A Multi objective inventory model for short food supply chains

Over the past 50 years, vertically integrated multinationals dominated global food markets by providing huge product diversity at low prices. Such systems are characterized by long supply chains capable of achieving high cost efficiencies resulting from the use of cheap raw materials, high chemical inputs, industrial shelf-life extension processes, economies of scale and mechanization. This dominant position on the market, however, has been achieved at a heavy cost on the global environment, generated by massive food wastage, and by a steady supply of fossil fuels. For such reasons, global supply chains are considered unsustainable and new food systems are being promoted in order to replace…

Transport policy and climate change: How to decide when experts disagree

Abstract Transport is the sector with the fastest growth of greenhouse gases emissions in many countries. Accumulation of these emissions may cause uncertain and irreversible adverse climate change impacts. In this context, we use the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) to face the question on how to select the best transport policy if the experts have different opinions and beliefs on the occurrence of these impacts. Thus, both the treatment of uncertainty and dissent are examined for the ranking of transport policies. The opinions of experts have been investigated by a means of a survey questionnaire. A sensitivity analysis of the experts’ weights and the criteria’ weights confirms the robus…

A SYNTHETIC MEASURE FOR THE ASSESSMENT OF THE PROJECT PERFORMANCE

The present paper aims to offer a synthetic project performance indicator (PPI) that aggregates two input parameters obtained by the Earned Value Analysis. The PPI is calculated by using a Fuzzy Inference System (FIS) able to single out a measure based on the input parameters, instead of formulating a mathematical model that could be a troublesome task whenever complex relations among the input variables exist. The purpose is to communicate the project performance to the stakeholders in a clear and complete way, for example, describing the PPI by means of contour lines.

A multi objective genetic algorithm for the facility layout problem based upon slicing structure encoding

This paper proposes a new multi objective genetic algorithm (MOGA) for solving unequal area facility layout problems (UA-FLPs). The genetic algorithm suggested is based upon the slicing structure where the relative locations of the facilities on the floor are represented by a location matrix encoded in two chromosomes. A block layout is constructed by partitioning the floor into a set of rectangular blocks using guillotine cuts satisfying the areas requirements of the departments. The procedure takes into account four objective functions (material handling costs, aspect ratio, closeness and distance requests) by means of a Pareto based evolutionary approach. The main advantage of the propos…

A Decision support system for sustainable operations management in small power plants

The importance of environmentally-friendly electricity production is recognized as one of the most important challenges of our future, covering a broad context of research topics and promoting future scenarios based on renewable energies and new technologies. In the short term, however, energy generation will still be largely relying on power plants fired with fossil fuels whose emissions of pollutants are regulated by the industrial emissions directive in the EU legislation. Such directive does not apply to small and medium combustion plants, which until now, have only been subject to national regulations. As part of its air quality package from December 2013, the EU Commission has propose…

A multi-criteria approach for the group assessment of an academic course: A case study

The present paper aims at proposing a structured methodology to evaluate the results of an academic training course addressed to postgraduate students. The evaluation process intends to identify the efficacy of an education course bymeans of acomparison between the general objectives and the results expected by the students. Since the evaluated aspects by the students, detected by means of questionnaires, are both quantitative and qualitative, the proposed methodology is based on the analytic hierarchy process (AHP). In order to facilitate the evaluation process, answers have been modelled by means of linguistic variables. In particular, different evaluation scales have been used and each on…

An AHP-based approach to PMISs assessment

The project management environment gets complex and subject to uncertainty. The firm's managers need of tools supporting the decision–making process in order to properly manage project information. PMISs provide features facilitating the project management. The variety of software and the ambiguity of features meaning make the choice of the PMIS a difficult task. The literature analysis confirms the importance of user engagement in features and PMIS assessment and the lack of methodologies satisfying such a task. The paper focuses on the classification and assessment of features of PMIS considering the firm's needs. A case study is presented for the evaluation of a PMISs sample.

