Process Cycle Time Research Articles

The Role of Automation in Enhancing Cybersecurity: a Technical Analysis

Intelligent automation, a convergence of artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), and robotic process automation (RPA), is reshaping modern business operations across various sectors. This article examines the transformative impact of intelligent automation on organizational efficiency, cost structures, and innovation capabilities. Recent industry surveys indicate a significant increase in adoption rates, with 67% of business leaders implementing intelligent automation at scale in 2023, up from 48% in 2020. The integration of AI and ML with RPA has enabled businesses to automate complex, cognitive tasks, leading to an average 35% reduction in operational costs and a 50% improvement in process cycle times. While challenges such as data privacy, ethical considerations, and workforce reskilling persist, the potential benefits of intelligent automation are substantial. This article explores quantifiable impacts across industries, examines real-world case studies, and anticipates future trends including hyperautomation, autonomous decision-making, and integration with emerging technologies like blockchain and edge computing. The article concludes that strategic implementation of intelligent automation solutions will be crucial for organizations to maintain competitiveness and drive innovation in the increasingly digital business landscape.

The application of lean six sigma to improve mining transportation overall vehicle effectiveness (MTOVE): a case study in mining company

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to present a case study the application of lean six sigma combined with mining transportation overall vehicle effectiveness (MTOVE) to improve mining transportation performance. MTOVE is a newly developed model to measure the overall effectiveness of mining transportation. Design/methodology/approach The method used is case study combines the MTOVE and LSS methodologies. Data were collected from the hauling operation during a three-month period. Various lean six-sigma tools, such as the Pareto chart, ANOVA, two sample t-tests, one sample t-test, cause-and-effect analysis and time study, have been used. Findings The case study resulted in improvement of vehicle overall effectiveness; a 35% increase in MTOVE value, a 17% improvement in productivity and a 9% increment in truck utilization. Statistical tests confirmed the significance of reducing the mean and variation in the hauling process cycle time, which led to productivity improvement. Research limitations/implications This study provides practitioners with additional quantitative evidence of the potential benefits of LSS methods in the coal mining industry. Practical implications This paper practically and unquestionably has contributed to the LSS body of knowledge focused on the mining sector, which is recently still far behind the manufacturing sector. The study has demonstrated that some challenges in the mining environment can be solved through the effective implementation of LSS tools. Hence, this paper could be used as a reference for both researchers and practitioners. Social implications The study contributes in the field of LSS spread in mining industries using a case study. This study shows practical evidence of improving overall vehicle effectiveness using LSS. Practitioners can refer to this study to understand the benefits of LSS in mining sector. Since the mining industry should also adopt the LSS principle into the mining business process due to its ability to improve business performance (Valente et al., 2020; Tupamahu et al., 2019; Zanon et al., 2021). Originality/value There has been little scientific study of the LSS implementation in the mining industry. This research provides detailed evidence of LSS implementation in the mining sector. The main contribution is the implementation framework, which shows the combination of newly developed indicators (MTOVE and LSS) to enhance hauling operation effectiveness. This paper demonstrates how LSS tools and methods can be applied in the mining transportation industry.

Unveiling the causes of waiting time in business processes from event logs

Waiting times in a business process often arise when a case transitions from one activity to another. Accordingly, analyzing the causes of waiting times in activity transitions can help analysts identify opportunities for reducing the cycle time of a process. This paper proposes a process mining approach to decompose observed waiting times in each activity transition into multiple direct causes and to analyze the impact of each identified cause on the process cycle time efficiency. The approach is implemented as a software tool called Kronos that process analysts can use to upload event logs and obtain analysis results of waiting time causes. The proposed approach was empirically evaluated using synthetic event logs to verify its ability to discover different direct causes of waiting times. The applicability of the approach is demonstrated in a real-life process. Interviews with process mining experts confirm that Kronos is useful and easy to use for identifying improvement opportunities related to waiting times.

