Manufacturing decisions made easy
by Vincent Ciccarello
A
UniSA PhD graduate plans to make life easier for small manufacturers
with global perspective.
In the face of stiff competition from large, resource-rich corporations, small and medium manufacturing enterprises (SMMEs) are turning to each other through collaborative manufacturing (CM) as a way of making the most of their strengths and minimising their weaknesses.
But CM brings its own set of problems, as management decision-making – concerning anything from the availability of materials through to coordinating product delivery – must take into account information from many sources in a variety of formats.
Now, Dr Hao Lin in UniSA’s School of Advanced Manufacturing and Mechanical Engineering (AMME) is coming to the aid of CM managers, with his Global Decision Support System software.
It was developed thanks to the support of Dynek Pty Ltd and an Australian Postgraduate Award (Industry) scholarship, funded primarily by the 2003 Australian Research Council Linkage grant awarded to Dr Sev Nagalingam from the School of AMME.
Dynek competes in the sterile sutures market with some of the world’s major global corporations. With a multifactorial basis for competition dominated by quality, safety, price and service, Dynek seeks to maximise and enhance its sources of competitive advantage.
A decision support system that will coordinate, analyse and interpret data from suppliers in four continents, manufacturers in three continents and customers in 50 countries offers an additional string to its bow.
"SMMEs usually want to focus on their core competencies and not waste resources in other areas," Dr Lin said.
"Developing strong ties with other manufacturers is the best way collectively to take advantage of these core competencies."
He said the system, an application-to-application interface that uses standard internet protocols, is a user-friendly way of helping managers make decisions.
"It’s a gateway to the data and knowledge collaborating manufacturers need to share in order to make their products efficiently and profitably," Dr Lin said.
"The system prioritises production planning goals – about budgets, the availability of supplies, customer demand forecasts – based on the information provided by each partner in the enterprise.
"Of course, the system is only a framework for quality information. If you put garbage in, the user will get garbage out."
In order to test the Global Decision Support System, a pilot version is currently being tested by Dynek Pty Ltd. The SA-based surgical products manufacturer has a long history of successful collaborations with the School of Advanced Manufacturing and Mechanical Engineering. It provided financial support to Dr Lin, opened its Hendon facilities to him and gave him access to staff for interviews and surveys.
"With an industry partner such as Dynek, it’s much easier to verify your concepts. Otherwise, it’s sometimes hard to understand the issues manufacturers face in the field and to visualise the end result of your research," Dr Lin said.
Dynek’s Quality Assurance Manager, Dr Tim Kaethner said the company, which has suppliers, customers and sales agents based overseas, will load some aspects of its products in the Global Decision Support System to test how it works.
"We’re looking forward to piloting this system, and reaping the advantages it potentially offers," Dr Kaethner said.
Dr Lin will further refine his system at Japan’s Waseda University on a postdoctoral fellowship offered by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, and for which he was nominated by the Australia Academy of Science.
"I’m keen to study Japanese management techniques to see what might be suitable for the Australian manufacturing environment, especially in the mining sector," Dr Lin said.