UTILIZING ELECTRONIC NOSE AND GC-MS TO EXAMINE CRITICAL FACTORS INFLUENCING THE FORMATION OF ODOROUS VOC’S IN BIOSOLIDS.

Despite the efforts to better manage biosolids field application programs, biosolids managers still lack of efficient and reliable tools to apply large quantities of material while avoiding odor complaints. Objectives of this research were to determine the capabilities of an electronic nose in supporting process monitoring of biosolids production and, to compare odor characteristics of biosolids produced through thermal-hydrolysis anaerobic digestion (TH-AD) to those of alkaline stabilization in the plant, under storage and in the field. A method to quantify key odorants was developed and full scale sampling and laboratory simulations were performed. The portable electronic nose (PEN3) was tested for its capabilities of distinguishing alkali dosages in the biosolids production process. Frequency of recognition of unknown samples was tested achieving highest accuracy of 81.1%. This work exposed the need for a different and more sensitive electronic nose to assure its applicability at full scale for this process. GC-MS results were consistent with those reported in literature and helped to elucidate the behavior of the pattern recognition of the PEN3. Odor characterization of TH-AD and alkaline stabilized biosolids was achieved using olfactometry measurements and GC-MS. Dilution-to-threshold of TH-AD biosolids increased under storage conditions but no correlation was found with the target compounds. The presence of furan and three methylated homologues in TH-AD biosolids was reported for the first time proposing that these compounds are produced during thermal hydrolysis process however, additional research is needed to fully describe the formation of these compounds and the increase in odors. Alkaline stabilized biosolids reported similar odor concentration but did not increase and the ‘fishy’ odor from trimethylamine emissions resulted in more offensive and unpleasant odors when compared to TH-AD. Alkaline stabilized biosolids showed a spike in sulfur and trimethylamine after 3 days of field application when the alkali addition was not sufficient to meet regulatory standards. Concentrations of target compounds from field application of TH-AD biosolids gradually decreased to below the odor threshold after 3 days. This work increased the scientific understanding on odor characteristics and behavior of two types of biosolids and on the application of electronic noses to the environmental engineering field.

Estudo da molhabilidade de ligas de adição à base de prata sobre insertos cerâmicos para aplicação em brocas perfuração de poços de petróleo

Metal-ceramic interfaces are present in tricone drill bits with hard ceramic inserts for oil well drilling operations. The combination of actions of cutting, crushing and breaking up of rocks results in the degradation of tricone drill bits by wear, total or partial rupture of the drill bit body or the ceramic inserts, thermal shock and corrosion. Also the improper pressfitting of the ceramic inserts on the bit body may cause its total detachment, and promote serious damages to the drill bit. The improvement on the production process of metal-ceramic interfaces can eliminate or minimize some of above-mentioned failures presented in tricone drill bits, optimizing their lifetime and so reducing drilling metric cost. Brazing is a widely established technique to join metal-ceramic materials, and may be an excellent alternative to the common mechanical press fitting process of hard ceramic inserts on the steel bit body for tricone drill bit. Wetting phenomena plays an essential role in the production of metal/ceramic interfaces when a liquid phase is present in the process. In this work, 72Silver-28Copper eutectic based brazing alloys were melted onto zirconia, silicon nitride and tungsten carbide/Co substrates under high vacuum. Contact angle evolution was measured and graphically plotted, and the interfaces produced were analysed by SEM-EDX. The AgCu eutectic alloy did not wet any ceramic substrates, showing high contact angles, and so without chemical interaction between the materials. Better results were found for the systemns containing 3%wt of titanium in the AgCu alloy. The presence os titanium as a solute in the alloy produces wettable cand termodinamically stable compounds, increasing the ceramics wetting beahviour

Análise comparativa entre as propriedades do gesso obtido de rejeito da produção de sal e gesso comerciais