An expert system for vineyard management based upon pervasive computer technologies

Determining the optimal maturity level for performing viticulture operations and harvesting activities is a difficult task, because, depending on the variety, the climatic conditions and cultural practices, the phenologic maturation process occurs at different times. Recently, ubiquitous computing technologies allow an extremely precise and cost effective monitoring of environmental conditions by means of an RFID based sensor networks. The implementation of such technologies in vineyard management is nowadays under development, however, besides the possibility of gathering data, the need is perceived of developing decision support tools to fully exploit the potential opportunities of these …

An integrated approach for modelling and solving multimode job shop scheduling problem using multi objective genetic algorithm

In this paper, we present a Multi Objective Genetic Algorithm (MOGA) for modelling and solving the Multimode Job-shop Scheduling Problem (MJSP), which aims at finding the start times and execution modes for the operations of different jobs that optimize a given set of objective functions while verifying precedence and resource constraints. The proposed model can be used to generate alternative schedules based on the relative magnitude and importance of different objectives. Its main contributions are the mode assignment procedure in the chromosome generation and the use of three fitness functions. Its performance is demonstrated by computational results obtained on a set of standard instanc…

An Analytic Hierarchy Process for The Evaluation of Transport Policies to Reduce Climate Change Impacts

The ELECTRE I method to optimise GPR data processing analyses for maintenance of water networks

Management of water supply systems (WSSs) can be effectively pursued by means of data processing techniques based on Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) image mining. This approach enables to collect different graphical representations of WSS buried elements on the basis of which planning maintenance interventions, with the objective of improving the overall condition of the system. This paper proposes to support this kind of techniques by means of a multi criteria decision making (MCDM) point of view. In particular, the ELECTRE I method is suggested to treat results coming from the application of different techniques. A real case study is applied with relation to a set of four alternatives, whi…

EXPERIMENTAL EVALUATION OF THE ACCURACY OF RFID BASED LOCALIZATION SYSTEMS FOR INDUSTRIAL WAREHOUSES

A decision support system to assure high-performance maintenance service

PurposeThis study aims to propose a decision support system (DSS) for maintenance management of a service system, namely, a street cleaning service vehicle. Referring to the information flow management, the blockchain technology is integrated in the proposed DSS to assure data transparency and security.Design/methodology/approachThe DSS is designed to efficiently handle the data acquired by the network of sensors installed on selected system components and to support the maintenance management. The DSS supports the decision makers to select a subset of indicators (KPIs) by means of the DEcision-MAaking Trial and Evaluation Laboratory method and to monitor the efficiency of performed prevent…

The facility layout problem approached using a fuzzy model and a genetic search

The problem of facility layout design is discussed, taking into account the uncertainty of production scenarios and the finite production capacity of the departments. The uncertain production demand is modelled by a fuzzy number, and constrained arithmetic operators are used in order to calculate the fuzzy material handling costs. By using a ranking criterion, the layout that represents the minimum fuzzy cost is selected. A flexible bay structure is adopted as a physical model of the system while an effective genetic algorithm is implemented to search for a near optimal solution in a fuzzy contest. Constraints on the aspect ratio of the departments are taken into account using a penalty fun…

Le tecniche di ragionamento approssimato nella gestione dei container terminal

A multi-objective approach to facility layout problem by genetic search algorithm and Electre method

Abstract Classical approaches to layout design problem tend to maximise the efficiency of layout, measured by the handling cost related to the interdepartmental flow and to the distance among the departments. However, the actual problem involves several conflicting objectives hence requiring a multi-objective formulation. Multi-objective approaches, recently proposed, in most cases lead to the maximisation of a weighted sum of score functions. The poor practicability of such an approach is due to the difficulty of normalising these functions and of quantifying the weights. In this paper, this difficulty is overcome by approaching the problem in two subsequent steps: in the first step, the P…

Multi-objective human resources allocation in R&D projects planning

In a R&D department, several projects may have to be implemented simultaneously within a certain period of time by a limited number of human resources with diverse skills. This paper proposes an optimisation model for the allocation of multi-skilled human resources to R&D projects, considering individual workers as entities having different knowledge, experience and ability. The model focuses on three fundamental aspects of human resources: the different skill levels, the learning process and the social relationships existing in working teams. The resolution approach for the multi-objective problem consists of two steps: firstly, a set of non-dominated solutions is obtained by exploring the…

