<p> </p><p> </p><p><strong>Purpose</strong> - The purpose of the thesis is to record the content of the information shared by buyer to supplier in independent dyadic business relationships in the clothes manufacturing industry of Imbaba and Warrak, Great Cairo, Egypt. The objective is as well to describe how this sharing is managed in terms of communication frequency, order cycle time and information technology used.</p><p><strong>Methodology</strong> – A case study was performed on four companies in the clothes manufacturing industry of Imbaba and Warrak, Egypt. The empirical data was collected through six semi-structured interviews. The results were thereafter analyzed through a summarized framework.</p><p><strong>Findings</strong> - The content of shared information is mainly of traditional character, nevertheless do 50 % of the relationships as well include elements of additional soft information. When the information sharing is performed through regular communication do the frequency vary with an average of 0.43, once every 2.3 days. The order cycle times vary from delivery the same day as order placement to three days after order placement, with an average of 0.5 days. The information is shared through two different information technologies: face-to-face and telephone.</p><p><strong>Research implications</strong> – Imbaba and Warrak are considered one of the poorest districts in the Great Cairo region. The region has although seen great development the last 12-15 years and is today a main district for the industry of clothes manufacturing in Cairo. The role of information sharing yet appears to be poorly examined.</p><p><strong>Originality/value</strong> - Making the situation evident to the case companies will impact on their possibilities to make further improvements within the area of information sharing.</p><p><strong>Key words</strong> Information sharing, dependence, independence, dyad, content, frequency, order cycle time, information technologies.</p><p><strong>Paper type</strong> Bachelor Thesis</p><p> </p>

Mathematical models, that depict the dynamics of a cancer cell population growing out of the human body (in vitro) in unconstrained microenvironment conditions, are considered in this thesis. Cancer cells in vitro grow and divide much faster than cancer cells in the human body, therefore, the effects of various cancer treatments applied to them can be identified much faster. These cell populations, when not exposed to any cancer treatment, exhibit exponential growth that we refer to as the balanced exponential growth (BEG) state. This observation has led to several effective methods of estimating parameters that thereafter are not required to be determined experimentally. We present derivation of the age-structured model and its theoretical analysis of the existence of the solution. Furthermore, we have obtained the condition for BEG existence using the Perron-Frobenius theorem. A mathematical description of the cell-cycle control is shown for one-compartment and two-compartment populations, where a compartment refers to a cell population consisting of cells that exhibit similar kinetic properties. We have incorporated into our mathematical model the required growing/aging times in each phase of the cell cycle for the biological viability. Moreover, we have derived analytical formulae for vital parameters in cancer research, such as population doubling time, the average cell-cycle age, and the average removal age from all phases, which we argue is the average cell-cycle time of the population. An estimate of the average cell-cycle time is of a particular interest for biologists and clinicians, and for patient survival prognoses as it is considered that short cell-cycle times correlate with poor survival prognoses for patients. Applications of our mathematical model to experimental data have been shown. First, we have derived algebraic expressions to determine the population doubling time from single experimental observation as an alternative to empirically constructed growth curve. This result is applicable to various types of cancer cell lines. One option to extend this model would be to derive the cell cycle time from a single experimental measurement. Second, we have applied our mathematical model to interpret and derive dynamic-depicting parameters of five melanoma cell lines exposed to radiotherapy. The mathematical result suggests there are shortcomings in the experimental methods and provides an insight into the cancer cell population dynamics during post radiotherapy. Finally, a mathematical model depicting a theoretical cancer cell population that comprises two sub-populations with different kinetic properties is presented to describe the transition of a primary culture to a cell line cell population.

