DALMINE
Overview
Date/time interval
Syllabus
Course Objectives
Students will learn all the necessary capabilities to describe and model mechanical industrial plants and their components. Such capabilities are a prerequisite for the development of skills and competences required to design and manage efficiently an industrial system. In particular, according to the specific type of product and to the market/industry served, students will be able to define the best plant configuration (including factory services), size its capacity, identify the best maintenance program and select an appropriate set of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to measure and control production processes and industrial plants performances. Moreover, students will be able to carry out preliminary analyses to evaluate economic and financial sustainability of an industrial plant.
Course Prerequisites
Teaching Methods
The course is organised in theoretical lectures, exercises, case studies, and industrial seminars. These initiatives aim to create a higher level of interaction among students and enhance team working and problem solving capabilities. In addition, an industrial visit to a local industrial plant can be organised to give students the opportunity to experience in a real context the competences achieved during the class, as well as to share their opinions, ideas and concerns with qualified industrial practitioners. During the semester students could be invited to participate to events, workshops and industrial seminars. The attendance is not mandatory. Finally, an elearning service provides additional basic and advanced training materials, numeric exercises and tests.
Assessment Methods
The final exam consists of a written test graded out of 30 points, with a duration of about 2 hours. It includes open-ended theoretical questions, exercises, and multiple-choice questions covering both theoretical and numerical aspects. In addition to the written test, there is a mandatory discussion of a case study related to the main topics covered during the course. The case study, to be carried out in groups of up to three people, must be developed during the semester and involves the analysis of a real production system (chosen by the student based on their interests) or, alternatively, an innovative technology supporting production and factory activities. A guideline for the case study will be provided in the first few days of the course (and will be available on the course webpage).
Contents
1) Introduction to Production Systems. This section introduces the main approaches adopted to represent and classify a production system. Then, it provides a review of the main physical and organisational characteristics of process and manufacturing production plants.
2) Performance Measurement of Production Systems. This section introduces the main performance indicators adopted to measure and control both internal and external performances of a production plant/system. Then, two specific models are introduced: the Little’s Law and the throughput (Input/Output) diagrams. Moreover, the section provides an analysis of the different approaches adopted to classify industrial costs, analyse the Break Even Point and contribution margin. It ends with an overview of the main methodologies and tools for the investments analysis (NPV, PBT, IRR and CTAE).
3) General principles for the design of production and service systems. The principles underlying the design of a production and service system are introduced, considering different configurations with regard to the degree of production centralisation/fractionation and storability.
4) Auxiliary services. The last section introduces a general analysis of the main service activities of industrial plants, including quality and HS&E (Health, Safety & Environment) systems. Then, the section focuses on production maintenance. In particular, a general description about reliability and availability concepts is reported, followed by a review of the main maintenance approaches and techniques.