Papers by Taraneh Sowlati
Mathematical and Computer Modelling, 2008
A leading manufacturer of forest products with several production facilities located in geographi... more A leading manufacturer of forest products with several production facilities located in geographical proximity to each other has recently acquired a number of new production plants in other regions/countries to increase its production capacity and expand its national and international markets. With the addition of this new capacity, the company wanted to know how to best allocate customer orders to its various mills to minimize the total cost of production and transportation. We developed mixed-integer programming models to jointly optimize production allocation and transportation of customer orders on a weekly basis. The models were run with real order files and the test results indicated the potential for significant cost savings over the company's current practices. The company further customized the models, integrated them into their IT system and implemented them successfully. Besides the actual cost savings for the company, the whole process from the initial step of analyzing the problem, to developing, testing, customizing, integrating and finally implementing the models provided enhanced intelligence to sales staff.
Forest Products Journal, 2012
Manufacturing is the single largest sector of the Canadian economy, accounting for 12.7% of the n... more Manufacturing is the single largest sector of the Canadian economy, accounting for 12.7% of the nation's GDP in 2009 (Statistics Canada 2011). Over the past decade, this sector has faced numerous challenges such as a stronger Canadian dollar, increased foreign competition, and the recent decline of the US economy. One of the ways Canadian manufacturers have responded to these challenges is through increased information technology (IT) investments (Baldwin & Sabourin 2004). Wood products industries, though, generally invest much less in IT than the sector as a whole (Atrostic & Gates 2001). When wood manufacturers do invest in IT, it is often at a very basic level (Hewitt et al. 2011). Consequently, more intensive and sophisticated use of IT presents an opportunity for the cabinet industry to improve their competitive position. The first research objective was to determine the types of software products currently available to the cabinet industry and their associated functionalities. This was done using simple proportions, cluster analysis, and association rule learning. Next, a strategic analysis of which types of software applications are most important for the industry's future competitiveness was done using the analytic network process. Lastly, any large gaps between what is currently represented in the industry and what is important for future competitiveness were identified. Operations & Engineering functionalities were found in 65.7% of all observed functionalities, whereas Content, Collaborative, and CRM functionalities were found in less than 10% each. Operations & Engineering and ERM software were determined to be the most important for future competitiveness because of their contribution to the Quality strategy. While Operations & Engineering software is important for the industry, they may be overrepresented because the current market is highly saturated with these functionalities. ERM, Collaborative, and CRM software are underrepresented as their future priority is higher than their current presence. The sensitivity analysis shows that the final priorities of software applications are most sensitive to the weighting of the Customer Service strategy. If an individual firm places a high emphasis on customer service and marketing, then CRM and Collaborative software become most critical for success.
International Journal of Mathematics in Operational Research, 2010
Sensitivity analysis is an important step in multi-criteria decision making that provides useful ... more Sensitivity analysis is an important step in multi-criteria decision making that provides useful information and insights on the decision problem. The solution of a decision problem is not complete if only the ranks of alternatives are determined, since any change in the input parameters may change the ranking and the final decision. This article presents a mathematical programming model for sensitivity analysis in the analytic hierarchy process method to assess the minimum required changes in the weights of criteria to alter the alternatives ranking. The proposed model is applied to a real case of evaluating and selecting design and manufacturing software packages in a kitchen cabinet manufacturing company in Canada. The results of sensitivity analysis are used to assess the robustness of the final decision.
International Journal of Information and Decision Sciences, 2009
ABSTRACT Evaluation and selection of software packages are among the important decisions in the m... more ABSTRACT Evaluation and selection of software packages are among the important decisions in the manufacturing sector. Design and manufacturing software packages are integral components of manufacturing processes. Since different tangible and intangible criteria should be evaluated in the investment process, it is important to use a suitable multi-criteria decision-making method. This article presents a real case of evaluating and selecting a design and manufacturing software package considering the interdependencies among the selection criteria. The analytic network process was used for the analysis. A group decision setting was adopted and an aggregated decision was derived considering the relative influence of decision makers. The results were compared to the case where interdependencies were ignored. Furthermore, sensitivity analyses were performed to assess the impact of changes in the influence of decision makers and in the interdependencies between criteria on the final decision outcome.
Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 2019
Large quantities of residual forest-based biomass, including harvesting and sawmill residues, are... more Large quantities of residual forest-based biomass, including harvesting and sawmill residues, are available in British Columbia, Canada. They can be used to generate bioenergy. Currently, harvesting residues are burned to reduce fire hazard, and private and remote sawmills' residues are either burned or landfilled. While previous studies assessed the impact of bioenergy production from residual forest-based biomass on global warming, this life cycle assessment includes a comprehensive set of ten impact categories. Adopting a case study in a region in British Columbia, a life cycle model is applied to three locations considering four combustion and gasification technologies with different capacities (0.5 MW, 2 MW, 3 MW and 5 MW) and product outputs (electricity and/or heat). Most bioenergy supply chain scenarios showed improved environmental performance due to avoided uncontrolled combustion of residues and avoided fossil fuel combustion, particularly in the categories of acidification (+1% to-71%), eutrophication (-2% to-85%), fossil resource depletion (-2% to-84%), respiratory effects (0% to-96%), and photochemical ozone formation (+3% to-59%). Benefits were larger at locations dependent on fossil energy compared to locations dependent on hydropower. In contrast, ecotoxicity values increased in most scenarios (+460% to-11%), due to wood ash disposal. Results confirmed conversion efficiency and wood ash disposal as influencing factors in bioenergy supply chains for the investigated region, but showed a minor influence of the feedstock procurement distance. Moreover, the results emphasized the high contribution of uncontrolled burnings to the overall environmental impact of the forest biomass supply chains.
