Rising South African electricity prices and reduced sales following the 2008 economic recession have led cement manufacturers to seek ways to reduce production costs. Prior research has shown that reduced electricity costs are possible by shifting load from expensive Eskom peak pricing periods to lower cost times. Due to the complex considerations and variables in cement production, this is not typically implemented. Several simulation and optimisation models are available in literature to schedule plant operation in an electricity cost effective manner. However, these models have not been implemented in practice. The simulation models are reviewed and evaluated for the task of scheduling cement production on South African factories. A model is identified to be implemented, and the requirements for implementing this model on a cement factory are investigated. A computerised management system is designed to automatically incorporate the required information and data to implement the optimisation model on a practical level. An interface is also designed to allow factory personnel access to the optimised production plan. The system is implemented and evaluated through system level testing. Four case studies are presented within which the system is implemented on South African cement factories. The performance of the system is evaluated over a nine month period, within which a total cost saving of R8.6-million is reported. / Thesis (MIng (Computer and Electronic Engineering))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013.

Rising South African electricity prices and reduced sales following the 2008 economic recession have led cement manufacturers to seek ways to reduce production costs. Prior research has shown that reduced electricity costs are possible by shifting load from expensive Eskom peak pricing periods to lower cost times. Due to the complex considerations and variables in cement production, this is not typically implemented. Several simulation and optimisation models are available in literature to schedule plant operation in an electricity cost effective manner. However, these models have not been implemented in practice. The simulation models are reviewed and evaluated for the task of scheduling cement production on South African factories. A model is identified to be implemented, and the requirements for implementing this model on a cement factory are investigated. A computerised management system is designed to automatically incorporate the required information and data to implement the optimisation model on a practical level. An interface is also designed to allow factory personnel access to the optimised production plan. The system is implemented and evaluated through system level testing. Four case studies are presented within which the system is implemented on South African cement factories. The performance of the system is evaluated over a nine month period, within which a total cost saving of R8.6-million is reported. / Thesis (MIng (Computer and Electronic Engineering))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013.

The topic of my dissertation work is The Competition Analysis of company Stroje a Mechanismy, a.s. As the main goal, that I staked, is to gather as many relevant information as possible about the issue, closely analyze the company and compare it with their main competitors. I´ll try to suggest several tips how to improve the situation and how to increase competitiveness based on my competition analysis. I choose this topic, because I think that the one of the most important thing for modern company is to actively checking competitors, assimilate them, and always be a one step ahead, and as a delivery company could be an attractive partner for its customers.

The topic of my dissertation work is business plan, which focuses mainly on strategy, which could increase the competitiveness of Stroje a Mechanismy, a.s. As the main goal, that I staked, is to gather as many relevant information as possible about the issue, closely analyze the company and compare it with their main competitors. I´ll try to suggest several tips how to improve the situation and how to increase competitiveness based on my competition analysis. I choose this topic, because I think that the one of the most important thing for modern company is to actively checking competitors, assimilate them, and always be a one step ahead, and as a delivery company could be an attractive partner for its customers.

