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30 April 2011, Volume 14 Issue 2 Previous Issue    Next Issue

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On the Closed-Loop Supply Chain Modes of Product Remanufacturing with Government Reimbursement Xiong Zhong-kai1, Huang De-bin1, Xiong Yu2 2011, 14 (2):  1-5.  Abstract ( 4117 )   Save The economical value and environmental welfare for collecting and remanufacturing used goods are widely appreciated.To make collecting and remanufacturing of used goods profitable,governments in many countries promulgate reimbursement policies on it.A manufacturer has three options for collecting such products: collecting by manufacturers,collecting by retailers,and collecting by the third party.After models are developed for the three closedloop remanufacturingbased supply chain modes under government reimbursement policies,comparisons of different modes are conducted by using these models.The influences of government reimbursement policies on different modes are analyzed. References | Related Articles | Metrics

Research on the Impact Factors of Supply Chain Strategy Transformation for Foreign Tradebased Logistics Companies under Financial Crisis Liu Wei-hua1, Qu Si-yuan2 2011, 14 (2):  6-10.  Abstract ( 3937 )   Save Supply chain under the financial crisis is discussed in this paper.For foreigntradebased logistics companies who make strategy transformation to respond to the crisis,three impact dimensions and ten impact factors are proposed.Four correlation models between the impact of financial crisis and strategy transformation are developed with hypothesis given.With the questionnaires for five cities of east China,an empirical research has been conducted to verify the results of the analysis and hypothetical propositions.Then,a correlation analysis figure for path coefficients is presented.The results show that both the changes of the external environment and the development statuses of the logistics companies have a positive effect on the strategic transformation of the supply chain.However,lack of cash and a largescale merger have negative effect. References | Related Articles | Metrics

Comparative Study on Different Emergency Item TransportationPolicies in a Two-Echelon Supply Chain Liu Xue-heng, Wang Chuan-xu, Xu Chang-yan 2011, 14 (2):  11-15.  Abstract ( 3313 )   Save A twoechelon supply chain with multiple spots is addressed in this paper.There are two emergency item transportation policies,namely that with and without transshipment.With random item demands considered,mathematical models are developed for different policies to calculate system indexes for the two policies.Based on the models,performance is evaluated for comparison between these two policies.Numerical results show that the emergency item supply policy with transshipment can significantly reduce the system total cost. References | Related Articles | Metrics

On the Weights of Interval Group Decision Making Based on Projection Pursuit Model Li Wei-xiang1,2, Zhang Guang-ming1, Li Bang-yi1 2011, 14 (2):  16-20.  Abstract ( 3383 )   Save The PROMETHEE II method is extended to directly deal with the eigenspace that is expressed as interval numbers.The projection pursuit model of expert information pretreatment for group decision making is constructed in the perspective of optimal projection.Then,genetic algorithm is used to determine the weight.This method is particularly suitable for the occasions involving a number of alternative solutions.By a case study,this method is proved to be feasible and effective.It is ready for applications. References | Related Articles | Metrics

Supply Chain Coordination with Price Discount and Flexibility of Delivery Capacity Li Fu-chang, Wang Yong 2011, 14 (2):  21-25.  Abstract ( 3196 )   Save With the flexibility of delivery capacity and price discount taken into account,retailerled decentralized decision making,supplierled decentralized decision making,and integrated inventorytransportation optimization modes are considered.Optimization model for these modes are presented.Based on these models,performance is evaluated for different modes.It shows that,the retailerled decentralized decision making is better than the integrated inventorytransportation optimization in the sense of inventory cost,and the integrated inventorytransportation optimization is better than retailerled decentralized decision making in the sense of transportation cost.However,the integrated inventorytransportation optimization is better than retailerled decentralized decision making in the sense of total cost. References | Related Articles | Metrics

Study on the Competency Evaluation of Civil Servants at Town Level Based on Multilevel Grey System Theory Zhang Jian1,2, Zhang Zai-sheng1, Li Guang2 2011, 14 (2):  26-30.  Abstract ( 3326 )   Save Civil servants at the town level serve for the people in the vast rural areas.Thus,the civil servants’ morality and ability greatly affect the resolution of “three agricultural problems” and the construction process of new villages for famers.A competency evaluation model for civil servant service at the town level is presented.With this model,analytic hierarchical process (AHP) is applied to determine the weights of competency indicators.Then,comprehensive competency evaluation is done by using multilevel grey system theory.The effectiveness of the proposed method is demonstrated by case studies.   References | Related Articles | Metrics