Performance analysis of a blockchain process modeling: Application of distributed ledger technology in trading, clearing and settlement processes

This study aims to assess the extent to which blockchain technology (BCT) may constitute an alternative to the conventional stock trading system and emphasize the changing roles of the key parties. It is expected that BCT would enhance the performance of the process across the three stages (i.e. trading, clearing and settlement within the stock exchange environment). A thorough literature review is conducted to understand the BCT performance modeling techniques and approaches (empirical and analytical) and to examine the theoretical potentials and capabilities of BCT in the financial markets. The case study and simulation methods are used to evaluate the impact of BCT implementation in optimizing the process of trading, clearing and settlement in Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ADX) stock-trading activities. This paper presents a simulation analysis comparing a blockchain system with a traditional trading system in the context of stock market. The simulation procedures involve modeling processes over different durations and transaction volumes, using metrics such as process time and cycle time to evaluate performance. The performance index combines these metrics with weights to ensure accurate and consistent measurements. Simulation results reveal that the blockchain system significantly outperforms the current trading system, especially at higher transaction volumes, highlighting its scalability and efficiency. A threshold of 30,000 transactions is identified as the point where blockchain’s benefits become apparent. The analysis shows that blockchain significantly elevate the process efficiency. It reduces both cycle time and process time across varying transaction volumes, maintaining consistency and reliability. Additionally, a simple simulation using the Hyperledger Fabric platform demonstrates the practical implementation of a permissioned blockchain for clearing transactions, emphasizing the system's capability to manage high transaction volumes efficiently and securely. The use of blockchain network for handling seamless transactions using pre-defined smart contracts significantly improves the performance of the stock trading processes, specifically in the clearing phase. Interestingly, the BCT system drops the need for a “third party” (i.e. stock custodian) across the three stages. At the end of the paper, we propose a thereat mitigating model for stock trading with a new blockchain system.

Hybrid simulation-optimization approach for planning relief-aid distribution with a real-world case study

PurposeAuthorities have set up numerous security checkpoints during times of armed conflict to control the flow of commercial and humanitarian trucks into and out of areas of conflict. These security checkpoints have become highly utilized because of the complex security procedures and increased truck traffic, which significantly slow the delivery of relief aid. This paper aims to improve the process at security checkpoints by redesigning the current process to reduce processing time and relieve congestion at checkpoint entrance gates.Design/methodology/approachA decision-support tool (clearing function distribution model [CFDM]) is used to minimize the effects of security checkpoint congestion on the entire humanitarian supply network using a hybrid simulation-optimization approach. By using a business process simulation, the current and reengineered processes are both simulated, and the simulation output was used to estimate the clearing function (capacity as a function of the workload). For both the AS-IS and TO-BE models, key performance indicators such as distribution costs, backordering and process cycle time were used to compare the results of the CFDM tool. For this, the Kerem Abu Salem security checkpoint south of Gaza was used as a case study.FindingsThe comparison results demonstrate that the CFDM tool performs better when the output of the TO-BE clearing function is used.Originality/valueThe efforts will contribute to improving the planning of any humanitarian network experiencing congestion at security checkpoints by minimizing the impact of congestion on the delivery lead time of relief aid to the final destination.

High‐Throughput Indirect Gravure Printing Applied to Low‐Temperature Metallization of Silicon‐Based High‐Efficiency Solar Cells

Herein, this work is dedicated to a both exotic and promising printing technique in silicon (Si) photovoltaics (PV). Indirect gravure printing is investigated as a metallization technique focusing on low‐temperature applications, such as Si heterojunction (SHJ) and perovskite Si tandem solar cells. One advantage of this rotary printing technique is that its components are very durable. From graphical industry, it is known that gravure cylinders show almost no wearing during multiple printing. Additionally, rotary printing techniques offer great throughput. Therefore, indirect gravure printing can reduce costs significantly in PV production. In this work, short process cycle times of 0.9 s cell−1 for industrial wafers (edge length of 156.75 mm) are demonstrated. Using an appropriate production platform even enables cycle times of down to 0.5 s cell−1. Busbarless SHJ half cells with non‐optimized gravure‐printed front grids reach a mean photoconversion efficiency that is (1.7 ± 0.5) %abs lower compared to screen‐printed reference samples, however, cycle time is reduced. The metal contacts exhibit a mean shading width of (65 ± 16) μm and an average height of (5 ± 1) μm. Applied to SHJ solar cells’ rear, such metallization can replace screen‐printed contacts with 0.1%abs efficiency loss only, as device simulations reveal.

