Reduce Unit Costs Research Articles

Approach to cost-of-quality management in pharmaceutical manufacturing

Introduction: The costs related to pharmaceutical production, including quality costs are a substantial and persistent part of the costs of pharmaceutical companies. Moreover, there are a number of activities in pharmaceutical production, originating from regulatory requirements to ensure the quality of pharmaceuticals, which do not contribute to real value; however, they consume time, materials and human resources. One of them is the operation of an effective quality management system in accordance with the requirements of the Good Manufacturing Practice for pharmaceuticals. The adherence to all regulatory requirements related to pharmaceutical production is quite costly and constitutes a substantial part of the budget of pharmaceutical companies. There are, however, opportunities for cost reduction which can increase profit without extra investments, ensuring at the same time regulatory compliance. Materials and Methods: A scientific literature review was performed with regards to cost management in pharmaceutical production. On the grounds of the analysis, personal experience and observation, some factors were identified which could impact the costs of pharmaceutical manufacturers and an approach for their management was developed, aiming to reduce the costs and improve company performance. Results: The costs for materials, equipment, production process, personnel, control and facilities were identified as major sources of production costs in the pharmaceutical industry, which affect the quality costs. The costs were classified by type and specific approaches for cost reduction were proposed; the expected effects of this reduction on the company results were assessed, e.g. reduction of total costs, losses and product unit costs, reduction of the duration of production, reduction of downtime and the time required for preparation and effective use of facilities, as well as quality costs (for assessment, prevention, internal and external issues/failures). Conclusion : The proposed approaches for cost reduction can be used as a manual for cost assessment, as well as for the suitability and prioritization of the relevant approaches for their reduction. They have a major impact on the “good quality” costs, related to assessment and prevention; they also contribute to the reliability of quality assurance, thus reducing the costs for its application for handling of internal and external issues. The proposed approaches have a synergistic effect on quality costs reduction and on the improvement of company performance.

Use of silver-based additives for the development of antibacterial functionality in Laser Sintered polyamide 12 parts

Infectious diseases (exacerbated by antimicrobial resistance) cause death, loss of quality of life and economic burden globally. Materials with inherent antimicrobial properties offer the potential to reduce the spread of infection through transfer via surfaces or solutions, or to directly reduce microbial numbers in a host if used as implants. Additive Manufacturing (AM) techniques offer shorter supply chains, faster delivery, mass customisation and reduced unit costs, as well as highly complicated part geometries which are potentially harder to clean and sterilise. Here, we present a new approach to introducing antibacterial properties into AM, using Laser Sintering, by combining antimicrobial and base polymer powders prior to processing. We demonstrate that the mechanical properties of the resultant composite parts are similar to standard polymer parts and reveal the mode of the antibacterial activity. We show that antibacterial activity is modulated by the presence of obstructing compounds in different experimental media, which will inform appropriate use cases. We show that the material is not toxic to mammalian cells. This material could be quickly used for commercial products, and our approach could be adopted more generally to add new functionality to Laser Sintered parts.

경제성 평가를 통한 태양광발전기와 연계된 배터리 에너지저장장치의 최적 용량 산정

In situations, where the weight of a renewable energy certificate (REC) for a battery energy storage system (BESS) linked to a photovoltaic (PV) system is applied, it is necessary to evaluate the optimal capacity of the BESS to maximize the profit and prepare for a change in future support policy. The levelized cost of energy (LCOE) was calculated for a range of conditions using the hourly power generation data and charge/discharge guidelines of the nationwide PV plants. As a result, the optimal capacity of BESS under the current REC weight 5.0 was determined to be 2.7 times that of the PV capacity nationwide. In the reference cases of Jeju, Gyeongnam, and Jeonnam, which have the lowest, average, and highest solar radiation of the country, it was confirmed that the economic benefit by BESS linkage was higher in cases of lower solar radiation. If the REC weight is downgraded in the future, the optimal capacity of BESS will also be reduced. If there is no reduction in the BESS facility unit cost, the advantage of the REC weighted value of 3.5 or less will be lower than that of a PV single operation.

