The Journal of Industrial Technology

Inventory Management to Reduce Product Administration Costs and Design Improvement of Packaging to Reduce Shipping Cost: A Case Study of AAA Company Limited

2024-04-17T08:51:30+07:00

AAA Company Limited operates a tutoring school business with branches across the country. The past COVID-19 pandemic situation has led to changes in consumer buying behavior, with fewer in-store purchases and increased online shopping. The company, therefore, decided to transform its book order and delivery system into a 100% online operation, a shift from the previous method of selling and receiving books mainly in stores. With this change, the researchers identified problems with inappropriate packaging for delivery and found issues of a large amount of unsold inventory, affecting the cost of storage, and issues with outdated products. The purpose of this research is to reduce the cost of inventory, and the cost of outdated products, as well as to reduce the shipping costs and improve the packaging used for shipping parcels. The results from using SWOT Analysis and TOWS Matrix for strategic planning, with an example of the top 5 selling products, showed that operational and inventory costs could be reduced by more than 11,056,738.81 baht. This budget can be allocated to the development and improvement of other processes. Furthermore, using the ABC Analysis theory to manage product categories could reduce storage costs by 433,616.04 baht/year and also reduce the cost of ordering additional books by 733,595.71 baht in the year 2023. In addition, the holding cost can be saved 55,621.29 baht/year. Using weight dimensions as a principle in packaging design can also reduce transportation costs by 379,762 baht per year, and adjusting packaging quality can reduce costs by a total of 459,718.60 baht/year.

Design and Construction of Compost Production System Controlled by the Internet of Things

2024-04-17T10:03:02+07:00

This research focuses on designing and assembling a compost production system using cow manure and asparagus plants as raw materials. This system is controlled by the Internet of Things to reduce the cost of purchasing organic and chemical fertilizers, increase the fertility of nutrients in the soil, and reduce toxic air pollution caused by burning asparagus trees. The process uses three compost piles. The first one uses the technique of scheduling watering inside the fertilizer pile. The second one uses watering techniques in piles based on the set fertilizer moisture, and the third pile uses Maejo engineering techniques number one. This study includes designing and assembling compost pile control, then designing and programming an Arduino IDE to contact MCU ESP8266. The network side uses Netpie 2020 as a controller and display. This research adopted Node-Red as a gateway to support the future use of InfluxDB and Grafana. To maintain system stability, a backup was made in case of a cloud server failure of Netpie 2020 using MySQL, creating a database to store data from the sensor into the server, and using Line notify to report the operating conditions of the system. The fertilizer composted over a period of 60 days was taken to measure the amount of minerals and nutrients, the nitrogen and phosphorus elements of all three stacks were similar which is greater than the standard level of organic fertilizer (grade A). However, the potassium level is substandard. The payback period for setting us such a control system is only 2 years.

Optimal Power Allocation in NOMA System Based on Artificial Intelligence Methods

2024-04-18T13:28:26+07:00

This paper considers the Non-Orthogonal Multiple Access (NOMA) technique which is one of the core technologies in 5G and beyond. To distinguish users in the power domain, Superposition coding and Successive Interference Cancellation (SIC) are applied at the transmitter and receiver. Power allocation is shown to be significant in affecting the system performance. This work proposes an application of two Artificial Intelligence (AI) methods, Q-learning and Genetic Algorithm (GA), in order to optimize the power allocation in the NOMA system. Namely, the maximization of the minimum bitrate of the overall system as well as the transformation of the NOMA system into both Q-learning and GA components are obtained by setting and solving the power allocation optimization problem. Numerical results demonstrate that Artificial intelligence algorithms provide a higher minimum bitrate in comparison with the existing theoretical power allocation methods. Besides bitrate, the complexity of both methods is analyzed. It is concluded that Q-learning has an exponential, while GA has a linear complexity with the increase of the total number of users.

Physical Properties, Compressive Strength and Microstructure of Interlocking Concrete Paving Block Containing Bamboo Ash

2024-04-22T16:19:37+07:00

This research focused on studying the physical properties, mechanical properties, and microstructure of concrete interlocking blocks that use bamboo ash as a partial replacement of cement. In the 10, 20, and 30 percentages by weight of cement, dimensions of shape, density, water absorption, and microstructure were tested. High-magnification imaged by scanning electron microscope technique elemental analysis with energy-dispersed X-ray spectrometry and compounds by X-ray diffraction analysis technique. In addition to that, there was a comparative test of concrete blocks interlocking paving using water curing and air curing methods. According to the test results, the dimensional dimension test was following ASTM C936/C936M standards, the density of concrete interlocking blocks for paving is in the range of 2,111-2,209 kilograms per cubic meter. Water absorption tended to increase significantly with an increase in bamboo ash content. Mixing 10% bamboo ash by weight provided the best compressive strength, curing water at 60 days of age, and the microstructure found calcium silicate hydrate and ettringite. Therefore, bamboo ash can replace cement mixtures for some specific applications.