Perancangan Sistem Pengolaan dan Penagihan Piutang Mitra Usaha pada Bandar Udara Kertajati Dengan Menggunakan Metode Waterfall

Husein Sastranegara Airport has problems with the management of receivables for its business partners with three problem factors, namely confirmation of payment of receivables that takes a long time, collection of receivables that is still manual, and bad debts occur. At Husein Sastranegara Airport there will be an operational transfer to Kertajati Airport. To avoid similar problems, it is necessary to find a solution for managing trade receivables for the sake of company sustainability and growth. With the existing problems and limitations, a system for managing and collecting trade receivables is designed, with the existence of This system can help companies to manage their receivables and help business partner owners monitor their business bills so that they can increase efficiency and effectiveness in billing and managing their receivables. Information system development uses the Waterfall method approach with stages of software requirements analysis, design, program code creation, testing, and support or maintenance. The features for the receivables management and collection system consist of business partners, access, invoices, payments, warning letters, reports and profiles. Based on the analysis carried out, the results showed that the difference in invoice issuance process cycle time was 6.33 hours and the efficiency increase was 3.86%, then the billing process cycle time difference was 9.91 hours and the efficiency increase was 13.14%, as well as the difference in processing time. payment of 18.8 hours and additional efficiency of 8.39%. Finally, the difference in reporting process time was 10.17 hours and the efficiency increase was 3.32%. The usability test was also carried out using the System Usability Score (SUS) showing a score of 73.06 which is in the acceptable category.

Benchmarking lean construction conformance in Pakistan’s construction industry

PurposeLean construction (LC) is an innovative approach in the construction industry that has shown significant success in developed countries. Although LC has potential in the construction sector of Pakistan, it has not been extensively explored. This study aims to address this knowledge gap by identifying and predicting current lean practices and assessing the strengths and weaknesses of LC implementation in Pakistan.Design/methodology/approachUsing robust statistical methods to analyze 92 valid responses, the study reveals that approximately 54% of lean practices are currently in use in the construction industry of Pakistan, with a population mean ranging from 52.7% to 55.6%.FindingsSurprisingly, the research identifies instances where some construction firms in Pakistan are implementing LC practices, even though they have only a limited understanding of its underlying principles. Notably, certain subprinciples, such as visual management, top management commitment to change, employee training, process cycle time reduction and production optimization, are less integrated within the construction industry. Exploring the possibility of implementing LC, recommendations for strategies to implement LC in Pakistan are suggested, aligning with the conceptual model proposed by the researchers.Originality/valueThe novelty of this work offers insights that can serve as a comprehensive guide for developing nations. It provides a structured approach to assess and benchmark LC practices, which, in turn, can contribute to a more efficient and effective construction industry. Moreover, the strategies proposed in this research can aid developing countries in the efficient implementation of LC. This will have a positive implication for both economic and developmental outcomes.

AutoML-driven diagnostics of the feeder motor in fused filament fabrication machines from direct current signals

AbstractPart defects in additive manufacturing are more frequent compared to machining or molding. Failures can go unnoticed for hours, wasting resources and extending process cycle times. This paper describes a Machine Learning based method for automated sensing of onset failure in additive manufacturing machinery. Investigations are conducted on a Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF) 3D printer, and the same methods are then applied to a digital light processing 3D printer. The investigation focuses on signal-based analysis, specifically passive sensing of stepper motors relating DC current measurements to the torque on a stepper, as opposed to any active acoustic interrogation of the part. Passive methods are used to characterize the loading on a feeder stepper in an FFF machine, forming a model that can identify early signs of filament-based failure with 85.65% 10-fold cross-validation accuracy. Efforts show filament breakage can be detected minutes before material runout would cause a defect, allowing ample time to pause, correct, or control the print. The machine learning pipeline was not naively conceived but optimized through automated machine learning.