Снижение удельных затрат энергии на обжаривание зерна в установке непрерывного типа

Снижение удельных затрат энергии на обжаривание зерна в установке непрерывного типа

Implications of lattice structures on economics and productivity of metal powder bed fusion

The cost-effectiveness of metal powder bed fusion (PBF) systems in high-throughput production are dominated by the high cost of metallic powder materials. Metal PBF technologies become more competitive in production scenarios when Design for Additive Manufacturing (DfAM) is integrated to embed functionality through shape complexity, weight, and material reduction through topology optimization and lattice structures.This study investigates the value of DfAM in terms of unit cost and manufacturing time reduction. Input design parameters, such as lattice design-type, part size, volume fraction, material type and production volumes are included in a Design-of-Experiment to model their impact. The performance variables for cost and manufacturing time were assessed for two scenarios: (i) outsourcing scenario using an online quotation system, and (ii) in-house scenario utilizing a decision support system (DSS) for metal PBF.The results indicate that the size of the part and the lattice volume fraction are the most significant parameters that contribute to time and cost savings. This study shows that full utilization of build platforms by volume-optimized parts, high production volumes, and reduction of volume fraction lead to substantial benefits for metal PBF industrialization. Integration of DfAM and lattice designs for lightweight part production can decrease the unit cost of production down to 70.6% and manufacturing time can be reduced significantly down to 71.7% depending on the manufacturing scenarios and design constraints when comparing to solid infill designs. The study also provides a case example of a bracket design whose cost is reduced by 53.7%, manufacturing time is reduced by 54.3 %, and the overall weight is reduced significantly with the use of lattices structures and topology optimization.

Nonlinear Constrained Optimal Control of Wave Energy Converters With Adaptive Dynamic Programming

In this paper, we address the energy maximization problem of wave energy converters (WEC) subject to nonlinearities and constraints, and present an efficient online control strategy based on the principle of adaptive dynamic programming (ADP) for solving the associated Hamilton–Jacobi–Bellman equation. To solve the derived constrained nonlinear optimal control problem, a critic neural network (NN) is used to approximate the time-dependant optimal cost value and then calculate the practical suboptimal causal control action. The proposed novel WEC control strategy leads to a simplified ADP framework without involving the widely used actor NN. The significantly improved computational efficacy of the proposed control makes it attractive for its practical implementation on a WEC to achieve a reduced unit cost of energy output, which is especially important when the dynamics of a WEC are complicated and need to be described accurately by a high-order model with nonlinearities and constraints. Simulation results are provided to show the efficacy of the proposed control method.

Automated Adhesive Dosing Reduces Unit Costs

Automated Adhesive Dosing Reduces Unit Costs

Technoeconomic analysis of internal combustion engine – organic Rankine cycle systems for combined heat and power in energy-intensive buildings

For buildings with low heat-to-power demand ratios, the installation of internal combustion engines (ICEs) for the onsite provision of combined heat and power (CHP) results in large amounts of surplus heat. In the UK, such installations risk being ineligible for the CHP Quality Assurance (CHPQA) programme, thereby incurring additional levies. In this work, a technoeconomic optimisation of small-scale organic Rankine cycle (ORC) engines is performed, in which the ORC engines recover heat from the ICE exhaust gases in order to increase the overall efficiency of this combined solution and meet the CHPQA requirements. Two competing system configurations are assessed. In the first, the ORC engine also recovers heat from the CHP-ICE jacket water to generate additional power. In the second, the ORC engine operates at a higher condensing temperature, which prohibits jacket-water heat recovery but allows heat from the condenser to be delivered to the building. When optimised for minimum specific investment cost, the first configuration is initially found to deliver 20% more power (25.8 kW) at design conditions, and a minimum specific investment cost (1600 £/kW) that is 8% lower than the second configuration. However, the first configuration leads to less heat from the CHP-ICE being supplied to the building, increasing the cost of meeting the heat demand. By establishing part-load performance curves for both the CHP-ICE and ORC engines, the economic benefits from realistic operation can be evaluated. The present study goes beyond previous work by testing the configurations against a comprehensive database of real historical electricity and heating demand for thirty energy-intensive buildings at half-hour resolution. The discounted payback period for the second configuration is found to lie between 3.5 and 7.5 years for all of the buildings considered, while the first configuration is seen to recoup capital investment costs for only 23% of the buildings. The broad applicability of the second configuration offers attractive opportunities to increase manufacturing volumes and reduce unit costs. The findings are relevant to a range of buildings with heat-to-power demand ratios from 20% to 100%.