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / With the increase of the customer's demand degree, the search for the quality improvement is consolidated as one of the strategies more proceeded in the different market segments. The Six Sigma initiative is a system of quality management that has been showing efficient and effective in guide organizations in the way of improvement, taking the quality as fundamental reference. Related to the Six Sigma initiative, the problem of ascending research of this dissertation it was summed up: how to control in an objective way the performance Six Sigma in processes of continuous production? In a way, the objective of this dissertation is to develop, in the Six Sigma context, an objective model of performance control in processes of continuous production. The used research procedures were, with base in the objectives, the exploratory research and, with base in the technical procedures, the bibliographical research, the research of case study type and the experimental research. For fund the dissertation, was proceeded with the materialization of a theoretical reference on models of performance control and on the Six Sigma initiative, being identified in the sequence, in three organizations, two peculiarities of the processes of continuous production: the importance of the performance control in processes of continuous production, and the care exercised with the expedition of products doesn't conform. A model of Six Sigma performance control in processes of continuous production was proposed, model that contemplated the use of two performance indicators that were denominated sigma level and loss level. The model was positively evaluated, because the results demonstrated that the model of performance control presents characteristics capable to bring more objectivity in the performance control in processes of continuous production, because when different weights are attributed at the indicators of acting sigma level and loss level, different objective orientations of the model are had. In this way, the proposition and the evaluation of the model of Six Sigma performance control in processes of continuous production offered a larger understanding concerning the thematic proposal; besides showing the importance of models that they allow the control of capable managerial actions they increase the customers' satisfaction: fact that interferes in the profit and survival of the organizations. / Com o aumento do grau de exigência do cliente, a busca pela melhoria da qualidade está se consolidado como uma das estratégias mais seguidas nos diferentes segmentos de mercado. A iniciativa Seis Sigma é um sistema de gestão da qualidade que tem se mostrado eficiente e eficaz em nortear organizações no caminho da melhoria, tomando a qualidade como referência fundamental. Relacionada à iniciativa Seis Sigma concretizou-se o problema de pesquisa ascendente desta dissertação: como controlar de maneira objetiva o desempenho Seis Sigma em processos de produção contínua? De tal modo, o objetivo desta dissertação é desenvolver, no contexto do Seis Sigma, um modelo objetivo de controle do desempenho em processos de produção contínua. Os procedimentos de pesquisa utilizados foram, com base nos objetivos, a pesquisa exploratória e, com base nos procedimentos técnicos, a pesquisa bibliográfica, a pesquisa do tipo estudo de caso e a pesquisa experimental. Para alicerçar a dissertação, procedeu-se com a concretização de um referencial teórico sobre modelos de controle de desempenho e sobre a iniciativa Seis Sigma, sendo identificadas na seqüência, em três organizações, duas peculiaridades dos processos de produção contínua: a importância do controle do desempenho em processos de produção contínua, e o cuidado exercido com a expedição de produtos não conformes. Propôs-se então um modelo de controle do desempenho Seis Sigma em processos de produção contínua, modelo que contemplou a utilização de dois indicadores de desempenho que foram denominados nível sigma e nível de perda. Avaliou-se positivamente o modelo, pois os resultados demonstraram que o modelo de controle do desempenho apresenta características capazes de trazer mais objetividade no controle do desempenho em processos de produção contínua, pois quando diferentes pesos são atribuídos aos indicadores de desempenho nível sigma e nível de perda, têm-se diferentes orientações objetivas do modelo. Deste modo, a proposição e a avaliação do modelo de controle do desempenho Seis Sigma em processos de produção contínua ofereceram um maior entendimento acerca da temática proposta, além de mostrar a importância de modelos que permitam o controle de ações gerenciais capazes de aumentar a satisfação dos clientes: fato que interfere na lucratividade e sobrevivência das organizações.