Design of the New Production Line in the Automotive Company

Innovation is one of the key competitiveness strategies for small, medium, and large companies. Production line innovations using Lean methods are currently one of the most important ways to change the shape of the production line in a positive direction. Emphasis must be placed on the resulting innovation and the form of the production line, which should be as efficient and functional as possible and meet the required parameters of productivity and quality assurance. The primary goal of production line innovations using Lean methods is the elimination of bottlenecks in the production process that do not add value and the balancing of individual assembly stations. The aim of the contribution was to design a semi-automatic line for the completion and testing of seat locks under the name D3P2. The result of the solution is the creation of a robotic workplace that will ensure a higher production capacity and the related packaging of finished products. On the assembly line, an analysis of line balancing was carried out using the Yamazumi graph to eliminate unnecessary assembly process activities, Cycle time and Tact time. An analysis of the measurements of individual production activities and places was carried out on the line, and the proposal for a new production line was subsequently shared. Its main goal was to meet all customer requirements through high flexibility. The result of the analysis and applied measures was a reduction in the cycle time of the new line, balancing of individual posts and economic benefits.

Implementation of Lean Manufacturing Methodology and Its Application: A Literature Review

This study aims to investigate and analyze several previous works of relevant literature on the Lean Manufacturing technique in international journals. The methodology used to review the previous studies was carried out through a survey based on descriptive, qualitative, and bibliographical surveys in International Journal with restriction to the period of publication from 2017 – 2022 published on databases and electronic journals in English with the scope to examine and analyze in-depth the extent to which literature used to discuss results in the selected papers of applying the Lean Manufacturing technique in several case studies. After conducting a survey, only thirty-three articles were found with the theme of the application of Lean Manufacturing and its technique in manufacturing companies. Twenty-one techniques/tools of Lean Manufacturing were found problem-solving for waste time elimination, reducing process cycle times, and implementing process improvement. It is concluded that the most used methodology in waste reduction is Value Stream Mapping.

Thermomechanical Analysis of Thermoplastic Mono-Material Sandwich Structures with Honeycomb Core

The application of fiber-reinforced thermoplastic mono-material sandwich panels has many advantages, such as recyclability, reduction in processing cycle times, integration of additional elements by means of welding, and a great potential for in-line production. The most efficient way to produce a curved thermoplastic sandwich panel is thermoforming, which has several challenges. One of them is to achieve a higher thermal gradient in the panel. On the one hand, the temperature at the skin–core interface must exceed the softening point of the polymer to reach a sufficient bonding degree. On the other hand, the core should not be overheated and overloaded to avoid its collapse. Furthermore, several fiber distortions, such as wrinkles or buckles, can be developed during thermoforming. All these flaws have a negative impact on the mechanical performance of the sandwich structure. The objective of this study is the development of a simulation tool for the thermoforming process, which can replace the time-consuming trial-and-error-based method. Therefore, a coupled thermomechanical model was developed for a novel thermoplastic sandwich structure, which is able to predict the temperature distribution and its influence on the mechanical properties of the panel. Experimental trials were conducted to validate the thermomechanical forming model, which demonstrated a good agreement with numerical results.

A configurable mining approach for enhancing the business processes' performance

AbstractBusiness is a war to get the attention you deserve from your enemies, and many competitors strive to gain a prominent position. Organizations are constantly seeking innovative ways to work to stay in a competitive business environment. Business process reengineering (BPR) is one of the most management approaches that are adopted by many organizations in order to achieve a dramatic increase in performance and cost reduction. Since the risks enfolded and failure rates related to BPR projects are very high, it is necessary to find ways to support success of BPR in a systematic approach. The major target of this article is to find the implementation of the proposed model to reengineer business processes (BPs) successfully via integrating critical success factors (CSFs) of BPR and BPs' performance. It is created to detect the inefficiencies and bottlenecks in the business process, decrease costs, time and increase quality of business processes, enhance financial environment and make an effective and efficient performance of the business process. It also applies a mining technique of association rule to examine the link between CSFs and several BPs and measures business processes' performance (intended BPR success) by process time, cycle time, quality and cost pre and post reengineering BPs. Thus, it uses a way to select the appropriate model for each business process. The proposed model will be implemented using a real world the Egyptian tax authority case study in order to prove its usefulness and efficiency. Then, inferred CSFs were applied according to each process, which proved the validity and success of the proposed model.