A realização de projetos dentro do prazo estabelecido é um fator comum em diversas áreas de produção como a engenharia civil, de aviação, química, transportes, indústria em geral, entre outras. No entanto, na engenharia de software, a questão do tempo na construção de um produto é um desafio de processo a ser superado em cada novo projeto. O cumprimento de prazos no desenvolvimento de software é tão crítico que o próprio controle de atrasos no ciclo de produção é um fator a ser considerado na análise de redução do tempo de desenvolvimento. A complexidade do ambiente de software, a competitividade de mercado, as mudanças de requisitos constantes durante o projeto e o tempo disponível cada vez mais restrito, aumentam as chances de insucesso quando analisado o indicador de tempo na produção de software. O objetivo deste trabalho é reunir e organizar as práticas e técnicas de engenharia de software em um roteiro que permita a redução do tempo no desenvolvimento do software. Neste roteiro, é descrita a utilização organizada e planejada das práticas de engenharia de software que auxiliam no planejamento, na criação da arquitetura de solução, na definição da infra-estrutura técnica para reutilização e a utilização da engenharia simultânea, visando proporcionar ganhos reais no tempo de produção do software e no aumento da produtividade. / The completion of software project within schedule is a common goal in several industries like building engineering, aviation, chemical, transport, wares and so on. However, in software engineering, the schedule is a process challenge from the beginning of each new project. The time is so critical that the delay control is an analysis point for cycle time reduction in software development. The complex environment, the pressure to reduce time-to-market, frequent requirements changes during the project life-cycle, increase the failure chance of software projects when we analyze the time indicator in the software development process. The dissertation goal is to meet and to organize of software engineering practices and techniques in an organized roadmap aiming cycle time reduction in software development. In this roadmap, the practices are organized to help software planning, solution architecture, component based development definition, to promote reuse and concurrent engineering with purpose to reduce cycle time software development and improve productivity.

A realização de projetos dentro do prazo estabelecido é um fator comum em diversas áreas de produção como a engenharia civil, de aviação, química, transportes, indústria em geral, entre outras. No entanto, na engenharia de software, a questão do tempo na construção de um produto é um desafio de processo a ser superado em cada novo projeto. O cumprimento de prazos no desenvolvimento de software é tão crítico que o próprio controle de atrasos no ciclo de produção é um fator a ser considerado na análise de redução do tempo de desenvolvimento. A complexidade do ambiente de software, a competitividade de mercado, as mudanças de requisitos constantes durante o projeto e o tempo disponível cada vez mais restrito, aumentam as chances de insucesso quando analisado o indicador de tempo na produção de software. O objetivo deste trabalho é reunir e organizar as práticas e técnicas de engenharia de software em um roteiro que permita a redução do tempo no desenvolvimento do software. Neste roteiro, é descrita a utilização organizada e planejada das práticas de engenharia de software que auxiliam no planejamento, na criação da arquitetura de solução, na definição da infra-estrutura técnica para reutilização e a utilização da engenharia simultânea, visando proporcionar ganhos reais no tempo de produção do software e no aumento da produtividade. / The completion of software project within schedule is a common goal in several industries like building engineering, aviation, chemical, transport, wares and so on. However, in software engineering, the schedule is a process challenge from the beginning of each new project. The time is so critical that the delay control is an analysis point for cycle time reduction in software development. The complex environment, the pressure to reduce time-to-market, frequent requirements changes during the project life-cycle, increase the failure chance of software projects when we analyze the time indicator in the software development process. The dissertation goal is to meet and to organize of software engineering practices and techniques in an organized roadmap aiming cycle time reduction in software development. In this roadmap, the practices are organized to help software planning, solution architecture, component based development definition, to promote reuse and concurrent engineering with purpose to reduce cycle time software development and improve productivity.

Purpose - The purpose of the thesis is to record the content of the information shared by buyer to supplier in independent dyadic business relationships in the clothes manufacturing industry of Imbaba and Warrak, Great Cairo, Egypt. The objective is as well to describe how this sharing is managed in terms of communication frequency, order cycle time and information technology used. Methodology – A case study was performed on four companies in the clothes manufacturing industry of Imbaba and Warrak, Egypt. The empirical data was collected through six semi-structured interviews. The results were thereafter analyzed through a summarized framework. Findings - The content of shared information is mainly of traditional character, nevertheless do 50 % of the relationships as well include elements of additional soft information. When the information sharing is performed through regular communication do the frequency vary with an average of 0.43, once every 2.3 days. The order cycle times vary from delivery the same day as order placement to three days after order placement, with an average of 0.5 days. The information is shared through two different information technologies: face-to-face and telephone. Research implications – Imbaba and Warrak are considered one of the poorest districts in the Great Cairo region. The region has although seen great development the last 12-15 years and is today a main district for the industry of clothes manufacturing in Cairo. The role of information sharing yet appears to be poorly examined. Originality/value - Making the situation evident to the case companies will impact on their possibilities to make further improvements within the area of information sharing. Key words Information sharing, dependence, independence, dyad, content, frequency, order cycle time, information technologies. Paper type Bachelor Thesis