ELECTRE TRI to classify items with respect to maintainability criterion

The paper aims to suggest a methodology able to support the analyst in the assessment process of items on the base of a criterion inspired to the maintainability parameter and in the successive assignment phase of the items in the predefined classes. The maintainability involves the continuous improvement of a system in order to improve the ability to maintain or improve the reliability of the analyzed system. In particular, the last one is the probability that a failed system will be restored to specified conditions within a given period of time when maintenance is performed according to prescribed procedures and resources. The faced case in this research regards the software maintenance, …

Project Selection by Constrained Fuzzy AHP

The selection of a project among a set of possible alternatives is a difficult task decision makers have to face. Difficulties in selecting a project arise because of the different goals involved and because of the large number of attributes to consider. Our approach is based upon a fuzzy extension of the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). This paper focuses on the constraints that have to be considered within fuzzy AHP in order to take in account all the available information. This study demonstrates that by considering all the information deriving from the constraints better results in terms of certainty and reliability can be achieved.

Solving type-2 Assembly Line Balancing Problem with Fuzzy Binary Linear Programming

A Project Manager Suitability Parameter in Project Accomplishment

One the most critical aspect in project management is how to assign the project managers (PMs) to projects, especially whenever the PMs can lead more than one project. The present paper proposes a parameter (PME) to evaluate the PM in accomplishing a specific project useful for a next phase of assignment. The PME takes into account the technical skills, the leadership behavior and the relationships with project’s stakeholders. These parameters are aggregated by a Fuzzy Inference System (FIS) that well emulates the decision process of the experts by means of a rule-based inference engine. Moreover, to better define the PME, a procedure, based on the discordance concept, is proposed to compar…

A non dominated ranking Multi Objective Genetic Algorithm and electre method for unequal area facility layout problems

The unequal area facility layout problem (UA-FLP) comprises a class of extremely difficult and widely applicable optimization problems arising in diverse areas and meeting the requirements for real-world applications. Genetic Algorithms (GAs) have recently proven their effectiveness in finding (sub) optimal solutions to many NP-hard problems such as UA-FLP. A main issue in such approach is related to the genetic encoding and to the evolutionary mechanism implemented, which must allow the efficient exploration of a wide solution space, preserving the feasibility of the solutions and ensuring the convergence towards the optimum. In addition, in realistic situations where several design issues…

A Multi-Objective Approach to Optimize a Periodic Maintenance Policy

The present paper proposes a multi-objective approach to find out an optimal periodic maintenance policy for a repairable and stochastically deteriorating multi-component system over a finite time horizon. The tackled problem concerns the determination of the system elements to replace at each scheduled and periodical system inspection by ensuring the simultaneous minimization of both the expected total maintenance cost and the expected global system unavailability time. It is assumed that in the case of system elements failure they are instantaneously detected and repaired by means of minimal repair actions in order to rapidly restore the system. A nonlinear integer mathematical programmi…

Personalized cost-effectiveness of boceprevir-based triple therapy for untreated patients with genotype 1 chronic hepatitis C

Abstract Background We assessed the cost-effectiveness of boceprevir-based triple therapy compared to peginterferon alpha and ribavirin dual therapy in untreated patients with genotype 1 chronic hepatitis C; patients were discriminated according to the combination of baseline plus on-treatment predictors of boceprevir-based triple therapy. Methods Cost-effectiveness analysis performed according to data from the available published literature. The target population was composed of untreated Caucasian patients, aged 50 years, with genotype 1 chronic hepatitis C, and these were evaluated over a lifetime horizon by Markov model. The study was carried out from the perspective of the Italian Nati…