The environmental impacts, caused by the solid residues generation, are an often quoted concern nowadays. Some of these residues, which are originated from different human activities, can be fully reused, reducing the effects of the poor waste management on the environment. During the salt production process, the first formed crystals are discarded as industrial waste. This is mainly made of gypsum that is a calcium sulfate dihydrate (CaSO4.2H2O). The gypsum in question may go through a calcination process due to the plaster (CaSO4.0,5H2O) production and then the application on the cement industry. Considering the necessity of development and application for these industrial wastes, this paper aims to analyze the plaster, called Salgesso, from the gypsum that was generated during the salt production, and its use viability on the civil construction industry in order to create environmental and economical benefits. For characterization, the following experiments were performed: X-ray Fluorescence (XRF), X-ray Diffraction (XRD), thermal analysis (TG/DTG) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) with EDS. The following tests were also performed to obtain the mechanical characteristics: Thinness Modulus, Unit Mass, Setting Time and Compressive Resistance. Three commercial plasters used on civil construction were taken as references. All of these tests were performed according to the current standards. It was noticed that although there were some conflicting findings between the salt and commercial plasters in all of the studied properties, the Salgesso has its values within the standard limits. However, there is the possibility to improve them by doing a more effective calcination process. Three commercial plasters, used in construction, were used as reference material. All tests were performed according to standards in force. It was observed that although some tests present conflicting findings between the salt and gypsum plasters commercial properties in all of the studied Salgesso have values within the limits imposed by the standard, but can be improved simply by calcination process more effective

A organização do processo de projeto de arquitetura no meio profissional: uma análise da produção em escritórios

This paper examines, through case studies, the organization of the production process of architectural projects in architecture offices in the city of Natal, specifically in relation to building projects. The specifics of the design process in architecture, the production of the project in a professional field in Natal, are studied in light of theories of design and its production process. The survey, in its different phases, was conducted between March 2010 and September 2012 and aimed to identify, understand, and analyze comparatively, by mapping the design process, the organization of production of building projects in two offices in Natal, checking as well the relationships of their agents during the process. The project was based on desk research and exploration, adopting, for both, data collection tools such as forms, questionnaires, and interviews. With the specific aim of mapping the design process, we adopted a technique that allows obtaining the information directly from employee agents involved in the production process. The technique consisted of registering information by completing daily, during or at the end of the workday, an individual virtual agenda, in which all agent collaborators described the tasks performed. The data collected allowed for the identification of the organizational structure of the office, its hierarchy, the responsibilities of agents, as well as the tasks performed by them during the two months of monitoring at each office. The research findings were based on analyses of data collected in the two offices and on comparative studies between the results of these analyses. The end result was a diagnostic evaluation that considered the level of organization and elaborated this perspective, as well as proposed solutions aimed at improving both the organization of the process and the relationships between the agents under the lens analyzed

Simulación de la capacidad de producción de las máquinas y áreas de trabajo que intervienen proceso productivo de fabricación de Guantes de Látex

42 p.

Uso da glicerina oriunda da síntese do biodiesel em sistemas microemulsionados visando aplicação de herbicidas

The program PROBIODIESEL from the Ministry of Science and Technology has substantially increased glycerine, obtained as a sub-product of biodiesel production process, making it necessary to seek alternatives for the use of this co-product. On the other hand, herbicides although play a role of fundamental importance in the agricultural production system in force, have been under growing concern among the various segments of society because of their potential environmental risk. In this work, we used glycerin in microemulsion systems for application of herbicides, to improve efficiency and lower environmental pollution caused by the loss of those products to the environment. To obtain the systems of microemulsinados were used Unitol L90 NP and Renex 40 as surfactants, butanol as co-surfactant, coconut oil as oil phase and aqueous phase as we used solutions of glycerin + water. Through the determination of phase diagrams, the microemulsion region was found in the system E (L90 Unitol, coconut oil and glycerin + water 1:1). Three points were chosen to the aqueous phase rich in characterization and application in the solubilization of glyphosate and atrazine. Three experiments were performed in Horta, Department of Plant Sciences, Plant Science Sector, UFERSA, Mossoró-RN. The first experiment was conducted in randomized complete blocks with 20 treatments and four replications. The treatments consisted of five doses of the herbicide glyphosate (0.0, 0.45, 0.9, 1.35 and 1.8 L ha-1) diluted with four sauces: C1, C2, C3 (microemulsions) and C4 (water). The phytotoxicity of Brachiaria brizantha was measured at 7, 14, 28 and 60 DAA (days after application). At 60 DAA, we evaluated the biomass of plants. The second experiment was developed in randomized complete blocks with 20 treatments and four repetitions. The treatments consisted of five doses of the herbicide atrazine (0.0, 0.4, 0.8, 1.6 and 2.4 L ha-1) diluted with four sauces: C1, C2, C3 (microemulsions) and C4 (water). The phytotoxicity on Zea mays and Talinum paniculatum was evaluated at 2, 7, 20 DAA. The experiment III was developed in randomized complete blocks with 16 treatments and three repetitions. The treatments consisted of 16 combinations among the constituents of the microemulsion: Unitol L90 surfactant (0.0, 1.66, 5.0, 15 %) and glycerin (0.0, 4.44, 13.33 and 40.0 %). The phytotoxicity on Zea mays was evaluated at 1, 7 and 14 DAA. At 14 DAA, we evaluated the biomass of plants. The control plants using the microemulsions was lower than in the water due to the poisoning caused by the initial microemulsions in the leaves of the plants, a fact that hinders the absorption and translocation of the herbicide. There was no toxicity in Zea mays plants caused by the herbicide, however, were highly intoxicated by microemulsions. T. paniculatum was better controlled in spraying with the microemulsions, regardless of the dose of the herbicide. The glycerine did not cause plant damage. Higher poisoning the plants are caused by tensoactive Unitol L90 and higher rates occur with the use of higher concentrations of surfactant and glycerin, or microemulsion. The microemulsions used hampered the action of glyphosate in controlling B. brizantha and caused severe poisoning in corn, and these poisonings attributed mainly to the action of surfactant