O presente trabalho teve como objetivo o aprimoramento da transesterificação do óleo de palmiste por rota etílica, por meio da atuação simultânea de lipases de diferentes fontes microbianas, visando a produção de biodiesel com teores residuais de monoacilglicerol (MAG) e diacilglicerol (DAG) dentro dos limites exigidos pela legislação ANP no 45/2014 para biocombustíveis. Para tal propósito, as lipases foram imobilizadas em suporte híbrido sílica-hidroxietilcelulose (SiO2- HEC) e os ensaios foram iniciados em regime descontínuo em reator de tanque agitado, temperatura fixa de 45 °C e razão molar óleo:álcool de 1:8. As lipases de Burkholderia cepacia, Pseudomonas fluorescens e Thermomyces lanuginosus, foram utilizadas de maneira isolada e em associação, com base no conhecimento prévio do bom desempenho destas enzimas para a produção de biodiesel. Conforme a capacidade de atuar em diferentes posições da molécula de triacilglicerol, as associações formaram combi-lipases de mesma especificidade (B. cepacia e P. fluorescens) e de diferente especificidade (B. cepacia e T. lanuginosus), com proporções de cada lipase variando de 75, 50 e 25% em relação ao seu par enzimático. Os melhores resultados foram observados quando utilizadas ambas as combinações em proporções equivalentes. Nestas condições, foram obtidas conversões similares (?98%) e ausência de DAG, com redução da viscosidade cinemática do óleo de palmiste de 30,35 para aproximadamente 4,00 mm2/s. Embora as conversões tenham sido próximas, a combi-lipase de diferente especificidade apresentou menor teor de MAG (1,68%, m/m), sendo escolhida como biocatalisador para o estudo em reatores de leito fixo em regime contínuo. Nesta etapa, foram realizados ensaios para testar os efeitos da razão molar óleo:álcool (1:12, 1:10 e 1:8) e do tempo espacial (16 e 14 h) na conversão, qualidade e produtividade do biodiesel. O melhor desempenho foi apresentado pela razão molar de 1:8 com tempo espacial de 16 h, proporcionando teor em MAG residual de 0,62% (m/m), conversão de 98% e produtividade de 30,9 mmolésteres.gcatalisador -1.h-1. Com relação à qualidade do biodiesel formado em termos de viscosidade cinemática (4,22 mm2/s), massa específica (870 kg/m3) e teor residual de MAG (0,62%, m/m), foi verificada adequação aos parâmetros exigidos pela ANP (3-6 mm2/s, 850-900 kg/m3 e <= 0,7%, m/m, respectivamente). / The objective of the present work was to improve the transesterification of palm kernel oil by ethanolic route through simultaneous action of lipases from different microbial sources, aiming to produce biodiesel with residual levels of monoacylglycerol (MAG) and diacylglycerol (DAG) within the limits required by ANP regulation 45/2014 for biofuels. For this purpose, lipases were immobilized on silica-hydroxyethylcellulose hybrid support (SiO2-HEC) and the assays were first carried out in a stirred tank batch reactor, at fixed temperature of 45 oC and oil -to-alcohol molar ratio of 1:8. The lipases from Burkholderia cepacia, Pseudomonas fluorescens and Thermomyces lanuginosus isolated and in association were used, based on the previous knowledge of the good performance of these enzymes for the biodiesel production. According to the ability to act at different positions of the triacylglycerol molecule, the associations formed combilipases of the same specificity (B. cepacia and P. fluorescens) and different specificities (B. cepacia and T. lanuginosus) at proportion of each lipase ranging from 75, 50 and 25% relative to their enzymatic pair. The best results were attained when both combinations were used at equivalent proportions. Under these conditions, similar conversions (?98%) and absence of DAG were obtained, which was consistent with the kinematic viscosity reduction of the palm kernel oil from 30.35 to 4.00 mm2/ s, approximately. Although similar conversions were attained, the combi-lipase of different specificities provided lower MAG contentes (1.68 wt%), being chosen as a biocatalyst for performing continuous runs in packed-bed reactor. In this step, the effects of the molar ratios oil-to-alcohol (1:12, 1:10 and 1:8) and space-times (16 and 14 h) on biodiesel production, quality and productivity were evaluated. The best performance was achieved by using molar ratio of 1:8 and space-time of 16 h, yielding residual MAG contents of 0.62 wt%, conversion of 98% and productivity of 30.9 mmolester.gcatalyst-1.h-1. The quality of biodiesel produced in terms of kinematic viscosity (4.22 mm2/s), specific mass (870 kg/m3) and residual MAG content (0.62 wt%) was found in accordance of ANP resolution (3-6 mm/ s, 850-900 kg/m3 and <= 0.7 wt%, respectively).

This study focused upon the manufacturing lead time management in California's electrical and electronic machinery, equipment, and supplies industry. Manufacturing firms with one hundred or more employees were invited to participate in the research. Six subproblems relating to manufacturing lead time were selected and six appropriate null hypotheses were tested. The subproblems identified (1) factors influencing manufacturing lead time, (2) production planning processes influencing manufacturing lead time accuracy, and (3) techniques reducing manufacturing lead time. These factors, production planning processes, and techniques were then IV investigated to determine the importance of each of them in two environments: (1) high-volume continuous-production (HVCP) and (2) job-shop production-to-order (JSPTO).