The relative effect of operational hedging on airline operating costs

Due to recent hedging losses, albeit prolonged volatility relatively low fuel prices and rising costs of financial hedging, many airlines decided to forego or scale-back their financial jet fuel derivatives and instead manage the risk exposure through operational hedging strategies. Based on a sample of 80 global airlines, we evaluate the cost impact of operational hedging and its relationship with financial hedging. Our results show that operational hedging based on aircraft engine commonality significantly reduces operating cost but it does not work as a standalone strategy to manage jet fuel risk exposure. Our empirical models demonstrate that deploying operational hedging in conjunction with financial derivatives is much more effective as in combination they not only reduce unit cost but also increase profitability.

An optimum treatment for waste electronic home appliance in remote area: The case of Kinmen, Taiwan

An optimum treatment system for the waste electronic home appliance in remote area by local pre-processing and outsourcing post-processing is proposed. The cost reduction potential of the proposed treatment system is presented for main four types of electronic home appliances by the case study of Kinmen, Taiwan. Implementation of local pre-processing in Kinmen, Taiwan can provide 42, 54, 32, and 41 TWD unit cost reduction for television, washing machine, refrigerator, and air conditioner, respectively, comparing to the current treatment system. The different treatment characteristics according to the type of the appliances are the major factors for the applicability and cost reduction potential of the local pre-processing system. The application of this system to other cases is presented by sensitivity analysis with relative labor cost and transportation distance as the parameters. The results and the analysis process can be applied to the domestic systems with regions without recycling facilities, and also the international systems under the extended producer responsibility concept to take back the products for recycling.

Does Coordination among Assessing Units Generate Returns to Scale? Evidence from New York State

This paper explores (dis-)economies of scale in property value assessment via cooperative agreements among small tax assessing jurisdictions without consolidation. New York State incentivizes small neighboring towns to unify their assessment function while maintaining respective tax authority; we test whether such coordination reduces assessment expenditure. We apply the cost function approach, include instruments (border intersection and prior cooperation in service provision) to address potential bias in selecting coordination partners, and use 2003- 2014 administrative data for analyses. Results show that coordination increases adjustment costs for small jurisdictions but reduces unit costs among relatively large ones. This study contributes to the returns-to-scale literature in service provision, especially to property tax administration.

Study into conditions for the interaction between different types of transport at intermodal terminals

The study conducted into organization of the interaction among various types of transport at intermodal terminals found that it is necessary to improve the technological process of a terminal to achieve effective functioning of transshipment terminals. Specifically, it is necessary to provide basic requirements, such as continuity, rhythm, parallelism and sequenced-flow of all operations and maximum combination with the high quality of unconditional use. The study proved that achievement of appropriate conditions is possible when using the descriptive model of a two-port terminal. It operates due to the processes of self-synchronization of movement of automated platforms, which transport containers between a road and a railroad portal. The study established that we must solve the design problem of creation of perfect computer models for needs of organization of the interaction of various types of transport at intermodal terminals in a combination of descriptive model and analytical model. These models include software components and hardware components that provide conditions for implementation of the concept of self-synchronization movement of forklift trucks. Specifically, the study found that the self-timed control approach provides a greater degree of coordination in operation of a container terminal. That makes it possible to improve the parallelism of processes, that is, simultaneous implementation of events within a system.The study showed a possibility for the formalization of processes of self-synchronization by means of Petri nets. This mathematical apparatus is very convenient for modeling dynamic discrete systems and makes it possible to explore the sequential execution of all processes, which occur at an intermodal terminal. Based on the simulation, the study proved that an average container demurrage at a terminal diminishes, which makes it possible to increase processing capacity and to reduce unit costs for processing a container at a terminal.Thus, there is reason to state that it is quite possible to develop technologically complete seaport-railroad portal-automobile portal terminal structures in various configurations. The type of configuration depends on selected logistics routes for delivery of good. We should apply the method of organization of operation of a two-port terminal for this purpose.

