Every firm has that “job jar” of important projects that just never seem to reach peak priority for the limited resources available. These are exactly the projects that the DCMME Center is interested in assisting you with.
If interested in partnering with the Center to complete a project with your company or to learn more, contact us at dcmme@purdue.edu.
Student Team: Christopher Alexandre Ghita, Cameron Gorski, Gia Stephan, Deeya Jain, Enzo Pereira Martelletto, Sam Phillips, Sana Khambati, Bhavya Lakhina, Rahul Shrinivas
Conduct research on the EV industry outlook, including market trends, government policies, and technological advancements.
Identify the auto-related companies in Indiana and analyze their product offerings, capabilities, and competitive positioning in the EV market.
Evaluate the risks and opportunities faced by Indiana's auto manufacturers based on their product portfolios, assessing factors such as market demand, supply chain resilience, regulatory compliance, and technology adoption.
Student Team:Eshita Bhardwaj
Tools Used: PowerBI, Excel, Solver
Key Actions:
Conduct research on the EV industry outlook, including market trends, government policies, and technological advancements.
Identify the auto-related companies in Indiana and analyze their product offerings, capabilities, and competitive positioning in the EV market.
Evaluate the risks and opportunities faced by Indiana's auto manufacturers based on their product portfolios, assessing factors such as market demand, supply chain resilience, regulatory compliance, and technology adoption.
Student Team:Eshita Bhardwaj
Tools Used: PowerBI, Excel, Solver
Key Actions:
Conduct in-depth research on each subject, gathering relevant data, case studies, and academic literature.
Analyze the research findings and synthesize them into comprehensive reports that provide insights, frameworks, and recommendations for each subject area.
Edit and refine the reports to meet the standards of academic or professional publication, ensuring clear structure, logical flow, proper citations, and a coherent narrative. Submit the papers to appropriate journals or conferences for consideration.
Student Team:Bora Kaya, Carter Gabriel Nelson, Daniel Compton, Omar Abdel-Reheem, Jacob McGowan, Katelyn Hickman, Diya Thomas, Ryan Chan, John Lucas, Alexandria Carter, Gabby Waterman, Hiral Nikunj Shah, Nikhil Mylavarapu
Tools Used: Word, PowerPoint
Key Actions:
Gain an understanding of the warehouse setting and the potential unsafe behaviors that need to be identified and addressed.
Develop an AI-based computer vision system using OpenCV or similar technology to analyze video feeds and identify unsafe behaviors in real-time.
Collaborate with the client and other stakeholders to understand their requirements and present recommendations on how to reduce unsafe behaviors. This may involve implementing safety protocols, providing training programs, or making physical modifications to the warehouse layout or equipment.
Student Team: Isabella Cessa, Thomas Smith
Tools Used: OpenCV, Microsoft video editing, Camtasia
Key Actions:
Conduct market research to understand the needs and preferences of dorm and apartment dwellers regarding TV stands.
Design a flat panel TV stand that meets the identified requirements, considering factors such as space efficiency, aesthetics, and functionality.
Perform costing and purchasing activities, including sourcing materials, estimating production costs, and identifying suppliers. Develop a plan for production and distribution, ensuring cost-effectiveness and timely delivery of the TV stands to the target market.
Student Team: Kevin Bao, Kellen Burggren, Chase Deniger, Danny O'Rourke, Megan Parsons
Tools Used: PowerPoint, Excel, AutoCAD
Key Actions:
Identify the manufacturing process steps and the employees involved in each step.
Conduct a time study by observing and documenting the time taken by employees to perform each step in the process.
Use the collected data to create a Value Stream Map that visualizes the flow of work, identifies bottlenecks, and highlights areas for improvement. Analyze the VSM to identify opportunities for streamlining processes.
Student Team: Bora Kaya, Carter Gabriel Nelson, Daniel Compton, Omar Abdel-Reheem, Jacob McGowan, Katelyn Hickman, Diya Thomas, Ryan Chan, John Lucas, Alexandria Carter, Gabby Waterman
Tools Used: Excel, Vizio
Key Actions:
Design and develop a Microsoft PowerApp tailored specifically for change management processes.
Establish a robust data pipeline within the PowerApp to capture and store the entered data securely.
Configure the PowerApp to facilitate data analytics capabilities.
Tools Used: PowerBI
Key Actions:
Extract operating data from PowerBI reports and MySQL databases of each plant, establish connections, and integrate the sources to retrieve live data for the consolidated PowerBI report.
Create a comprehensive PowerBI dashboard with visualizations and interactive elements to present performance metrics and key operating data for each plant.
Implement mechanisms for real-time data updates, set up automatic refresh schedules, and ensure the accuracy and consistency of live data across all plants.
Student Team: Sam Phillips, Bhavya Lakhina
Tools Used: PowerBI
Key Actions:
Develop numerous dashboards using Power BI, connecting them with Nucor's live data servers.
Enhance existing key performance indicators by designing visually appealing and informative visualizations.
Identify areas where new visualizations can provide valuable insights and support internal Nucor teams' decision-making processes by collaborating with stakeholders to understand their specific needs.
Student Team: Christopher Alexandre Ghita, Cameron Gorski, Gia Stephan, Deeya Jain, Enzo Pereira Martelletto, Sana Khambati
Tools Used: PowerBI
Key Actions:
Collect oceanic import data for Indiana, including HS codes, company names, and product details.