Les anticorps monoclonaux sont une classe de bio médicaments en plein essor. Leur production est largement étudiée afin d’obtenir des rendements de plus en plus élevés et de réduire les coûts. Cette thèse décrit le développement d’un procédé complet en continu, de la production d’anticorps recombinants par des cellules mammifères jusqu’à leur purification. L’objectif est de coupler la culture cellulaire en mode perfusion à la purification par chromatographie semi-continue. Le développement du procédé se fait en bioréacteur avec une lignée de cellules d’ovaires de hamster chinois (CHO-DP12) transformée pour produire un anticorps anti-Interleukine 8 utilisée, comme modèle. Après adaptation, les cellules ont été cultivées en mode batch afin de connaitre le comportement de la lignée en environnement contrôlé. Ensuite, un procédé de perfusion de 2L de culture avec recyclage cellulaire a été mis en place. Le principal enjeu est de maintenir un état stationnaire avec une concentration cellulaire constante et déterminer le débit optimal d’alimentation spécifique par cellule (CSPR). Plusieurs méthodes ont été testées et comparées pour la détermination de ce CSPR optimal. Le procédé de culture en perfusion a ensuite été maintenu pendant 24 jours à des concentrations cellulaires de 10, 20 et 40 millions de cellules par mililitres. Les anticorps produit par différents modes de culture ont été caractérisés (batch, fed-batch et perfusion). Les N-glycosylations, les variants de charge ainsi que la thermo-stabilité des anticorps ont été étudiés. Les résultats montrent que les anticorps produits présentent des caractéristiques similaires quel que soit le mode de production.Pour la purification, une étude préliminaire a permis de caractériser le comportement du filtrat sur la résine chromatographique d’affinité MabSelect Sure LX en chromatographie classique. Un procédé semi-continu a été simulé grâce au logiciel BioSC® Predict puis testé et optimisé sur le chromatographe BioSC®. Il comprend la purification de l’anticorps mais aussi les étapes de nettoyages et de sanitisation. Un premier essai de couplage production/purification a pu être réalisé avec succès pendant 32h et a permis d’obtenir un niveau de pureté similaire à la chromatographie classique. La productivité a été augmentée de 23% (en grammes d’anticorps purifié par litre de résine et par jour) et le volume de tampon utilisé a été réduit de 25%. De plus, le couplage production/purification a permis de s’affranchir du stockage de volumes importants de filtrat (7,2L de filtrat par jour de production en perfusion). Enfin, une étude de coût de production, à l’échelle « laboratoire », a été réalisée afin de déterminer, en fonction de la productivité du clone et de la quantité d’anticorps à produire, la différence de rentabilité entre une production en batch ou en perfusion à différents CSPR. / Monoclonal antibodies are a biopharmaceuticals class of growing interest. Their production is widely studied to obtain higher yields and to reduce costs. This thesis describes the development of a complete continuous process, from the production of recombinant antibodies by mammalian cells until their purification. The objective is to connect cell culture in perfusion mode to a semi-continuous chromatographic purification. The development of the process was done in a bioreactor with a Chinese hamster ovary cell line (CHO-DP12) transformed to produce an anti-interleukin-8 antibody used as a cell model. After adaptation, the cells were cultured in batch mode in order to study the behavior of the cell line in controlled environment. Then, a 2L culture perfusion process with cell recycling was set up. The main challenge is to maintain a steady state with constant cell concentration and to determine the optimal cell-specific perfusion rate (CSPR). Several methods were tested and compared for the determination of this optimal CSPR. The perfusion process was maintained for 24 days at cell concentrations of 10, 20 and 40 million cells per mililiters. The antibody produced by different culture methods was compared (batch, fed-batch and perfusion). The N-glycosylations, the charge variants as well as the thermo-stability of the antibody were studied. The results show that the produced antibody have similar characteristics whatever the chosen production mode. For purification process, we performed a preliminary study to characterize the behavior of the supernatant on the chromatographic affinity resin MabSelect Sure LX. A semi-continuous process was simulated through BioSC® Predict software and then tested and optimized on the BioSC® chromatograph. It includes antibody purification but also cleaning and sanitizing steps. A first production/purification coupling test was successfully carried out for 32 h. It provides antibodies at a purity level similar to that of the conventional chromatography. Productivity was increased by 23% (in grams of purified antibody per liter of resin per day) and the volume of buffer used was reduced by 25%. In addition, production/purification coupling prevented storage of large volumes of supernatant (7,2L of supernatant per production day in perfusion mode). Finally, a cost-of-production study, at research scale, was carried out to determine, depending on the productivity of the clone and the antibodies amount, the difference of costs between batch or perfusion production according to different CSPRs.

Quality assurance in the stainless steel production requires large amounts of sensor data to monitor the processing steps. Digitalisation of the production would allow higher levels of control to both evaluate and increase the quality of the end products. At Outokumpu Avesta Works, continuous processing of coils creates sensor data without connecting it to individual steel coils, a connection needed to achieve the promises of digitalisation. In this project, the time series data generated from 12 sensors in the continuous processing was analysed and four alternative methods to connect the data to coils were presented. A method based on positional time series was deemed the most suitable for the data and was selected for implementation over other methods that would apply time series analysis on the sensor data itself. Evaluations of the selected method showed that it was able to connect sensor data to 98.10 % of coils, just short of reaching the accuracy requirement of 99 %. Because the overhead of creating the positional time series was constant regardless of the number of sensors, the performance per sensor improved with increased number of sensors. The median processing time for 24 hours of sensor data was less than 20 seconds per sensor when batch processing eight or more sensors. The performance for processing fewer than four sensors was not as good, requiring further optimization to reach the requirement of 30 seconds per sensor. Although the requirements were not completely fulfilled, the implemented method can still be used on historical production data to facilitate further quality estimation of stainless steel coils / Kvalitetssäkring av rostfritt stål produktion kräver stora mängder av sensordata för att övervaka processtegen. Digitalisering av produktionen skulle ge större kontroll för att både bedöma och öka kvaliteten på slutprodukterna. Vid Outokumpu Avesta Works skapas sensordata vid kontinuerlig bearbetning av stålband utan att datan sammankopplas till enskilda band, trots att denna sammankoppling krävs för att uppnå löftena som digitaliseringens ger. I detta projekt analyserades tidsseriedata från 12 sensorer vid den kontinuerliga bearbetningen av band och fyra alternativa metoder för att sammankoppla sensordatan till stålband presenterades. En metod som byggde på tidsserier med positionsvärden bedömdes vara mest passande för sensordatan och valdes för implementation över andra metoder som byggde på tidsserieanalys av själva sensordatan. Evaluering av den valda metoden visade att den kunde sammankoppla sensordata till 98.10 % av ståldbanden, något lägre än kravet på 99 % korrekthet.  På grund av att skapandet av tidsserierna med positionsvärden tog lika lång tid oberoende av antalet sensorer så förbättrades bearbetningstiden desto fler sensorer som bearbetades. För bearbetning av 24 timmar av sensordata låg median bearbetningstiden på mindre än 20 sekunder per sensor när åtta eller fler sensorer bearbetades tillsammans. Prestandan för bearbetning av färre än fyra sensorer var inte lilka bra och kräver ytterliga optimering för att nå kravet på 30 sekunder per sensor. Fastän kraven på metoden inte uppnåddes till fullo kan den implementerade metoden ändå användas på historisk data för att främja kvalitetsbedömning av rostfria stålband.

