IRSPAS 2018
Permanent URI for this collectionhttp://repository.kln.ac.lk/handle/123456789/19084
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Item Green vehicle routing problem: A systematic review of literature(Research Symposium on Pure and Applied Sciences, 2018 Faculty of Science, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2018) Waidyathilaka, E.; Tharaka, V. K.; Wickramarachchi, R.Among the key supply chain functions, logistics plays a prominent role in delivering products and services to the customers. The process accounts for a larger portion of the supply chain cost. Hence, it has forced organizations to move towards cost reduction strategies. Vehicle routing optimization is one such strategy and depending on the organizational focus it has been derived to achieve multiple objectives along with the main objective of reducing the costs. Over the past decade, the concern on environmental sustainability has increased among world population, thus forcing the industries to move towards sustainable operations. Transportation has been identified as a supply chain operation with a high impact on the environmental sustainability. The impact of transportation on the environmental sustainability is multifaceted, such as the amount of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, air pollutants, environmental impacts from the transportation of toxic chemicals etc. A new branch of Vehicle Routing Problem (VRP) known as Green VRP (GVRP) has been emerged to satisfy the need of ensuring the sustainability in transportation. GVRP consists of several categories that focus on different sustainability requirements resulting from transportation. Literature review has been carried out with ten articles selected through a three step filtering process; preliminary search based on key words, primary filtering of articles based on title and abstract and secondary filtering of articles based on relevance to the topic. Based on the literature reviewed on GVRP, it has identified the features and classification of GVRP along with the limitations and the predictable future developments. The reviewed literature has also been analyzed to identify the algorithms used for problem solving. Hence, this study presents the results of a systematic review of literature on GVRP. The article will stand as a guide in understanding the current state of the practices in relation to GVRP and will provide guidance for future research as well.Item Simulation-based network optimization for petroleum distribution in Sri Lanka: A systematic review of literature(Research Symposium on Pure and Applied Sciences, 2018 Faculty of Science, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2018) Sachini, W. W. N.; Weerabahu, W. M. S. K.; Wickramarachchi, R.Petroleum is one of the industries that has a massive impact on living conditions of the population. Petroleum industry contributes for transportation, power generation, agro chemicals, residential, commercial and industrial needs etc. Petroleum distribution network plays an increasingly important function in delivering value to the end user. Petroleum industry’s complexity has grown as a result of tight competition, strict environmental regulations, high operational costs and low margin of profits. The petroleum product demand fluctuation and the present scenario of high petroleum crude oil price fluctuation demonstrate that industries and markets all over the world are impacted by the volatility and uncertainty of the petroleum industry. These reasons drive petroleum industry toward strategic planning and optimization with respect to the uncertainties and constraints in factors such as the source, raw materials availability, expected market demand, production costs and distribution costs. The objective of this research is to study the current petroleum distribution network in Sri Lanka, identify the inefficiencies and critical factors causing inefficiencies and to propose a simulation-based optimization model to overcome these inefficiencies. A conceptual framework has been developed based on the findings observed from critical review of literature and further data was collected from Sri Lankan petroleum industry domain experts using in-depth interviews. The qualitative analysis of data has been done to evaluate the research findings. With the computational constraints of solving petroleum distribution network problems, a few optimization and approximation approaches have been introduced in the recent past. It has been identified that Sri Lankan petroleum distribution network has not been taken in to account for the optimization. Hence, this paper expects to introduce an innovative mathematical model for the optimization. The proposed model will be validated with complex and real data extracted from Sri Lankan petroleum industry. Subsequently, simulation is used to create scenarios on the designed model. Thus, this study depicts a simulation-based distribution network optimization model, with the purpose of minimizing the cost, based on inefficiencies and contributing critical factors, which are specific for Sri Lankan petroleum industry. As a result, the developed optimization model would enable the Sri Lankan petroleum industry to achieve higher performance leading to competitive advantage.Item A systematic review of literature on the readiness of post-harvesting technologies of paddy cultivation towards agriculture 4.0 in developing countries(Research Symposium on Pure and Applied Sciences, 2018 Faculty