A Customer Classification Method Based on Attribute Reduction and SOM Neural Network Zheng Yong-qian, Yu Sheng-nan, Wang Yong-sheng 2011, 14 (2):  31-36.  Abstract ( 4098 )   Save  In the insurance industry,customer classification is the basis for differentiated marketing.Due to the knowledge redundancy,the normally adopted traditional clustering method for customer classification suffers from low clustering quality.In order to achieve an effective classification,this paper proposes a clustering model based on attribute reduction and selforganizing feature map (SOM) neural network.By using attribute reduction rule,it can distinguish the redundant knowledge and effectively discover key attributes.Key attributes are used as inputs for learning by SOM neural network so as to obtain better clustering quality.The effectiveness of proposed method is verified through a case study from the H Insurance company.   References | Related Articles | Metrics

Synergistic Effect Study on Picking、Storing and Routing Policies Li Shi-zhen 2011, 14 (2):  37-43.  Abstract ( 3965 )   Save Synergistic effects on picking,storing,and routing policies are discussed in this paper.Three policies are proposed for solving the problem.Algorithm for finding the actual picking distances under different routing policies is presented.With simulation,comparative analysis is carried out and the performance for the three policies has been evaluated.Results show that:1) order batching policy has great impacts on the time saving of order picking; 2) classbased storing policy results in shorter orderpicking route distance than that by random storing; and 3) the effect of routing policy on the reduction of orderpicking route distance is weaker than that obtained by either order batching policy or classbased storage policy.Therefore,order batching policy or classbased storage policy should be chosen with higher priority,while routing policy could be then used to further optimize the results.   References | Related Articles | Metrics

Conflict Resolution Policies for Retailer Value Added Marketing with Mixed Channels  Liu Wei, Yang Zhao 2011, 14 (2):  44-48.  Abstract ( 3064 )   Save With the popularization of internet technologies,distributors apply not only the traditional marketing channels,such as whole and retail sales,but also use internet online direct marketing channels.However,sometimes there may be conflict with the coexistence of the two kinds of channels in the sense of profit gaining.To solve this problem,study is conducted in this paper for such a supply chain in which product valueadded service is provided by the retailers.A dualchannel model with a valueadded cost parameter is developed.By this model,it can analyze the profit obtained by a manufacturer with complete and incomplete information,respectively.Results show that a manufacturer’s profit increases if the valueadded service cost parameter obtained by the model is shared with the manufacturer.It also shows that when the valueadded cost for the distributors is greater than a threshold,the distributors are willing to share such information with the manufacturer such that more profit can be gained for both parts. References | Related Articles | Metrics

On the Flexible Quantity Contract for Supply Chain with two Retailers Li Yu-xiang1, Wang Han1, Pan Xiao-yu2 2011, 14 (2):  49-52.  Abstract ( 3555 )   Save   In the existing studies,twotier supply chain with single supplier and single retailer is widely considered.This paper addresses a more complex supply chain with single supplier and two retailers.For such a supply chain,quantity flexibility contract is widely adopted.By using digital analytical method,quantity flexibility contract is analyzed in this paper.Results show that quantity flexibility contract can flexibly coordinate the decision making behavior between the supplier and retailers,and maximize the overall profits of the supply chain.In this way,it provides a basis for the future research on complex supply chain with multiple retailers.   References | Related Articles | Metrics

F-AHPBased Partner Selection in Dynamic Alliance of Distribution Centers Yao Guan-xin, Liu Ling-ling 2011, 14 (2):  53-56.  Abstract ( 3317 )   Save The partner selection problem is critical to the dynamic alliance of distribution centers.To select partners in a quick and reasonable way,this paper presents a method that integrates fuzzy analytical hierarchical process (F-AHP) and (0-1) integer programming.Trapezoidal fuzzy numbers are used in FAHP.With the proposed method,the difficulties of collecting and processing data in genetic algorithm are overcome.Meanwhile,we solve the problems resulted from neglecting the inherent blur and uncertainty as well as the cost of enterprise linking in AHP.In this way,partners are reasonably selected and the process is simplified as well.   References | Related Articles | Metrics