Analyze the import data to identify the company with the highest imports and the most imported product in each county.
Utilize the supply chain marketplace tool to identify potential domestic suppliers near each county. Evaluate their capabilities, product offerings, and supply chain compatibility to determine suitable alternatives for the importing company.
Tools Used: Google, Camtasia
Key Actions:
Identify and gather data on auto manufacturing companies in Indiana, including information on their facilities, workforce, and sales.
Analyze the collected data using relevant metrics to assess the automotive footprint in Indiana.
Utilize D&B prescreen scores or other suitable criteria to evaluate the financial health and stability of the analyzed companies. Draw conclusions and insights based on the research findings to provide a comprehensive overview of the auto manufacturing sector in Indiana.
Student Team: Kaustubh Prashant Pimprikar
Tools Used: Google, Excel, PowerPoint, AppSheet
Key Actions:
Define the requirements and functionalities of the dashboard app based on the needs of the VIP program. Identify the data to be tracked, such as project details, student information, and relevant metrics.
Utilize a no-code development platform to design and develop the dashboard app. Implement features to manage project and student data, including filters, search options, and data visualization elements.
Test the app for usability, data accuracy, and performance. Make necessary iterations and refinements based on feedback.
Student Team: Jenna Krathwohl, Eleanor Didonna
Tools Used: AppSheet
Key Actions:
Regularly maintain and update the no-code-based dashboard app to keep it functional and up-to-date.
Ensure that the app accurately reflects the status of center projects by regularly updating it with relevant information, such as project timelines, milestones, deliverables, and resource allocation.
Develop a comprehensive guide that provides step-by-step instructions on app development and usage.
Student Team: Eleanor Didonna
Tools Used: AppSheet
Key Actions:
Conduct a detailed analysis of the EV supply chain in the auto manufacturing sector, identifying stakeholders and companies involved in EV production.
Analyze employment demographics in the automotive industry and assess the risks faced by the workforce due to the transition to EVs.
Identify federal and state funding sources and evaluate investments in the EV sector to determine opportunities for growth in Indiana while minimizing risks for existing players.
Gather information about all the labs located on the campus, including descriptions, operating hours, points of contact, and the technologies available.
Design and develop the app using a no-code development platform, incorporating the gathered lab information into the app's structure. Implement features for easy navigation and displaying detailed lab descriptions.
Test the app for usability, data accuracy, and performance. Collect feedback from potential users and make necessary improvements before deploying the app.
Student Team: Kaili Chapman, Eleanor Didonna
Tools Used: Appsheet
Student Team: Rithesh Tammineni
Tools Used: MS Excel, Power BI, Python, MS PowerPoint
Key Actions:
Define the structure and rules of the game, including the roles of different players, inventory management, and order fulfillment processes.
Develop the simulation software or physical components required to facilitate the game, including the user interface, inventory tracking mechanisms, and communication channels between players.
Conduct the simulation game sessions with participants, observing and analyzing the coordination problems, bottlenecks, and challenges that arise in the supply chain process. Additionally, explore the implementation of smart contracting as a potential solution to these challenges and evaluate its effectiveness in improving coordination and efficiency.
Student Team: Harshavardhan Thokala
Key Actions:
Analyze the existing supply chain network and identify the key factors that contribute to idle time and inefficiencies in the production process.
Develop a mathematical model that considers the capacity and capabilities of supplier companies to optimize the allocation of orders and resources within the supply chain network.
Build an application that integrates the mathematical model, allowing consumer companies to submit orders and find suitable supplier companies capable of fulfilling the orders on short notice. The application should provide real-time visibility into the availability of capacity.
Student Team: Harshavardhan Thokala
Tools Used: Appsheet
Key Actions:
Conduct a comprehensive review of the current state of battery and magnet technology, including emerging trends, research advancements, and market dynamics.
Analyze the supply chain for critical materials used in battery and magnet production.
Collaborate with the DOE and other stakeholders to evaluate the profit potential and economic viability of the materials throughout the supply chain, considering factors such as cost structures, market demand, pricing dynamics, and sustainability requirements.
Conduct research and analysis to compare the components used in EVs and ICE vehicles. Identify the technological and manufacturing shifts occurring in the automotive industry due to the transition to EVs.
Assess the risks at the regional level, focusing on the UAW's viewpoint.
Explore and propose strategies for auto manufacturing companies and regions to mitigate the identified risks.
Conduct research and analysis to compare the components used in EVs and ICE vehicles. Identify the technological and manufacturing shifts occurring in the automotive industry due to the transition to EVs.
Assess the risks at the regional level, focusing on the UAW's viewpoint.
Explore and propose strategies for auto manufacturing companies and regions to mitigate the identified risks.
Regularly maintain and update the no-code-based dashboard app to keep it functional and up-to-date.
Ensure that the app accurately reflects the status of center projects by regularly updating it with relevant information, such as project timelines, milestones, deliverables, and resource allocation.
Develop a comprehensive guide that provides step-by-step instructions on app development and usage.
Student Team: Eleanor Didonna
Tools Used: Appsheet
Key Actions:
Develop numerous dashboards using Power BI, connecting them with Nucor's live data servers.
Enhance existing key performance indicators by designing visually appealing and informative visualizations.
Identify areas where new visualizations can provide valuable insights and support internal Nucor teams' decision-making processes by collaborating with stakeholders to understand their specific needs.