Environmental requirements in the standard for acceptance of petroleum products

The article discusses the current state of the process of receiving petroleum products at a gas station in order to eliminate and reduce losses and cycle time. A methodology for preparing a standard for obtaining petroleum products is presented and the effectiveness of its use at a gas station is determined. A standardized sequence of actions made it possible to detect problems and losses and reliably evaluate the efficiency of production processes. Based on the established sequence of operations for the process of receiving petroleum products, the standard work instructions (SWI) indicate the time for performing a separate process operation, the total time of the production cycle, the trajectory of movement through the facility between workplaces, and the classification of work taking into account compliance with safety and environmental requirements. As a result of the redistribution of all operations in order to eliminate and reduce losses and process cycle time, the best sequence of actions was established, which ensured the efficiency of the process of receiving petroleum products and environmental safety during the operation of gas stations.

A Centralized IOT-Based Process Cycle Time Monitoring System for Line Balancing Study

This study proposes a Centralized IoT-based Process Cycle Time Monitoring System (CTMS) to improve the efficiency and accuracy of line balancing studies in a production line with a conveyor system. The traditional approach of measuring cycle time, typically done by manual observation and recording, can be prone to errors due to human factors such as fatigue or inaccuracies in manual recording. The proposed CTMS utilizes a combination of cutting-edge technologies such as a cloud database, android application, LABVIEW GUI, analogue infrared (IR) sensors, and appropriate controllers to improve the reliability of cycle time measurements. The system continuously monitors the production line and provides real-time data on cycle time, downtime, and other relevant metrics, allowing production engineers to quickly identify bottlenecks and areas for improvement. The results of the study demonstrate the potential of the CTMS to be applied and expanded to actual production lines with conveyor systems, providing a valuable tool for production engineers to develop strategies to reduce cycle time and ensure it is kept in check. The proposed CTMS is expected to have a positive impact on the efficiency and profitability of the production line by reducing downtime and increasing productivity.

Does The Indonesian National Standard (SNI) for Products in SMES Influence Cleaner Production Practices? A Snapshot of Best Practices from Yogyakarta, Indonesia

This article investigates the extent to which the Indonesian National Standard (SNI) for products adopted and applied by small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, can encourage them to effectively implement a quality management system (QMS) within their internal organizations, which eventually affects and benefits their process performance and clean production practices. Survey data collected from 44 respondents in 12 SMEs with SNI-certified products were processed and examined using descriptive analysis and regression analysis. The results showed that these could implement QMS effectively partly because it is a requirement for the SNI certification of the proposed product. The effectiveness of QMS implementation affects the achievement of process performance in that it can reduce the number of defective products, process costs, and process cycle times. According to the respondents, an effective QMS makes every activity and action taken in the production process more environmentally friendly and leads to cleaner production practices. These findings can help further research determine the model's feasibility to design and develop a better framework that promotes QMS and clean production practices, especially among SMEs in Indonesia.

Soft Magnetic Fingertip With Particle-Jamming Structure for Tactile Perception and Grasping

Typically, the fingertips of a dexterous robotic hand are designed to be rigid and equipped with a variety of sensors to provide tactile perception. However, this design scheme renders the grasping of small objects difficult because rigid fingertips usually have a small contact area with the objects. In this paper, we propose a novel fingertip design that combines soft tactile skin and a particle jamming structure. Benefiting from the particle jamming structure, the soft skin and fluid-state jamming particle material ensure that the fingertip encloses the object as much as possible when in contact with it. Then, the application of a vacuum turns the particle material into a high stiffness solid state, allowing it to hold objects. Soft tactile skin integrated with permanent magnetic particles estimates contact information between the fingertip and objects. Thus, utilizing the soft tactile skin and particle jamming structure the fingertip can perceive and grasp objects simultaneously. The proposed soft fingertip module is fabricated by molding, which reduces the processing cycle time and cost. Additionally, a series of experiments were conducted to demonstrate the performance of this novel fingertip design. The results validate that the proposed robotic fingertip can grasp tiny objects while perceiving contact position and force information.