of Science, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2018) Sandamali, G. A. S.; Weerabahu, W. M. S. K.; Wickramarachchi, R.Agriculture is one of the key sectors of the economy of developing countries and paddy rice is the leading cereal crop grown in most of those countries. The introduction of new technologies to the post harvesting phase help to minimize the serious losses occurring during post-harvest operations. The evolution of agriculture 4.0 can be compared with similar evolutions in the industrial world, with industry 4.0. Agriculture 4.0 stands for the integrated internal and external networking of farming operations. It is vital to assess the readiness to adapt to this technological transformation which will provide a comprehensive roadmap to implement advanced technologies. Readiness is the measure used to assess the maturity of evolving technologies. It is the systematic, metrics-based process that assess the maturity of, and the risk associated with, critical technologies. The objective of this study is to investigate the readiness of post harvesting technologies of paddy cultivation related to agriculture 4.0. The relevant knowledge was extracted from the published research papers which have been accepted as valid. The articles were collected through a web search based on the key words. Then the topic and the abstract of each article were analysed in order to decide the relevance of the article for the study. Next, the full text of selected papers were reviewed by qualitative analysis to be considered in the final analysis. The technologies used in paddy cultivation were extracted from the selected research papers and analyzed qualitatively. Based on the comprehensive literature review, following fundamental questions: What are the post harvesting technologies of agriculture 4.0 which could be used in paddy cultivation and what changes are needed to be done in order to adapt to the new technologies were answered. The results of the study provide a model to assess the readiness of post harvesting technologies of paddy cultivation towards agriculture 4.0, which is aligned with complementary factors along four dimensions; Technoware, Humanware, Infoware, and Orgaware. Technoware includes precision agriculture which use drones to monitor the cultivation, autonomous tractors for harvesting, sensors such as capacitive sensor, mass flow sensor, photoelectric sensor and impact sensor for various purposes in storage phase. Humanware includes level of competence, perception on technology. Inforware compromises level of utility of facts and information sharing. Orgaware refers to the need of organizational support to make Technoware and Humanware more effective.Item Evaluating the level of best practices related with lean and green concepts of logistics service providers(Research Symposium on Pure and Applied Sciences, 2018 Faculty of Science, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2018) Edirisuriya, A. W.; Weerabahu, W. M. S. K.; Wickramarachchi, R.The world is experiencing environmental problems due to the environmental pollution and degradation happening in a major scale due to the waste generated both by public and industries. Among the industrial waste generators, logistics industry plays a major role due to the wastes released in different forms in their operations. Sustainability is emerging as a main consideration throughout the industrial world to reduce and control the industrial waste. Lean management is becoming a popular management tool on minimizing wastes. Although lean and green concepts have been studied in different industrial contexts, a theoretical gap has been identified in the field of logistics. A comprehensive literature review was conducted along with the expert reviews based on interviews to address the identified research gap. The objective of the study is to examine the best practices related with lean and green concepts which are applicable to the logistics industry. A key word based search in Google scholar and Scopus was conducted for selecting the published research papers which have been proven as valid to extract the knowledge for this study. In this stage, the studies conducted on lean and sustainable practices were selected while excluding the other studies. Then the topics and abstracts of selected articles were analyzed to select the studies that have studied about the practical implementation of green and lean concepts. Finally, a full text review was conducted to identify best practices in the logistics industry while excluding the research papers in other industries. Transportation and the warehousing are the main logistics functions focused in this study. The result of the study is a best practice reference model developed by authors for logistics service providers to identify their stage in implementing lean and green best practices. Best practices were identified through a comprehensive literature review and industry based observations. The identified best practices have been categorized for five different levels which gives a clear understanding for an organization regarding the current stage while providing a clear road map for organizations to develop to the next stage. The model is validated through the reviews of experts in the logistics industry. The proposed model will be beneficial for the logistics service providers. It can be concluded that the result of the study will lead the logistics service providers to reduce their industrial wastes and provide a