Expert Systems with Applications, 2016
Partnership with other organizations could improve companies' performance. However, partnerships ... more Partnership with other organizations could improve companies' performance. However, partnerships have a high failure rate according to the literature. Therefore, monitoring the performance of a partnership and evaluating the components that affect its performance are essential. Joint decision-making, information sharing, risk/reward sharing, relationship-specific assets, trust and commitment are identified as the major components that affect the performance of an ongoing partnership. However, no previous study evaluated the components of an ongoing partnership over time. In this study, a multi-criteria decision support model is proposed to assess the components that influence the performance of an ongoing partnership. Multiple indicators are used to assess each component. The interdependency and importance of the components and their indicators are incorporated into the model using the Warshall's Algorithm and Analytic Network Process (ANP), respectively. The importance of each component and indicator, and a single number for the overall level of partnership components in each period, named as Partnership Component Index (PCI) here, are the outputs of the proposed model. PCI is a quantitative multi-dimensional index. A partnership between a forest company and a sawmill in British Columbia, Canada is used as a case study to test the model. The components of the partnership is assessed in three different periods using PCI. The results are validated by the managers and sensitivity analysis is also performed.
Forest Products Journal, Oct 1, 2008
Expert Systems with Applications, 2016
A multi-criteria decision support model is developed to evaluate partnerships.It incorporates par... more A multi-criteria decision support model is developed to evaluate partnerships.It incorporates partnership drivers, performance measures and interdependencies.Interpretive Structural Modeling is used to assess the measures' interdependency.Fuzzy Logic is used to quantify uncertain measures.Analytical Network Process is used to evaluate the measures' importance. Partnership is one of the strategies that could help companies increase their competiveness in a global market. Previous studies reported that a high percentage of partnerships fail to achieve their drivers of entering into partnership. The lack of a comprehensive partnership evaluation has been identified as one of the main reasons for partnership failure. In this paper, a multi-criteria decision support model is developed to evaluate the performance of an ongoing partnership in different periods based on the measures associated with the drivers for entering into the partnership. Interpretive Structural Modeling (ISM), Analytical Network Process (ANP) and Fuzzy Logic (FL) are used in order to address the interdependency, the importance of, and the uncertainty in performance measures, respectively. The outputs of the model are the importance of each performance measure and a single number for the overall partnership performance in each period, named as Partnership Performance Index (PPI) here. PPI is different from either mere financial or operational performance measures. PPI is a multi-dimensional measure which includes multiple performance measures associated with the partnership drivers and accounts for their importance and interdependencies. The model is applied to a partnership between a logging company and a sawmill in British Columbia, Canada. PPI is used to evaluate this partnership in three different periods. PPI values are compared to conventional measures for partnership evaluation and the managers confirmed that PPI values better represent the performance of their partnership. The sensitivity of the PPIs is investigated based on the changes in the importance as well as the value of the measures. The rankings from the model are compared to the ones estimated by the managers, and the results showed that the rankings are compatible. This model contributes to the literature by developing an index for partnership performance which captures partnership drivers and performance measures as well as their importance and interdependencies.
Forest Products Journal, 2012
Scandinavian Journal of Forest Research
Scandinavian Journal of Forest Research, 2008
... replacement and service life were taken directly from the Maintenance, repair, and replaceme... more ... replacement and service life were taken directly from the Maintenance, repair, and replacement effects for building envelope materials document, published by the ATHENA Sustainable Materials Institute and prepared by Morrison Hershfield Consulting Firm (Norris, 199910. ...
Scandinavian Journal of Forest Research, 2006
In this study, the productivity changes of the manufacturing industries in Canada were evaluated ... more In this study, the productivity changes of the manufacturing industries in Canada were evaluated using the Malmquist productivity index, then the productivity change was decomposed into the frontier shift (technical change) and efficiency change (catch-up effect). The frontier shift is the change in the best practice frontier over time, typically due to changes in technology, while the catch-up effect is the change over time in the efficiency of each unit individually. The results of the analysis showed that the productivity of the Canadian manufacturing sector (on average) improved in 2002 compared with that of 1994 and the main reason for this growth was the frontier shift. However, during the same period in Canada, a slight descent was observed in the productivity of the wood products manufacturing sector, mainly due to a decline in efficiency change. This decline could have been due to various factors such as the decline in capital expenditure and the low educational level of the workforce.
Mathematical and Computer Modelling, 2005
... Faculty ofApplied Science and Engineering University of Toronto 200 College St., Toronto, ON,... more ... Faculty ofApplied Science and Engineering University of Toronto 200 College St., Toronto, ON, Canada, M5S-3E5 paradi~mie, utoronto ... Thispaper presents a new model within the data envelopment analysis framework for prioritizing information system (IS) projects.The criteria ...
International Journal of Business Innovation and Research, 2009
This paper presents a real case of evaluating and selecting a design and manufacturing software p... more This paper presents a real case of evaluating and selecting a design and manufacturing software package at a Canadian cabinet manufacturing company. Several tangible and intangible criteria were assessed in a group decision setting using the analytic hierarchy process technique. An aggregated decision was derived considering the relative influence of decision makers in the decision-making process. Moreover, a sensitivity analysis was performed to evaluate the impact of changes in the influence of decision makers and changes in the importance of selection criteria on the final decision. The recommended software package was acquired by the company and has been integrated into their system.
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Papers by Taraneh Sowlati