Student Team: Hannah George
Tools Used: PowerBi
This report addresses the industry outlook for Indiana as EV production ramps up throughout the country. This report also analyzes the auto-related companies in Indiana and evaluates the risks that are posed to them based on the products that they are putting out. The report suggests that Indiana auto manufacturing is poised to be in a favorable position entering into the new age of auto manufacturing based off the analysis done by our research.
One team is learning how to work with big data to bring value to a company. They are working with software such as R, SAS, and PowerBi to interpret data and find underlying structure/relationships in the data.
The next team is preforming a Time Study and Value Stream Analysis of a product line. The goal of this project is to maximize utilization of the line.
Our final team is creating a Microsoft PowerApp for Change Management Applications. This app will have use in the future to collect data and eventually perform analytics on the collected data.
Key Actions:
Gather data on the MRG program to understand its influence on the manufacturing ecosystem in Indiana.
Analyze the data to identify significant patterns, trends, and emerging dynamics related to digital transformation, company demographics, investment, and use cases within the program.
Develop an analysis report that provides insights into the program's statewide dynamics, transformation impacts, and opportunities for improvement.
Tools Used: PowerBi
Key Actions:
Assess the current design and performance of the Krannert/IBE EV Go Kart, identifying areas for modification and optimization.
Collaborate as a team to develop a plan for enhancing the go kart's speed, handling, and overall performance. This may involve making adjustments to the chassis, drivetrain, or electrical components.
Strategize marketing tactics and seek sponsorship opportunities to support the project. Develop a marketing plan to promote the go kart, engage with potential sponsors, and create community outreach projects that showcase the team's efforts and the benefits of electric vehicle technology.
Assess the current design and performance of the Krannert/IBE EV Go Kart, identifying areas for modification and optimization.
Collaborate as a team to develop a plan for enhancing the go kart's speed, handling, and overall performance. This may involve making adjustments to the chassis, drivetrain, or electrical components.
Strategize marketing tactics and seek sponsorship opportunities to support the project. Develop a marketing plan to promote the go kart, engage with potential sponsors, and create community outreach projects that showcase the team's efforts and the benefits of electric vehicle technology.
Student Team: Ryan Lampe, Michelon Ricelli, Nicole Welsh, Liam White
Tools Used: PowerPoint, Excel, Word, Outlook, Internet
Key Actions:
Gain an understanding of the warehouse setting and the potential unsafe behaviors that need to be identified and addressed.
Develop an AI-based computer vision system using OpenCV or similar technology to analyze video feeds and identify unsafe behaviors in real-time.
Collaborate with the client and other stakeholders to understand their requirements and present recommendations on how to reduce unsafe behaviors. This may involve implementing safety protocols, providing training programs, or making physical modifications to the warehouse layout or equipment.
Tools Used: OpenCV, Microsoft video editing, Camtasia
Key Actions:
Conduct market research to understand the needs and preferences of dorm and apartment dwellers regarding TV stands.
Design a flat panel TV stand that meets the identified requirements, considering factors such as space efficiency, aesthetics, and functionality.
Perform costing and purchasing activities, including sourcing materials, estimating production costs, and identifying suppliers. Develop a plan for production and distribution, ensuring cost-effectiveness and timely delivery of the TV stands.
Student Team: Kevin Bao, Chase Deniger, Daniel O'Rourke, Ashton Price, James Rose
Tools Used: PowerPoint, Excel, AutoCAD
Key Actions:
Familiarize with the Mendix platform and its capabilities for developing IoT applications and dashboards.
Identify the key performance metrics and sensors needed to monitor and measure chiller/heater performance in a power plant setting.
Develop a visual IoT and Dashboard platform using Mendix, integrating the necessary data feeds, analytics, and visualization components to monitor and measure chiller/heater performance. Test and refine the platform to ensure its accuracy, reliability, and user- friendliness.
Student Team: Gabriel Calleja Sanchez, Tyler Gutzmer, Ben Lonzo, Tyler Mancuso, Yash Vora
Tools Used: Mendix
Key Actions:
Familiarize with the Mendix platform and its capabilities for developing IoT applications and dashboards.
Identify the key performance metrics and sensors needed to monitor and measure chiller/heater performance in a power plant setting.
Develop a visual IoT and Dashboard platform using Mendix, integrating the necessary data feeds, analytics, and visualization components to monitor and measure chiller/heater performance. Test and refine the platform to ensure its accuracy, reliability, and user- friendliness.
Student Team: Tyler Gutzmer, Ben Lonzo, Tyler Mancuso, Ben Shatkowski
Tools Used: Mendix
Key Actions:
Identify the manufacturing process steps and the employees involved in each step.
Conduct a time study by observing and documenting the time taken by employees to perform each step in the process.
Use the collected data to create a Value Stream Map that visualizes the flow of work, identifies bottlenecks, and highlights areas for improvement. Analyze the VSM to identify opportunities for streamlining processes.
Student Team: Daniel Compton, Bora Kaya, Noah Voelker
Tools Used: Excel, Vizio
Key Actions:
Design and develop a Microsoft PowerApp tailored specifically for change management processes.
Establish a robust data pipeline within the PowerApp to capture and store the entered data securely.
Configure the PowerApp to facilitate data analytics capabilities.
Student Team: Cameron Gorski
Tools Used: PowerBi
Key Actions:
Collect and analyze asset location data, including information such as geographical locations, customer demographics, market trends, and competitive landscapes.
