I-Corps: Lean Factory Waste Reduction Modeling Methods And Management Decision Support Toolkit

The broader impact/commercial potential of this I-Corps project is to provide an in-depth market analysis of waste reduction, and eventually complete waste elimination in small to medium size companies / organizations. The team?s goal is to eliminate waste by deploying measurable and quantifiable waste reduction methods and technologies, such as waste relating to (1) waiting, (2) inventory, (3) motion, (4) rework, (5) over-production, (6) over-processing, (7) transportation, and (8) talent. These groups of wastes will be analyzed and quantified using mathematical equations, algorithms, as well as visualization methods and tools, including our novel computerized, multimedia, interactive dashboards, and others. Based on several industrial feedbacks, the most important discovery was finding, that the team?s system will work best in small to medium size manufacturing facilities, which account for approximately 90% of the companies in NJ and the USA. The commercial impact of this project is huge, since waste in any company/organization represents lost revenue. Furthermore, the methods, tools and technologies the team is developing and commercializing in this grant strongly promote management and associate / operator curiosity, critical thinking, agility, flexibility, openness, teamwork, creativity, conscientiousness, and sustainable green and lean engineering and management principles.This I-Corps project has several Intellectual Merits, including the following: The team's novel methods and tools are based on Key Process/performance Indicators (KPIs), integrated with a three dimensional object-oriented process modeling method, using the team?s own algorithms, mathematical methods, and software visualization / interactive multimedia methods. This enables the team to measure and quantify levels of waste for the purpose of eventually eliminating them in almost any factory/organization.Another novel feature of this project is to use computer and manually controlled drone technology to map an analyzed site, capture and then evaluate accurate data based on the collected video files. This will also enable the team to review sites, machines, and processes, that are difficult to reach, or that operate in relatively dangerous/hazardous or remote environments. Furthermore, team is including novel AR (Augmented Reality) solutions into the set of methods and tools, programmed specifically for the team?s purposes to help our system design processes, as well as to visualize and demonstrate alternative lean system design solutions. All above will enable the team to reduce / eliminate waste in a very wide range of factories / organizations.This award reflects National Science Foundation 's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.