Industrial Projects

2015-2016 Projects

Commercial Property Data Aggregation

Sponsor: Quincy Mutual Fire Insurance
Advisor: Jon Abraham
Students: Cecily A Coia, MAC, John J Cotter, MAC, Samuel J Ellison, MAC, Scott Lonergan, MAC

The goal of this project was to find and evaluate new data sources to be used by Quincy Mutual when evaluating and writing policies for commercial properties. First, we examined the workflow and business needs of Quincy Mutual. We then searched for public and private data sources that could be used to supplement current data collection. Furthermore, we evaluated the data for accuracy and attempted to build relationships with source providers. Following this, we developed methods for integrating the data into Quincy Mutual’s business flow. Finally, we offered recommendations and plans for streamlining this process. Our final deliverables were a source list, methodology for finding sources, a list of recommendations, and contacts to data providers.

Calibration of an Optimal Bidding Model for the Mobile Advertisement Markets

Sponsor: Chitika, Inc./Cidewalk, Inc. (Westborough,MA)
Advisors: Marcel Blais and Stephan Sturm
Students: Laura Antul and Anastasiia Parkhomenko

One goal of every business is to save money by minimizing cost and maximizing profit. Cidewalk is a mobile advertisement company that wishes to accomplish this goal through implementing an optimal bidding strategy. By collecting and analyzing market data, it was possible to identify the distribution that best represents the second best bids, which is the price Cidewalk pays for an advertisement space by bidding in a Vickrey auction. Implementing a simulation for the optimal bidding model that utilizes Bayesian updating methods ensures that the model responds to any changes in the distribution parameters. The model’s performance was evaluated by simulation and throughout one day the implemented model yielded 17% savings when compared to Cidewalk’s current bidding model.

Improving Changeover Efficiency in Opticap XL Encapsulation Process

Sponsor: MilliporeSigma
Advisor: Andrew C. Trapp (MG)
Students: Serhan Delareyna (IE), Emily E Doherty (IE), Nicolas Gomez Enriquez Riart (IE), Samantha M Kwan (IE)

This project studied MilliporeSigma’s changeover efficiency within the Opticap® XL encapsulation process to alleviate throughput issues associated with increasing demand. Our team conducted time and observational studies, together with stakeholder interviews, to identify and prioritize improvement areas. We developed a production schedule optimization tool, Single Minute Exchange of Dies analysis for changeover tasks, and conditions to streamline melt-check procedures. We recommend our deliverables be implemented to improve changeover efficiency, and estimate that 230 minutes can be saved in changeover time over two days.

Optimizing Client Scheduling and Improving Client Distribution for Fundación Paraguaya

Sponsor: Fundación Paraguaya
Advisor: Andrew C. Trapp (MG), Karla Mendoza Abraca (MG), Peter Hansen (HU)
Students: Elia T Perez Luna (IE) and Veronica Isabel Soto-Belloso (IE)

The goal of our project was to improve the efficiency of Fundación Paraguaya’s Microfinance and Poverty Stoplight Programs by implementing Industrial Engineering techniques. First, we addressed inefficient planning of client meetings through an Excel-based scheduling tool that optimally groups geographically similar meetings. Based on our results, the scheduling tool has the potential to reduce 19.92% of the total distance traveled. Second, we developed a tool to analyze the rezoning of offices by evaluating the impact of the corresponding reassignment of client committees to their respective zones. If all reassignments are made, the total distance reduction will exceed 2,400 miles. Our two deliverables will be implemented upon completion of our project.

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Last modified: Jun 20, 2010, 09:03 EDT