A multi-objective approach to solid waste management

The issue addressed in this paper consists in the localization and dimensioning of transfer stations, which constitute a necessary intermediate level in the logistic chain of the solid waste stream, from municipalities to the incinerator. Contextually, the determination of the number and type of vehicles involved is carried out in an integrated optimization approach. The model considers both initial investment and operative costs related to transportation and transfer stations. Two conflicting objectives are evaluated, the minimization of total cost and the minimization of environmental impact, measured by pollution. The design of the integrated waste management system is hence approached i…

ELECTRE III to dynamically support the decision maker about the periodic replacements configurations for a multi-component system

The problem tackled by the present paper concerns the selection of the elements of a repairable and stochastically deteriorating multi-component system to replace (replacements configuration) during each scheduled and periodical system stop within a finite optimization cycle, by ensuring the simultaneous minimization of both the expected total maintenance cost and the system unavailability. To solve the considered problem, a combined approach between multi-objective optimization problem (MOOP) and multi-criteria decision making (MCDM) resolution techniques is proposed. In particular, the @e constraint method is used to single out the optimal Pareto frontier whereas the ELECTRE III multi-cri…

Coverage analysis of RFID indoor localization system for refrigerated warehouse based on 2-D Ray tracing

Due to the ever increasing diffusion of Radio Frequency IDentification (RFID) in logistic processes, the localization of the tags in the environment is becoming an important feature for many RFID-based inventory management systems. RFID-based Location system will allow offering value-added services logistics operators, and RFID tags can be used for more than just labeling items. This paper proposes a Received Signal Strength (RSS) based positioning system for perishable products equipped with active UHF RFID tags inside a refrigerated warehouse (4C°). The major performance metrics of interest for indoor positioning systems are the accuracy and the precision in estimating signal strength wit…

Techno-economic analysis of a membrane filtration process for the phenolic compound extraction

In this paper the economical feasibility of a system based on the membrane filtration process for the phenolic compound extraction and the subsequent polyphenolic enrichment of the olive oil, have been assessed. In particular, the analysis of the investment profitability of a case study was presented to determine the optimal incremental price of the olive oil obtained by the enrichment process

Application of multi-criteria decision making to PMISs assessment

This paper builds on a previous study concerning the assessment and ranking of Project Management Information Systems (PMISs) features and the comparison of a PMISs software sample. In such an application a Multi-Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) tool such as the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) was adopted to get the ranking by neglecting the mutual influence of elements within the structure. The present paper aims at taking into account such influences by relying on the Analytic Network Process (ANP) for the assessment and ranking of features, while the PMISs software assessment has been performed through the AHP via the direct assessment.

Multi objective genetic algorithms for unequal area facility layout problems: A survey

The Unequal Area Facility Layout Problem (UA-FLP) comprises a class of extremely difficult and widely applicable optimization problems arising in diverse areas and meeting the requirements for real-world applications. In this paper we present our existing works of the past decade showing the evolutions obtained in the Genetic Algorithms (GA) used to solve the facility layout problem. GA have recently proven their effectiveness in finding (sub) optimal solutions to many NP-Hard problems such as UA-FLP. A main issue in such approach is related to the genetic encoding and to the evolutionary mechanism implemented, which must allow the efficient exploration of a wide solution space, preserving …

A fuzzy parameter to characterize the uncertainty in the plant layout design

The present work aims at proposing a methodology able to return a single parameter that synthesizes the aspects characterizing the layout design problem that the analyst translates into requests of closeness and distance among departments. In order to consider the uncertainty of the problem, closeness and distance requests are expressed by means of fuzzy numbers and a weight fuzzy function modules the importance of the aspects by allowing the analyst to express his/her priorities on the basis of the specific decisional context. The weight function is characterized by the presence of a threshold value that makes the method non compensative. The hypothesis herein assumed is that, when the dis…

IMPIANTO POLIFUNZIONALE PER UNA STRUTTURA OSPEDALIERA

Nel presente lavoro si è di affrontato lo studio di un impianto polifunzionale per la produzione di ossigeno, energia elettrica e termica a servizio di una importante struttura ospedaliera. L’articolo prende spunto da una precedente ricerca in cui si era studiata la convenienza tecnico‐economica di impianto on‐site per la produzione di ossigeno medicale nella quale era stata rilevata l’influenza significativa del costo energetico. Sono state esaminate varie soluzioni impiantistiche con particolare riferimento ai problemi tecnico/economici e alle prospettive del mercato energetico in continua evoluzione anche sotto il profilo della liberalizzazione normativa. Dalle analisi effettuate sulla b…

