Final year projects (Baccalaureus Theses) (Industrial Engineering)

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An assessment of the implementation of teleradiology in the Eastern Cape towards the enhanced utilisation of the system
(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2010-12) Hauman, Charlotte; Van Dyk, L.; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Engineering. Dept. of Industrial Engineering.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Telemedicine is the use of communication and information technology (ICT) to enable the delivery of specialised health care services. In a developing country like South Africa where there is a shortage of medical specialists, telemedicine is an innovative tool that can contribute to the equitable distribution of resources such as specialist knowledge. The problem is that the past decade has seen numerous telemedicine initiatives being introduced in the country, with little sustainability and low utilisation rates. The initiatives being introduced need to be monitored and evaluated to ensure the sustained implementation and complete adoption of the telemedicine systems in the country. This project focuses on a specific South African telemedicine initiative, the teleradiology system in the Eastern Cape province, with the purpose to provide an assessment of the implementation of the system and a framework towards the enhanced utilisation of the system. Literature is studied comprehensively to find a broad perspective on the factors involved when teleradiology is implemented. Four barriers to the sustained implementation of teleradiology are identified, namely technological, organisational, behavioural and economical barriers. These barriers are discussed with regard to the literature and then the broad perspective is narrowed by applying the literature to various aspects of the Eastern Cape system. This application follows a visit as part of a project team from the Medical Research Council of South Africa and the University of Stellenbosch in June 2010 to monitor and evaluate telemedicine in the Eastern Cape. Research was done using surveys, interviews and observations and valuable exposure to the system was obtained. The four implementation barriers and examples of the Eastern Cape system are integrated into a discussion of the entire teleradiology system. The assessment of the system is concluded with an engineering view point of providing an alternative solution and the evaluation of alternatives. It is anticipated that the project will contribute to the available literature on the sustained implementation of teleradiology and telemedicine in a developing country such as South Africa and provide decision makers and managers of telemedicine in the Eastern Cape with an original view on the system and a framework towards the enhanced implementation of the teleradiology system.
Automated real-time performance feedback and time study using computer vision technology
(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2011-10) Von Petersdorff, Hagen Alexander; Van der Merwe, A. F.; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Engineering. Dept. of Industrial Engineering.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This final year project report describes the creation of a computer vision solution to assess worker performance in a manual labour environment. Time-study data is gathered by the system and performance feedback is given to workers in real-time. The system consists of a Microsoft Xbox Kinect camera, connected via USB to a PC. The Kinect camera is used alongside OpenNI software to perform skeletal-tracking on the worker, and this data is processed by an application created in C++ to perform cycle recognition. Performance is calculated by assessing the time period between successive cycles and simple feedback is given to the worker after each cycle by an LCD display. Performance data are stored for subsequent analysis.
Capability profile of an additively manufacturing machine based on the selective laser melting process
(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2011-10) Mantel, Jessica Kirsten; Dimitrov, D. M.; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Engineering. Dept. of Industrial Engineering.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Additive Manufacturing is a relatively young technology that involves the layer-by-layer addition of material in solid, liquid or powder form to create parts. It is ideally suited for producing complex parts with small production batches. The industrial applications of these techniques as well as the advantages and disadvantages of Additive Manufacturing are explored and an overview of the different Additive Manufacturing techniques is detailed. Selective Laser Melting is one Additive Manufacturing technique that is discussed further and the characteristics of the M2 Laser CUSING machine and the EOSINT M 270 machine are detailed. A capability profile of various Additive Manufacturing machines is ultimately formed and this capability profile is used to identify the applicability of the different machine types to the Tooling, Medical and Aerospace/Motor Industries.