Structural design and methodology for calculating the process of obtaining creamy-vegetable spreads

At present, work has been activated to develop and introduce healthy food products, reduce unit costs for the production of fat-and-oil products. In view of the multicomponent nature of many emulsion products and the difference in their aggregate state, there is a need to improve the design of equipment for production. The main indicators of the mixing process are the intensity and efficiency, as well as the energy consumption for the process. In the production of emulsions, the mixing efficiency can be characterized by the size of the forming particles of the dispersed phase, and the intensity - by the time of achieving the process goal - of a homogeneous structure with a multicomponent product, with minimal energy costs. In order to determine the time to achieve the result of the process, a dimensionless concentration can be used as an estimate. The effectiveness of mixing was evaluated by the dispersion of the emulsion. The investigations were carried out on a microscope "Micrometer 3" with an increase of 400 times. The average diameter of the emulsified particles was d = 5 10E-5 m, and the specific surface area of the emulsions was S = 1.2 10E5 1 / m. The proposed method for calculating the intensity and determining the mixing efficiency can be used to calculate the mixing of multicomponent emulsions of chemical and food products. The use of the proposed emulsion design makes it possible to optimize the process of thermomechanical action on raw materials, different in their physico-mechanical properties, by ensuring the maintenance of a given temperature regime in each of the emulsion chambers and the rational nature of the product movement; expand the scope of application due to the achieved universalization of the mixing mechanisms taking into account the physico-mechanical properties of the initial components; to obtain spreads balanced by fatty acid composition, consisting of a mixture of various components, by solving the problem of uniform distribution of the components of the mixture and the most rational temperature effect on them.

Influence of supply-side factors on voluntary medical male circumcision costs in Kenya, Rwanda, South Africa, and Zambia.

BackgroundIn this study, we described facility-level voluntary medical male circumcision (VMMC) unit cost, examined unit cost variation across facilities, and investigated key facility characteristics associated with unit cost variation.MethodsWe used data from 107 facilities in Kenya, Rwanda, South Africa, and Zambia covering 2011 or 2012. We used micro-costing to estimate economic costs from the service provider’s perspective. Average annual costs per client were estimated in 2013 United States dollars (US$). Econometric analysis was used to explore the relationship between VMMC total and unit cost and facility characteristics.ResultsAverage VMMC unit cost ranged from US$66 (SD US$79) in Kenya to US$160 (SD US$144) in South Africa. Total cost function estimates were consistent with economies of scale and scope. We found a negative association between the number of VMMC clients and VMMC unit cost with a 3% decrease in unit cost for every 10% increase in number of clients and we found a negative association between the provision of other HIV services and VMMC unit cost. Also, VMMC unit cost was lower in primary health care facilities than in hospitals, and lower in facilities implementing task shifting.ConclusionsSubstantial efficiency gains could be made in VMMC service delivery in all countries. Options to increase efficiency of VMMC programs in the short term include focusing service provision in high yield sites when demand is high, focusing on task shifting, and taking advantage of efficiencies created by integrating HIV services. In the longer term, reductions in VMMC unit cost are likely by increasing the volume of clients at facilities by implementing effective demand generation activities.

