The constant change in a company's economic environment has a strong impact on existing work processes. Companies are therefore required to constantly rethink their processes and adapt them accordingly. Over time, different methods such as Kaizen, Six Sigma, Business Reengineering, and various agile approaches have emerged to support the effort to optimise work processes. This book provides an overview of the various methods for making work processes more efficient and how to apply them. The author presents the most important tools for working on improvement projects such as Process mapping, Ishikawa diagram, Burn-down chart, or Pareto chart. The concrete implementation of process optimisation is illustrated using successfully realised improvement projects from practice. In addition, it is shown how these methods, which originate from the production sector, can be successfully used in the office sector. The content - Prerequisites and framework conditions for a successful improvement culture - Value creation and waste in work processes - Methods and tools for optimising work processes - Influence of digitalisation on process optimisation - Implementation of process optimisation using practical examples and simulations.

This book provides an overview of the various methods for creating and implementing efficient work processes. The author presents the most important tools for working on improvement projects such as process mapping, Ishikawa diagram, burn-down chart, or Pareto chart. Using successfully realized improvement projects from practice, the concrete implementation of process optimization is illustrated. In addition, it is shown how these methods, which originate from the production sector, can be successfully used in the office sector.

Exploring methods and techniques to optimize processing energy efficiency in process plants, Energy and Process Optimization for the Process Industries provides a holistic approach that considers optimizing process conditions, changing process flowschemes, modifying equipment internals, and upgrading process technology that has already been used in a process plant with success. Field tested by numerous operating plants, the book describes technical solutions to reduce energy consumption leading to significant returns on capital and includes an 8-point Guidelines for Success. The book provides managers, chemical and mechanical engineers, and plant operators with methods and tools for continuous energy and process improvements.

Provides a holistic approach that looks at changing process conditions, possible process design changes, and process technology upgrades Includes process integration techniques for improving process designs and for applying optimization techniques for improving operations focusing on hydroprocessing units. Discusses in details all important aspects of hydroprocessing – including catalytic materials, reaction mechanism, as well as process design, operation and control, troubleshooting and optimization Methods and tools are introduced that have a successful application track record at UOP and many industrial plants in recent years Includes relevant calculations/software/technologies hosted online for purchasers of the book

Lean and Six Sigma initiatives are designed to enable sustained improvements in your company or organization's efficiency and competitiveness. As with other improvement strategies they are dependent on two things, effective management and your ability to automate or digitize elements of your business process. Lean and Digitize provides you with a convincing picture of each of these elements (process improvement, digitization and the management of both) to help you eliminate waste, improve process and service, and better align your information and communications technology with your strategic objectives. Bernardo Nicoletti analyses and reviews the development of automation and telecommunications systems in the context of quality management and process improvement. He uses case examples to illustrate organizational and management approaches to implementation. These, along with his practical guidance, will help you make sense of the complexity, benefits and interrelations between these different elements. The text shows you on the one hand, how to integrate information and communication systems into your process improvement projects and, on the other, how to align information and communication projects with your quality strategy. Without a holistic approach to technology and quality improvement, your initiatives run the risk of being misdirected or simply running out of steam. Changes of this kind will never be easy but at least if you follow the advice in Lean and Digitize you will significantly increase your chances of success.

This book presents an intelligent, integrated, problem-independent method for multiresponse process optimization. In contrast to traditional approaches, the idea of this method is to provide a unique model for the optimization of various processes, without imposition of assumptions relating to the type of process, the type and number of process parameters and responses, or interdependences among them. The presented method for experimental design of processes with multiple correlated responses is composed of three modules: an expert system that selects the experimental plan based on the orthogonal arrays; the factor effects approach, which performs processing of experimental data based on Taguchi’s quality loss function and multivariate statistical methods; and process modeling and optimization based on artificial neural networks and metaheuristic optimization algorithms. The implementation is demonstrated using four case studies relating to high-tech industries and advanced, non-conventional processes.

This book introduces a holistic approach to ship design and its optimisation for life-cycle operation. It deals with the scientific background of the adopted approach and the associated synthesis model, which follows modern computer aided engineering (CAE) procedures. It integrates techno-economic databases, calculation and multi-objective optimisation modules and s/w tools with a well-established Computer-Aided Design (CAD) platform, along with a Virtual Vessel Framework (VVF), which will allow virtual testing before the building phase of a new vessel. The resulting graphic user interface (GUI) and information exchange systems enable the exploration of the huge design space to a much larger extent and in less time than is currently possible, thus leading to new insights and promising new design alternatives. The book not only covers the various stages of the design of the main ship system, but also addresses relevant major onboard systems/components in terms of life-cycle performance to offer readers a better understanding of suitable outfitting details, which is a key aspect when it comes the outfitting-intensive products of international shipyards. The book disseminates results of the EU funded Horizon 2020 project HOLISHIP.