Preventive maintenance planning considering machines’ reliability using group technology

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to develop an efficient and effective preventive maintenance (PM) plan that considers machines’ maintenance needs in addition to their reliability factor.Design/methodology/approachSimilarity coefficient method in group technology (GT) philosophy is used. Machines’ reliability factor is considered to develop virtual machine cells based on their need for maintenance according to the type of failures they encounter.FindingsUsing similarity coefficient method in GT philosophy for PM planning results in grouping machines based on their common failures and maintenance needs. Using machines' reliability factor makes the plan more efficient since machines will be maintained at the same time intervals and when their maintenance is due. This helps to schedule a standard and efficient maintenance process where maintenance material, tools and labor are scheduled accordingly.Practical implicationsThe proposed procedure will assist maintenance managers in developing an efficient and effective PM plans. These maintenance plans provide better inventory management for the maintenance materials and tools needed using the developed virtual machine cells.Originality/valueThis paper presents a new procedure to implement PM using the similarity coefficient method in GT. A new similarity coefficient equation that considers machines reliability is developed. Also a clustering algorithm that calculates the similarity between machine groups and form virtual machine cells is developed. A numerical example adopted from the literature is solved to demonstrate the proposed heuristic method.

Development of Nursing Informatics Competencies Evaluation Index System of Clinical Nurses

For lack of effective and reliable assessment tools of nursing informatics competencies (NIC), we used literature research method, nominal group technology (NGT) and delphi technique to construct an evaluation index system of NIC for clinical nurses, which can provide reference for establishing a training system of talents of nursing informatics.

Non-Metallic Technology Deployment for the Next Generation of ADNOC Production Facilities

Industry-wide, the degradation and corrosion of steel infrastructure and the associated maintenance to prevent or mitigate this, poses a heavy environmental and operational burden across many industry segments. To address these challenges, ADNOC Group Technology, led by our Non-Metallic Steering Committee and ADNOC Upstream, in partnership with several selected specialist product companies, is deploying a range of innovative solutions as pilot trials within a holistic R&D program – which is aiming to transform our production and processing facilities, with a close focus on integrity management – and specifically we are assessing the deployment of non-metallic pipelines, storage and process vessels as well as downhole tubing and casing. Focusing specifically on flowlines and pipelines - traditional steel pipes used in the oil patch are burdensome to store, transport and install, as well as susceptible to degradation, corrosion-driven wall loss in challenging operational environments, such as those found Onshore and Offshore Abu Dhabi. This vulnerability results in increased operating risks as facilities mature, adding cost and time for inspection, maintenance and eventually - replacements that will lead to production deferrals or interruptions. A range of non-metallic pipeline technologies are being assessed and piloted in this program, including stand-alone extruded polymeric pipe and liners, Reinforced Thermoplastic Pipe (RTP) used Onshore and Offshore, specialized non-metallic flexible pipelines for Offshore including Thermoplastic Composite Pipe (TCP) and downhole tubulars. The methodology involves placing segments of RTP into live pipeline systems for a finite duration of operation – usually one year – and then removing sections to assess any degradation in performance, or capability of the RTP during that time. These test results will be the subject of a further publication at the end of this trial period. In this paper, we will focus on RTP piloting Onshore and specifically mention a unique trial in an ultra-sour gas field, where the technology has already delivered the required performance: safely transporting gas with levels of H2S up to 10% by volume. This trial also proves that specifically engineered non-metallic products may be successfully operated at the high temperature and high pressure (HPHT) levels that are characteristic of our reservoirs.

Underwater Inspection Using ROV

ADNOC Drilling operates a growing fleet of 22 jack up units. These units require various inspections and tests to ensure that their integrity is maintained while conducting the drilling operations. One of these inspections is the underwater inspection which is required to be carried out twice every 5 years. Traditionally, this inspection is carried out by divers at the shipyard where it is safe for divers to carry out cleaning, visual inspections and NDT of structural welds. Moving the rig to a drydock or a shipyard is a costly and involves a lot of activities related to safety in addition to the out of service time. Loss of revenue is experienced while the rig is out of service, as well as costs associated to the survey, shipyard costs, vessel costs etc. all combining to create an expensive inspection process. ADNOC Drilling Marine and Group Technology adapted a new method for performing the full scope of the underwater inspection offshore using small remotely operated vehicles (ROV), most of the scope is carried out while the rig remains in full operation (while drilling).

