Previsão de vendas para uma indústria de equipamentos pesados: seleção de técnicas e análise

The continuous advance of the Brazilian economy and increased competition in the heavy equipment market, increasingly point to the need for accurate sales forecasting processes, which allow an optimized strategic planning and therefore better overall results. In this manner, we found that the sales forecasting process deserves to be studied and understood, since it has a key role in corporate strategic planning. Accurate forecasting methods enable direction of companies to circumvent the management difficulties and the variations of finished goods inventory, which make companies more competitive. By analyzing the stages of the sales forecasting it was possible to observe that this process is methodical, bureaucratic and demands a lot of training for their managers and professionals. In this paper we applied the modeling method and the selecting process which has been done for Armstrong to select the most appropriate technique for two products of a heavy equipment industry and it has been through this method that the triple exponential smoothing technique has been chosen for both products. The results obtained by prediction with the triple exponential smoothing technique were better than forecasts prepared by the industry experts

Influência da cultura organizacional na implementação de um programa de melhoria contínua de uma empresa de grande porte

The objective of this study was to identify the facilitators and restrictive factors promoted by the organizational culture on the implementation of a continuous improvement program in a company. The influence of organizational culture on tools used to improve processes and results demonstrate critical factors for international competitiveness, reflecting a company's strategy. Depending on how new working methods are implemented, organizational changes to reduce variation and waste, such as lean production, can affect the employee experience in the workplace and their learning conditions. Changes and formalization of the work process can be coercive, characterized by forced compliance, introduction of rules, and focus on technical and financial methods; or may be favorable, encouraging employee involvement in problem solving and stressing learning and innovation. The basis of the analysis lies with two models for assessing organizational culture - Denison Model and Competing Values Framework. The methodology used was: conducting interviews, a questionnaire, literature review and documentary analysis of a large company equipment industry. Results suggest that organizational culture plays an important role in the adoption of Lean practices. It can contribute to its effectiveness and job satisfaction, but it is not decisive feature of their success. The conclusion is that the organizational culture becomes a driving factor when aligned to the proposed practices and when taken into consideration for planning, acting as a limitation when it does not promote development and a participative environment

Interdisciplinary project applied to engineering education: construction of a miniature ceramic industry

The greatest challenge of undergraduate engineering courses is to encourage creativity, cooperation with other students, teamwork, and motivation in the first years of their courses. While students have little or no contact with advanced disciplines, it is very difficult to attract their interests and encourage them to develop the skills in their undergraduate courses. This work aims to achieve these objectives through a mini-factory project involving the construction of a production line of ceramic tiles on a laboratory scale, from the ceramic processing using raw materials to the shipping of the final product. Having been given an established monthly demand for ceramic tiles, the students determined the construction requirements of the mini-factory, as they have created the layout, including the processing equipment, the dimensioning of equipment, and its operational structure. This article intends to describe the successful creation of the ceramic tile mini-factory, including the objectives, benefits, and inherent difficulties of the process and the receptivity of the exercise by the students involved.

Panels Produced from Thermoplastic Composites Reinforced with Peach Palm Fibers for Use in the Civil Construction and Furniture Industry

In order to cooperate in minimizing the problems of the current and growing volume of waste, this work aim at the production of panels made from industrial waste -thermoplastic (polypropylene; polyethylene and acrylonitrile butadiene styrene) reinforced with agro-industrial waste - peach palm waste (shells and sheaths). The properties of the panels like density, thickness swelling, water absorption and moisture content were evaluated using the ASTM D1037; EN 317; and ANSI A208.1 standards regarding particle boards. Good results were obtained with formulations of 100% plastic waste; 70% waste plastics and 30% peach palm waste; and 60% waste plastics and 40% peach palm waste.

Alternatives Panels from Waste Plastics Reinforced With Fibers of Pupunha Palm for Use in Civil Construction and Furniture Industry

In order to cooperate in minimizing the problems of the current and growing volume of waste, this work aims at the production of panels made from industrial waste -thermoplastic (Polypropylene - PP; Polyethylene - PE and Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene - ABS) reinforced with agro-industrial waste - pupunha palm waste (shells and sheaths). The properties of the panels were evaluated: density, thickness swelling, water absorption and moisture content. It was used the ASTM D1037; EN 317; and ANSI A208.1 standards regarding particle boards. The best results in physical tests were treatments 1 (100% waste plastic), 6 (60% plastic waste and 40% waste of pupunha) and 7 (70% waste plastic and 30% waste of pupunha). The best results in the mechanical tests were treatments 3 (30% de residuos plasticos e 70% de residuos da pupunha), 4 (40% de residuos plasticos c 60% de residuos da pupunha) and 5 (50% de residuos plasticos e 50% de residuos da pupunha). For mechanical tests it was concluded that the results of modulus of rupture and of modulus of elasticity the best treatments were those with more fibers. In the tensile tests perpendicular to the surface, it is clear that using more waste plastics leads to the best results. It was concluded that the waste can be used as raw material for the production of alternative materials mainly in civil construction and furniture industries, and it can be employed in urban or rural environment, given the concept of eco-efficient products.