Production Planning and Machine Maintenance Schedule of Dragon Green Energy Company, Limited

2024-04-23T10:23:06+07:00

This research has led to the problem of Dragon Green Energy Co., Ltd., a factory that produces tapioca starch with a production capacity is about 25-50 tons per day. The company has encountered problems in total production planning and scheduling maintenance. The research, therefore, developed a mathematical schedule modeling method to solve problems and the development of integrated applications using scheduling rules, Heuristics Genetics Algorithms (GA), and Local Search (L) becoming Integrated Methods (GA+L). The research found that the total production planning in 2022 was close to the actual production measured from (GAP) which was equal to 2.3 tons, with a margin of error of 0.307 percent. The researchers obtained the value of the company's maintenance scheduling with problems of various sizes, which the program can schedule maintenance using the scheduling rules Heuristic method (GA) and combination method. In scheduling results, the lowest makespan value was measured by the good comparison gap (Gap) together with the comparison of the percentage of time when the machine crashed before and after the research. It was found that the mean value between machine failures (MTBF) increased by 25.332% and the average machine downtime was reduced after the research, accounting for 43.928 percent. This research was therefore by the objectives.

Energy Performance Indicator of the Chiller Water System in the Government Lottery Office

2024-04-23T14:27:30+07:00

This research is to study on the energy consumption of the Government Lottery Office (GLO) which is applied by statistical tools such as linear regression analysis, multiple linear regression analysis and cumulative sum control chart (CUSUM control chart). The statistical tools could find energy performance indicators (EnPI) in 3 parts as organization, chilled water system and equipment. The experiments showed that working time of chiller and cooling degree days (CDD) were factors which effected to energy consumption in organization part. The factor of energy consumption of chiller system part was working time of chiller and opening period time of air handling unit (AHU). The coefficient of performance (COP) of chiller was an effected factor of energy consumption of equipment part. EnPI of organization and chilled water system parts were forecasted in term of energy consumption in 2020. The results found that energy consumption of the parts decreased by 7.34% and 8.59%, respectively. A correlation coefficient squared (R²) was more than 0.75 that was appropriately used the EnPI of organization and chilled water system parts for predicted energy consumption in the future.

Development of Mathematical Model for Reverse Logistics Management: A Case Study of Plastic Recycling

2024-04-25T13:58:50+07:00

The aim of this research is the development of a mathematical model for reverse logistics management: a case study of plastic recycling. Offers the minimization of the total costs of the reverse logistics system. First, the alternative locations for collecting plastic waste in the Northeast were determined using hierarchical clustering and K-means clustering. These alternative locations were used as decision variables in the Mixed Integer Non-linear Programming Model (MINLP). The model was developed to appropriately decide for opening a plastic waste collection center, the transport and collection of plastic waste, and the recycling of plastic pellets. This proposed model was processed with the LINGO 13.0 program. In addition, the sensitivity analysis by varying parameters regarding the capacity and number of alternative collection centers was proceeded. It was found that if there are many collection centers operating, it will take longer time to process, less plastic recycling, with lower total cost. In contrast, if there are a small number of collection centers operating, despite having more total costs but will be able to recycle more plastic. The results of this research can be used to effectively manage the reverse logistics of plastic waste in the Northeast.

Influence of Meteorological factors and Distribution of Particulate Matter at Underground Parking

2024-04-25T14:31:09+07:00

This research focused on studying the amount of fine particulate matter (PM_2.5and PM₁₀) generated from vehicle emissions at the underground parking area in Srinakharinwirot University. The methodology was performed by measuring the amount of particulate matter in underground basement 1 (floor A) and underground basement 2 (floor B) from Monday to Friday. Moreover, environmental factors, such as, humidity and temperature were measured. The result found that the average concentration of PM₁₀ ranged from 156.3-225.4 µg/m³, while PM_2.5ranged from 15.5-45.9 µg/m³. At some measurement points, the values exceeded the Air Quality standards. Both particulate matter types were found to be highest between 6.00-7.00 am and gradually decreased and increased again at 3.00-6.00 pm, respectively. The high particulate matter concentrations were identified at the entrances and exits near the demonstration school (Prasanmit) and some areas where the air circulation system was inadequate. The wind speed measurement at the air vents of the ventilation system inside the underground parking area all 36 points per floor revealed insufficient air volume compared to the calculated requirements. Short-term solutions proposed include providing dust protection equipment for individuals working in the underground parking area. Long-term solutions involve implementing urgent mist spraying during heavy traffic hours and installing fans at specific points within the underground parking facility to enhance air circulation. Additionally, the installation of additional exhaust fans to improve overall air ventilation efficiency is recommended.