Research on Children’s Customized Furniture Design Based on Group Technology

Recently, solid wood furniture has become the new direction for the development of Chinese furniture industry. In order to realize solid wood customization, the standardization of solid wood parts is a problem for high priority. In this study, a standardized experimental study on children’s solid wood furniture parts was carried out by using group technology. Twenty pieces of children’s solid wood furniture were selected, including 1084 parts in total with 705 solid wood parts. Then, three key structural features of the parts were analyzed based on the processing similarity principle, including the center line of the long side direction of the parts, the shape of the outside surface of the long side direction and the shape of the outside surface of the short side direction. Moreover, these parts were classified according to the principle of process similarity. Accordingly, a children’s solid wood furniture parts family was established, and the distribution of parts in the family was analyzed. In detail, the parts with the dimensional difference within 2 mm were combined, the dimensional value was mainly based on the value of most parts before the combination and part specifications were optimized on the basis of the original specifications or its 1/2 method. The results show that the category of thickness specification reduced by 20, and the number of parts included in one thickness specification increased by 2.2 times on average. Moreover, the category of width specification reduced by 12, and the number of parts included in one width specification increased by 1.47 times on average. This not only greatly improves the degree of standardization of solid wood parts but also provides theoretical and practical basis for the digital design of mass customized children’s solid wood furniture.

Ming-style chair parts and its group technology application research

In order to apply the group technology to the production of Ming style furniture, enhance the ability of enterprises to cope with the production of small-batch, multi-variety furniture, this article will take Ming-style chair furniture as an example to make a reasonable division of its parts. The types of Ming-style chair parts are combed, the characteristic information of each component is extracted and the joint mode of mortise and tenon between two parts is summarized. In this way, the process of each mortise and tenon structure is summarized, and the correspondence between mortise and tenon structure and the machinery is established. According to this method, the Ming-style chair parts are summarized and classified into 211 kinds. Based on the similarity of parts processing machinery, all parts of the Ming-style chairs are classified into groups by fuzzy clustering algorithm and MATLAB software calculation. The purpose of this article is to provide a divisional idea for the pre-part classification preparation of Ming-style chair parts in groups for the part family.

HIEQLab, a facility to support multi-domain human-centered research on building performance and environmental quality

Researches on building performances and environmental quality can be performed through different approaches, including dynamic numerical simulations, in-field studies, full scale test facilities and living labs. Researches performed through full scale test facilities allow carrying out studies under controlled realistic conditions, directly involving the final users. Such approach can significantly improve the scientific research on energy efficient and healthy buildings by fostering a synergistic and user-centered innovation process. Within this context, at Politecnico di Torino, the TEBE group (Technology, Energy, Building and Environment) has designed and is realizing a full-scale facility, aimed at implementing researches on building Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) and energy performance. The facility will enable multi-domain studies, including thermal, air quality, acoustic and lighting aspects, involving the final user in the research process. The paper describes the features of the facility and the challenges it was conceived to face.

An Algorithm for Arranging Operators to Balance Assembly Lines and Reduce Operator Training Time

Industry 4.0 is transforming how costs, including labor costs, are managed in manufacturing and remanufacturing systems. Managers must balance assembly lines and reduce the training time of workstation operators to achieve sustainable operations. This study’s originality lies in its use of an algorithm to balance an assembly line by matching operators to workstations so that the line’s workstations achieve the same targeted output rates. First, the maximum output rate of the assembly line is found, and then the number of operators needed at each workstation is determined. Training time is reduced by matching operators’ training and skills to workstations’ skill requirements. The study obtains a robust, cluster algorithm based on the concept of group technology, then forms operator skill cells and determines operator families. Four numerical examples are presented to demonstrate the algorithm’s implementation. The proposed algorithm can solve the problem of arranging operators to balance assembly lines. Managers can also solve the problem of worker absences by assigning more than one operator with the required skillset to each workstation and rearranging them as needed.

Group Technology for Optimizing Manufacturing Facility Layout

In recent years, the process of cellular manufacturing and group technology have received a lot of attention and popularity in many developed countries. By applying Group Technology (GT), many benefits of flow-line production can be attained in a batch production system. GT improves material handling significantly by reducing material flow time, distance, and setup times. In this paper, an earnest investigative attempt was made to provide valuable information regarding the use of Group Technology by applying to a real world jobshop system. The proposed GT model has the flexibility of choosing the number of cells required, which is very useful in examining different manufacturing cell configurations; or in case the workshop or factory prefers a certain number of work cells. The GT model results were found satisfactory and superior to other techniques in some cases.