A Fuzzy Inference Expert System to Support the Decision of Deploying a Military Naval Unit to a Mission

Naval military units are complex systems required to operate in fixed time frames in offshore tasks where maintenance operations are drastically limited. A failure during a mission is a critical event that can drastically influence the mission success. The decision of switching a unit to a mission hence requires complex judgments involving information about the health status of machineries and the environmental conditions. The present procedure aims to support the decision about switching a unit to a mission considering the vagueness and uncertainty of information by means of fuzzy theory and emulates the decision process of a human expert by means of a rule-based inference engine. A numeri…

Approccio multicriterio al problema del layout con ELECTRE

A webGIS-based system for real time shelf life prediction

Technologies to acquire and monitor changes in the product shelf life were described.Four different SL predictive models were considered.A simulated transport using a prototype of Smart Logistic Unit was analysed.Real time shelf life prediction system was implemented in a webGIS platform. Shelf-life (SL) prediction and Least Shelf-life First Out (LSFO) stock strategy are important factors in perishable food supply chain in order to reduce quality and economic losses.In particular, distribution represents one of the main critical phases in logistic chain management and only the introduction of monitoring procedure can allow a reduction in food losses. Literature shows several mathematical mo…

The ELECTRE I method to support the FMECA

Abstract In traditional Failure Modes, Effects and Criticality Analysis (FMECA), risk priorities of failure modes are determined through the Risk Priority Number (RPN), which is a function of the three risk parameters Occurrence (O), Severity (S), and Detection (D). In the present paper, an alternative approach to RPN is proposed for the criticality assessment of system failure modes. Particularly, the Multi-Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) method ELECTRE I is proposed to select the most critical failure mode in the set of the failure modes charactering a complex system. The method has been applied to a case study previously proposed by Zammori and Gabrielli (2012).

Coverage analysis of RFID indoor localization system for refrigerated warehouses based on 2D-ray tracing

Distribution of biomass and site location of combustion and gasification power plants in western Sicily

The substitution of conventional fossil fuels with biomass for energy production results both in the reduction of greenhouse gases emissions and in the replacement of non-renewable energy sources. The use of biomass for energy production responds to the growing pressure of government policies towards the achievement of better environmental sustainability of power generation processes. This is particularly true for the agricultural areas of Sicily, where the realization of new economic dynamics can lead to development of a local economic system. However, at present, generating energy from biomass is rather expensive due to both technological limits related to low conversion efficiencies, and…

Solving type-2 assembly line balancing problem with fuzzy binary linear programming

This paper deals with the use of fuzzy set theory as a viable alternative method for modelling and solving the stochastic assembly line balancing problem. This paper presents a fuzzy extension of the simple assembly line balancing problem of type 2 SALBP-2 with fuzzy job processing times since uncertainty, variability, and imprecision are often occurred in real-world production systems. The job processing times are formulated by triangular fuzzy membership functions using their statistical distributions. This study proposes to solve a Fuzzy Binary Linear Problem FBLP with fuzzy coefficients in the objective function and in a constraint. Finally, the effect of the unbalancing of a station in…

An Analytic Hierarchy Process for The Evaluation of Transport Policies to Reduce Climate Change Impacts

Transport is the sector with the fastest growth of greenhouse gases emissions, both in developed and in developing countries, leading to adverse climate change impacts. As the experts disagree on the occurrence of these impacts, by applying the analytic hierarchy process (AHP), we have faced the question on how to form transport policies when the experts have different opinions and beliefs. The opinions of experts have been investigated by a means of a survey questionnaire. The results show that tax schemes aiming at promoting environmental-friendly transport mode are the best policy. This incentives public and environmental-friendly transport modes, such as car sharing and car pooling.

