In contrast to the classical location-allocation models, the location-routing problem (LRP) integrates vehicle routing and scheduling aspects in the location planning process. A survey and classification scheme of location-routing is e.g. proposed by [3] and [2]. This paper presents a LRP of a company which distributes finished cars. This LRP is decomposed into two steps. In the first step a se...

The AEFTA (Application Enabler Technology for Factory Automation) experiment, which involves Digital Equipment Corporation, Politecnico di Torino and SYCO, with staff of seven, develops a factory automation product using BASEstar Open (1990) and object technology, notably OMT (Rumbaugh et al. 1991), G++ (Menga et al. 1993) and C++. The goal of the application experiment is to verify if object o...

This paper describes a virtual factory in which almost any manufacturing process can be deened, modelled, and then carried out. The results of this are designs of the components manufactured (in the form of geometric models) and part programs and process plans for their manufacture. Both of these can subsequently be reloaded into the virtual factory and amended and enhanced, or|in the case of t...

background: heavy metals (hms) are one of the most important polluting substances emitted to the environment during cement production. tehran cement factory located in the southeastern of tehran, iran, closer to agricultural lands cultivates alfalfa, barley, and maize as feed. the objective of the study was to determine the concentration of hms in agricultural soils. methods: thirty six soil sa...

1.introductionone of the major strategies in rural development is agro-processing and agri-industrial plantations. the puprose of these agro-industrial establishments is to utilize indigenous resources and to bring equilibrium in rural life. moreover, meeting rural population needs, enhancement of rural welfare, and creating employment opportunities are the focus of such interventions. it aslo ...

In this era of digital technology and network communications, paper-based data management can be a bottleneck, slowing factory-wide information transfer. This study explores the evolution of paperless communication in a factory environment and reviews some of the key technologies that contribute to the implementation of a paperless system including digital communication, the virtual factory, co...

A virtual factory integrated manufacturing system combined with system simulation and virtual reality is introduced in this paper. We describe the system architecture and development methodology, provide the working principle of process simulation and monitoring in virtual factory, and then explain the detailed applications of virtual factory integrated manufacturing system. With the visualizat...

Collaborating autonomous agents are becoming an increasingly attractive alternative to traditional hierarchical control architectures, offering better support for robustness, scalability, reconfigurability, and reusability, especially in systems where problem solving and decision making must be distributed. This is particularly true for the Virtual Factory [11] model of factory integration. In ...

OBJECTIVES We carried out a detailed exposure assessment of benzene and toluene in two shoe factories in Tianjin, China. Our goal was to identify workers with a broad range of benzene exposures, for an epidemiologic study relating exposure to early biologic effects. METHODS A comprehensive exposure survey program was initiated. Over a period of 16 months, 2783 personal solvent exposure sample...