A Survey on Aerial Swarm Robotics

The use of aerial swarms to solve real-world problems has been increasing steadily, accompanied by falling prices and improving performance of communication, sensing, and processing hardware. The commoditization of hardware has reduced unit costs, thereby lowering the barriers to entry to the field of aerial swarm robotics. A key enabling technology for swarms is the family of algorithms that allow the individual members of the swarm to communicate and allocate tasks amongst themselves, plan their trajectories, and coordinate their flight in such a way that the overall objectives of the swarm are achieved efficiently. These algorithms, often organized in a hierarchical fashion, endow the swarm with autonomy at every level, and the role of a human operator can be reduced, in principle, to interactions at a higher level without direct intervention. This technology depends on the clever and innovative application of theoretical tools from control and estimation. This paper reviews the state of the art of these theoretical tools, specifically focusing on how they have been developed for, and applied to, aerial swarms. Aerial swarms differ from swarms of ground-based vehicles in two respects: they operate in a three-dimensional space and the dynamics of individual vehicles adds an extra layer of complexity. We review dynamic modeling and conditions for stability and controllability that are essential in order to achieve cooperative flight and distributed sensing. The main sections of this paper focus on major results covering trajectory generation, task allocation, adversarial control, distributed sensing, monitoring, and mapping. Wherever possible, we indicate how the physics and subsystem technologies of aerial robots are brought to bear on these individual areas.

Total solution for RO system with our RO chemical line up

Abstract Water shortages around the world pose a challenge to all living beings, as well as to humanity's abilityto sustain a high quality of life. Reverse osmosis (RO) technology, such as seawater desalination and wastewater reclamation, has become one solution for preventing water shortages. Improving the operation of RO facilities can increase water production. Kurita Water Industries Ltd. has more than 40 years' experience in engineering, operations and maintenance, and optimization of RO facilities, and today we assist RO operators to improve operating conditions with our KURIVERTER™ Treatment Program, which consists of unique chemicals for stable operation of RO systems. The treatment includes maintenance chemicals (for example, scale inhibitors and slime control agents) and emergency chemicals, such as membrane deterioration. This paper introduces case studies of KURIVERTER™ IK-110 with S.sensing™ B equipment to minimize biological fouling that causes downtime, and also the KURIVERTER™ RC series to recover deteriorated RO membrane performance. The key technology behind the KURIVERTER™ Treatment Program is our specialty product, the KURIVERTER™ IK-110 with S.sensing™ B. Using these technologies, an actual RO facility achieved a 14% production increase and a 28% unit cost reduction for permeate. The KURIVERTER™ RC series could recover damaged RO membranes at commercial plants and prolong their effectiveness for more than 3 months at a cost reduction of 60%.

Long-term exposure to wind turbine noise at night and risk for diabetes: A nationwide cohort study

Focus on renewable energy sources and reduced unit costs has led to increased number of wind turbines (WTs). WT noise (WTN) is reported to be highly annoying at levels from 30 to 35 dB and up, whereas for traffic noise people report to be highly annoyed from 40 to 45 dB and up. This has raised concerns as to whether WTN may increase risk for major diseases, as exposure to traffic noise has consistently been associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes. We identified all Danish dwellings within a radius of 20 WT heights and 25% of all dwellings within 20–40 WT heights from a WT. Using detailed data on WT type and hourly wind data at each WT position and height, we estimated hourly outdoor and low frequency indoor WTN for all dwellings, aggregated as nighttime 1- and 5-year running means. Using nationwide registries, we identified a study population of 614,731 persons living in these dwellings in the period from 1996 to 2012, of whom 25,148 developed diabetes. Data were analysed using Poisson regression with adjustment for individual and area-levels covariates. We found no associations between long-term exposure to WTN during night and diabetes risk, with incidence rate ratios (IRRs) of 0.90 (95% confidence intervals (CI): 0.79–1.02) and 0.92 (95% CI: 0.68–1.24) for 5-year mean nighttime outdoor WTN of 36–42 and ≥ 42 dB, respectively, compared to < 24 dB. For 5-year mean nighttime indoor low frequency WTN of 10–15 and ≥ 15 dB we found IRRs of 0.90 (0.78–1.04) and 0.74 (95% CI: 0.41–1.34), respectively, when compared to and < 5 dB. The lack of association was consistent across strata of sex, distance to major road, validity of noise estimate and WT height. The present study does not support an association between nighttime WTN and higher risk of diabetes. However, there were only few cases in the highest exposure groups and findings need reproduction.