A decision-making tool for the evaluation and selection of Project Management Information System (PMIS) Software
(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2011-10) Rautenbach, Ona; Schutte, C. S. L.; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Engineering. Dept. of Industrial Engineering.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The use of a Project Management Information System (PMIS) provides many benefits to organizations involved in project work. These systems can be seen as information managers that integrate and control information flows to assist management in gaining an overview of past and present events, as well as enable them to make future predictions. However, with organizational needs varying, and features provided by these systems covering different project management areas, finding the correct fit between the organization and the most comprehensive system is difficult. The vast amount of evaluation criteria, and the variety of software packages on the market, further complicates the problem. This report addresses this problem by developing a decision-making tool based on multi-criteria decision-making methods, more specifically, the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). A structured development methodology was followed to develop the tool. It includes the initial attainment of knowledge of the Project management, and management information system environments. Next the criteria on which the model would be based was selected from these environments in terms of functional-, organizational-, and software acquisition requirements, resulting in fourteen specific criterions. The final decision-making tool was then developed by utilizing the AHP methods as well as Visual Basic programming in Excel. The criteria were structured in a hierarchy, and alternatives were measured against each of these criterions to obtain a weighted rank of the alternatives. The final result can be seen as an easy-to-use tool that covers a comprehensive range of decisionmaking criteria. The tool can be used in collaboration with other methods to aid users in PMIS software selection. An evaluation of the tool by experts confirmed that the tool could be used successfully in the project management environment, provided some adjustments are made. The valued opinion of these experts and the entire development process was document to allow future expansions and improvements.
Designing a decision support tool for nurse scheduling at Stellenbosch Hospital
(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2011-12) Friedrich, Sonja; Van Dyk, L.; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Engineering. Dept. of Industrial Engineering.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Providing sufficient healthcare to all South African citizens is of significant concern to government. Major problem areas lie in the prevention and control of epidemics, allocation of resources and health systems management. The majority of the government facilitated hospitals in South Africa experience difficulty in attaining health care targets due to these problems. Stellenbosch Hospital, an 85- bed, non-profit public facility that serves a community of 170 000 people, is no exception. A root cause analysis revealed that an insufficient nurse scheduling process is the underlying cause of numerous problems and that a lack of worker morale is the largest predicament at Stellenbosch Hospital. Different motivational theories are investigated and it is concluded that worker morale at the hospital can be improved by empowering nurses to gain more control over schedules, and that the nurse scheduling process can be enhanced by supporting nurse scheduling with a decision support tool. The purpose of the decision support tool is scoped to deal with day and night scheduling and nurse-to-ward assignments particularly, as this is largest amount of work for the unit managers. Additionally it is decided to involve nurses in the annual day and night schedule as well as the ward preferences, as this has the most significant impact on nurses’ work lives. The inputs and expected outcomes of the decision support tool are discussed and the development platform was chosen to be a combination of Visual Basics and Microsoft Excel, as these programs are powerful and freely available. After careful consideration of different nurse scheduling methods linear programming and a self-developed algorithm were chosen by making use of the Analytical Hierarchy Process. The day and night schedule is solved with an integer programming model, with the drawback being the inflexibility of the fixed quarters which nurses can select, as well as the rigidity of the model and the suboptimal solution which needs rounding. The day and night scheduling results are an input to the self-developed algorithm, which imitates the thought process of the unit managers scheduling process to arrive at a feasible solution. The key to this method is the nurses available over nurses required ratio which drives the algorithm. A flowchart supporting the documentation and understanding of the code has been developed along with a testing table to verify the results of the code.
The development of a generic simulation model of citrus packing lines
(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2011-10) Beukes, H. T.; Schutte, C. S. L.; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Engineering. Dept. of Industrial Engineering.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The design of a citrus packhouse is a time-consuming process and the construction of such a facility is extremely expensive. Most packhouses, however, consist of identical operations. It has been proposed that a generic simulation model can be developed in order to assist engineers in decision-making and evaluation during the design or redesign of citrus packhouses. This project is concerned with the development of such a model. The report consists of five major phases, namely the problem identification phase, the solution approach identification phase, the solution development phase, the verification and validation phase and the recommendation and conclusion phase. The problem identification phase is focused on the formulation of the problem and a discussion of the major functions and operations within a citrus packhouse. Simulation modelling has been identified as an appropriate tool to develop the solution and a roadmap for the development of such a model has been identified. The solution development phase entails the construction and computerization of the simulation model according to the proposed roadmap. The techniques employed to ensure the validity of the model are described in the verification and validation phase. The recommendations and conclusion phase entails a discussion of how the model can be used to perform experiments and the final remarks regarding the model are discussed. The model developed during the course of this project can be used to assist engineers to evaluate proposed designs and evaluate the effect of certain parameters on the system. The model is generic and can be used to represent almost any citrus packhouse.