Analysis of the supply chain performance measurement system using the SCOR 12.0 and the value stream mapping method approach towards sustainability strategy (case study: power generation company in Indonesia)

Indonesia’s electrical energy potential is very significant in supporting the manufacturing and service industries. The efforts of state power companies to manage their supply chain systems require a sustainable strategy to increase end-customer satisfaction in global competition. One strategy in achieving sustainable competence can be done through measuring and managing supply chain performance using the SCOR Method and Value Stream Mapping (VSM). The implementation of these two methods will be able to integrate every process and decision making in increasing productivity, especially in the company’s supply chain activities. Measurements result of the supply chain performance on XYZ Berau Company from 2019 to 2021 by implementing the SCOR 12.0 and the value stream mapping (VSM) method showed an increase, where the realization of supply chain performance in 2021 was 91.42 with a good category. However, there is still a gap in the KPI value of 8.58, where the highest Gap value is in KPI P-3 material fulfillment duration. For 2021, the Gap Value for KPI P-3 material fulfillment duration is 4.17 or 48.60% of the total existing gap. The application of the VSM method shows that for KPI P-3 material fulfillment duration, the value-added ratio current state is 63.57% with a value-added activity of 44.5 days, compared to the total process cycle time of 70 days. Research recommendations have brought improvement, resulting in the value-added ratio future state increased by 98.89%, with value-added activity for 44.5 days, from the total process cycle time of 45 days. So, the 45 days target for KPI P-3 material fulfillment duration can be achieved.

Feasibility of Digital Twins to Manage the Operational Risks in the Production of a Ready-Mix Concrete Plant

The ready-mix concrete supply chain is highly disruptive due to its product perishability and Just-in-Time (JIT) production style. A lack of technology makes the ready-mix concrete (RMC) industry suffer from frequent production failures, ultimately causing high customer dissatisfaction and loss of revenues. In this paper, we propose the first-ever digital twin (DT) system in the RMC industry that can serve as a decision support tool to manage production risk efficiently and effectively via predictive maintenance. This study focuses on the feasibility of digital twins for the RMC industry in three main areas holistically: (1) the technical feasibility of the digital twin system for ready-mix concrete plant production risk management; (2) the business value of the proposed product to the construction industry; (3) the challenges of implementation in the real-world RMC industry. The proposed digital twin system consists of three main phases: (1) an IoT system to get the real-time production cycle times; (2) a digital twin operational working model with descriptive analytics; (3) an advanced analytical dashboard with predictive analytics to make predictive maintenance decisions. Our proposed digital twin solution can provide efficient and interpretable predictive maintenance insights in real time based on anomaly detection, production bottleneck identification, process disruption forecast and cycle time analysis. Finally, this study emphasizes that state-of-the-art solutions such as digital twins can effectively manage the production risks of ready-mix concrete plants by automatically detecting and predicting the bottlenecks without waiting until a production failure happens to react.

Effect of the crucible composition on the Inconel 718 vacuum induction melting process efficiency

Nickel-based superalloys are widely employed to manufacture aero-engine turbines due to their high mechanical strength and resistance to corrosion and creep. Vacuum Induction Melting (VIM) is a suitable manufacturing technology because of the reactive nature of the alloying elements; however, the melting process is time-consuming and energy-demanding. This research focuses on increasing the overall efficiency of the process in two ways. Initially, studying the influence of metal-containing crucible composition and thermal properties on the melting. In a semi-industrial VIM facility, 2 kg of Inconel 718 alloy was melted employing Al2O3, ZrO2, MgO, and Al6Si4O13-based crucibles. The Al6Si4O13 and ZrO2-based crucibles reduced energy consumption by 28% and 23%, respectively, compared to the reference crucible of Al2O3. Subsequently, an optimized melting procedure is proposed to reduce the process cycle time and energy demand, saving 10%–20% for all crucibles compared to the standard melting procedure. In addition, the ZrO2 and Al6Si4O13 crucibles reduced total cycle time by 13% and 21%, respectively. During melting, intense dross formation was detected for all crucibles, dissipating faster for Al6Si4O13 and MgO crucibles. Therefore, the metal-crucible interface product was analyzed to understand these mechanisms better, and the four crucibles' chemical reactivity was examined.