The expected value of the traceability information

Abstract Recent regulations on agri-food traceability prescribe traceability throughout the entire supply chain, in order to ensure consumers’ safety and product quality. This has led producers and retailers to consider the opportunity to improve the firm's reputation and consumer confidence through the implementation of traceability systems designed not only to satisfy the legal requirements, but also to track the quality of the products through the supply chain for optimization purposes. However the actual implementation of such systems depends on the possibility of gathering specific information related to the product quality. Nowadays, innovative and non invasive technologies such as th…

Food safety risk analysis from the producers' perspective: prioritisation of production process stages by HACCP and TOPSIS

[EN] From the manufacturers perspective, the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) system nowadays represents the mainly way to implement the food safety risk management in food industries. Nevertheless, the identification and prioritization of hazards as the outcome of the first principle of HACCP is not sufficient to identify production process stages that more significantly and critically contribute to the consumer¿s risks. With this recognition, the present paper proposes a Quantitative Risk Assessment (QRA) approach based on HACCP and Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) to individuate production process phases on which implementing co…

Cost-effectiveness of sorafenib treatment in field practice for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma

The purpose was to assess the cost-effectiveness of sorafenib in the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients incorporating current prices and the results of the recent published field practice SOraFenib Italian Assessment (SOFIA) study. We created a Markov Decision Model to evaluate, in a hypothetical cohort of Caucasian male patients, aged 67 years with Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) C HCC, or BCLC B HCC who were unfit or failed to respond to locoregional therapies, well compensated cirrhosis, and with performance status 0-1 according to Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG), the cost-effectiveness of the following strategies: (1) full or dose-adjusted sorafenib for …

LOGISTICA PORTUALE SICILIANA: LA SFIDA DEL MARE

Project manager assignment by fuzzy inference and mathematical programming

A Fuzzy inference model for the layout design

ELECTRE TRI-based approach to the failure modes classification on the basis of risk parameters: An alternative to the risk priority number

Proposing an ELECTRE TRI-based approach for the failure modes classification into predefined and ordered risk classes.Direct identification of failure modes on which performing the corrective actions with priority.Easy definition of risk classes on the basis of DMs expertise and perception of the industrial context considered.Application to dairy manufacturing processes. Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA) is an engineering technique aimed at the detection of potential failures, their causes and consequences on the system/process under investigation. When used for the failure modes prioritization, FMEA is also referred to as Failure Mode, Effects and Criticality Analysis (FMECA). In tr…

Facility layout problem: Bibliometric and benchmarking analysis

Facility layout problem is related to the location of departments in a facility area, with the aim of determining the most effective configuration. Researches based on different approaches have been published in the last six decades and, to prove the effectiveness of the results obtained, several instances have been developed. This paper presents a general overview on the extant literature on facility layout problems in order to identify the main research trends and propose future research questions. Firstly, in order to give the reader an overview of the literature, a bibliometric analysis is presented. Then, a clusterization of the papers referred to the main instances reported in literat…

Logistica delle merci La rivoluzione del container

The ELECTRE I method to support the FMECA

In traditional Failure Modes, Effects and Criticality Analysis (FMECA), risk priorities of failure modes are determined through the Risk Priority Number (RPN), which is a function of the three risk parameters Occurrence (O), Severity (S), and Detection (D). In the present paper, an alternative approach to RPN is proposed for the criticality assessment of system failure modes. Particularly, the Multi-Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) method ELECTRE I is proposed to select the most critical failure mode in the set of the failure modes charactering a complex system. The method has been applied to a case study previously proposed by Zammori and Gabrielli (2012).