Estimating the threat of water scarcity in the Breede River Valley : a forecast-based analysis
(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2011-11) Bester, Stephanie Elizabeth; Visser, T.; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Engineering. Dept. of Industrial Engineering.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Water is a scarce resource in South Africa and especially in the Western Cape. It is, therefore, vital to manage it properly. There are a number of factors that make the task of managing water difficult. Climate change is one of these factors. It cannot be controlled and holds much uncertainty. In order to provide information for managers to plan water supply and demand in the in the Breede Water Management Area (WMA) effectively, the objective of this study is to forecast possible high, normal and low water demand and supply scenarios (Chapter 4). Furthermore this study will inform managers on the extent of the threat of the expected water scarcity occurring in the Breede River Valley through the scenarios. It was seen that all scenarios indicate shortfalls within the forecasting period of 20 years. In the best case scenario, which is already severe, water shortages will occur 12 years from now. In the worst case scenario water shortages will occur within 6 years from now. These results show that planners and developers are afforded a lead time of approximately 6 years to affect the required interventions. One possible solution involves building dams in the mountain ranges to exploit the catchment areas. The idea is that gravity fed water will be supplied to farmers from these dams – nullifying the necessity to draw irrigation water from the Breede River. It is recommended that further studies must be done to determine the feasibility and the environmental impact of interventions to reduce the expected water scarcity in the Breede River Valley.
Evaluating railway safety by observing the current condition of level crossings in the Western Cape
(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2011-12) Malan, Ilse; Visser, T.; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Engineering. Dept. of Industrial Engineering.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Annually a number of fatal accidents occur at level crossings in South Africa. It is assumed that these kinds of accidents could be avoided if the road and rail systems and intersections are managed properly. This final year project evaluates railway safety by observing the current condition of level crossings in the Western Cape. The goal of this study is to identify contributing factors that increase the likelihood of an injury occurring in a collision between a vehicle and a train. Once the factors have been identified plans of action can be developed to strive to decrease level crossing collisions from occurring. This could save numerous lives and lots of money. The research problem at hand is to try and determine why this class of accidents occur and to indicate how management can be improved to reduce the number of incidents annually. Accident data was collected from the Western Cape area between the period 1999 and 2010. A correlation study was performed on the different contributing variables. Logistical regression was used with the occurrence of an injury set as dependent variable. Variables that influence the occurrence of an injury was identified as day of the week, time of the day, good visibility, type of road and type of vehicle. Stellenbosch’s biggest level crossing was evaluated against the South African Traffic Road Signs Manual (Brain, 1999). It was found that the level crossing met the standards that were set by the South African Department of Transport. Then a case study of one accident was done to determine the reason for the accident. Driver error was found to be the main cause of the accident. A survey study was done to determine whether people are making errors due to lack of knowledge. The study indicated that people do not know what to do at level crossings. Furthermore it was found that the South African driving test is out-dated and failing at educating drivers. The recommendation at hand is to restructure South Africa’s driver tests. A new more advanced test should be developed. Proper driver education is necessary to increase safety at level crossings. The interim solution would be to put up traffic lights at level crossings.
Evaluation of existing robot technologies for deep level mining applications
(2011-11) Louw, S. E.; Matope, Stephen; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Engineering. Dept. of Industrial Engineering.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Mining starts with the extraction of underground resources, but quickly progresses to more complex situations. As the mining depth increase the technical challenges and difficulty to retrieve resources rises. The future deep level mining environment is considered too immense a risk for human labour. Therefore, robot technology is considered as an alternative. This imposes the need to develop and improve current mining technology and equipment. This study evaluates robot technologies for deep level mining applications. Firstly, the constraints of robots associated in deep-level mining environments are identified. Thereafter, various existing robot technologies are analysed to categorize functional attributes of each robot. These were assessed with regard to the constraints, establishing a basis for selection of feasible robot technology. Recommendations are made on how to improve the existing robot technology to compensate for specific conditions. It is concluded that it is vital to develop improved technology on existing robots technologies in order to mine at deep levels. In collaboration with technology- and mining companies a mechanized mining concept was developed from these evaluations.