Evaluate the analyzed asset location data to identify potential revenue growth opportunities. This may involve identifying underperforming locations, areas with high customer demand, emerging markets, or areas with favorable market conditions that align with business objectives.
Assess the feasibility and potential impact of relocating operational locations based on the insights gained from the data analysis.
Student Team: Hannah George, Carter Nelson, Lauren Bromley, Christopher Ghita
Tools Used: PowerBi
The analysis helps OEM companies to explore the possibility of having multiple suppliers by reshoring or finding alternate suppliers that are local to reduce the supply chain risks. Meanwhile it helps identify opportunities for supplier companies to expand/grow their business by supplying to companies that import from outside US. The analysis is also very important to realize manufacturing opportunities in transition of automobile industry from IC engine cars to EV cars.
The project entails analyzing the relationship between access to active transportation (walking, bicycling, hiking, etc.) and the region’s economic viability in addition to how the overall transportation features impact the healthcare industry. The goal of the project being understanding what initiatives INDOT can take to make Indiana attractive to advanced industries especially the healthcare industry.
The class will be charged to investigate two, possibly three local companies with different problems. They will need to figure out their specific needs and determine where are the common issues between these manufacturers and where are the differences. After these common issues have been identified they will investigate various existing technical and commercially available products on the market as possible solutions.
The goals of this task are to develop an additive manufacturing (AM) supply chain & sustainment strategy and a digital engineering strategy. The Daniels School team is tasked to develop a simulation model to investigate the benefits of AM and how it can be best used by DOD.
The goal of the project is to understand the current permit fee structure state has in place and review necessary changes to it by providing incentives for the major truck hauling companies.
This project will involve keeping updated the relevant information. In addition, the project aims to grow the usage of the portal.
Key Actions:
Create an online educational platform that offers a wide range of programs, workshops and courses that are relevant to a variety of manufacturing companies.
Continuously update and expand the educational content to keep it relevant and aligned with the latest industry needs.
Promote the educational portal through various advertising avenues.
Tools Used: MS Excel, MySQL Workbench, MS Access
The database will include essential information about all the manufacturing companies in the state.
The market data was acquired by engaging with companies – potential partners or competitors and cold calling some businesses. This market data was used by the board-level management to decide on investment strategy for one area of the business.
Student Team: Kim Cahoon, Johanna King
This entailed the team to identify efficiency limiting steps and waste which would require attention for resolution. The team helped develop steps by revising the system to mitigate infection risk and add value to the bottom line.
Student Team: Colby Phipps, Marissa Cabrera
Student Team: Jacob Halfhill, Kartik Maheshwari
Student Team: David Ramirez, Joshua Reilly-Grim
During this semester they accomplished the following,
Created a vendor part information tracking sheet
Allowed for tracking of vendor responses & critical SAP part information
Formatted an SAP upload sheet to allow for easy data transfer
Learned how to read blueprints
Pulled necessary SAP dimensional part data from 913 blueprints
Transferring data into SAP upload sheet
Performed weekly meeting report outs
Generated a final presentation reviewing their accomplishments
Considering the obstacles of remote work and connectivity to WNC system, Hui and Jacob did an outstanding job. Their work benefited our group immensely by allowing us to focus on other activities related to this project. We are looking forward to working with the DCMME team again over the summer and hopefully into the fall semester.
Student Team: Hui Zeng, Jacob Raspe
This entailed the team to identify efficiency limiting steps and waste which would require attention for resolution. The team helped develop steps by revising the system to mitigate infection risk and add value to the bottom line.
Student Team: Kim Cahoon, Johanna King
The main objective of the project was to develop a mobile/web application for order placement and inventory management for their products. It was paramount for Bootmakers to have a digital platform for order placement, which would decrease the time dedicated for order placement by clients and help eliminate possible errors while processing the order on Bootmakers side. Another important capability of the app was an inventory management. Whenever the order will be shipped by Bootmakers, the inventory will decrease for the respective amount of UOM. Additionally, that would help customers be aware of in stock items, while placing an order. The team developed an application using Appsheet, a no code app platform, that let bootmakers’ customers have an easy access to the bootmakers products and place order using the app in addition to providing analytics on orders and inventory for the business.
Student Team: Jane Krasavina, Ana Mendez, Eleanor Didonna
The system would need to integrate with both IT and worker resources. Consideration of two leading solutions (incorporating digital app-based communications to reach all involved) led to the choice of Microsoft (MS) ‘PowerApps’ supported by other MS apps. The team set up the instructions and forms for the system to bring the project closer to realization of a working pilot system for appraisal.
Student Team: David Ramirez, Joshua Reilly-Grim, James Grimm
The Dashboard will require creating a Star data model, aggregations, multiple visualizations, and ETL layer development using the DAX editor. The Dashboards will be used at both our HTI (Heat Treat) and Small Parts (Metal Forming) operating companies. While the base Dashboard will be the same for both opco's there will be some specialization needed for each once we deploy to users.
Student Team: Rajinder Budhiraja, Vikram Narendra
With a low ‘Indiana Counties Livability Ranking’ at 68thout of 91 counties, the potential for improvement was clear. Key goals for impacting on improvement aims were addressed; these focused on 1). ca. doubling childcare capacity, 2). supporting an increase in residential housing, 3). striving to create investment of a new commercial development (including amenities to improve an underserved area of the county) and, 4). a plan to significantly improve and expand the County’s marketing and advertising channels in order to attract talent and so, fill many open job positions in the county.