Time Series MultiAttribute Decision Making Li Jia-jin, Guo Peng 2011, 14 (2):  57-60.  Abstract ( 2805 )   Save Dynamic Optimization of ExpertBase Based on   Peer review is a widely recognized approach.It is an expert review process and the performance is greatly dependent on the selection of experts that is done by using an expertbase.The information in an expertbase is often obtained by statically evaluating the experts' performance, but not dynamically updated.In this paper, the drawbacks are analyzed for such a review process.Based on the analysis, to solve this problem, we propose to dynamically update the expertbase by tracking their realtime performances.With time series multiattribute decision making, dynamic experts' work performance evaluation is presented by choosing the appropriate time scale.Thus, the expertbase can be dynamically updated based on not only the static indexes but also their changes.In other words, the expertbase is dynamically optimized.   References | Related Articles | Metrics

Queuing TheoryBased Operation Policies for Car Renting Wang Juan, Yang Ai-feng 2011, 14 (2):  61-65.  Abstract ( 3735 )   Save In car renting,customer demands rental time are subject to random variation.Thus,it is difficult to model and optimize such a process.The car renting is treated as a realtime queuing process.Based on this concept,for a car rental company,aiming at maximizing its profit by determining the number of vehicles needed,a mathematical model is developed.With this model,the profit obtained by two companies under cooperation is compared with that obtained without cooperation.Results show that more profit can be obtained with cooperation than without cooperation.Furthermore,based on the total profit increase for the two cooperative companies,the acceptable sublet price range is presented.Thus,by using the proposed method,a car renting company can select its most profitable operation policy.Numerical examples are given to verify the proposed method.   References | Related Articles | Metrics

Algorithm for Single-Source and Multi-Path Integrated Goods Loading-Transportation Zhu Wei, Xu Ke-lin, Zhou Na, Li Yan-bing 2011, 14 (2):  66-69.  Abstract ( 3802 )   Save Loading-transportation plays an important role in a distribution system and is crucial to its efficiency.With the complex constraints of distribution system considered,an integrated planning model for goods loadingtransportation with single source and multi path is developed.The problem is then solved by using an improved genetic algorithm with techniques such as serial number coding,maximum reserved crossover,and selfadaptability.The feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed method are demonstrated by an example.The problem of loadingtransportation with single source and multi path can be effectively solved.This is a new way for optimization of logistics distribution system.   References | Related Articles | Metrics

The Strategy of Merger and Acquisition in Retailers under the Demand Stimulation by Investment Liu Xue-yong, Ai Meng, Zhou Yu 2011, 14 (2):  70-74.  Abstract ( 3529 )   Save A kind of supply chain with two retailers and a common supplier is considered.In such a supply chain,the demands could be stimulated by the improvements of both supplier’s technology (quality) level and the retailers’ service quality.For the supply chain considered,it identifies the strategies with which a merger can increase or decrease the combined net worth of the two retailers.To maximize the profits of both the retailers and supplier,it takes investment efficiency parameter as control.For three strategies:1) the supplier acts as Stackelberg leader; 2) the retailers act as Stackelberg leader; and 3) Nash,the optimal parameter threshold is determined such that a retailer can make the decision whether to merger or not.The synergetic impacts among multiple retailers on the threshold are also analyzed.   References | Related Articles | Metrics

Artificial Neural NetworkBased Safety Evaluation for Construction Site Zhang Wen-bo， Song De-chao， Zheng Yong-qian 2011, 14 (2):  75-79.  Abstract ( 3579 )   Save Safety evaluation for construction site is a challenge problem.The technique for safety assessment in the construction industry is not welldeveloped.The safety management of most China construction companies concerns only construction site inspections and reforming.It lacks techniques for overall safety analysis and effective monitoring.With the characteristics of building construction considered,a safety evaluation index system is developed for building construction site by integrating the existing safety assessment techniques.With this index system,an artificial neural network (ANN)based safety evaluation model is presented by combining analytical hierarchical process (AHP) and fuzzy theory.It is a new way for construction safety assessment.A case problem is used to show the detailed procedure for the application of the proposed method.   References | Related Articles | Metrics

