Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Engineering Systems Division, 2005. / This electronic version was submitted by the student author. The certified thesis is available in the Institute Archives and Special Collections. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 335-343). / This dissertation provides a top level assessment of technology design choices for the architecture of a space-based information network with shared on-orbit processing. Networking is an efficient method of sharing communications and lowering the cost of communications, providing better interoperability and data integration for multiple satellites. The current space communications architecture sets a critical limitation on the collection of raw data sent to the ground. By introducing powerful space-borne processing, compression of raw data can alleviate the need for expensive and expansive downlinks. Moreover, distribution of processed data directly from space sensors to the end-users may be more easily realized. A space-based information network backbone can act as the transport network for mission satellites as well as enable the concept of decoupled, shared, and perhaps distributed space-borne processing for space-based assets. Optical crosslinks are the enabling technology for creating a cost-effective network capable of supporting high data rates. In this dissertation, the space-based network backbone is designed to meet a number of mission requirements by optimizing over constellation topologies under different traffic models. With high network capacity availability, space-borne processing can be accessible by any mission satellite attached to the network. Space-borne processing capabilities can be enhanced with commercial processors that are tolerant of radiation and replenished periodically (as frequently as every two years). / (cont.) Additionally, innovative ways of using a space-based information network can revolutionize satellite communications and space missions. Applications include distributed computing in space, interoperable space communications, multiplatform distributed satellite communications, coherent distributed space sensing, multisensor data fusion, and restoration of disconnected global terrestrial networks after a disaster. Lastly, the consolidation of all the different communications assets into a horizontally integrated space-based network infrastructure calls for a space-based network backbone to be designed with a generic nature. A coherent infrastructure can satisfy the goals of interoperability, flexibility, scalability, and allows the system to be evolutionary. This transformational vision of a generic space-based information network allows for growth to accommodate civilian demands, lowers the price of entry for the commercial sector, and makes way for innovation to enhance and provide additional value to military systems. / by Serena Chan. / Ph.D.

Thesis (M. Eng. in Logistics)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Engineering Systems Division, 2012. / Cataloged from PDF version of thesis. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 53-54). / This work developed a simulation model that is intended to be used for strategic investment decisions by a company that operates in a wide range of activities in the agriculture business in Brazil. Mostly, it is a tool that allows the user, in this case the company management, to quantitatively assess the results of their qualitative expectations for the business environment. I found that the supply of grains is potentially a higher uncertainty factor than demand, that different configurations of crushing capacity and storage impact the results with significant difference, depending on the demand and supply scenarios even in the near future. Knowing that uncertainty is unavoidable and largely impacts the business, I measured it and found that, yield uncertainty alone can impact profits dramatically. The model developed in this paper can easily be leveraged to include more sophisticated crushing rules and up to date market data. It can also be run timely and produce tailored reports. / by Luiz Figer. / M.Eng.in Logistics

Thesis (M. Eng. in Logistics)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Engineering Systems Division, 2013. / Cataloged from PDF version of thesis. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 53-54). / We live in an age where industrial chemicals are central to the modem economy serving as the basis for all man-made fibers, life-science chemicals and consumer products. Owing to globalization, the industry has grown to extend its presence all over the world. Given the heavy manufacturing base and large distribution networks, the underlying supply chains are a critical component for the chemical industry. The chemical industry is capital intensive and most strategic decisions taken by firms in this industry have long-term impacts. As such, any uncertainty in the environment that affects these strategic decisions in supply chains needs to be understood before committing to the assets. In particular, sustainability related concerns have risen in importance in the past decade, and are likely to be important in the next decade (and beyond). In this thesis, we use scenario planning to understand the impact of sustainability related factors on Chemical supply chains for the year 2025. Using the literature in the field of long-range planning for the chemical industry, supply chain sustainability and scenario planning, and interviews with several experts in industry and academia, we developed three scenarios that we feel will be most applicable to understand the implications of a rather ambiguous issue of "sustainability" for chemical supply chains. Each of the three scenarios offers our end users -planners in the corporate supply chain strategy group - a framework to think about a complete and consistent set of world views regarding sustainability in which the industry must thrive. / by Vibhu Arora and Sekhar Putcha. / M.Eng.in Logistics

Thesis (M. Eng. in Logistics)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Engineering Systems Division, 2008. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 80-81). / The objective of this thesis was to analyze truckload shipment transactions in order to determine if rates are impacted by tender lead time, which is the amount of time between when a carrier is offered a load to when the load needs to be picked up. The research specifically focused on how tender rejections by carriers are the ultimate driver of transportation cost variances since most rates are contractually fixed in advance. The data revealed a strong correlation between tender rejections and increased costs. Many factors affect transportation costs. The transportation model in the paper included three key baseline factors: distance, origin, and destination of the load. The model also included tender and pick up day of week activity, economies of scale, carrier size, and tender lead time to quantify how the factors influence the cost of a load. The research suggests that even though the baseline factors dominate the cost of most loads, shippers can create savings by modifying business policy with regard to tender lead time and other factors included in the model. / by Erik R. Caldwell and Bryan C. Fisher. / M.Eng.in Logistics

