A Case Study of Automated Feature Location Techniques for Industrial Cost Estimation

Author(s):  
Ameer Armaly ◽  
John Klaczynski ◽  
Collin McMillan
TAPPI Journal ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 17-24 ◽  
Author(s):  
HAKIM GHEZZAZ ◽  
LUC PELLETIER ◽  
PAUL R. STUART

The evaluation and process risk assessment of (a) lignin precipitation from black liquor, and (b) the near-neutral hemicellulose pre-extraction for recovery boiler debottlenecking in an existing pulp mill is presented in Part I of this paper, which was published in the July 2012 issue of TAPPI Journal. In Part II, the economic assessment of the two biorefinery process options is presented and interpreted. A mill process model was developed using WinGEMS software and used for calculating the mass and energy balances. Investment costs, operating costs, and profitability of the two biorefinery options have been calculated using standard cost estimation methods. The results show that the two biorefinery options are profitable for the case study mill and effective at process debottlenecking. The after-tax internal rate of return (IRR) of the lignin precipitation process option was estimated to be 95%, while that of the hemicellulose pre-extraction process option was 28%. Sensitivity analysis showed that the after tax-IRR of the lignin precipitation process remains higher than that of the hemicellulose pre-extraction process option, for all changes in the selected sensitivity parameters. If we consider the after-tax IRR, as well as capital cost, as selection criteria, the results show that for the case study mill, the lignin precipitation process is more promising than the near-neutral hemicellulose pre-extraction process. However, the comparison between the two biorefinery options should include long-term evaluation criteria. The potential of high value-added products that could be produced from lignin in the case of the lignin precipitation process, or from ethanol and acetic acid in the case of the hemicellulose pre-extraction process, should also be considered in the selection of the most promising process option.


Author(s):  
Mohammed Shafique Malik

Project Cost estimation is carried out for making investment decisions. Cost estimation is carried out during different phases of the project. Contingency in cost estimation is an important factor before releasing final cost estimate for formal approval of the project by senior management. Major Petrochemical companies use risk-based contingency calculation instead of following a standard practice of adding a certain fixed percentage to the final project cost estimate. In this chapter, cost contingency calculation methodology has been elaborated by conducting case study of a sample project. The methodology described here uses famous tool of Monte Carlo for simulation. It is pragmatic approach to calculate required cost contingency in the project cost estimate, based upon the particular project risks as compared to simply following rule of adding fixed percentage of the estimate as cost contingency in overall project cost estimate.


Author(s):  
Nand K. Jha ◽  
Mahmoud M. Amin

An attempt has been made to design and analyze Indexing Head a very important component in milling operation under sustainability considerations. The design of each component of indexing head is presented along with solid modeling and finite element analysis. The cost estimation for indexing head for milling operation is also presented. The design and finite element analysis of indexing head should be utilized by manufacturers of this very useful device in milling operation. It is used for cutting gears, spirals, splines, etc. The cost estimated of the manufactured indexing head shows it to be within reasonable limits of market. Finite element analysis of each component is safe. An electronic indexing is suggested as an improvement over the mechanical indexing head. A schematic of electronic indexing is presented. The electronic indexing head can be used with milling machine not provided with indexing head and will be portable. The minimum energy needed to manufacture the indexing head is also estimated.


Author(s):  
Bayu Kharisma ◽  
Andar Mochamad Zamzam Noor

Budget formulation as the first dimensions of budget cycle, has an important role to maintain. A lot of issues will be grow up related to budget priority, objectives, outcomes, and regulation as long as formulation expenditure policy in allocating recources. The study purpose is to explain about the steps in making project cost estimation especially on the stages of budget formulation at the executive budget process. There is a formulation of construstion cost compenent which is regulated by Public Work Minister Rule No.45/PRT/M/2007. Case study of two construction projects budget in Public Work Agency of Tasikmalaya Regency generate some result that the the early estimation cost of proposal in RKA/DIPA is acceptable regarding to its construction cost, but others have to be revised, related to  planning cost, supervision cost, and management cost.


2018 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
pp. 376-399 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abubaker Shagluf ◽  
Simon Parkinson ◽  
Andrew Peter Longstaff ◽  
Simon Fletcher

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to produce a decision support aid for machine tool owners to utilise while deciding upon a maintenance strategy. Furthermore, the decision support tool is adaptive and capable of suggesting different strategies by monitoring for any change in machine tool manufacturing accuracy. Design/methodology/approach A maintenance cost estimation model is utilised within the research and development of this decision support system (DSS). An empirical-based methodology is pursued and validated through case study analysis. Findings A case study is provided where a schedule of preventative maintenance actions is produced to reduce the need for the future occurrences of reactive maintenance actions based on historical machine tool accuracy information. In the case study, a 28 per cent reduction in predicted accuracy-related expenditure is presented, equating to a saving of £14k per machine over a five year period. Research limitations/implications The emphasis on improving machine tool accuracy and reducing production costs is increasing. The presented research is pioneering in the development of a software-based tool to help reduce the requirement on domain-specific expert knowledge. Originality/value The paper presents an adaptive DSS to assist with maintenance strategy selection. This is the first of its kind and is able to suggest a preventative strategy for those undertaking only reactive maintenance. This is of value for both manufacturers and researchers alike. Manufacturers will benefit from reducing maintenance costs, and researchers will benefit from the development and application of a novel decision support technique.


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