Study on Resource Capability Measure and Its Optimal Deployment in Product Development Process Wu Yong-hua, Qin Xian-sheng 2011, 14 (2):  80-83.  Abstract ( 2968 )   Save  Resource management is vitally important in the product development process.In order to describe product development resource capability such that product development resources can be wellmanaged,the resource capability concept and capability measuring method are presented based on the activity and its process（ProA） resource model.Then,the resource capability hierarchical structure is analyzed in detail.Based on the analysis,optimal resource capability deployment mechanism is revealed by mapping RTCI to RPCI.Application example indicates that,by using the proposed method,it can effectively manage the development resources.   References | Related Articles | Metrics

Dynamic Inventory Control Policy for Auto Spare  Parts with TwoDimensional Warranty Hao Zeng-liang, Liu Zi-xian 2011, 14 (2):  84-89.  Abstract ( 3394 )   Save  Auto manufacturers provide customers with a basic twodimensional warranty that quantifies vehicle lifetime with two metrics: time and mileage. Under such a warranty policy, it is very important to control the spare part inventory. With sales prediction as its starting point, the number of automobiles under guarantee in some period is determined according to twodimensional warranty policies. It is known that the failure rate of some nonrepairable items is determined by age or usage. Based on this property, a model is proposed to forecast the demands of spare parts. Then, with the demands obtained, a multistage (Q, r) dynamic inventory control policy is presented. Case studies are given to show the effectiveness for inventory cost reduction by using the proposed method.   References | Related Articles | Metrics

Fleet Scheduling in the Car Rental Industry Based on Benders Decomposition 2011, 14 (2):  90-94.  Abstract ( 3665 )   Save With the daily car deployment in car rental industry as background for this work,the fleet scheduling problem is addressed in this paper.The car deployment among rental locations is formulated as a timespace network.With this formulation,constraints for this scheduling problem are obtained according to the supply policy and flow balance at each node.After analyzing the characteristics of the model,the problem was decomposed into two subproblems by using Benders decomposition,and a solution algorithm is proposed.A numerical example with a oneweek scheduling horizon is given to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.Results show that it works well.   References | Related Articles | Metrics

Modeling and Analysis of 3G Customer Stability Guan Ying-ying, Zhang Bi-xi, Song Jing, Liao Zhao-hui 2011, 14 (2):  95-99.  Abstract ( 3436 )   Save  In order to quantitatively evaluate the relationship between 3G customers and telecom companies,this paper studies the stability of 3G users.By using data mining (DM) and analytic hierarchy process (AHP),a model is proposed for the 3G customer stability evaluation.As an application example,the model is applied to a city’s telecom company.By using the proposed method,it grades the current 3G users of the company and obtains the stability distribution.This presents the important information for the company.Thus,the model strongly supports the relationship maintenance of 3G customer and the corresponding service provision.   References | Related Articles | Metrics

Real-Time Scheduling of the Bottleneck Workstation for Auto Maintenance Workshop Yang Qin1,2, Zhou Guo-hua1, Zhao Xi2，Li Yan-ru3 2011, 14 (2):  100-103.  Abstract ( 3360 )   Save By using the theory of constraints,realtime scheduling is conducted for a painting workstation,the bottleneck in an automotive maintenance plant.By taking machine environment,processing characteristics,and operation constraints into account,a mathematical model is developed with minimizing the tardiness as objective.Based on the model and due to the complexity of the problem,a heuristic is presented by combining composite dynamic dispatching rules.A case problem is used to verify the application of the proposed method.Numerical results show that it is computationally efficient and good schedules can be obtained.   References | Related Articles | Metrics

