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- A codification system roadmap: case study in a metalworking companyPublication . Lemos, Carlos; Pereira, Maria Teresa; Ferreira, Luís Pinto; Silva, F.J.G.Decision-making and control of operational areas in industrial companies are key issues in their sustainability and resilience in markets that are more and more challenging and competitive. In this way, production management and information management software are becoming mandatory. The codification of information, namely products codification, is a subject, without being the main purpose in everyday companies’ work, must be a subject that enables a proper functioning of everyday companies’ activity. This project proposes a roadmap for internal product codification in a company working in the metalworking industry. This guide shows good practices that highlight formal basic rules whose could add value to internal processes of the organization and so to provide a solid system where the company can rely on providing more time to its workers to spend in other tasks. At last it is provided a generic conceptual model to serve as an approach to develop a codification system in any given organization.
- Implementation of Lean Methodologies in the Management of Consumable Materials in the Maintenance Workshops of an Industrial CompanyPublication . Pombal, Tomé; Ferreira, Luís Pinto; Sá, José Carlos; Pereira, Maria Teresa; Silva, F.J.G.During the course of the 21st century, companies have constantly had to adapt to change. The solution resides in increasing operational efficiency, quality and productivity, while simultaneously reducing costs and establishing the waste-free organization. The objective of this work lies in the implementation of lean methodologies in the management of consumable materials in the maintenance workshops of an industrial company by adjusting/reducing the volume of materials and reorganizing their placement. It further explores the potential to eliminate waste and create value-added tasks in the maintenance activities involved. The development of this work allowed for an improvement in the organization of the consumable material cabinet through the implementation of 5S methodology, as well as a reduction in the time required to locate the consumable material by using visual management (in the order of 70%). Improved control of stock was also achieved through the reformulation of kanban (approximately 30%); a reduction in the time required to replenish material in the consumables cabinet was ensured by means of the mizusumashi (with an expected improvement of 50%).
- The Improvement of an APEX Machine involved in the Tire Manufacturing ProcessPublication . Santos, R.F.L.; Silva, F.J.G.; Gouveia, R.M.; R.D.S.G., Campilho; Pereira, Maria Teresa; Ferreira, Luís PintoOver the years, there has been a huge expansion in the automotive component industry and its consequent innovation, which has evolved along with automation and robotics. Therefore, in order to ensure component quality, as well as the quality of the entire production process, it is crucial to enhance competitiveness in the sector. Since quality is a key feature in this industry, all manufacturers and suppliers are scrutinized by systematic audits to ensure constant improvements. This work was developed at a multinational industry and focuses on tire production for the automotive sector. Tires present a complex production process, which covers a wide range of activities from mixing, preparation, construction and vulcanization to the inspection departments, all of which are greatly predisposed to process improvement. In one of these departments (Preparation - APEX machines, responsible for the tire bead production), one of the main problems detected was directly related to a large number of failures in the pneumatic systems. These were found to be difficult to control, both in terms of speed and positioning. Some of the failures in automation were generating delays in certain processes, leading to lengthy setup times and culminating in higher production costs. In order to achieve greater quality, reliability and accuracy, a higher level of automation was applied to these kinds of machines by resorting to 5S methodology. A safety upgrade of the equipment was also undertaken, which will allow for the improvement of workplace safety.The performance improvement of the APEX machines was reached by implementing the following strategies: the automation of conveyor and tray movements between the cutting and application subprocesses; the implementation of 5S methodology; the automation of the cutting process; the updating of safety devices; and the automated control of the separation subprocess. A strong decrease in the breakdown time was recorded (-62%) resulting of the project implementation. The APEXmachine performance was also improved in 9%.
- Improving efficiency in a hybrid warehouse: a case studyPublication . Freitas, Andreia M.; Silva, F.J.G.; Ferreira, Luís Pinto; Sá, José Carlos; Pereira, Maria Teresa; Pereira, J.Logistics has assumed a determining position in the supply chain of each organization. This paper concerns the work carried out in a bus manufacturing organization with the aim of improving efficiency in its hybrid warehouse. A hybrid warehouse could be considered as one that mixes several different activities (reception, storage area, picking, shipping, supply to production lines and production preparation tasks) and brings together many different materials or raw materials and components. This factor led to the appearance of innumerable management methods to improve employee performance. These are intended to meet the needs of their customers, from the motto "do more with less". The work developed in a hybrid warehouse allows to detect logistic complaints related to communication failures between employees, the reduced efficiency in the activities like the check of raw materials or components and respective picking, the lack of space for their reception and storage, and the non-compliance of the FIFO stock management system. It is imperative that organizations can redefine internal spaces and flows, generating a more efficient and intuitive work and admit an opportunity for improvements in terms of space and content management, and hence, cost savings for an organization. The combination of Lean tools was implemented, and the results have been checked, showing a significant impact in the hybrid warehouse, with annual gains through the optimization of several activities: employee turnover (decrease by 50%), check and picking times (decrease about 75 minutes/picking) and better working conditions for employees.