The functional design of a project management information system : case study with South African Breweries Ltd
(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2011-10) Bester, Anna Ju-Marie; Schutte, C. S. L.; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Engineering. Dept. of Industrial Engineering.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Globalization and the internationalization of markets have increased competitive pressures on business enterprises. This has led companies to engage in projects that are vital to their performance, if not their survival. These projects need to be managed, that is, they need to be planned, staffed, organized, monitored, controlled, and evaluated. In order to succeed, companies must deliver projects on time and within budget, and meet specifications while managing project risks. While large amounts of time, resources are dedicated to selecting and designing projects, it remains of supreme importance that projects be adequately managed in organizations if they are to achieve their performance objectives. Thus, to provide a tool for the successful management of project, this final year project presents a project management information system (PMIS). The value of a PMIS and a description of a PMIS as well as the essential elements and components of a PMIS are offered. Furthermore, the information- and system requirements are provided. The final year project also describes how to use a PMIS within the management of a project. A description of PMIS hardware and software is suggested together with the desirable features of a PMIS to aid project managers to choose and design a specific PMIS that meets the requirements and needs for a specific project. In order to validate and verify the information gathered from literature and experience, a research test model is presented to prove that a PMIS is the correct model to use within project management as well as to prove that the model is defined and described correctly. An altered information audit and Pareto analysis is used with the aim of measuring and evaluating the current PMIS within South African Breweries Ltd against the essential information- and system requirements found. Conclusions and case specific recommendations are made to provide SAB Ltd with concrete solutions that will improve productivity and project success rate. This in turn will have a positive influence on SAB Ltd on their road towards meeting their company goals.
A health systems engineering approach to meeting the demand for skilled foetal ultrasound services in the Boland/Overberg public health district
(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2010-10) Uys, Nina; Van Dyk, L.; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Engineering. Dept. of Industrial Engineering.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: In its Millennium Development Goals, the United Nations prioritizes the improvement of maternal health in developing countries. The World Health Organization argues that this can be done through improving the accessibility and quality of basic maternal health care, which includes ultrasound services. In South Africa, many clinics and hospitals have ultrasound machines, but there is a lack of skilled personnel to operate them and to provide safe and meaningful service. The purpose of this project was to find an optimal combination of technology and business processes to meet the sonography skills shortage in South Africa in a sustainable way. Alternative solutions to educating a nurse or midwife at a rural clinic in sonogram acquisitioning and interpretation were investigated. The technological requirements for each were identified. An information and communications technology audit was then done to determine if these solutions are technologically feasible. All of the systems were deemed feasible. These solutions were then tested for their economic feasibility through an analytic hierarchy process. From these two feasibility studies, the most feasible solution was an asynchronous tele-ultrasound system. This system was developed by the Biomedical Engineering Research Group and the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology (OB/GYN) at the University of Stellenbosch, in collaboration with the Department of Bioengineering at the University of Washington. The system is composed of a portable ultrasound machine, a laptop and a server. It was evaluated in 2008 by a midwife in South Africa and three OB/GYN specialists in the United States of America. The midwife had low-level pre-existing ultrasound knowledge and interpretation skills. The legal requirements for the implementation of the system in a Boland/Overberg public health district clinic were evaluated. Next, through process reengineering, the new system was designed to be incorporated in a typical consultation between a nurse and pregnant patient. Finally, the scheduling requirements to ensure the success evaluation and safety of the system were done. It was found that overall this system is feasible within the Boland/Overberg health district. Further studies were recommended for the further implementation of the system.
Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of various solar heat technologies
(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2011-12) Winterbach, Francois; Van Schalkwyk, T. D.; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Engineering. Dept. of Industrial Engineering.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Energy is an essential part of the world today. It is difficult to imagine a world without it. Modern day households rely on it for daily activities and preservation of food. Industries rely on it for manufacturing and processing. The business world relies on it for ease of transactions and transfers. Media depends on it for the gathering and distribution of information. Night life will be much more difficult without advantage of lights. The major concern is that the means by which most of the energy is produced causes harm to humans and the environment, including the fauna and flora. Coal fire is the most prominent way of producing energy, but since it creates the most harm to the environment, alternatives ways of energy production must be looked at. Other non-renewable energy sources include oil, natural gas and nuclear energy. All of these have the potential to be very harmful to the environment. That is why renewable sources of energy should be considered. Such sources include wind energy, hydro-energy, solar energy and geothermal energy. Solar power towers are a solar thermal alternative for energy production. It uses solar radiation as fuel for the energy generation process. The physical components of this technology are the heliostat field, the power tower and various machines used in the power generation cycles. The function of the heliostat field is to intercept, redirect and concentrate direct solar radiation to a receiver which sits at the top of a power tower. In this project the heliostats that are necessary to fuel a 100 MW power tower is analysed to determine the environmental impact throughout their life time. This is a cradle to grave assessment, which means that the entire life cycle is considered from the acquiring of raw materials to the disposal of the functional unit. Software was used to do the life cycle assessment of the heliostat field. From the result obtained it could be seen which emissions are produced during which processes and the magnitude of the effect that they have on different environmental categories.
Life cycle assessment of the brayton cycle in a combined cycle hybrid solar central receiver power plant
(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2011-12) Le Clus, Jeanne; Van Schalkwyk, Theuns Dirkse; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Engineering. Dept. of Industrial Engineering.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: In the past decade global concern for energy security and the negative environmental impacts caused by fossil fuels has caused the global power industry to become more focused in a search for alternative energy sources and solutions. The need for renewable, sustainable green energy sources to reduce the long term impacts caused by current pollution is becoming evident and unavoidable. A promising solution proposes utilizing energy harnessed from the sun; it is clean, abundant and renewable (Bensebaa, 2010). There are different ways of introducing solar thermal energy into fossil fuel fired power generating plants currently in operation, presenting a partial or complete alternative to reduce or replace the usage of fossil fuels (Popov, 2011). The Department of Mechanical and Mechatronic Engineering at Stellenbosch University is currently involved in the evaluation and development of different solar thermal power generating plants (Ficker, 2011). One of these plants, the model on which this project is based, is a hybrid combined cycle solar central receiver. This model utilizes a combined cycle referred to as the Stellenbosch University Solar Power Thermodynamic (SUNSPOT) cycle. This project addresses the Brayton cycle, the first cycle in the SUNSPOT combined cycle concept. A Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) was chosen as the environmental sustainability technique to determine the impacts which the Brayton cycle will have on the environment. A Gate-to-Grave LCA has been conducted on the Brayton cycle, thus taking the operational life of the cycle as well as the disposal of its components into account. GaBi software has been used as environmental sustainability tool to conduct the LCA. Interpreting the GaBi output showed that the global warming potential (GWP) is the indicator of the most significant environmental impacts of the Brayton cycle, thus the CO2 emissions of the power plant are compared with several fossil fuelled power plants. It became clear that a hybrid solar combined cycle power plant has much lower carbon dioxide emissions than a conventional fossil fuel power plant. Notably, unlike solo solar thermal power plants, the carbon emissions are not small enough to be seen as negligible.
Managerial support for an optometry practice : a business analytics study
(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2011-12) Kotze, Melandi; Visser, T.; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Engineering. Dept. of Industrial Engineering.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The South African optometry industry has limited literature available regarding the ideal management of optometry practices. This makes it difficult for optometry practices to evaluate their performance in order to make better informed decisions for the future of their practice. According to other studies done on the South African optometry industry, optometry practice management is not initially included in the optometry post graduate or undergraduate programs. Therefore managerial skills and knowledge in most optometry practices is very limited. This report studied a specific optometry practice that strives for better business management in order to breakeven as soon as possible and to become profitable. The approach to the project was to evaluate the practice’s performance in comparison with the industry benchmarks that is available. The industry benchmarks are United States based, but can be used as a good approximation of the South African industry, seeing as literature was found to support this assumption. It was found that the practice is performing well in terms of the industry benchmarks, but certain areas were identified where there is improvement potential. These areas were analysed in more detail in order to generate possible solutions that could possibly improve the management procedures and processes used in the optometry practice. It was found that the major setback for the practice is the lack of clients in general and specifically contact lens clients. When the client base expands the revenue will increase. This report provides recommendations to aid the management procedures in the practice in order to attract more clients and to ultimately become profitable.