Study of fuel cell co-generation systems applied to a dairy industry

This paper presents a methodology for the study of a molten carbonate fuel cell co-generation system. This system is applied to a dairy industry of medium size that typically demands 2100 kW of electricity, 8500 kg/h of saturated steam (P = 1.08 MPa) and 2725 kW of cold water production. Depending on the associated recuperation equipment, the co-generation system permits the recovery of waste heat, which can be used for the production of steam, hot and cold water, hot and cold air. In this study, a comparison is made between two configurations of fuel cell co-generation systems (FCCS). The plant performance has been evaluated on the basis of fuel utilisation efficiency and each system component evaluated on the basis of second law efficiency. The energy analysis presented shows a fuel utilisation efficiency of about 87% and exergy analysis shows that the irreversibilities in the combustion chamber of the plant are significant. Further, the payback period estimated for the fuel cell investment between US$ 1000 and US$ 1500/k-W is about 3 and 6 years, respectively. (C) 2002 Elsevier B.V. B.V. All rights reserved.

Construction and performance of a drop cell for the nephelometric determination of sulfur dioxide

A nephelometric technique based on a liquid drop is described for the measurement of atmospheric sulfur dioxide. A 40-mul drop of barium chloride and hydrogen peroxide solution is suspended in a flowing-air sampling stream. The sulfur (IV) collected is oxidized to sulfur (VI) and finally precipitated as barium sulfate. Nephelometric detection of drop is achieved by an appropriate arrangement consisting of an optical fiber contacting the drop and a photodiode placed at 90degrees relative to the fiber. The design and characteristics of this drop-based gas sensor system are described. The analytical response, as photocurrent, is proportional to the product of the sampling period and the sulfur dioxide concentration. The detection limit is ca. 1.1 mg m(-3) for a 10-min sampling time. The present technique is fairly rapid and simple, uses a small amount of reagent and is set up with low-cost equipment, making this system economically viable. (C) 2002 Elsevier B.V. B.V. All rights reserved.

Electrical Power Distribution System modeling with VHDL-AMS for the construction of a Real-Time Digital Simulator using FPGAS devices

This paper presents a distribution feeder simulation using VHDL-AMS, considering the standard IEEE 13 node test feeder admitted as an example. In an electronic spreadsheet all calculations are performed in order to develop the modeling in VHDL-AMS. The simulation results are compared in relation to the results from the well knowing MatLab/Simulink environment, in order to verify the feasibility of the VHDL-AMS modeling for a standard electrical distribution feeder, using the software SystemVision™. This paper aims to present the first major developments for a future Real-Time Digital Simulator applied to Electrical Power Distribution Systems. © 2012 IEEE.

Study of the removal of chemical oxygen demand of the cheese whey and wastewater from dairy industry using Spirulina platensis

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Construction of a chamber for in situ monitoring of the drying process of gels and porous solids

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Práticas de gestão da melhoria contínua e aprendizado e suas contribuições para a capacidade de inovação na indústria de construção naval do Brasil

After years of stagnation, the naval construction industry in Brazil has been experiencing a period of recovery caused by investments in the oil and gas sector and the implementation of governmental programs that aimed to regenerate it. However, efforts in learning and innovations are needed in order to reinsert the country in this activity and achieve international levels of competitiveness. Based on literature about learning processes and continuous improvement practices and their impact in the innovative and productive processes, this paper aims to identify the main tendencies, mechanisms and procedures to improve the construction and management processes in the Brazilian naval construction industry. The methodology used for the data analysis classifies obtained information from magazines and annals of congresses of the sector, according to the established analysis categories (phenomena). Such categories study information related to the productive and technological processes of the industry, the main internal and external relations of the industrial park, the management of resources and processes, policies, investments, etc. The data was collected in the period 2004-2010, and more than 500 registers that show a dominance of the investment phenomenon, especially in the increase of productive capacity, were catalogued. In addition to this, there is evidence of modernization in the manufacturing plan and the equipment, diverse forms of cooperation, implementation of human resources management practices and engineering or processes and products. Hence, a process of catching up governs and is guided by modernization and increase training in this industry.

Construction of pediatric homogeneous phantoms for optimization of chest and skull radiographs

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Evaluation of maturity levels in the management of product development: case studies in the capital goods industry

In recent approaches to the management of product development process (PDP), maturity levels have attracted the attention of practitioners and researchers. The CMMI model contributes to evaluate the maturity levels and improvement of the product development process management. This paper, based on CMMI model, analyzes the practices adopted in two companies of the capital goods industry, which develop and manufacture equipment upon request. It was observed that on account of market conditioning factors and different practices adapted to PDP management, these companies are at different maturity levels. One company is at the initial level of maturity while the other at the most advanced one. It was also noted that the application of CMMI model can provide improvement to PDP management, as well as present guidelines to achieve higher maturity levels, adequate to companies' needs.