The main objective of our project was to combine simulation and data analytics in order to reduce patients' waiting time at the AUBMC ophthalmology department where patients wait usually for around an hour. Our procedure included the use Arena Simulation Software to model the flow in the department and continuously track our performance measures. Furthermore, R-Studio was used to plot data concerning the arrival and scheduled times of patients, which highlighted times during which modifications could be made to the process (e.g., Resource Allocation at peak hours). The bottleneck was at the imaging section of the patient's flow. Our recommendation was to reschedule the preparation staff during peak hours to help in imaging as well as adding an imaging staff which decreases waiting time by 20 minutes and increases profits of the department.
This project illustrate the importance of Mobility as a Service in solving serious environmental and health issues that Lebanon is facing. Loop Sal is a current operating start-up that introduces electrical scooter fleet sharing service in Lebanon.
The overall purpose of the project is to improve the accessibility of scooters to current and potential users and facilitate fast transportation in a profitable, efficient and timely manner. This operational-analytical study was conducted on a one-year data set provided by Loop operators. Collected data sets were analyzed by Input Analyzer, Arena Simulation, Python and Excel software to optimize the allocation of scooters in the current and potential stations in Beirut. Financial data was collected to undergo a pricing strategy using a mathematical model to meet Loop's monetary expectations while satisfying customer's willingness to pay. An evaluation of traffic zones and roads infrastructure was used to determine the allocation of additional station locations.
Michelle Maria Diab, Firas Atoui, and Celine Bitar - “Turning the Grand Factory into an Optimized and Sustainable Nightclub"
The project has two main purposes which are turning the Grand Factory, one of Lebanon's most popular nightclubs, into the first sustainable nightclub in the country and optimizing the flow of people inside and outside of the club in order to improve customer satisfaction. The first propose can be achieved by implementing piezoelectric tiles on the dancefloor. These tiles convert the mechanical energy from footsteps into electrical energy that can be used to power electrical devices at the club and by implementing waterless urinals in the toilets. The other propose which is optimizing the flow of people inside and outside of the club in order to improve customer satisfaction is Implemented by simulating the processes at the main entrance and at the coat check station in order to come up with the optimal implementations.
IEM Creative Achievement Award in 2017-2018
The winners for the 2017-18 academic year were IE undergraduate students Joy Bou Sleiman, Ralph Deeb, Zeina Jouni, and Jeffrey Khattar, whose project was entitled "Optimization of the American University of Beirut Gym". Congratulations!
The other nominated teams were Yara Mia Chamoun, Ramsey Fahed, Chris Maroun, and Lea Nasr (“Optimization of Warehousing Practices at Karim Trading S.A.L.") and and Elias Chahine, Rami El Shammas, Tracy Haoui, and Dina Khoury (“"Beirut Beer Production Line Optimization and Employee Safety")
Joy Bou Sleiman, Ralph Deeb, Zeina Jouni, and Jeffrey Khattar - "Optimization of the American University of Beirut Gym"
Health and fitness are of supreme importance at any stage of human life. People are becoming more and more conscious about their health, and are hence referring to the gym more frequently. Sports are more often than not an adopted mechanism to cope with stress, especially for students and professors who deal with tight schedules and many deadlines. Increasingly, universities around the world are providing their students and faculty with a sports center that caters to these needs. Our objective in this project is to improve the overall gym experience at the Charles Hostler Student Center in the American University of Beirut. We are using our knowledge and expertise in various fields to ensure that the gym at AUB is up to gold standard and that every person entering it will have a great experience that is well rounded and does not lack anything.
Yara Mia Chamoun, Ramsey Fahed, Chris Maroun, and Lea Nasr - "Optimization of Warehousing Practices at Karim Trading S.A.L."
Working on finding optimal solutions to warehousing issues can be particularly challenging, especially when it comes to countries that lag on the use of modern techniques. Karim Trading S.A.L is a warehouse and distribution company that distributes food, fast moving consumer goods, and household products to around 5,000 customers across Lebanon. The company holds 42 product brands, which translates into 680 different products. Despite the large scale of operations of the company, the warehouse is still not running based on predetermined strategies. In this context, we decided that our approach should tackle two main objectives: the design of a new layout for the distribution of products throughout the warehouse, and the development of an order picking strategy applicable to any type of orders. Instinctively, we thought of resolving the issue by looking mainly at optimization tools and trying to derive an integrated model. This reasoning shortly led us to the development of several unrealistic assumptions and simplifications. After extensive research, we shifted our focus towards more flexible and adaptable techniques all based on heuristics. We were able to come up with three different combinations of layouts and order picking strategies: ABC classification, Alphabetical classification, and Weight classification. So far, our empirical research has shown that heuristics can lead up to a 10% improvement on order picking times on average. Our work will now be directed towards a more analytical approach with the aim of concluding based on a final cost-benefit analysis.
Elias Chahine, Rami El Shammas, Tracy Haoui, and Dina Khoury - "Beirut Beer Production Line Optimization and Employee Safety"
This project presents an analysis of a Lebanese Beer Production company. Beirut Beer is a company that proudly differentiates its product as the drink of the Lebanese youth that has been gaining recent recognition for its marketing campaigns. These attributes intrigued both our social and educational facets and have driven us towards our objective throughout this field study. Throughout the course of this project, we have aimed to increase the overall efficiency of Beirut Beer's manufacturing plant through optimizing the production line and improving employee well-being. This project focus on our results to date with emphasis on the production line. The procedure section of the report contains various qualitative techniques that have allowed us to visualize the problem of production such as detailed walk-throughs, interviews with industry partners, fishbone diagrams of the facility, and flow process charts for the entire packaging process. This has led us to build a robust Arena Simulation model that mimics the reality of the process, which consequently highlighted potential problematic areas on the line. In addition to methods, we have compiled the results of our qualitative and quantitative measures by locating bottlenecks on main processes, which allowed us to shift our focus on certain areas in the factory to analyze and monitor. Furthermore, we have begun tackling the issue of noise levels through the creation of a noise level diagram along with measuring noise using an application throughout areas subjected to a high staff concentration. We will conclude with a discussion on future steps and further analysis that would allow us to reach feasible recommendations.
Penrose Award
Congratulations to IEM student Mariam Dabboussi, the 2018 recipient of the prestigious MSFEA Penrose Award. This award is given to the one MSFEA graduating student who shows the best combination of scholarship, character, leadership, and contribution to the university. Mariam was the deserving winner of the Penrose Award given her outstanding work throughout her years at AUB. She was the Chief Executive Officer for the 2018 edition of AUB Outdoors, a two-day student-run event that annually attracts over 23,000 people. In a departure from previous editions, this year's profits were used to create the Outdoors Scholarship. Mariam also founded Light Up a Village (LUV), a society that promotes sustainability in rural areas in Lebanon. Their first project involved setting up16 solar-powered lampposts and 10 solar kits in El Mejdel, Northern Lebanon. Last but not least, Mariam founded IISE and served as vice-President and then president of the society. Mariam helped the society gain official accreditation and founded INDE: Decoded, a platform that connects industrial engineering students to pioneers in fields of interest.