Aim of diploma thesis “Lean production of electronics” is to apply lean production on workplaces in concrete company. Object of thesis is to orientate in lean production and apply its individual methods on workplace. First part of thesis is dealing with theoretical preparation, understanding lean production and methods of lean production. Second part is dealing with analyzing production processes, application of methods of lean production and designing workplaces.

[pt] Os modelos e estudos de roteirização presentes na literatura focam, em geral, nos processos ocorridos desde que os veículos saem do centro de distribuição (CD) até ao seu retorno. Esta visão de roteirização da porta para fora do CD acaba por negligenciar uma etapa importante correspondente às operações de movimentação interna do CD, a qual tem influência direta na jornada de trabalho das equipes de entrega e consequentemente na produtividade de cada veículo. A importância da etapa das operações de pátio é bem visível quando analisado o fluxo de valor da cadeia de distribuição. A procura de uma melhor gestão do tempo das operações de pátio abre, assim, uma oportunidade de melhoria da eficiência das operações de distribuição. Esta dissertação foca na inclusão do gerenciamento das operações de pátio junto com a roteirização como forma de aumentar a produtividade da empresa e maximizar a utilização de recursos humanos e materiais. O modelo de gerenciamento desenvolvido utiliza simultaneamente técnicas de otimização e de simulação capazes de planejar e acompanhar as operações de distribuição de uma empresa, respeitando as normas trabalhistas e indicadores de qualidade pré-estabelecidos. O modelo busca melhorar o aproveitamento da jornada de trabalho das equipes de entrega embarcadas em cada veículo, através da minimização dos tempos não produtivos de pátio (recebimento, acerto de contas, conferência de carga, check list de veículo, etc.). A minimização do tempo das operações de pátio aumenta a disponibilidade de tempo de jornada de trabalho da equipe de entrega em rota, possibilitando o aumento do número de pedidos atendidos por cada veículo, sem impactar nas janelas de entrega impostas pelos clientes, estouro na jornada de trabalho e indicadores de qualidade. Para elaboração e aplicação deste trabalho, foram utilizados 3 softwares, um de simulação, outro de roteirização e outro de captação de dados em tempo real. A integração dos três permite captar informações da operação, tratar e simular os modelos e realizar roteirização de veículos, incluindo o tempo de pátio na fórmula de Tempo de ciclo do veículo. O modelo de operação desenvolvido foi aplicado na empresa BETA do segmento varejista de bebidas localizada no Centro-Oeste do Brasil. Os resultados obtidos, quando comparados com a atual operação da empresa, representam uma redução de custo no total de 685.234,00 Reais com a operação de distribuição. Especificamente, a racionalização do tempo de pátio permitiu uma melhoria de 2:15:15 em redução de filas no fluxo do pátio ao analisar o fluxo de saída e retorno. Teve ainda como consequência a melhoria da produtividade dos veículos passando de uma média de entrega de 25 para 31 entregas por dia. / [en] The models and studies of routing in the literature focus, in general, on the processes that have occurred since the vehicles leave the distribution center (CD) until their return. This vision of routing the door to the outside of the CD ends up neglecting an important step corresponding to the operations of internal movement of the CD, which has a direct influence on the workday of the delivery teams and consequently on the delivery productivity of each vehicle. The importance of the stage of yard operations is well visible when analyzing the value chain flow of the distribution chain. The search for better time management of yard operations thus opens up an opportunity to improve the efficiency of distribution operations. This dissertation focuses on the inclusion of yard operations management along with routing as a way to increase company productivity and maximize the use of human and material resources. The management model developed simultaneously uses optimization and simulation techniques capable of planning and monitoring the distribution operations of a company, respecting the labor standards and pre-established quality indicators. The model seeks to improve the utilization of the workday of the delivery teams embarked in each vehicle, by minimizing non-productive yard times (reception, accounting, cargo check, vehicle check list, etc.). By minimizing patio operations time we increase the time available for the delivery team to operate, and consequently increase the number of requests served by each vehicle, without impacting on the delivery windows imposed by the customers, work and quality indicators. During the elaboration of this work 3 softwares were used, one of simulation, another of routing and one of data acquisition in real time. The integration of the three allows you to capture information from the operation, treat and simulate the models and perform vehicle routing, including yard time in the Vehicle Cycle Time formula. The operating model developed was applied in the BETA company of the beverage retail segment located in the Center-West of Brazil. The results obtained, when compared to the current operation of the company, represent a reduction of cost in the total o BRL 685,234.00 with the distribution operation. Specifically, the optimization of patio time allowed for a 2:15:15 improvement in queue reduction in the patio flow when analyzing the outflow and return flow. In addition, the productivity of vehicles increased from an average delivery of 25 to 31 deliveries per day.

