Project based remanufacturing planning and optimization

基于项目的管理是管理和控制具有优先级和其他关系的活动（如资源共享、质量控制和劳动力分配）的有效方法。基于项目的管理方法广泛应用于制造业、建筑业、IT开发等行业。行业合作伙伴安大略北国翻新和再制造中心是加拿大主要的铁路设备制造商和供应商，为加拿大和北美的许多区域和国家铁路运营商生产高质量的客运和货运车辆。通过制造和再制造生产新产品和“尽可能好”的产品通常比只使用新材料和部件需要更少的能源和材料。因此，再制造实践比传统制造具有更少的碳足迹。然而，再制造活动的生产管理和控制更加复杂和具有挑战性。通过数值模拟和数学分析来解决问题是一种科学有效的管理决策支持工具。一般多项目资源约束下的项目调度问题的研究是广泛的，而现有的模型和解决方法没有考虑到生产系统与再制造活动所产生的各种需求。建立合适的数值模型、优化方案和有效的解决方法来解决具有重大再制造活动的生产相关问题是本研究的重点。针对所考虑的生产系统的模型和解决方案方法开发方面的研究结果将增强公司的决策过程，以进一步降低生产成本并保持平稳的劳动力，从而巩固其在可持续发展的铁路设备制造业务中的竞争力。数值分析结果也将对多项目资源约束下的混合制造/再制造系统的项目调度和管理研究领域有所贡献。

Project-based management is an effective approach for managing and control activities with precedence and other relationship such as resource sharing, quality control and workforce distribution. Project-based management approach is widely used in manufacturing, construction, IT development and other industries. The industry partner, Ontario Northland Refurbishment and Remanufacturing Centre, a major Canadian rail equipment manufacturer and supplier, produces high quality passenger and freight cars for many regional and national rail operators in Canada and in North America. Production of new and "as-good-as-new" products through manufacturing and remanufacturing normally requires less energy and less materials than that using new materials and components only. Hence remanufacturing practice has less carbon footprint than traditional manufacturing. Production management and control of with remanufacturing activities, however, are more complex and challenging. Problem solving through numerical modeling and mathematical analysis is a scientific and effective tool for management decision support. Research in general multi-project resource-constrained project scheduling problems is extensive while existing models and solution methodologies do not incorporate various requirements arising from production systems with remanufacturing activities. Developing proper numerical models, optimization schemes and effective solution methods to solve production related problems with significant remanufactuirng activities is the focus of this proposed research. The research results in terms of model and solution methodology development for the considered production systems will enhance the company's decision making process to further reduce production cost and maintain a smooth workforce in consolidating its competitiveness in the sustainable rail equipment manufacturing business. Numerical and analytical results will also contribute in research area of multi-project resource-constrained project scheduling and management of hybrid manufacturing/remanufacturing systems.