[pt] A transformação no espaço rural na Baixada Fluminense, ao longo dos séculos, moldou-se diante das demandas que surgiam. Entretanto, as atividades agrícolas resistiram às mudanças no tempo e persistiram, mesmo com a chegada da modernização. Com a chegada da Revolução Verde à mecanização, nos meios de produção no campo, agregada ao crédito agrícola, favorecedor dos grandes produtores, estimulavam o monocultivo e a baixa inserção de mão de obra agrícola. Todas essas mudanças nos processos produtivos, acabaram transformando o espaço da Baixada Fluminense, contudo, Tinguá persiste com práticas familiares agrícolas, numa hibridização com a inserção de pluriatividades, assim sendo, uma área periurbana. Para além disso, ela também está inserida em uma zona preservada por legislação ambiental, com Unidades de Conservação nas três instâncias governamentais. A região possui grande biodiversidade ecossistêmica e um elevado potencial hídrico, que vem sendo degradado por um turismo predatório e uma agricultura que utiliza insumos químicos na produção, ocasionando na poluição do solo e de corpos hídricos. Foi realizado uma avaliação da suposta implementação de um modelo de produção contínua de hortaliças, a partir da criação de módulos de hortas de 100 metros quadrados em áreas que já eram utilizadas pela agricultura, área de campo ou livres. Foram realizadas entrevistas com os maiores agricultores da região, para que pudesse ser identificada sua forma de produção, mas eles não possuíam nenhum registro, dificultando, assim, possíveis cruzamentos. Buscando equidade social, produtividade semanal, baixo impacto ambiental e produção ecológica, foram mapeados e encontrados um total de 2.942 módulos de 100 mestros quadrados, uma produção de 29.420 de sacolas semanal e 117.680 de sacolas de hortaliças por mês. / [en] The metamorphosis at the rural zone on Baixada Fluminense through the centuries took form following the up rising demands. Therefore the farm activities resisted the change and persisted even with the modern times. With the arrival of the Green Revolution, the mechanization of means of production in the countryside, added to the financial credit agricultural - which favored the great farm producers-, stimulated the monoculture and the low insertion of the workforce at the agriculture. All these changes in the productivity process ended up transforming Baixada Fluminense. However, Tinguá still persists with its own familiar practices of rural production, making a hybrid model by the injection of pluriactivity; for this reason, it is considered a peri-urban area. It is also inserted in a preserved zone by the environmental legislation, with Conservation Units present in the three government instances. However, the protection ends at the edge of Rebio do Tinguá, unity that cannot have any kind of activity in its interior. The region has large ecosystem biodiversity and a high water potential - which has been damage by a predatory tourism and by an agriculture that uses chemical inputs in the production, causing pollution of the soil and the hydric elements. Because of this, an evaluation of the supposed implementation of a model of continuous production of vegetables was made, since the conception of garden modules with 100 square meters in areas already used by the farm production or clear fields. There were interviews with the great farmers in the region aiming to identify their way, but they did not hold any data, making hard potential data analysis. In order to find social insertion, weekly productivity, low environmental impact, and organic production, 2.942 modules of 100 square meters, an output of 29.420 weekly bags and 117.680 vegetables bags were mapped and found at Tinguá Basin monthly, therefore, it is considered an ecological and social equity model.