A multi-objective fleet routing optimization for passenger shipping among islands

In the last few years the statistical analysis on maritime freight and passenger transport highlights a positive trend of demand and for the next future, given the stressing congestion characterizing the road transport, a further increase both on the deep-sea-shipping and the short-sea-shipping is predicted. Given that, the navigation companies are called to improve their own services to assure a high quality and efficient customers transport, deriving at the same time their own benefits by minimizing the operating costs. Hence, an efficient and careful routes planning activity plays a meaningful role on navigation company productivity and income. Furthermore, the fleet deployment also cons…

A multi-objective approach to facility layout problem by genetic search algotithm an ELECTRE method

Measures of performance for the portfolio management

A survey on the supply chain risk exposure and treatment strategies in SMEs

La valutazione dei percorsi formativi dei laureati attraverso l'uso del modello multicriterio ELECTRE III

La valutazione intesa come strumento strategico che ha la finalità di innescare un sistema di azioni e retroazioni teso al miglioramento dell'efficienza ed efficacia di un processo, ha assunto, in questi ultimi anni, un ruolo cruciale nel monitoraggio e miglioramento della qualità dei servizi, anche in ambito universitario. L’obiettivo del presente lavoro è quello di effettuare delle graduatorie dei corsi di laurea in termini di efficacia sia dal punto di vista formativo sia occupazionale, otte-nute attraverso l'applicazione di metodi multicriterio (MCDM: Multiple Criteria De-cision Making), quali l'Electre (ELimination Et Choix Traduisant la REalitè). I dati utilizzati sono tratti dall'ind…

A Multistep Methodology for the Evaluation of Human Resources Using the Evidence Theory

The paper aims at proposing a model for the human resources evaluation as regards to a set of skills. Specifically, it starts sfrom the judgments expressed by a team of experts on the basis of their previous working experiences with the resource to be evaluated. Information arising from experts is successively handled by the analyst and aggregated to determine the resource suitability or unsuitability. The Dempster–Shafer theory is proposed here as an appropriate tool to deal with both the uncertainty of experts due to the incomplete knowledge about resources to be evaluated and that of the analyst to convert expert judgments in terms of resource suitability/unsuitability. Furthermore, the …

Preliminary analysis of warehouse localization systems based on RFID technology

In the industrial warehouse design domain, today's computerized information systems have gained a relevant interest due to the issues related to asset tracking and traceability. In such context, the employment of new information technologies on warehouse management systems has opened new business opportunities due to the sensible price reduction in the last years. This paper focuses on the technical issues related to the realization of wireless localization systems for warehouses, which are necessary for the implementation of random allocation policies, and in particular investigates the opportunities offered by RFID technology in such context. The enforcement of random allocation policies …

CROSS-DOCKING TRANSSHIPMENT PROBLEM APPROACHED BY NON LINEAR PROGRAMMING AND SIMULATION ANALYSIS

The need for fast product delivery causes the attention of supply chain is addressed to strategies able to optimize the distribution process. In this field the crossdocking seems to be an efficient strategy which makes possible to reduce or eliminate the storage phase by meeting customer demand. In this paper a transshipment problem for cross-docking strategy is considered by means of a deterministic model studied through the non linear programming technique. The solution found allows to determine the optimal quantities to ship, the number of routes activated and the optimal truck number when the constraint on truck capacity is enforced. The influence of the demand fluctuation is also addre…

Clean Agent Selection Approached by Fuzzy TOPSIS Decision-Making Method

Abstract. It is well known that halons are ozone-depleting substances and their release into the atmosphere has contributed in the last decades to the reduction in the ozone layer. In consequence to the Montreal Protocol, an international agreement designed to gradually eliminate the use of such substances, fire protection industry researchers faced the challenge of finding effective solutions to replace halon extinguishers. This research aims to provide a method to support the decision maker in the selection of the most suitable extinguisher substance for a specific application. According to such framework, a set of quantitative and qualitative criteria has been established in the decision…

Regenerative scheduling problem in engineer to order manufacturing: an economic assessment

The dynamic production scheduling is a very complex process that may arise from the occurrence of unpredictable situations such as the arrival of new orders besides the ones already accepted. As a consequence, companies may often encounter several difficulties to make decisions about the new orders acceptance and sequencing along with the production of the existing ones. With this recognition, a mathematical programming model for the regenerative scheduling problem with deterministic processing times is formulated in the present paper to evaluate the economic advantage of accepting a new order in an engineer to order (ETO) manufacturing organization. The real case of an Italian ETO company …