Polypropylene Biodegradation by Fictibacillus phosphorivorans Isolated from Freshwater Sediment

2024-04-25T15:27:53+07:00

Petroleum-based plastic is widely used either in extensive industrial or daily applications. Polypropylene is mostly used and accumulate in large quantities in the ecosystem. Due to the polymeric structure and supplemented additives in the production process, resulted in rare biodegradation of polypropylene. In this study, the total bacteria were isolated from freshwater sediment within Phranakorn Si Ayutthaya Rajabhat University. The biosurfactant production has been observed in the bacteria isolate T2 after the Drop collapse test procedure. Polypropylene biodegradation efficiency was then investigated through the cultivation of the isolate T2 in the Brushnell Haas (BH) media composed of plastic sample for 30 days, yielding the plastic weight loss of 10.25%. In addition, the roughness of the plastic surface was occurred during SEM analysis provided evidence of bacterial biodegradation proceeded. According to the 16S rRNA sequencing and phylogenetic analysis, the bacteria isolate T2 was closely related to Fictibacillus phosphorivorans which had not previously been reported to polypropylene plastics biodegradation. Hence, the result would be a considerable development of bacterial strain through an appropriate process and technology regarding to the further remediating environment contaminated with plastics.

Improvement of the Water Purifier Assembly Process to Reduce Process Time and Ergonomic Risk

2024-04-25T15:52:15+07:00

This research studies the assembly process of water purifiers for the R and U models, aiming to determine standard times, improve the assembly process, design the standard working process, and reduce ergonomic risks. Since the assembly of water purifiers uses employees mainly in production, it can lead to worker fatigue. The results from the work and time study, determining the standard times, and analyzing man-machine charts, revealed that the filter tube testing process consumed a significant amount of time, and workers had idle time and engaged in unnecessary movements. To address these issues, we utilized the 5W1H questioning technique to investigate the problem. Subsequently, we applied the principles of ECRS and ergonomics to improve the process. This involved simplifying work procedures, rearranging the work sequence, establishing new workstations, and designing equipment for leak testing and timing. From the results, the standard time of each process was determined. The improvements significantly reduced the time required for filter tube testing for both the R and U models, reducing it from 514.97 seconds to 351.23 seconds, equivalent to a 31.8 percent decrease. Additionally, the ergonomic risk assessment for working postures was reduced from a high-risk level to a medium-risk level. Both the RULA and REBA scores decreased from 7 points to 4 points and from 10 points to 7 points, respectively.

Shear Behavior of Reinforced Concrete Deep Beams Strengthened with Carbon Fiber under Static Loading

2024-04-28T04:31:51+07:00

This study investigates the shear behavior of reinforced concrete (RC) deep beams strengthened with carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP). The experiment was divided into two groups of deep beams, which had a shear span to effective depth ratios (a/d ratios) of 1.00 and 2.00. In total, six identical specimens with dimensions of 0.20 x 0.45 x 2.4 meters were applied by two techniques to strengthen the RC deep beams: U-wrap and Fully wrap. Experimental results reveal that shear strength, in terms of load carrying capacity of the beams strengthened by Fully wrap type CFRP was higher than that of the beams strengthened by U-wrap type CFRP. The increase in the load carrying capacity compared to the reference beam in Group 2 beams was greater than that in Group 1 beams, indicating that the effectiveness of shear strengthening was evident when the beams had a/d ratio was high and it was little effected when the beam was a low a/d ratio. As a result, when the beam has a lower a/d ratio, the more concrete will play an important role in resisting high shear force as a result of Arch action behavior. The shear force transfer consists of Compression strut and Tension tie. The most of shear strength depended on the compressive strength of the concrete in the compression strut.