Superfast Room-Temperature Activation of SnO2 Thin Films via Atmospheric Plasma Oxidation and their Application in Planar Perovskite Photovoltaics.

The power conversion efficiency (PCE) of perovskite solar cells (PSCs) has now exceeded 20%; thus, research focus has shifted to establishing the foundations for commercialization. One of the pivotal themes is to curtail the overall fabrication time, to reduce unit cost, and mass-produce PSCs. Additionally, energy dissipation during the thermal annealing (TA) stage must be minimized by realizing a genuine low-temperature (LT) process. Here, tin oxide (SnO2 ) thin films (TFs) are formulated at extremely high speed, within 5 min, under an almost room-temperature environment (<50 °C), using atmospheric Ar/O2 plasma energy (P-SnO2 ) and are applied as an electron transport layer of a "n-i-p"-type planar PSC. Compared with a thermally annealed SnO2 TF (T-SnO2 ), the P-SnO2 TF yields a more even surface but also outstanding electrical conductivity with higher electron mobility and a lower number of charge trap sites, consequently achieving a superior PCE of 19.56% in P-SnO2 -based PSCs. These findings motivate the use of a plasma strategy to fabricate various metal oxide TFs using the sol-gel route.

Dynamic subsidy model of photovoltaic distributed generation in China

Abstract The differences in resources between regions and the environmental benefit are not currently considered in the subsidy policy on the photovoltaic distributed generation in China. To promote a further development of distributed generation, this paper establishes dynamic subsidy models for photovoltaic distributed generation from the aspect of the emission reduction benefit, based on a dynamic generation cost simulation, which is combined with the learning curve of cost. For projects that their internal rate of return does not reach the basic rate, a certain proportion of the initial investment subsidy will be provided. The calculated results show that with the gradual progress of photovoltaic power generation technology, the emission reduction benefit subsidy will be reduced with the reduction of unit cost. Moreover, factors such as the resources level, the proportion of generation internal consumption by the project and subsidies, all have an important impact on the internal rate of return of photovoltaic distributed generation projects.

Розвиток медіа в контексті корпоратизації

The media industry has a complex structure, represented by a number of industries. Analysis of trends in the development of individual industries by income allowed to reveal the weakening of representativeness in the media space of ‘publishing activity’; ‘the production of motion picture and video films, television programs, the production of sound recordings’, instead, the strengthening of the commercial position of ‘activities in the field of television broadcasting.’ Reducing the demand for print media requires the diversification and modernization of the product offer of media products. Changes are necessary in advertising activities of media companies. A progressive form of cooperation is the mediation, as well as the formation and sale of advertising media portfolios.Increasing the volume of information, developing new means of its dissemination, increasing the level of differentiation in demand, all of this requires the strengthening of the processes of market systematization, which in modern conditions is implemented through the intensification of organizational transformations, namely, corporatization. Thus, increasing the competitiveness of the media industry, which distinguishes it from many other industries, is achieved in a special way — this is the strengthening of integration processes, which minimizes the destabilization of competition and allows for the synergy effect. The creation of enterprise associations in the media industry contributes to increasing the market value of the brand. The economic efficiency of corporatization also manifests itself in acquiring economies of scale, and reduction in unit costs for sales market expansion due to brand recognition.The priority organizational forms of enterprises that are part of media unions in Ukraine include limited liability companies operating in the information sphere, in particular, news agencies, editorial offices of newspapers and magazines, television and radio broadcasting enterprises, and studio production. Significant influence of the political factor forms the information concept of the media companies. At the same time, it requires balancing the obtaining of economic, lobby benefits and the formation of high-quality, objective content.