Economic assessment based on scenario analysis for the production of a new functional pasta

Abstract Nowadays functional foods are becoming more popular due to their capacity to prevent and/or reduce the risk of certain diseases. Functional foods improve health and give physiological benefits providing nutrients beyond the simple nutritional value. The market for functional foods is growing rapidly and the consumers are willing to pay a premium price for these products. In this context, the production of pasta comprising Opuntia may represent an opportunity to combine the widespread consumption of pasta in the traditional Mediterranean Diet and the beneficial characteristics of the Opuntia, including anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, hypoglycemic, antimicrobial and neuroprotective p…

Multi-skilled human resources allocation in R&D projects

Predictive shelf life model based on RF technology for improving the management of food supply chain: A case study

The aim of this paper was the development of a Smart Logistic Unit (SLU) based on RF technology to support the management of the food supply chain, in order to guarantee the shelf life of products in agreement with logistic efficiency and system sustainability. For this purpose, the main parameters that influence the quality of perishable products were determined and a shelf life equation based on Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) was modelled. The levels of VOCs were gathered by the sensors allocated inside the SLU, which configures as the remote element of a system for identification and data transmission. The proposed model was then validated through an experimental test, simulating the …

Sistema de monitorización en continuo a tiempo real de la concentración de oxígeno durante el batido para la producción de aceite de oliva virgen

During the mechanical extraction process of Virgin Olive Oil (VOO) some important physical phenomena and enzymatic transformations occur which influence the quality of the final product. The control of process parameters is crucial to ensure the quality of VOO, therefore process monitoring and control is a fundamental requirement in the modern VOO processing industry. The present work proposes an innovative Real-Time Monitoring System (RTMS) aimed at continuously measuring the oxygen concentration during the malaxation process in order to establish a correlation with the quality of the final product obtained. This monitoring system is based on an oxygen concentration sensor directly connect…

A Multistep Methodology for the Evaluation of Human Resources Using the Evidence Theory

ANALYSIS OF A WAREHOUSE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM BY MEANS OF SIMULATION EXPERIMENTS

The supply chains for perishable products are nowadays affected by significant wastes and losses. Their management hence requires optimized approaches in order to remove such inefficiencies. In particular optimized warehouse management policies is a well established research topic which has been recently enriched with specific formulations for deteriorating stocks and shelf life based picking rules. In such context the proposed research aims at investigating the optimal warehouse management policy, taking into account the effects of uncertainty by means of simulation and approaching the effect of optimal picking rules. In the proposed approach, on the basis of a Weibull deterioration proces…

Il Sistema di Gestione della Sicurezza sul Lavoro (SGSL) sul modello UNI-INAIL ed il Safety Management System (SMS) in ambito aeroportuale a confronto.

In seguito all’emanazione del Decreto Legislativo n. 81 del 9 aprile 2008, l’adozione di un ’SGSL rappresenta una notevole opportunità per le aziende in termini di gestione e contenimento dei rischi aziendali Il presente lavoro analizza e mette a confronto due sistemi di gestione, il Safety Management System, che risponde ad una norma cogente imposta dall’Enac per le società di gestione aeroportuali, ed il Sistema di Gestione della salute e Sicurezza sul Lavoro sul modello delle linee guida UNI-INAIL, mettendo in risalto i diversi punti in comune e i margini di miglioramento di entrambi. Le differenze principali tra i due sistemi risiedono nell’obiettivo che si prefiggono di raggiungere, ne…

fuzzy approach to the robust facility layout in uncertain production environments

The proposed method approaches the problem of the optimal facility layout using fuzzy theory. The optimal layout is a robust layout that minimizes the total material handling cost, when the product market demands are uncertain variables, which are defined as fuzzy numbers. Since each department has a limited production capacity, not all possible combinations, deriving from each product's market demand, are taken into account because some combination could exceed the overall department's productivity. Therefore, the optimal solution results by solving a 'constrained' fuzzy optimization problem, in which the fuzzy material handling costs corresponding to the layouts are evaluated, and a ranki…