Conference Proceedings (Industrial Engineering)

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    Development of a demonstrator of big data analytics
    (South African Institute for Industrial Engineering, 2018) Butler, Rhett Desmond; Bekker, James
    Big Data Analytics is now not only being applied in the fields of science and business, but in healthcare and economic development, by organisations such as the United Nations. The research presented in this article provides a demonstration of developing a Big Data Analytics Demonstrator by integrating selected hardware and software. The components of such an analytics tool are presented, as well as the analysis of results of test data sets. Experience gained when setting up a proprietary data analytics suite is shared, and practical recommendations are made. The goal of this demonstrator is to illustrate that a system could be built to provide meaningful insights into a given dataset, by making use of free-to-use software, commodity hardware and leveraging machine learning to mine the data for these insights.
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    A decision support tool for quantifying the risk profile of south Africa’s pharmaceutical supply distribution network
    (South African Institute for Industrial Engineering, 2018-10) Nolting, Christian Wolfgang; Grobbelaar, Sara S.; Van Vuuren, Jan H.
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: South Africa is facing a serious burden of disease, which is exacerbated by a dysfunctional public health care system. Blind, general estimates are often made in respect of crucial pharmaceutical inventory variables. This results in slow-moving pharmaceutical drugs being overstocked and fast-moving drugs being understocked at outlets and distribution centres. Consequently, large wastages are incurred in terms of drugs being discarded in bulk after passing their expiration date. As a result, patients are deprived of essential medicines due to enduring stock-outs. This paper aims to present the conceptual design of a decision support tool, which aids decision makers in determining pharmaceutical inventory variables that align with key objectives and keep the best interest of patients in mind.
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    Towards a healthcare performance assessment framework : a review
    (South African Institute for Industrial Engineering, 2018) Joubert, Bronwyn; Bam, Wouter
    Improving health is the fundamental goal of all health systems, and with an evident gap between the potential of the public health system and its performance, bettering the services that provide care is critical to achieving this goal. This gap creates a need to identify and understand what drives performance so as to be able to assess how the potential can be reached. Thus, this research investigates the key inputs into a performance assessment framework and develops a core set of performance dimensions that is inclusive of all the factors that affect performance.
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    Managing customer experience using data analytics in a partnering venture
    (South African Institute for Industrial Engineering, 2018) Roos, Maryke; Bekker, James
    Today’s technologies are changing the physical, digital and biological worlds. This change impacts the economy and how industries operate. In the light of this, we ask how these changes can be incorporated into customer experience. To investigate this, a demonstrator was developed in which a customer’s activities are simulated on a full-scale partnering platform while the business data are captured and analysed. The focus is on the domain of travel, in which customers use several modes of transportation while engaging with various collaborating enterprises. This paper will discuss the results and findings obtained, showing how customer experience can be managed and improved with the use of data analytics in a partnering venture.
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    Shaping the future of residential housing projects – breakthrough in mindset and technology
    (South African Institute for Industrial Engineering, 2018) Stimie, Johann
    The objective of this paper is to illustrate how the application of Fourth Industrial Revolution principles and technology during the construction and management of a residential housing development can add value and contribute to the well-being of property owners, managers and residents. In the pursuit of this objective the methodologies involved in the development of formal theory seemed most appropriate to achieve these objectives. Building theory from case studies is a research strategy that involves using one or more cases to create theoretical constructs, from case-based, empirical evidence. In the paper the nature and extent of the South African residential housing landscape is firstly described. Some of the challenges inherent to the development and management of large scale residential developments are then discussed. A solutions framework to address some of these challenges consisting of six core elements is then presented. These core elements are a Centrailised Hot Water System powered by a PV plant, smart metering of three utilities (electricity, cold water and hot water), an automated shut-off mechanism for hot water, an Integrated Utilities Management Platform, an optimized utilities payment protocol and a Smart Payment Application. The paper concludes with an evaluation of the impact of the framework measured against the three core design objectives namely increased control, optimized operational efficiency and sustainability.