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

这项主要研究仪器（MRI）项目的目标是在南伊利诺伊大学爱德华兹维尔分校（SIUE）工程学院创建一个独特的、多学科的、最先进的供应链试验台。这个试验台将为教师、技术专家和学生提供必要的宝贵资源，以创新制造和供应链问题的解决方案。具体地说，测试平台将以一种表示供应链的不同层的方式构建，例如供应商、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。它也可以被配置来探索精益生产在供应链系统中的影响。试验台将在现实环境中建造，SIUE书店将是主要的零售商。一个网络服务器系统将用于实现信息、生产和现金流的在线控制和集成。如果成功，测试平台将使SIUE的学生接触到最先进的供应链技术，并促进和鼓励他们在该领域的职业发展。通过在灵活和通用的环境中提供实际应用，该试验台将为培训来自当地工业的研究人员和圣路易斯大都会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的高中学生和教师参加由SIUE提供的暑期实习项目，该项目被称为“学生和教师作为研究科学家”。一旦安装了物理试验台，探索性研究将产生初步结果，这些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SIUE后续研究提案和项目的质量、背景、相关性和可信度方面发挥关键作用。

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.