Multi-objective optimisation in the retail banking industry with stochastic discrete-event simulation
(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2011-12) Scholtz, Esmarie; Bekker, James; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Engineering. Dept. of Industrial Engineering.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Cash management is a multi-objective optimisation problem which aims to maximise the service level provided to customers at minimum cost. The topic of du Toit's (2011) masters thesis was automated teller machice (ATM) cash management for a specific South African retail bank. Focus was placed on an ATM network which primarily provides cash to blue collar laborers in the rural Eastern Cape. The aim of this final year project is to refine the work done by du Toit through the specific investigation into the effect of applying a combination of the vehicle routing problem (VRP) and continuous review policy for inventory management to the retail banking industry. A decision support system (DSS) in the form of a stochastic, discrete-event simulation model is developed. 90 different scenarios are experimented with using the DSS. Results show that the application of the VRP consistently yields high service levels at low cost when compared to two other routing approaches: first-in- first-out routing and direct replenishment. It is concluded that use of the VRP is especially beneficial when the bank has substantial control over transportation cost. The principal recommendation is therefore that cost control should be maximised to fully exploit the advantages obtainable from effective cash management. Finally, it is argued that the benefits to be gained from effective cash management (higher service levels at lower cost) can lead to the improvement of the lives of many a South African wage earner. These benefits could also lead to an increased profit margin - life is all about choices.
Paving the way for the use of prediction modelling in a health care environment
(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2011-10) Van Zyl, Ilse; Van Dyk, L.; Visser, T.; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Engineering. Dept. of Industrial Engineering.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The high cost of hospitalisation is a challenge for many health insurance companies, governments and individuals alike. In 2006, studies concluded that well over $30 billion was spent on unnecessary hospitalisations in the United States of America, where unnecessary hospitalisations are those that could have been prevented through early patient diagnosis and treatment. Undoubtedly, there is room for improvement in this regard and it can be agreed that where lives are at stake, prevention is always better than cure; successful hospitalisation prediction may make hospitalisation prevention a realistic possibility. The Heritage Provider Network, a health insurance and health care provider and sponsor of the Heritage Health Prize (HHP) Competition, have come to realise the potential benefits that a hospitalisation prediction model could effect (Heritage Provider Network Health Prize, 2011). The competition is aimed at producing an effective hospitalisation prediction patient admissions algorithm (PPAA) to predict the amount of days a member will be hospitalised in the next period using health insurance claims data of the current period. The goal is to ultimately prevent the unnecessary hospitalisation of identified members in their network. If successful this could have many benefits to the wider society including fewer critical medical cases, fewer claims and consequently lower expenses for all stakeholders in the affected system. The competition serves as inspiration for this study which aims to pave the way for the research team who will be developing such a PPAA. This was accomplished by providing insights and identifying possible pitfalls in the development of a Predictive Patient Admission Algorithm (PPAA) using the Heritage Health Prize case study as a reference. Typically available hospitalisation data that serves as input for the PPAA are briefly described, together with recommendations on methods and technologies with which to extract, transform and load (ETL) data within this context. A list of contender techniques was assembled based on the given data, the algorithm’s expected input requirements and the techniques’ ability to meet these needs. The prediction modelling techniques reviewed include classification and regression trees (CART), multivariate adaptive regression splines (MARS), neural networks and ensemble methods. Techniques were compared in terms of a set of criteria needed to use the available data and give the desired outputs. Page iv The data mining technologies considered to model with the preferred technique include Statistica data miner, SPSS Clementine, SAS Enterprise Miner, Matlab, Excel with VBA and R. These technologies were also compared on how well they can model available data with the contender techniques. The research team’s compatibility with technologies was also considered. Recommendations concerning the prediction modelling technique was using ensemble methods and the choice of technology for ETL was SQL Server and for prediction model building recommendations are Statistica, R or Matlab. Experimentation was conducted with selected CART, MARS and the Random Forests techniques in the available technologies in order to support future prediction modelling decisions of the research team. It was concluded that the included predictor variables do not have sufficient predictive power for the use of CART, MARS and Neural Networks and that Random Forests deliver more favourable results and it was recommended that this modelling should be explored further for the use of the HHP application.