Thesis (M.Eng.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Engineering Systems Division, 2000. / Includes bibliographical references. / A brief study of materials handling automation, and evaluation of a potential business based on current Internet order fulfillment equipment and practices. Internet retail today relies heavily on manual labor for order fulfillment. However, with staggering growth in Internet retail and labor intensive order fulfillment processes, companies will increasingly turn to automation to enable growth and make better use of the people they have. The materials handling automation industry is dominated by a small number of very large companies. These companies manufacture products that handle products by the pallet or case, but have very limited solutions for split case picking. The dominant type of solutions these companies offer, such as pick-to-light or wearable RF terminals, only help human pickers to identify what needs to be picked, but does not do the actual picking. This thesis explores the business potential for automation capable of split case picking. The thesis format is that of a strategic business plan for a new fictional firm, "Practical Automated Picking and Packing." / by Edward Mekhaya. / M.Eng.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Engineering Systems Division, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 183-191). / A system architecture analysis and selection methodology is presented that builds on the Multidisciplinary Analysis and Optimization framework. It addresses a need and opportunity to extend the MAO techniques to include a means to analyze not only within the technical domain, but also include the ability to evaluate external influences that will act on the system once it is in operation. The nature and extent of these external influences is uncertain and increasingly uncertain for systems with long development timelines and methods for addressing such uncertainty are central to the thesis. The research presented in this document has culminated in a coherent system architecture analysis and selection process addressing this need that consists of several steps: 1. The introduction of the concept of Fuzzy Pareto Optimality. Under uncertainty, one must necessarily consider more than just Pareto Optimal solutions to avoid the unintentional exclusion of viable and possibly even desirable designs. 2. The introduction of a proximity based filtering technique that explicitly links the design and solution spaces. The intent here is preserve diverse designs, even if their resulting performance is similar. 3. Introduction of the concept of Technology Invasiveness through the use of a component Delta Design Structure Matrix (ADSM). The component DSM is used to evaluate the changes in the DSM due to the technology insertion. Based on the quantity and type of these changes a Technology Invasiveness metric is computed. 4. Through the use of utility curves, the technical domain analysis is linked to an analysis of external influence factors. / (cont.) The shape of these curves depends wholly on the external influences that may act on the system once it is commercialized or otherwise put into use. The utility curves, in combination with the (technical) performance distributions, are then used to compute risk and opportunity for each system architecture. System Architecture selection follows from analysis in the technical domain linked to an analysis of external influences and their impact on system architecture potential for success. All of the concepts and the integrated process are developed and assessed in the context of a case which involves the study of a Hydrogen Enhanced Combustion Engine being studied for possible insertion into the vehicle fleet. / by Rudolf M. Smaling. / Ph.D.

Thesis (S.M. in Engineering and Management)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Engineering Systems Division, System Design and Management Program, June 2010. / "May 2010." Cataloged from PDF version of thesis. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 134-137). / In the past decades there has been a shift in customer expectations that has had a significant effect in the business models of manufacturing companies. Customer requirements have shifted from accepting standardized products to demanding highly customized products that satisfy their specific requirements. To cope with this change companies have quickly increased the variety of products that they offer in the market place. Unfortunately, often this variety is provided without understanding the implications of the added complexity on the different internal processes. This thesis research focuses on analyzing this fundamental conflict that exists in manufacturing and tries to answer the question: Is there a middle way? A compromise that will balance variety and complexity with the need for efficient production processes. A large data set containing more than 27,000 records was obtained from a software product configuration tool in use by a specialty vehicle company. This data was evaluated utilizing several methods including statistical and network analysis. It was observed that option proliferation was common during the vehicle configuration process which had an option approval rate of more than 50%. In addition, options tended not to be shared among vehicles and reused in vehicle designs. Overall there were 6,848 dormant options out of a total of 17,007. This complexity resulted in low and often negative margins for the vehicles manufactured. An option strategy model was created to aid firms in managing complexity. The model was tested using the available data and it was observed that in general improvements in option management were obtained. / by Jorge Enrique Amador Gallardo. / S.M.in Engineering and Management

