Simulation is an important tool to make design and operation decisions to enhance the performance of manufacturing processes and systems. The coordinated use of optimisation methods and simulation models can result in better decisions. This paper presents an optimisation via simulation (OvS)...

In this paper, we propose to discuss profitability conditions of a subcontracting constraint for subcontractor companies. The subcontracting imposes unavailability periods of the production unit in order to periodically perform subcontracting tasks (ST). We study the subcontracting constraint...

In this paper, a framework for assessing the cost effectiveness of lean tools is developed. The framework consists of eight phases within the plan-do-check-act (PDCA) problem solving and continuous improvement cycle. The framework was verified using a case study of a sawmill process at a wood...

Supply Chain Management (SCM) is a key strategic approach for increasing organisational effectiveness and the realisation of organisational goals. Effectively selecting and evaluating suppliers and managing their involvement in the supply chain are some of the capabilities that enable Original...

This paper considers the single machine scheduling problem with linear earliness and quadratic tardiness costs. The research on the version with an inserted idle time focused on an exact approach, while several heuristics were already proposed for the version with no idle time. These heuristics...

An optimal maintenance approach is a key support to industrial production in the contemporary process industry. This paper presents a Multiple-Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) methodology for selecting the optimal mix of maintenance approaches – Corrective Maintenance (CM), Time-Based...

Monte Carlo simulation provides a risk management tool for solving line layout problems when material flow requirements change over time and/or are uncertain. This study demonstrates this capability for line layout problems where material handling costs are not directly proportional to the...

The setting of time standards by work measurement is costly and consumes much time and effort. Therefore, the aims are to minimise time measurements while guaranteeing that the measurements are sufficient to provide a required statistical precision. This paper presents two methods for...

A modified median chart with estimated control limits is proposed for monitoring the mean value of a normal process. The estimates for the nominal process parameters used to set up the control limits in Phase I are the average of the sample medians and the average of the sample ranges of m...

This paper chooses a supply chain which involves multiple supply links as the studied object. In each supply link, we consider an integrated scheduling problem in which a set of identical jobs are first processed on a single machine, and then batch delivered to a customer by a transporter. Each...