Student Team: Brian Birdsall, Kayla Veeder, Ryan Melvin
This includes maintaining organization and decluttering workstations, eliminating paper redundancies, and labeling items to reduce orientation time within the facility. Furthermore, the development of a backend system that will be utilized maintaining the application and creation of an accessible database for senior management and directors. In this project, we aim to:
Reduction of Setup Time
Remove all unneeded items on shop floors and in offices
Arrange needed items for use
Increase cleanliness of facilities
Increase overall communication transparency between workers, floor managers, and top management
Standardization of monitoring and control
Next step is to create a dashboard using Power BI that not only includes the 5S data collected in the no code app but provides a framework to display other production information.
Student Team: Yijia Chen, Wenbo You, Ahmed Ali, Amy David
Deliverables will include recommendation of Biomass Direct Combustion System with following benefits:
Direct combustion allows for the production of energy by burning woody biomass
The use of scrap and waste wood significantly meets Caterpillar sustainability efforts to produce less waste and offset energy consumption with renewable sources
Energy Needs of Facility
The Large Engine Center consumes roughly 16 MkW of electricity per year
Energy needs to be offset is 25%
Solar nor wind can provide enough energy output to offset any significant amount of current energy consumption
Levelized Operations & Management Costs
Biomass provides the only solution that compares favorably to current costs per kWh of $0.07 at Indiana facility
Biomass O&M costs range from $0.05 to $0.08 per kWh, variation is dependent on fuel availability and costs.
Student Team: Alejandro Caminero JD, MEM, Alex Ning, Kendelle Rock, Teren Destajo
During this semester they accomplished the following,
Created a vendor part information tracking sheet
Allowed for tracking of vendor responses & critical SAP part information
Formatted an SAP upload sheet to allow for easy data transfer
Learned how to read blueprints
Pulled necessary SAP dimensional part data from 913 blueprints
Transferring data into SAP upload sheet
Performed weekly meeting report outs
Generated a final presentation reviewing their accomplishments
Considering the obstacles of remote work and connectivity to WNC system, Hui and Jacob did an outstanding job. Their work benefited our group immensely by allowing us to focus on other activities related to this project. We are looking forward to working with the DCMME team again over the summer and hopefully into the fall semester.
Student Team: Hui Zeng, Jacob Raspe
The successful completion and deployment of this visual dashboard will help Evonik by achieving the following objectives:
Make decisions based on facts and on current data that is periodically refreshed.
Make data more valuable by allowing every organization member to gain insights that help them perform their job better.
Save time and frustration by having all data analytics on one screen instead of flipping between screens, digging through databases, or signing into multiple analytics applications.
Get an easy-to-understand, objective view of current performance that will effectively serve as a foundation for further dialogue and surface metrics relevant to each team in a mutually understandable way.
Get an at-a-glance big picture of every critical metric needed to make informed decisions, including metrics and key performance indicators from multiple data sources, markets, and departments.
Get insight into possible problem areas so stakeholders can handle challenges proactively.
Student Team: Vikram Narendra, Rajinder Budhiraja, Vincent Hu, Amy David
Initially, the scope only included hydroelectric turbine installation, but early on, we realized through the analysis of historical water flow data and communication with employees at Evonik, the flow was not as high as the original 9MM – 14MM gallons per day that it was originally thought to be. It was found to be nearly half of that at 4.5MM gallons per day which is why we expanded the scope and included analysis of solar power as well. The study was not limited to calculating the maximum potential power generated from a turbine and solar panels but also selecting an appropriate option (if any), changes needed in effluent pipes to house the turbine, and performing a cost-benefit analysis.
The overall objective is to make recommendations for hydropower or solar installation based on the wastewater flow rate, head, solar opportunity, costs, and payback period for the client to make an informed decision regarding the feasibility and benefits of the project.
Student Team: Aadav Srimushnam Sundaranathan, Alec Patrick White, Fatoumata Coumba Niang, Amy David
Project objectives:
Perform a market analysis of EV charging stations and/or batteries
Build a marketing plan based on research to identify potential EV Charging Station OEMs who need a Tier 1 Supplier of the charging unit.
The EV wave is coming and there may be opportunities in the EV Charging station assembly. The challenge is to do the research to find out who in in that space and potential partners.
Project scope included:
Perform a market analysis of EV charging stations and/or batteries
Identify the main competitors and suppliers in the market
Analyze the size of the market (retail and commercial)
Provide a marketing plan to explore the EV charging station and battery market
Include recommendations of suppliers to develop future partnership.
Student Team: Alfred Carandang, Kristin Zalewski, Jason Farmer
Initial phase concluded with recommendation of potential electronic tool tracking system. Next step is to get client approval and initiate a Tiles pilot.
Tiles are Bluetooth trackers than can be connected to the Tile App on both iPhones and other phones. Each tile registered on the app can be given a name for tracking:
When a device is in range, you can simply open the app on your phone, tap the tile and find it - the tile then plays a tune so you can locate it
If you're out of range you can see the last location that was registered (which is taken from your phone's location at that time), so you can retrace your steps to find that lost item
It will be much harder to lose an item with multiple people being on the network, and even if it is left behind you will be able track where it last was and hear it.
Student Team: Ana Paula Trejo Mendez, Johanna King, Kevin Zeiba
Purdue Students visited and discussed these challenges and concerns with Oscar Winski’s staff and then investigated various technologies and methods for possible solutions. The student team returned to share their findings with management and on several fronts shared some of the very same thoughts which management was considering as possible best solutions, providing Oscar Winski’s staff an independent validation of their possible plans and actions.