Thesis (M. Eng. in Logistics)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Engineering Systems Division, 2004. / "June 2004." / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 65-69). / (cont.) in the success of Lucent's turnaround and, from the patterns that emerge, a basis for a new holistic framework for designing and leveraging an integrated supply chain is offered. This framework suggests that attaining competitive advantage from supply chain capabilities lies in a firm's ability to incorporate corporate culture, leadership style, organization structure and both inter and intra tier governance methods into it's supply chain design in order to enable an integrated and extended organization where the channel expert can be identified and engaged in decision making in a natural, real-time and organic process. / Over the past three years, in response to dramatic changes in the telecommunications industry, Lucent Technologies has realigned its corporate strategy from being a provider of manufacturing excellence to one of supply chain excellence. Supported by this realignment, Lucent has recently returned to profitability after eleven consecutive losing quarters, and has posted dramatic improvements in financial, operational and customer satisfaction metrics. Lucent's new strategy is focused on leveraging its supply chain capabilities to create a new extended enterprise that is both customer and supplier intimate, and operates as a broad reaching cross-functional Supply Chain Networks (SCN) organization. Pivotal to the success of this realignment was extending the scope of Lucent's supply chain activities, both internally and externally to the company. Internally, Lucent integrated such non-traditional SCM activities as sales, product design, and margin management into its newly created SCN organization. Externally, by outsourcing virtually all of its manufacturing, and much of the associated supplier management, to Electronics Manufacturing Services (EMS) partners, Lucent became responsible for the orchestration of an extended multi-tier supply chain that integrated abilities and expertise of functional teams within Lucent and within its EMS partners, raw component suppliers and customers. In this thesis, the Supply Chain Networks transformation at Lucent is examined in the broader context of the changes that took place in Lucent's: organizational model; leadership team; corporate culture; customer and supplier relationships; operations; and market space. The change that was effected in each of these areas is reviewed for its role / by Duncan M.L. Scholtz. / M.Eng.in Logistics

Thesis (M. Eng. in Logistics)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Engineering Systems Division, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 131-135). / The practice of outsourcing product design to a service provider is prevalent in fast-moving high-tech electronics. Product design affects all subsequent activities such as procurement, manufacturing, logistics and after-sales services. Thus, companies do design for supply chain (DFSC), which is the process of designing products by incorporating such supply chain considerations as supplier selection and integration, single vs. multi-sourcing, component commonality, postponement, variety management, product reuse and recycling, planned obsolescence, etc. Each of these strategies involves tradeoffs which become difficult to evaluate in an outsourced environment. The levels at which companies engage with their service provider such as fully outsourced or joint design, affect the degree of control they can exercise over the design process. The main finding is that when products are fully outsourced, companies have less control and therefore, a lower possibility of implementing DFSC. Certain measures are proposed whereby companies may influence DFSC implementation even in fully outsourced design. When some of the design is kept in-house in a joint design model, the level of control is high. / (cont.) Another important finding is that design service providers actually achieve excellence in incremental innovation and do implement DFSC strategies which have cost-saving and revenue-generating benefits for them. The distribution of the resultant savings is primarily a function of the company's ability to understand the service providers' cost structure and its negotiating power in the relationship. Two case-studies are included of products where different outsourcing levels are used and the impact of the level of outsourcing is studied for each supply chain strategy. / by Bindiya Vakil. / M.Eng.in Logistics

Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Engineering Systems Division, 2013. / Cataloged from PDF version of thesis. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 191-201). / One of the greatest barriers in product Carbon Footprinting is the large amount of time and effort required for data collection across the supply chain. Tesco's decision to downsize their carbon footprint project from the original plan of 70,000 house brand products to only a small fraction of them exemplifies the tradeoff between cost and good intention. In this thesis, we have merged salient characteristics from several recent works in this area to develop a fast and cheap method to calculate food carbon footprint accurately. We defined sources of uncertainty as data quality, data gaps and cut-off error, and quantified them. Firstly, quick judgment uncertainty was applied to assess data quality, reducing the time and the expertise needed. Secondly, we showed that it is feasible to use averaged proxies in a preliminary carbon footprint calculation to select the inputs with high impact. The analysis was streamlined by getting specific data only for a subset of high impact inputs while leaving the insignificant inputs represented by low resolution averaged proxies. Monte Carlo simulations and analytical solutions were introduced to account for the total variance of averaged proxies. We applied hierarchy structures to organize the existing emission factors to facilitate proxy selection, but found that the hierarchy required either expert knowledge for design or large numbers of emission factors to average out the inconsistencies within the same input types. Lastly, by integrating uncertainty calculation with iterative carbon footprint calculation, we demonstrated convergence of the calculated carbon footprint and its uncertainty results, providing firm support for our techniques of leaving less significant inputs represented by low resolution averaged proxies. The novel contribution of this work is the application of test sets to 1) prove that carbon footprints calculated using the streamlined approach converged quickly to a stable estimate even when the true values were beyond the range of the proxies, and 2) show an adaptive and justifiable way to select the minimal number of high impact inputs for further analysis. / by Yin Jin Lee. / S.M.