameter of the part in transit. These MFRs are widely employed in the inspection of automotive products including crankshaft, gears, and engine valves [1]
Notes on feasibility and optimality conditions of small-scale multifunction robotic cell scheduling problems with pickup restrictions
- Authors: Foumani, Mehdi , Gunawan, Indra , Smith-Miles, Kate , Ibrahim, Yousef
- Date: 2015
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: IEEE Transactions on Industrial Informatics Vol. 11, no. 3 (2015), p. 821-829
- Full Text: false
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- Description: Optimization of robotic workcells is a growing concern in automated manufacturing systems. This study develops a methodology to maximize the production rate of a multifunction robot (MFR) operating within a rotationally arranged robotic cell. An MFR is able to perform additional special operations while in transit between transferring parts from adjacent processing stages. Considering the free-pickup scenario, the cycle time formulas are initially developed for small-scale cells where an MFR interacts with either two or three machines. A methodology for finding the optimality regions of all possible permutations is presented. The results are then extended to the no-wait pickup scenario in which all parts must be processed from the input hopper to the output hopper, without any interruption either on or between machines. This analysis enables insightful evaluation of the productivity improvements of MFRs in real-life robotized workcells. ©2014 IEEE.
Project scheduling improvement using design structure matrix
- Authors: Gunawan, Indra , Ahsan, Kamrul
- Date: 2010
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: International Journal of Project Organisation and Management Vol. 2, no. 4 (2010 2010), p. 311-327
- Full Text: false
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- Description: A challenging aspect of managing the development of complex projects is the notion of design iteration or rework. Traditional project management tools such as program evaluation and review technique (PERT), critical path method (CPM), and Gantt chart allow the modelling of sequential and parallel processes in projects, but they fail to address interdependency of feedback and iteration. Design structure matrix (DSM) is a new approach to project management, used to represent, analyse dependencies among tasks and show the order in which tasks are performed. In this paper, a case of the petroleum oil field development project is demonstrated. The project duration of the petroleum oil field development project is reduced significantly by applying the DSM method.