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A modeling framework is developed to examine the effect of retail-pricing policies on the choice between make-to-stock and make-to-order in operations management.

The role of response surface methodology (RSM) in searching for the input combination that gives the maximum output is examined. The problems of RSM and techniques for solving them are discussed.

Combination of techniques of stochastic and statistical analysis for subjective modelling of inspection, risk assesment and maintenance cycles in manufacturing facilities is described.

Application of heuristics for studying effects of material flow and job routing on results of planning of machine location.

Usage of combinatorial optimization for cost benefit analysis of material storage, as part of production planning in industrial energy systems, is described.

Simulation of service operations of airlines to reduce passenger boarding time in airplanes, for better management of airport facilities, is described.

Management of salt spreading operations and maintenance of roads in Antwerp, by dividing regional road network into sub-networks or districts, to facilitate better organization of regional operations, is discussed.

A study was conducted to analyze a unified inventory framework for integrated production system supporting a single product. The production, demand and deterioration rates for the finished product and deterioration levels for raw materials were represented as functions of time. The optimal values for the length of the production stage and inventory cycle minimizing the total variable cost of the unified inventory system were also determined. Results indicated that the solution to the inventory systems is with a novel global optimal solution.

A long-term study of the implementation of lean production principles by one company gave insight into whether these principles should be introduced sequentially or in parallel. The study indicated that management should first devote resources to implementing three principles in parallel. These principles are the structural changes to the organization, the implementation of core principles to eliminate waste, and the introduction of core principle support systems. Managers should move on to implementing a continuous improvement system once this foundation is established.

A branch and bound approach is proposed to address the problem of the minimization of open stack problem (MOSP). The method, which utilizes a greedy type strategy to choose the subsequent node to branch, aims to lessen the maximum number of open stacks during a production run. However, the method is computationally difficult to effect.

The use of the robustness approach in studying the classical economic order quantity model under marked uncertainties of the input data showed that the approach outperforms stochastic optimization. It was established that the robustness approach is definitely a logical choice if the probability distribution is undetermined.

An enhanced and solid approach on the use of the asymptotic forms of the Boolean matrix in the design of cellular manufacturing systems is developed. The new approach will enable a better method of determining bottlenecks in production processes. Furthermore, the maximum quantity of natural groups present in a given matrix will be determined more efficiently.

A study was conducted to analyze the selection of a process plan by trading off cost and load balance goals. The vector optimization problem was changed into a set of auxiliary scalar problems to accommodate difficulties with the problem. Precedence constraints were then relaxed while a set of loading decisions were taken for released orders. In addition, heuristics were evaluated on a set of benchmark problems.