Decision Making for Selection of Lump-Sum Contracting Project Delivery Methods with Uncertainty Wang Xue-tong 2011, 14 (2):  104-108.  Abstract ( 12750 )   Save In selecting one of the project delivery methods (PDMs),the existing models always neglect the uncertainties of the decisionmakers for the problem to be solved,which may result in nonoptimal ranks for the alternatives.According to the uncertain factors of lumpsum contracting PDMs,assumptions are presented for the decision making problem of selecting a lumpsum contracting project delivery method.The problem is solved by using uncertain multiple attribute (UMA) theory.Based on UMA,a decisionmaking support model is proposed.In the model,a sorting vector of possibility degree is obtained by using UEOWA and ULHA operators.In this way,an attribute evaluation system is developed.A case study is used to show the decisionmaking procedure and the effectiveness of the proposed method.   References | Related Articles | Metrics

Application of Work Study for the Improvement of a Service Process Zhou Ping1， Sun Wen-ting1， Ren Zhi-ping2 2011, 14 (2):  109-111.  Abstract ( 3381 )   Save  For services provided by the telecom companies,especially by fixedline phone companies,it has complicated service processes,untimely service delivery,and long queuing time for customers.To improve such a situation,work study is conducted in this paper.To analyze the processes studied,symbols and icons are defined.Based on these symbols and icons,“5W1H” is applied to analyze the current status and identify the issues to be improved.Then,four principles of “ECRS” are used to optimize the process.A case study from a fixedline phone company is presented.As a result,after process redesign,for a customer,the average moving distance is reduced from 69m to 34m,and the average staying time during peak period is reduced from 58 min to 29 min.This is a significant improvement and it greatly increases customer’s satisfaction degree.   References | Related Articles | Metrics

Algorithm for Scheduling Flexible Flow Shop with Group Constraints Huang Jin-dian, Chen Qing-xin, Mao Ning 2011, 14 (2):  112-117.  Abstract ( 3335 )   Save Tire mold production is characterized as flow shop with group constraints.In this paper,the scheduling problem of twostage flexible flow shop for tire mold production is addressed.A mathematical model is put forward for the problem with makespan as objective.Based on Johnson polynomial algorithm,a new heuristic is presented to solve the problem.The reliability and effectiveness of the new algorithm is demonstrated by an example from the industrial practice.   References | Related Articles | Metrics

Neural NetworkBased Association Rules for Fault Diagnosis Liu jing1,2, Ji Hai-peng3 2011, 14 (2):  118-121.  Abstract ( 3706 )   Save With historical equipment database,weighted association rule algorithm is adopted to conduct data mining.By using weighted association rules,a model base is established.Based on the model base,fault diagnosis can be performed by using equipment monitor data.In the meanwhile,selforganizing competitive neural network model is used to determine the weight of hydraulic equipment in a steel enterprise.Three properties are considered.They are degree of importance,degree of vulnerability,and level of fault.The model takes these three properties of the fault information as inputs and determines the connection weights of equipment fault through sample training.Experiments show that this algorithm can improve the accuracy of fault diagnosis of hydraulic equipment.   References | Related Articles | Metrics

Value StreamBased Analysis and Improvement of Electric PowerDriven Tool Production Line Zhuang Wei， Chen Yong， Ruan Xing-cong， Fang Qiu-jun， Hu Ting-ting 2011, 14 (2):  122-126.  Abstract ( 3622 )   Save Study is conducted for the improvement of an existing electric power-driven tool production line.By using the data collected from the production process,the value-stream state chart is drawn.With this chart,the layout and line balance analysis is carried out.In this way,the bottleneck that affects the key performance indicators (KPIs),such as productivity and equipment utilization,is identified.With lean production principle,the production lines are redesigned such that the bottleneck is eliminated and the performance is improved.   References | Related Articles | Metrics

On the IE Laboratories in China Universities Lu Gang1, Sun Yu-bo2,3, Lu Ming-yin1, Han Ke-qi1 2011, 14 (2):  127-132.  Abstract ( 3981 )   Save Investigation is made for the current status of laboratories for the major of industrial engineering (IE) in China universities.These laboratories are then classified into four categories:demonstrative,comprehensive,confirmative,and that just at the planningphase.According to the characteristics of IE discipline as well as the objectives and requirements of personnel training,the contents of IE experiment are proposed to include basic IE experiments and modern IE experiments.With the above basis,the IE laboratory construction mode has also been defined,includes teaching laboratory,comprehensive laboratory,and platform laboratory.   References | Related Articles | Metrics