- Literature review of decision models for the sustainable implementation of Robotic Process AutomationPublication . Patrício, Leonel; Ávila, Paulo; Varela, Leonilde; Cruz-Cunha, Maria Manuela; Pinto Ferreira, Luís; Bastos, João; Castro, Helio; Silva, JoséRobotic Process Automation (RPA) is a rules-based system for automating business processes by software bots that mimic human interactions to relieve employees from tedious work. It was verified in the literature that there are few works related to RPA decision support models. This technology is in great growth and, therefore, it becomes important to study the evaluation of the implementation of RPA. The objective of this work is focused on a literature review for the identification and analysis of Robotic Process Automation implementation models. This work analyses some models or studies available in the literature and, in addition, analyses it from a perspective relating to the Triple Bottom Line (TBL) related to environmental, social and economic effects. Regarding the results obtained, it appears that there is still a lot of room to improve research in this field, for example, with regard to the development of an evaluation model for the implementation of the RPA, taking into account the TBL of the sustainability concept.
- A Model for the Multi-depot Online Vehicle Routing Problem with Soft DeadlinesPublication . Silva, Álvaro; Ferreira, Luís Pinto; Pereira, Maria Teresa; Neves-Moreira, FábioIn many companies in the automotive industry there are challenges in some key processes in their logistic departments, mainly in internal logistics. These challenges happen due to poorly defined rules for the transportation of goods, resulting in a great cost associated with the time lost in the process. Also, the optimization of these processes, incrementing the efficiency of internal logistics can bring competitive advantages to the companies. For that matter, this study was developed at a major tire manufacturing company and proposes a model for the optimization of in-bound logistics, viewed as an online vehicle routing problem with soft deadlines (OVRPSD), using multiple depots. The main goal of this study is the increase of efficiency in logistic, optimizing the number of vehicles to supply the machines in order to reduce the stopping time of machines due to the lack of tires to consume.
- A DMS to Support Industrial Process Decision-Making: a contribution under Industry 4.0Publication . Pereira, Maria Teresa; Silva, A.; Ferreira, Luís Pinto; Sá, José Carlos; Silva, F.J.G.This paper presents the development of an Information System (IS) an automotive manufacturing.The system was developed to reduce waste and increase productivity, through better decision-making. The used methodology to implement it was the Business Process Management (BPM). A DMS (Document Management System) for decision making support was built, reducing the action time and providing faster maintenance of all needed data. As a result, the users time decision making and the administrator maintenance was reduced by a total of 26 minutes, corresponding to a 1.61 € reduction per unit built, which means an efficiency of 41%. The present work fits in the company’s strategy for Industry 4.0 and a more sustainable environment, being a positive driver of Industry 4.0 implementation and transformation.
- Improving the Machining Process of the Metalworking Industry Using the Lean Tool SMEDPublication . Monteiro, Carlos; Ferreira, Luís Pinto; Fernandes, Nuno O.; Sá, José Carlos; Pereira, Maria Teresa Ribeiro; Silva, F.J.G.The project here presented was developed in a metalworking company, where several areas requiring improvement were identified. The study addresses the elimination of waste and increase of productivity in the machining sector of the company. To this purpose key processes were identified and mapped using flowcharts and VSM (Value Stream Mapping). Achieved improvements involved decreasing setup times by resorting to the lean tool SMED (Single Minute Exchange of Die). Setup times were reduced in 40% on the vertical milling machine of the company, and in 57% on the horizontal milling machine.
- Success Factors in the Application of Lean and Six-Sigma Methodologies to Healthcare: A Literature ReviewPublication . Queijo, Ana Rita; Reis, Sara Seabra dos; Coelho, Luis; Pinto Ferreira, Luís; Silva, FranciscoTo provide a safe and fair-value health service that ensures quality, hospitals must provide efficient processes, trained and committed personnel, appropriate technology and a strategic platform which integrates these aspects effectively. At present, a broad set of tools and methodologies are available, associated to the reconfiguration of processes for enhancing efficiency and enabling excellence and sustainability. Of these, the most noteworthy are Lean and Six-Sigma methodologies. A literature review was performed covering the implementation of these methodologies in health services over the last 5 years. The aim was to determine the current approach in this sector and propose guidelines aligned with the future challenges and the needs of healthcare managers. The influence of team management strategies in the final project outcomes has also been addressed representing a novelty.
- Improving The Order Fulfilment Process At A Metalwork CompanyPublication . Dias, José António; Ferreira, Luís Pinto; Sá, José Carlos; Pereira, Maria Teresa; Silva, F.J.G.This article describes the 14 measures implemented at a company in the metalwork sector with a view to improving its order fulfilment process. Based on Lean thinking, each of the actions, as well as their potential impact on the process, is explained. Despite the constraints encountered during implementation, and the fact that manufacturing processes are invariably different, the overall results achieved were satisfactory. As a result of the interventions, internal functions were revised and processes simplified. There was also a reduction of 25% in budgeting time, as well as an improvement in communication systems and production management. One additionally was achieved the reorganization of storage spaces, a reduction in logistic operation times of about 20% and a decrease in the time spent accessing tools in near 61%. Far more important than the first results obtained is the company’s current commitment to the pursuance of these measures, allowing the different actions to generate synergies and produce improvements, which will undoubtedly set the company on the course of Lean culture.