Date Available

11-23-2011

Year of Publication

2011

Degree Name

Master of Science in Manufacturing Systems Engineering (MSMSE)

Document Type

Thesis

College

Engineering

Department

Manufacturing Systems Engineering

First Advisor

Dr. Fazleena Badurdeen

Abstract

The aim of this thesis is to present a new methodology to evaluate and optimize sustainability of customizable product-service systems while ensuring economic, environmental and societal constraints are also satisfied. Activities across the total product lifecycle are considered to develop a model that evaluates closed-loop flow, while being monitored through the growth, maturity and decline stages of the product to provide a comprehensive analysis. A novel method to evaluate the customer satisfaction is also presented. The research considers a modular product where customization can be achieved by selecting from alternatives while ensuring the compatibility between these alternatives. A manufacturer will be able to use the tool developed to optimize the business models developed by maximizing their profitability, satisfying regulatory and customer requirements, and evaluating the metrics that determine the sustainability of the product. The tool primarily uses a Microsoft Excel based platform for calculation and analysis while using ILOG OPL software for optimization. The sensitivity analysis provides examples of the variety of information that can be generated through the model according to the interests of the user. The results demonstrate the usefulness of the tool as a ‘sustainable product configurator’ which can be integrated with conventional product configurators after further refinement.

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Manufacturing Commons

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