ACDMM Example Projects

6. Scheduling of Pickling Baths

If metallic items have to be bonded to composite surfaces that are under fluctuating stress, their surfaces must receive a very comprehensive chemical treatment. The host company was in the process of commissioning a series of pickling baths for this purpose and had spent some £300,000 on the installation. Two A.C.D.M.M. graduates were given two weeks to examine the way in which the components could be scheduled through the plant. At the Feedback Session, they revealed that, if the company employed their normal scheduling system, in 9 months time the as-yet not on-stream plant would be unable to cope with the anticipated demand, even working 24 hours per day and 7 days each week. However, they had designed an alternative system which, if adopted, would mean that, at the end of the 9 months, there would not even be any need for the operators to work conventional overtime.

7. Hospital Boilers

For security reasons, all hospitals must have a duplicated boiler system. This particular establishment used gas and heavy fuel oil in a single installation, but some research had indicated the possibility that the fumes from the latter might be carcenogenic. The A.C.D.M.M. team was asked to investigate whether it was feasible to install scrubbers in the base of the chimney or find an alternative fuel that could also be used with the existing burner system. They showed that paraffin could easily replace the heavy fuel oil at very little cost. They also devised a computer program that would enable the Estates Manager to input any changes in prices of gas or other fuel to decide whether or not to make changes in order to minimise costs. We were later informed that he had altered three suppliers in the first year and made significant savings as a result.