Student Team: Rajinder Budhiraja, Vikram Narendra
provide a step-by-step workflow for drafting the change
provide instructions for each step in real time
provide access to sources of data that help draft each step in the change
provide historical examples of similar content to reference during the drafting of the change
Student Team: David Hoffman, James Schubert, Tyler Mancuso, Noah Mugmon
The goal of this project would be to develop a grid-based PLC system that lights up a LED light at the appropriate hardware bin combined with a weight scale that allows the computer to ensure the proper quantity of hardware has been pulled.
Student Team: Ethan Haeberle Grant Bolotin, Bora Schrom
If found to be incorrect, the logged information needs to be updated/corrected.
If found to be using documents on the floor that are not within the electronic 'controlled document' system, it will need to be added to the 'controlled document' system to match.
All forms must be reviewed on an annual basis.
This is typically done by printing documents and physically signing them when reviewed and then stored in a binder until the next years review. This method does not 100% prevent undocumented changes or use of a previous version on the floor. In addition to ensuring the correct documents are being used, a student could help design a user-friendly e-system that will document and schedule annual form reviews and changes, and help transition to e-signature approval, e-document control, and e-use of these controlled documents on the shop floor.
Student Team: Kim Cahoon, Cherag Keswani, Colin Lee-Au
WordPress is the world's most used web-based program and was used with the Elementor plugin to upgrade the design, appeal, and applicability across all devices. The site architecture enables interactive entry, registration, and data input to allow candidates to apply for listed jobs. The system can easily be scaled to add internal applications for job-changes and promotions. The recommended digital-app structure works with both Apple and Android platforms. We recommended including short staff-videos showing where new staff work and why they like working for this company and why, on average, their staff-retention is so much better than other local manufacturers enjoy.
Value Stream Mapping with Infection mitigation (VSMI) is a variant of Value Stream Mapping for reducing waste and increasing value-added time related to actual product-manufacturing steps/processing. VSMI is an invention by our DCMME team. The project was designed to mitigate infection risks and identify rate-limiting steps and wastes where revised systems would add value to the bottom-line.
Student Team: Marissa Cabrera & Colby Phipps
All decision-steps that would be required and a single fail-safe business model for purchase, implementation and failure mitigation were established for the company Board.
Student Team: David Ramirez & Josh Reilly-Grim
The project required the students to analyze the historical scrap data and create several grafts that showed which machine created the most scrap, identified the most probably reasons, and recommended countermeasures to reduce the scrap.
The results were presented to the Tru-Flex management team which was very appreciative.
Student Team: Mathew Matthew Caleb Gebbie, Abhilasha Satpathy
The motivation of the study is to help operations managers device strategies to improve the efficiency of their operations in assembly lines. With the use of predictive models, our goal is to help them not only understand but also evaluate the capability and performance of each workstation and assign tasks to them accordingly. Within the scope of the study, models have been developed to predict the completion times of incoming tasks so that an apt workstation can be scheduled well in advance for the planned tasks to improve production line efficiency. In addition to this, using machine learning models, various factors, and measures impacting the performance of the production line have been assessed. Also highlighted in this study are the possible features that are missing and could have been influential in this analysis.
By collaborating with a structural building components manufacturer and using their data, we build and assess various analytics models and highlight some of those models which help derive quantifiable insights that operations managers can incorporate to improve their existing processes.
Student Team: Abhishek Bhambhu, Deeksha Goyal, Mengying Sun, Sudarshan Ananthakrishnan, Yang Wang
The problem was that when assembly personnel came to the staging area looking for the next job for assembly, they were spending a great time of time looking for these carted materials, as sometimes there could be 30-40 carts of materials in the area. Purdue Students visited the site and then evaluated a variety of possible solutions, and later presented to KA management the group’s finding and reported on a commercially available and cost-effective technology solution to the problem.
The key to the problem is understanding current asset utilization, identifying idle time caused by improvident planning and improving throughout time of process. Low asset utilization is usually known as higher rate of resource waste and production cost, longer production cycle time, and lower productivity. Hard to detect the performance of asset utilization also affects managers' strategic decisions on capital investment, project planning, and risk management.
To develop the process optimization model, the first step is to define variables and parameters for each production process, construct mathematical relationships between each process stages, and identify resources and procedure constraints. Then, our team would utilize optimization tools to fulfill the goal of minimizing process start-to-start time and recommend the most efficient process plan. After exploring past operating data and measuring asset utilization rate at multiple levels, our team would identify the idle time of equipment and the waste in the actual production process. For example, unreasonable equipment running in the operating process flow results in unexpected production energy waste. Further, the model could assist monitoring the asset’s status in each batch, time period and desired level. Such a system supports managers to check asset utilization and process performance more precisely with less human effort.
Visualizing process operating patterns sparks another crucial business insight, which provides decision makers a strong tool to develop an efficient contingency plan when facing critical moments like equipment malfunctioning or project scope revision. Meanwhile, the model recommendation could ensure the anticipatory in process planning, monitoring and optimizing the utilization of plant resources.
