MRI: Acquisition of Major Components Required for Constructing Supply Chain Test-bed for Teaching, Research and Service

这个主要研究仪器（MRI）计划奖的目标是在南伊利诺伊大学爱德华兹维尔（SIUE）工程学院创建一个独特的，多学科的和最先进的供应链测试平台。该试验台将为教师、技术专家和学生提供创新制造和供应链问题解决方案所需的宝贵资源。具体来说，测试平台的构建方式将代表供应链的各个层面，如供应商、制造设施、仓库和客户位置。重要的是，试验台将以通用的方式设计，以允许进一步的技术进步。它也可以被配置为探索精益生产在供应链系统中的影响。该测试平台将建立在现实生活中，SIUE书店将成为主要零售商。如果成功的话，SIUE的学生将接触到最先进的供应链技术，并促进和鼓励他们在这一领域的职业发展。通过在灵活和通用的环境中提供实际应用，该试验台将为培训当地行业的研究人员和教育圣路易斯大都市地区当地大学的学生提供重要工具。该试验台还将有助于吸引当地高中学生和教师参加SIUE提供的暑期实习计划，即学生和教师作为研究科学家。一旦物理试验台安装完毕，探索性研究将产生初步结果，随后将用于提交给各研究机构的未来研究项目提案。初步分析和结果将在进一步塑造质量，背景，相关性和可信度的后续研究建议和方案在SIUE发挥至关重要的作用。

The objective of this Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) program award is to create a unique, multi-disciplinary and state-of-the-art supply chain test-bed in the School of Engineering at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE). This test-bed will provide faculty, technical experts, and students with valuable resources necessary to innovate solutions to manufacturing and supply chain problems. Specifically, the test-bed will be constructed in a way to represent various layers of supply chains such as suppliers, manufacturing facility, warehouses, and customer locations. Importantly, the test-bed will be designed in a generic manner to allow further technological advancements. It can also be configured to explore the impact of lean production in supply chain systems. The test-bed will be built in a real-life setting and SIUE Bookstore will be a primary retailer. A Web-server system will be used to enable online control and integration of information, production, and cash flows.If successful, the test-bed will expose SIUE students to state-of-the-art technology in supply chains and facilitate and encourage their career development in this field. By providing real-life applications in a flexible and generic environment, the test-bed will provide a significant tool to train researchers from local industries and to educate students from local universities in the St. Louis metropolitan area. The test-bed will also help attract local high school students and teachers to the summer internship programs offered by SIUE, referred to as Students and Teachers as Research Scientists. Once the physical test-bed is installed, exploratory research will produce preliminary results, which will subsequently be used for future research project proposals that will be submitted to various research agencies. The preliminary analyses and results will play a crucial role in further shaping up the quality, context, relevance, and credibility of the subsequent research proposals and programs at SIUE.