sustainable service if the model is used properly.Item Investigating industry 4.0 applications in Sri Lankan healthcare industry to optimize operational performance(Research Symposium on Pure and Applied Sciences, 2018 Faculty of Science, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2018) Ilangakoon, M. T. S.; Weerabahu, W. M. S. K.; Wickramarachchi, R.Healthcare is one of the industries that depends on the highest quality services for the wellbeing of the society. Today, the demand for healthcare has been increased with increasing aging population, rapid urbanization, changing diets, inactive lifestyles and rising obesity levels. Healthcare providers search for different innovative methods to optimise their operations and increase the patient satisfaction. Most of the western countries are now adopting new technologies to improve the efficiency of their healthcare processes with the introduction of Industry 4.0 concept. Industry 4.0 which is also known as fourth industrial revolution, uses technologies such as big data, Internet of Things, simulation, augmented reality, cloud computing, autonomous systems, cyber-physical systems, additive manufacturing and systems integration. When Industry 4.0 is applied in the healthcare sector, it is known as Health 4.0. The objective of this study is to investigate the current applications of technology in healthcare processes, applicability of Industry 4.0 technologies in Sri Lankan healthcare domain and how these technologies optimise the operational performance of healthcare operations and processes. Based on a systematic review of literature, a conceptual framework had been developed. Further data was collected from healthcare domain experts using in-depth interviews to identify the level of industry 4.0 technology applications in Sri Lankan healthcare domain for the enhancement of operational performance. A qualitative analysis of data using thematic analysis had been done to evaluate the research findings by identifying the technological applications in healthcare and categorize them under Industry 4.0 components. It was found that major issues such as absence of continuous medical records of patients, early diagnosis of diseases and intellectual waste happening in hospitals can be managed and reduced using Industry 4.0 technologies such as big data analytics, cloud computing and Internet of Things. These technologies can be used to develop systems to share patient information over cloud systems, information systems for resource planning and connecting medical practitioners, disease prediction systems and new sensor based equipment to optimise the healthcare processes, which will make it easier for the patients to get treated and for the hospital staff to manage their routine work efficiently and effectively.Item Application of industry 4.0 concepts to optimise workforce performance in human resource processes: context of Sri Lankan apparel industry(Research Symposium on Pure and Applied Sciences, 2018 Faculty of Science, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2018) Weerasekara, M. M.; Wickramarachchi, R.; Vidanagamachchi, K.To cope with the new technologies driven by the fourth industrial revolution such as Cloud based systems, Internet of Things, Virtual Reality, Artificial Intelligence, skill development is vital in order to enhance the performance of the workforce. Advancement of the technology will affect disruptively for all organisational functions including human resource. There is a threat that humans will be replaced by advanced technological systems in the near future. It will badly affect all areas of operations including human resources, if organisations fail to absorb the technology. Even though these technologies have been widely used in many countries, developing countries such as Sri Lanka are far behind. This paper focuses on how to improve the performance of the employees by developing necessary skills, using various technologies included in Industry 4.0. Previous researchers have mentioned about how industry 4.0 applications disrupt human resource but not how to fulfil those gaps. Sri Lankan apparel industry has been identified as one of the key industries to implement these concepts to measure the workforce performance since it involves both human and machinery in its processes. By introducing advanced technologies to areas such as recruitment, talent on-boarding and off-boarding, training and development, both time and cost for unnecessary processes can be reduced while increasing the efficiency and effectiveness of the employees. Initial data collection has been conducted through two questionnaires based on a sample of 30 individuals from each level which are above executive and below executive from human resource departments. Five apparel firms were chosen to collect the data as a quantitative approach. Questionnaire was developed to discover the relationship between variables such as industry 4.0 application, skill development, job satisfaction and job performance to check how they intervene with enhancing performance. Data analysis was done through structural equation modelling using AMOS supporting software. The study suggests ways to optimise skills and satisfaction level of workforce performance using industry 4.0 applications with smart human resource concepts. In addition, an innovative model will be introduced to enable apparel industry to enhance the process of human resource development using technologies through industry 4.0 application.