Student Team: Luqi Chen, Yi-Chun Ku, Yuchen Li, Yu-Chuang Tsai, ChunXuan Zhang, Yang Wang
We performed LSTM-based auto encoders for anomaly detection and used an Ensemble method of Xgboost, Catboost, Adaboost, Random Forest and Support Vector Classification for failure prediction. Also, we used Deep Neural Networks to predict the probability of failure. We then used hyperparameter tuning and grid search to optimize parameters for the classifier. Using cross-validation, we evaluated our model accuracy to be about 84%.
This resulted in increasing output, reducing downtime, operational and maintenance costs.
Student Team: Medhaa Bangalore, Mankaran Singh Bahri, Medha Gupta, Soujanya Samineni, Yang Wang
The funding structure includes the toll revenue projection model (reflective of current traffic patterns), operations and maintenance cost of the bridges. We also did a comparative study of Ohio River bridge with other bridges that have similar features (physical, financial, design, policies, etc.).
The key objective of the project was to collect extensive data including employee information, location, skills and core competencies for 270 companies in the 10-county region of Indiana with the goal to develop smart people, smart processes and smart technologies through various resources.
The WHIN Supply Chain Leakage project aims to solve the issue of the Supply Chain Leakage in the Wabash 10-county region by developing a web database which will allow companies to easily access information about each other and take advantage of products and services available within the region itself resulting in reduced supply chain leakage. The database is being populated with information from participating company websites that will serve as a directory.
This project is assisting one of the scientists on finding product/market fit, economic value, and ROI for a new technology to produce synthetic graphite which would have a huge impact on cost of electric vehicle batteries and drive EV sales.
This project is assisting a scientist on Technoeconomic analysis of production and separation of rare earth metals and developing a product roadmap for the technology. The team is also studying purity vs. cost of purification vs. price of Dysprosium, Cerium & Neodymium.
The team is developing a game to simulate the capacity game and its outcomes based on various constraints on information sharing using ASP, MySQL & HTML and will launch this game to train students.
This project focuses on the identification and tracking of all people in the engagement center. In this project, live video feed from cameras set up in the center was used as input. OpenCV algorithm using tensorflow library identified and tracked people.
In this project we will be leveraging video analytics to perform crowd analysis over visitors in a room. The objective of the project is to detect and count the number of people in a room every 15 minutes. Live feed and images from preinstalled cameras will be processed by the algorithm, providing us the number of people at that instance in the room.
The team is in the early stages of company interviews and has spread the word through interactive group sessions and a WHIN launch event. In April, WHIN offered a pilot training session, where the team helped to address technology and education issues companies may be facing.
The manufacturing synchronization and container visibility projects were led by Professor Ananth Iyer. The goal of the synchronization effort was to produce all required orders on a weekly basis i.e., get to a goal of 100% weekly synchronization. But there were some key issues to consider, from differences in packaging, to differences in formulation to line production constraints to forecast variability. In addition, there were setup times that had to be kept track of as production shifted across products. With intense collaboration with P&G managers, and data at a highly granular level, the team produced a mathematical model to optimize the system that permitted both 100% weekly synchronization as well as a close to 5% projected reduction in capacity required.
The project provided a great learning experience and will appear in various forms, from class exercises to cases to academic papers in future years. The container visibility project involved a visiting faculty member from Turkey, Professor Cagri Haksoz and Ananth Iyer. They applied ideas from their past methodological papers to the estimation of the optimal way to use container visibility to improve the supply chain. Their results suggest that waiting to gather data so that it helps in the choice of contingent actions may be preferred to acting too early. Similarly, the decision of when to get this information may depend on how significant the cost of delay is to the system and how expensive the cost of taking corrective steps to remain on schedule. The container visibility project’s results are expected to be used to understand the economics of different tracking schemes for global container flows.
The team began the project by looking at different components and identifying the most critical by delay impact, supplier risk, demand variability, and other factors. From there, the team created a mathematical model to provide recommendations on optimal inventory levels. The next step was a model created in JammSim, a 3D graphic simulation tool, which visually showed how supply chain disruptions lead to manufacturing delays and the financial impact. This simulation model showed the importance of managing risk which transitioned the project into the third stage. Here the team created business continuity plans for each component. This involved conducting a risk analysis of the supplier, the substitutivity of the component, the criticality of the material, and other risk areas. A plan was created for each component of the laundry pods and areas that need to be particularly monitored. The final part was an optimization model that pulled in data from other parts of the project which enabled us to create optimal production plans for day-to-day production as well as when disruptions occur.
The project aimed at documenting the current state and mapping order processes using Visio, identifying and addressing the key gaps in the current state and proposing an anticipated future state for order process by building a Salesforce order queue for the plants located in the US.
The company was looking to optimize their operations to provide faster and on-time delivery for its services and to use their capacity more profitably. They also wanted to reduce their carbon footprint and become a green business to contribute to the environmental cause. The team from DCMME center made site visits to understand the business problem better. The site visits were also used as opportunity to interview process stakeholders working on-site. Post data collection, the team used various analyses used for solving business problems. As per the AS-IS analysis of the business operations, the following areas for improvements to reduce the carbon footprint of the business were discovered: water usage and treatment, solid waste disposal, power utilization, air emissions, and operational layout. The team listed out the long-term and short-term measures to be taken for each of these areas. The team also summarized the information needed to help Premier get started with Indiana Department of Environmental Management’s Environmental Stewardship program, and the team provided curated information to put a robust Environmental Management System in place.
Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) has partnered with DCMME Purdue students to work on developing a business ecosystem around Autonomous Vehicle Infrastructure in Indiana to help support this emerging technology and allow businesses to leverage the benefits that it brings with it. The project team will be evaluating the perception of Autonomous vehicles with the business community and identifying opportunities and key projects for INDOT to embark on. The focus of the partnership is to empower businesses to adopt and implement Autonomous Vehicles and leverage them to develop a competitive advantage.
The mapping includes gas stations, restaurants, rest areas, emergency shelters, truck parking spaces and motels. Moreover, progress has been made on completing the same for I-64 to I-94. Data comparing Federal vs. State owned roads has been compiled. Data on green space from the state tax department has been acquired which will form the base for filtering out state owned green space. This project is in its early stages, and much more data will be compiled in the future.
The proposed solution was designed to help JRDS enhance current operations and establish new business. During the course of the project, the team explored the opportunity for JRDS to pair with French Knot to carry out quality check, packing and billing for their gloves, headband, caps and other products. The other ideas for business development included bundling, packing of school supplies during start of school season, and fruit basket packing and decoration. Technologies like Light Guided Systems, Bar Coding, Microsoft HoloLens, BrainExchange, Video Analytics, and BlueVision were evaluated. These technologies would enhance the productivity of different types of employees in the facility. We proposed Light Guided System and Bar Code technology for streamlining the supply chain and quality test system. Light Guided System can be used to quality inspection, training, sorting, part knitting and sequencing. For simulation purposes, the team used SimQuick spreadsheet and JaamSim simulation software to replicate real life operations at JRDS to help improve the bidding accuracy and reduce the risk of variation from planned and actual costs.
The project objective is to model, analyze and evaluate various proposals to maximize the Gross Profits, Contribution Margin and Internal Rate of Return (IRR) to support the utilization planning for the open floor space currently available. Through the adoption of these modeling and analysis capabilities, this project will result in the following outcomes:
Written proposal and recommendation of various alternatives utilizing a variety of academic methods/tools.
Final Project Summary to support the cost justification and project return on investment, implementation plan, etc. Detailed inventory storage management models and multiple plant layouts were recommended. Also included were financial analysis, material flow and SWOT analysis for different plant configuration and optimization of storage space including holding cost analysis
Student Team: Joey Meisberger, Taylor Haws, Matt Jung, Gisela Condado, Pablo Martinez, Akshit Bajpai
The project objective is to model, analyze and evaluate various proposals to maximize the Gross Profits, Contribution Margin and Internal Rate of Return (IRR) to support the utilization planning for the open floor space currently available. Through the adoption of these modeling and analysis capabilities, this project will result in the following outcomes:
Written proposal and recommendation of various alternatives utilizing a variety of academic methods/tools.
Final Project Summary to support the cost justification and project return on investment, implementation plan, etc. Detailed inventory storage management models and multiple plant layouts were recommended. Also included were financial analysis, material flow and SWOT analysis for different plant configuration and optimization of storage space including holding cost analysis
Student Team: Matt Bobrowski, Koji Yamada, Sayan Sinha
The scope of this engagement was to both optimize inventory levels and investigate changes in production quantities for Coleman Cable. The team’s recommendations were presented in a PowerPoint presentation and Excel worksheets, and included suggestions for implementing a (Q, r) inventory control policy, focused on implementing reorder points and levels of safety stock in order to reduce lead time to the fabrication department’s customer. These reorder points and levels of safety stock were suggested according to both normal and Poisson distribution models.
Additionally, optimal production quantities (batch sizes) were proposed for 9 of CCI’s products according to the Economic Order Quantity (EOQ) model.
Student Team: Linjie Wang, David Windmiller, Xiangyang Song
Faculty Advisor: Sang-Phil Kim
The team was faced with inventory and supplier issues and acted as student consultants from Purdue for the Coleman Cable Inc. Lafayette, Indiana branch specifically in the rubber raw material department. After Coleman Cable Inc. decided to manufacture the rubber component for their products at their own facility, they were faced with new challenges in vendor and inventory management of the raw materials. The project’s main objective was to avoid shortages in inventory of the raw materials and to bring about a consistent ordering pattern. The team analyzed the data available since the production had begun and provided an excel based inventory model which dealt with the purchasing and maintenance of 45 critical parts coupled with the MRP (Material Requirements Planning) system utilization.
This solution helped reduce shortages in inventory. Students also worked towards a vendor management system by which the company could bring about an ordering pattern among 22 different suppliers. They documented the changes in processes and made the solution more flexible for future enhancements. The solution required no investment and slight adjustments were made to the internal processes to accommodate this model which helped the company reduce their production and procurement costs. As students in the Global Supply Chain Management program it was an excellent learning experience for the team to be able to apply classroom lessons to solve industry challenges. The company is currently using this model for purchasing and inventory management and is considering extending this solution to other departments with similar issues.
This project primarily dealt with made to order items, where there is immense pressure due to lead times and hence such planning is of utmost importance. The team, along with company representatives with able guidance from Dr. Julia Kalish and the GSCMI center, came up with an advanced system to estimate process losses and incorporate losses into the planning system. Traditionally, these losses lead to mismatch in inventory management and often lead to shortages. For a cable manufacturer, shortages can be very troublesome as requirements are in terms of length, and shortages in meeting requirements would mean making the entire cable again. The system developed helped CCI address the issue of matching copper lengths with insulation requirements. Having an opportunity to work with a real life problem gave the students great insights into planning systems and the impacts of how it might affect business and customer relationships in general.