Stoneridge, Inc. is an independent designer and manufacturer of highly engineered electrical and electronic components, modules and systems principally for the automotive, commercial vehicle, motorcycle, agricultural and off-highway vehicle markets. A subsidiary of Stoneridge, Inc. is the company Stoneridge Electronics. They specialise in instrument clusters and tachographs which are manufactured in high quantityin their production plant in Örebro, Sweden. This master thesis focuses on the production line of an instrument cluster called Angela. In close collaboration with Stoneridge Electronics, the goal was to find ways to improve the output of the Angela line by at least 10% compared to the three best months in terms of output from the year before. The Angela line was analyzed thoroughly and from different perspectives using lean tools such as value stream mapping, spaghetti diagram and continuous improvement. Finally, the simulation software ExtendSim was used in order to simulate and analyse different suggestions. The results show that various steps can be taken to improve the efficiency and output of the manufacturing line by as much as 16.3%. Due to the fact that other production lines within the production are similar to the one that the project was carried out on, the project results could be applicable for the other lines as well. / Stoneridge, Inc. är en oberoende designer och tillverkare av högteknologiska elektriska och elektroniska komponenter, moduler och system huvudsakligen för fordonsmarknaderna. Ett dotterbolag till Stoneridge, Inc. är företaget Stoneridge Electronics. De är specialiserade på instrument kluster och färdskrivare som tillverkas i produktionsanläggning i Örebro. Denna examensarbete fokuserar på produktionslinje av ett instrumentkluster som heter Angela. I nära samarbete med Stoneridge Electronics,målet var att hitta sätt att förbättra produktionen av Angela linje med minst 10 % jämförtmed de tre bästa månaderna när det gäller produktion från året innan. Angela-linjen analyserades grundligt och från olika perspektiv med lean verktyg som värdeflödesanalys, spaghetti diagram och kontinuerlig förbättring. Slutligen användes simuleringsprogrammet ExtendSim för att simulera och analysera olika förslag. Resultaten visar att olika steg kan vidtas för att förbättra effektiviteten och produktionen av produktionslinjen med så mycket som 16.3%. På grund av att andra produktionslinjer inom produktionen liknar den som projektet genomfördes på, kan projektresultaten vara tillämpliga för andra linjer också.

The research aims to investigate the lack of cohesive workflow of production lines within a company, exploring the factors and dynamics at play. It also seeks to analyze the identified issues, focusing on their root causes and potential impacts on operational efficiency. An important aspect of the research is the consideration of value stream mapping (VSM). The methodology is based on a literature review and a single-case study. The literature review, including a systematic review, was conducted to identify existing practices. To explore the research objectives, a case study was performed, examining the industrial implementation and challenges of using the VSM tool. The current state VSM was designed and analyzed, identifying various types of waste within the workflow. Based on this analysis, a future state VSM was recommended to address the inefficiencies. The field of study is well-researched but has a notable gap regarding the application of VSM in complex industrial settings. The research identified inadequacies for using and implementing VSM in organizations, aiming to fill this gap. The research concluded that while there are several benefits to using VSM, there are also challenges that need to be addressed. To bridge these challenges and support decision-making in the improvement process, the study proposes specific recommendations. The study faced limitations, particularly in data collection due to time constraints and validity concerns. The data collection period was limited to less than two months. Additionally, the complexity of the data led to generalizations in the creation of the VSM. This "good enough" approach, however, is not deemed to significantly affect the study's overall validity or reliability. By providing a systematic way of mapping, the research enhances operational efficiency by more efficient use of resources, reduced cycle times, improving process flow, and facilitating better decision-making. These efforts lead to improved overall performance within the company.

