published_or_final_version / Urban Studies / Master / Master of Social Sciences

Thesis (MBA)--Stellenbosch University, 2014. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: World Class Manufacturing (WCM) was first introduced into Nampak in 1990, and since then, there have been three attempts by the organisation to re-implement WCM in the organisation. In the last 23 years, 1990-2013, no formal assessment has been done with regard to evaluating whether the introduction of WCM was effective or not in the organisation, according to the goals and objectives set when the projects were initially implemented. The aim of this research report was to evaluate whether the implementation of WCM was effective in the Nampak Plastic Rigids (PRs) clusters and the study focused on only three operations namely; Nampak Tubes, Closures and Megapak. Secondly, the research aimed to establish what elements were required to successfully implement and sustain WCM in an organisation. Through the research it was established that in order to implement and sustain WCM successfully the following elements are required; strategy alignment, strategy implementation or execution, benchmarking, employee involvement, change management and the correct selection of continuous improvement tools and tactics. The three operations selected in the study were then evaluated against these elements through a survey, in order to gauge their alignment against each element. The research found that none of the three operations met the ideal state of 85 per cent in aligning themselves to the six elements. Nampak Tubes was the only operation that came close to the required ideal level of 85 per cent, as the operation had re-implemented WCM in 2011 and as a result, the operations performance in terms of the selected KPIs was better than that of the other two. However, on average none of the three operations reached the 85 per cent ideal range. This was an indication that the PRs were not aligned to the required six elements in their attempt to implement WCM, and despite the three previous attempts, success had not been achieved. The elements could prove complex as regards their comprehension and implementation as guided by the literature review and research, thus leadership should take careful note of the relationship between all of them. The organisational leadership is responsible for ensuring that the WCM strategy is driven centrally and adopted by all the stakeholders in the organisation, as all the elements require a leadership intervention. World Class Manufacturing is more than a concept or a project; it is a philosophy which should be treated as a way of life, if organisations are to be successful in being competitive.

published_or_final_version / Industrial and Manufacturing Systems Engineering / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

published_or_final_version / abstract / Industrial and Manufacturing Systems Engineering / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

published_or_final_version / Mechanical Engineering / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

published_or_final_version / abstract / Mechanical Engineering / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

published_or_final_version / Industrial and Manufacturing Systems Engineering / Master / Master of Philosophy

M.Ing. / Potential variation in tasks and relative location of manufacturing equipment (machine tools, robot, automated guided vehicles etc.) resulting from the need to restructure the production environment, require efficient and effective communication for optimal performance. The work presented makes use of information and data flow within a system to achieve an integrated and dynamic environment. Models are presented to describe the integration of processing and auxiliary equipment and to select auxiliary equipment for a specific environment. An analytical approach is included for the integration. Specific examples are included. The work presented attempts to contribute to the flexibility of modern manufacturing environments by integrating all facilities in the environment.

An Investigational Project Report Submitted to the Faculty of Engineering, University of the W'itwatersrand for the Degree of Master of Science in Engineering. / This investigational project is concerned with quality management in the process plant manufacturing industry. Process plant manufacture can be defined as the design, manufacture and installation of pressure vessels, pipework, heat exchangers, storage vessels, etc., for the power generation, chemical and oil processing industries, food and beverage, metals producing and mining practices for similar quality assurance (Q.A.) and quality control (O.C.) practices to be employed. (Abbreviation abstract) / Andrew Chakane 2018

Orientador: Paulo Roberto de Aguiar / Banca: Danilo Hernane Spatti / Banca: Andre Luiz Andreoli / Resumo: A retificação é um processo de usinagem amplamente aplicado na fabricação de produtos que exigem baixa tolerância e alta precisão dimensional. Um dos danos mais comuns que ocorre durante este processo é a queima do material, que altera as propriedades mecânicas da peça usinada, comprometendo suas especificações. Sendo assim, o monitoramento da queima no processo de retificação é vital para garantir um alto nível de qualidade, produtividade e repetitividade dos processos industriais. Neste cenário, este trabalho traz uma nova abordagem não destrutiva para a identificação e localização da queima em aço SAE 1045, com o objetivo de desenvolver um sistema confiável e robusto de monitoramento da retificação como alternativa aos métodos invasivos, por meio do uso de transdutores piezelétricos de baixo custo e de técnicas de processamento digitais de sinais baseadas no critério estatístico de Hinkley. Comparado aos testes tradicionais e invasivos, como os testes de microdureza e metalografia, concluiu-se que o critério de Hinkley tem alta eficácia e potencial para localizar o início da queima da peça uma vez que o erro na localização foi menor que 4% / Abstract: Grinding is a machining process widely applied in the manufacture of products that require low tolerance and high dimensional accuracy. One of the most critical issues in this manufacturing process is the material burning phenomenon, which can lead the part to a total failure. Therefore, monitoring burning in the grinding process is vital to ensure a high level of quality, productivity and repeatability of industrial processes. In this sense, this article presents a new non-destructive approach for the onset location of burn in the SAE 1045 steel, aiming to develop a reliable and robust grinding monitoring system as an alternative to invasive methods. An experimental investigation was conducted by using low-cost piezoelectric diaphragms and feature extraction of the signals through Hinkley criterion. By comparing to the traditional and invasive tests such as microhardness measurements and metallographic analysis, it was concluded that the Hinkley criterion has a high effectiveness and potential to locate the onset of burning, once the error of the location was less than 4% / Mestre