Pick 'n Pay online shopping
(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2011-12) Walker, Pia; Schutte, Cornelius Stephanus Lodewyk ; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Engineering. Dept. of Industrial Engineering.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The topic of this project is online shopping at Pick n Pay. The service is currently inefficient and needs to be improved. Customers are sometimes left unhappy as they often do not receive their orders on time or receive the wrong items or items are left out of the order as they were not available in the store, although the website indicated that they are. Due to the initial problems, some of the customers who started to use the service regularly have not become inactive. Pick n Pay now needs to improve this service in order to win their customers back and turn this into a profitable business. To remodel the current online shopping model a number of steps have to be taken. In this report other online shopping companies are investigated to obtain reasons of their success or failure in order to ensure Pick n Pay avoids making the same mistakes and adopts a successful approach. An analysis of Pick n Pay‟s only online grocery shopping competitor in South Africa, Woolworths, is then undertaken. The current Pick n Pay model is analysed from beginning to end and the objectives of the new model are identified. Problem areas are then identified and solutions are provided in order to solve these problems and/or improve the current model. The focus areas include the website, the selection of stores used for online shopping orders, in store methods (picking, checkout, etc.), delivery time slots and transportation methods. Results are then concluded and a new model for the service is provided.
Quantification and evaluation of customer travelling experience using quality management tools
(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2011-12) Skuce, Emile; Fourie, C. J.; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Engineering. Dept. of Industrial Engineering.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: "There are approximately 3,9 million public transport commuters. The 2,5 million taxi commuters account for over 63 percent of public transport work trips, bus services account for another 22 percent of public transport commuters and the balance are carried to work by train." [arrivealive.co.za, June 2011]. This study was done in 2005, today there are much more train commuters. The Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA)/Metrorail Management in Maintenance Management is a newly established research team in the Department of Industrial Engineering. During an initial planning session, various projects were identified, many ideally suited for final-year projects. One such project is the quantification and evaluation of the experience of passengers onboard the PRASA coaches with the aim of improving quality. One of the mission statements of PRASA is to give their passengers an experience they will never forget. It is therefore important to PRASA management and staff to be able to quantify this experience. Not only is the comfort and service of importance, but also the reliability, adherence to schedules and overall safety. The current customer satisfaction index is around 66% and with different actions taken by PRASA it has not improved as much. The information from this project will be valuable to align all of the customer and coach aspects. During the project, a study of certain services within PRASA, to ultimately improve the overall efficiency of PRASA and its employees, at the customer levels will be undertaken. The project helped in determining the PRASA coach and service factors that are most important to the commuters and that require improvement. Firstly, the research and study of various techniques and principles used to evaluate customer experiences was done to ensure a successful collection, translation, and use of the collected data through surveys. It was required to determine all the boundaries of the project in order to work within the given scope. The study on surveys and questionnaires was done next, to understand all the principles, steps and procedures involved for a successful survey. A study on the use of a Quality Function Deployment (QFD) model and a scoring system was undertaken and used to ensure that the collected data from the surveys can be interpreted to relevant results and recommendations. For the most effective use of the results, the Pareto principle was studied and used to ensure that the best results on the improvement of the customer experience would come from the least amount of improvement features. Department of Industrial Engineering Page vi Whilst the survey was undertaken, various observations and comments from the commuters were noted. These observations and comments were further studied to retrieve additional information on the commuter experience and were used to give more relevant recommendations. Most of the observations and comments refer to the questions asked and the results obtained within the survey. Data verification was done, to ensure that the data collected from the survey are reliable and useable. It showed that the data is usable, without large margins of deviation. Next the data analysis was done, to get results and suggest recommendations to improve on the results. The results and recommendations of all the most important features, which were obtained by using the scoring system and the Pareto principle, of the coaches and service are given within the report. These most important aspects are; the timeliness of the coaches, the safety onboard the coaches and on the platforms against criminal offences, the cleanliness of the coaches, and no technical failures or train breakdowns. Most of these important aspects can be overcome if an effective maintenance plan is in place.