Thesis (PhD (Industrial Engineering))--University of Stellenbosch, 2011. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Injection moulding of polymer components is subject to ever increasing demands for improved part quality and production rate. It is widely recognised that the mould cooling strategy employed is crucial to achieving these goals. A brief overview of injection moulding units and different types of injection moulds is given. The modern Additive Manufacturing (AM) technology for processing metal powders such as Direct Metal Laser Sintering (DMLS) and Selective Laser Melting (SLM) offers almost full freedom to the mould designer. Some of these modern manufacturing methods based on metal powders, which are able to produce complex cooling channels are analysed. A drastic change has entered the mould design domain - shifting the paradigm from design for manufacture to manufacture for design. In combination with suitable AM methods the concept of surface cooling moulds can now be efficiently implemented. This study presents a new approach of predicting the minimum cooling time required for the produced part. Different cooling layouts are analysed taking the heat transfer into consideration. The lumped heat capacity method is implemented in this research in order to determine the minimum cooling cycle time required. A new approach was developed to determine the most suitable cooling layout configuration, such as conventional cooling, conformal cooling or surface cooling, required for a moulded part based on its characteristics such as shape complexity, space available for the cooling layout, part quality requirements, production volume, and product life cycle. A mould cooling design process including simulation, reverse engineering and manufacturing of the mould insert was implemented in this study. In order to validate the generic model developed during the course of this research comparative experiments were carried out to determine the difference in performance of injection moulding using conventional or surface cooling methods. The experimental results showed a significant improvement in part quality produced with reduced cycle times using the surface cooling method. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: ‘Injection Moulding’ van polimeer komponente word al meer gedruk vir verbeterde kwaliteit en vinniger produksie tyd. Dit is orals bekend dat die gietvorm afkoeling strategie ‘n groot rol speel om hierdie twee doelwitte te bereik. Eers word ‘n kort oorslag gegee van ‘Injection Moulding’ eenhede en van verskillende ‘Injection Moulding’ vorms. Die moderne Aditatiewe Vervaardigingstegnologie vir die prosessering van metaal poeiers soos bv. Direkte Metaal Laser Sintering (DMLS) en Selektiewe Laser Smelting (SLM) bied basies volle vryheid ten opsigte van gietvorm ontwerp. Party van die moderne vervaadigings metodes, wat op metaal poeiers gebaseer is, wat komplekse koelings kanale kan produseer word geanaliseer. Die ontwerpers arena het ‘n groot verandering ondergaan deurdat die fokus van ontwerp vir vervaardiging verskuif het na vervaardiging vir ontwerp. In kombinasie met toepaslike aditatiewe vervaardigings metodes kan oppervlak verkoeling nou effektief geïmplementeer word. Hierdie studie bied a nuwe manier om die minimum verkoelings tyd benodig vir ‘n part te voorspel. Verskeie verkoelings uitlegte word geanaliseer waar hitte oordrag in ag geneem word. Die “lumped heat capacity” metode word gebruik om die minimum siklus tyd te bepaal. ‘n Nuwe benadering is ontwikkel om die mees geskikste verkoelings uitleg soos bv. konvensionele verkoeling, konvorme verkoeling of oppervlak verkoeling te bepaal vir ‘n spesifieke part gebaseer op die part se vorm kompleksiteit, spasie beskikbaar vir verkoelings kanale, kwaliteit vereistes en produk lewensiklus. Die volgende is in die studie geïmplementeer: ‘n vorm verkoelings ontwerp proses met simulasie, ‘reverse engineering’ en vervaardiging van die vorm insetsel. Om die generiese model te verifieer gedurende die studie is vergelykende eksperimente uitgevoer om die verskil in prestasie te bepaal tussen die gebruik van konvensionele en oppervlak verkoelings metodes. Die eksperimentele resultate het ‘n beduidende verbetering in part kwaliteit getoon met ‘n verkorte siklus tyd tydens die gebruik van die oppervlag verkoelings metode.