Reducing Harmful Effects on Human Health of Car Vibrations using a Combination of Unsupervised and Supervised Machine Learning Algorithm

2024-04-28T04:54:33+07:00

Car vibrations are typically common, but it’s crucial to determine the level of shaking that signifies a potential threat to human health. In this research, the machine learning algorithm was employed to predict potential failures in car suspension systems, with the goal of enhancing vehicle reliability and safety. A combination of unsupervised and supervised machine learning algorithms is applied to classify data, isolate outlier, and predict fault diagnosis outcomes in the simulation context with a dataset of a car suspension system. In general, either unsupervised or supervised learning techniques can contribute to a valuable predictive maintenance when dealing with larger datasets in a car suspension system either usual or unusual conditions. Therefore, the results may not cover unknow patterns within unusual conditions, such as high amplitude sinusoidal and step road profile. In this research, a combination of unsupervised and supervised learning techniques is proposed to identify car suspension issues caused by poorly maintained vehicles, potentially impacting human health. The findings from the simulation indicate that a combination of unsupervised and supervised machine learning algorithms can effectively classify fault diagnosis and isolate unknow patterns for future training models. Moreover, the identification of non-groupable elements using a combination of these learning techniques is illustrated through outlier detection on unknown patterns. Therefore, the research results enable engineers to assess devices for maintenance and repair needs, aiming to reduce or eliminate car vibrations, which can pose serious harm to human health.

Design and development of the Pallet Shot Machine

2024-04-28T05:35:46+07:00

This research aims to design and develop a pallet nailing machine by applying the qualitative function distribution (QFD) technique to analyse user requirements and utilising engineering design principles as a guideline for modeling the prototype pallet nailing machine for pallet production. From the study of the wood pallet manufacturing process of the sample companies that produce and distribute pallets in various sizes, we found that it took manual labour 7 minutes to assemble one wooden pallet. Therefore, QFD is used to analyse the demand for pallet-nailing machine machines. From QFD analysis, it can be concluded that the important requirements for the machine are easy to assemble and install, reasonable shape and size, and efficient operation. Then this information can be used to build a quality pallet house, revealing the technical details of the pallet nailing machine. As a result, these technical details help the research team to gain the specifications for the design and development of the prototype pallet nailing machine based on engineering principles. When testing the performance of the prototype pallet nailing machine by using an air pressure of 5 bar to shoot 1.5-inch nails to 36 positions, 2 nails per one sheet, totaling 72 positions, it took 5 minutes to assemble 1 pallet, which achieved research objectives.

The Performance of Carbon Fiber in Decreasing the Strain Level of the PC-Longitudinal Bridge (PC-Plank Girder) under Service Load

2024-04-28T05:57:46+07:00

This research focuses on studying the effectiveness of carbon fiber reinforcement in increasing the strength of the floor structure of the bridge over the Canal Phrae Kluang, Samut Songkhram Province. Due to the prolonged use of the bridge, an inspection and evaluation of the load-bearing capacity of the bridge were conducted through quasi-static load tests. The results of the structural strength assessment were used in the design of structural reinforcement using Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymers (CFRP). From the results of the reinforcement with the installation of two layers of CFRP, it was found that the reinforcement could reduce the levels of stress and deformation in the middle area of the bridge floor by 4.33% for stress and 3.68% for deformation. This demonstrates that CFRP reinforcement can help in reducing the levels of stress and deformation caused by increased load, and from the assessment of the moment capacity in the upper bridge structure using the LRFR method, both at the Inventory and Operation levels, it was found that after reinforcement with CFRP, the bridge can withstand an increased load capacity by 35%. This indicates that the bridge can still handle an increased load without experiencing failure and can be used safely.

The Criteria for Bridge Structures Inspecting and Planning for Maintenance: A Case Study of Thailand and the Other Countries

2024-04-28T06:20:05+07:00

Bridges are critical and valuable components in any road and rail transportation network. Therefore, bridge remediation has always been a top priority for asset managers and engineers. However, long-term use of bridge structure leads to its deterioration. Therefore, bridge inspection and bridge maintenance are needed to gain maximum efficiency of bridge serviceability and safety. Developed countries like Japan and USA have encountered more deteriorated bridges due to old age or long use. As a result, both countries developed manuals for bridge inspection and maintenance. Thailand and Indonesia, as developing countries, are still developing their own manual to support transport system for national economic development purpose. This article presents the criteria for inspecting bridge structures and planning for maintenance compared between developed countries, such as USA and Japan, and developing countries, such as Thailand and Indonesia. In addition, it also reports references for bridge inspection, preparation of persons involved in bridge inspection, and specification of bridge deterioration levels that persons involved in each country can apply them to bridge maintenance planning.