A study of Shoprites imported non-foods supply chain
(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2011-12) Du Toit, Nina; Von Leipzig, Konrad; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Engineering. Dept. of Industrial Engineering.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The Shoprite retail group, based in South Africa, imports over 90% of their non-food goods. Two routes for transporting imports to Johannesburg were studied, specifically, (1) cross-docking the goods through distribution centres in Cape Town and, (2) direct shipments of entire containers via the port of Durban. A literature study comprised of research on supply chain management, logistics and the purchasing supply chain function was conducted. The literature study described various supply chain techniques, such as centralised distribution, and summarised ways of measuring and improving supply chains. An analysis based on the company’s strategies and financial and other data was used to determine the best route. The cross-docking route via Cape Town was chosen as it is aligned with the current company strategies and aids the visual management system used. There is no significant cost saving when using the Cape Town route, eliminating the choice to base the routing decision solely on financial implications. A detailed analysis of Shoprite’s process of importing revealed several problems. The high demurrage cost was studied further and it was shown that a lack of control of the timing of the release of goods from the supplier causes container storage costs to rise. The suggestion of implementing a freight forwarder to monitor the consolidation and timely shipment of goods was made. The promotion of communication between the buyers, suppliers, replenishers and distribution centre management was further identified as a major stumbling block for improved efficiency. If rectified, it would enable the supply chain to be flexible and allow management of the supply chain as a whole, instead of management of individual parts. An important classification was that of the distribution centres as the bottleneck in the supply chain. The supply chain can be improved by managing the flow of imported goods according to the capacity of the distribution centres. The project achieved its aims of identifying a route that should be used to import non-food goods from the East and of assessing the supply chain to provide improvement strategies.
Telemedicine for primary healthcare : development of a decision support framework for a clinical pull approach to telemedicine implementation
(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2009-11) Treurnicht, Maria Jacoba; Van Dyk, L.; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Engineering. Dept. of Industrial Engineering.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Telemedicine refers to the delivery of healthcare services by means of information and communication technology (ICT). Telemedicine, being an ICT, has appealed to engineers as an opportunity for innovative development, making technology the primary driver of telemedicine development. This technology-push model where engineers pursue challenging technological goals primarily does not guarantee appropriate and quality healthcare. It is therefore also necessary to assess the true need of the population and develop a comprehensive framework to implement and develop technology only as a means and not a goal in itself. The Medical Research Council (MRC) and Stellenbosch University (SU) department of Electrical and Electronic engineering jointly developed a telemedicine workstation, specifically for primary healthcare in South Africa. This workstation ensures effective communication between healthcare facilities to capture and send diagnostic data of patients between the facilities. Although the technology-push approach followed was successful, further development of the workstation requires a clinical-pull approach to address the specific needs of the population. The purpose of this project is therefore to support decision making with respect to the future development and implementation of telemedicine workstations. A decision support framework is developed and validated using the MRC/SU telemedicine workstation as a reference. The decision support framework developed in this project can be used as a tool for developing regional telemedicine strategy. Future use of this tool requires the population of a data warehouse developed in this project by extracting, transforming and loading data from clinical data sources. The data warehouse serves as a platform for specification analysis and mathematical models to evaluate possibilities for telemedicine in the region. The data sources for this project are health information systems and patient files. Data are extracted from the patient files, transformed and loaded into a database, developed for this purpose. Data from three facilities (Grabouw Community Health Centre, Robertson- and Ceres Hospitals) in the Western Cape are used, representing a region relevant for telemedicine lementation. The data warehouse is populated from the data loaded into the database to package the data in a usable format for data analysis. Diagnosis data together with telemedicine device profiles are used in the data analysis.The possibility of telemedicine implementation at a facility is evaluated using mathematical models. Engineering economics are used to determine the economic feasibility of a basic telemedicine workstation at a chosen facility. Potential telemedicine device utilisation at this facility is evaluated using mixed integer programming. This study serves as a pilot project to develop and validate the decision support framework. The scope of this project is limited to a specific region suitable for telemedicine workstation implementation. This project is therefore not aimed to provide only general solutions for telemedicine. It is a generic tool to enable decision makers to implement telemedicine as a needs driven technology in specific regions in South Africa.

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