Balanço energético da produção de feno da forrageira "massai" para criação de equídeos

Dissertação (mestrado)—Universidade de Brasília, Faculdade de Tecnologia, Departamento de Engenharia Mecânica, 2016.

Análise paramétrica do método de injeção alternada de água e CO2(WAG) em reservatórios de petróleo

After the decline of production from natural energy of the reservoir, the methods of enhanced oil recovery, which methods result from the application of special processes such as chemical injection, miscible gases, thermal and others can be applied. The advanced recovery method with alternating - CO2 injection WAG uses the injection of water and gas, normally miscible that will come in contact with the stock oil. In Brazil with the discovery of pre-salt layer that gas gained prominence. The amount of CO2 present in the oil produced in the pre-salt layer, as well as some reservoirs is one of the challenges to be overcome in relation to sustainable production once this gas needs to be processed in some way. Many targets for CO2 are proposed by researchers to describe some alternatives to the use of CO2 gas produced such as enhanced recovery, storage depleted fields, salt caverns storage and marketing of CO2 even in plants. The largest oil discoveries in Brazil have recently been made by Petrobras in the pre -salt layer located between the states of Santa Catarina and Espírito Santo, where he met large volumes of light oil with a density of approximately 28 ° API, low acidity and low sulfur content. This oil that has a large amount of dissolved CO2 and thus a pioneering solution for the fate of this gas comes with an advanced recovery. The objective of this research is to analyze which parameters had the greatest influence on the enhanced recovery process. The simulations were performed using the "GEM" module of the Computer Modelling Group, with the aim of studying the advanced recovery method in question. For this work, semi - synthetic models were used with reservoir and fluid data that can be extrapolated to practical situations in the Brazilian Northeast. The results showed the influence of the alternating injection of water and gas on the recovery factor and flow rate of oil production process, when compared to primary recovery and continuous water injection or continuous gas injection

Uma metodologia para a análise do desempenho sustentável dos postos de revenda de combustível na cidade de Natal/RN, com o uso de data envelopment analysis-DEA

The increasing use of fossil fuels in line with cities demographic explosion carries out to huge environmental impact in society. For mitigate these social impacts, regulatory requirements have positively influenced the environmental consciousness of society, as well as, the strategic behavior of businesses. Along with this environmental awareness, the regulatory organs have conquered and formulated new laws to control potentially polluting activities, mostly in the gas stations sector. Seeking for increasing market competitiveness, this sector needs to quickly respond to internal and external pressures, adapting to the new standards required in a strategic way to get the Green Badge . Gas stations have incorporated new strategies to attract and retain new customers whom present increasingly social demand. In the social dimension, these projects help the local economy by generating jobs and income distribution. In this survey, the present research aims to align the social, economic and environmental dimensions to set the sustainable performance indicators at Gas Stations sector in the city of Natal/RN. The Sustainable Balanced Scorecard (SBSC) framework was create with a set of indicators for mapping the production process of gas stations. This mapping aimed at identifying operational inefficiencies through multidimensional indicators. To carry out this research, was developed a system for evaluating the sustainability performance with application of Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) through a quantitative method approach to detect system s efficiency level. In order to understand the systemic complexity, sub organizational processes were analyzed by the technique Network Data Envelopment Analysis (NDEA) figuring their micro activities to identify and diagnose the real causes of overall inefficiency. The sample size comprised 33 Gas stations and the conceptual model included 15 indicators distributed in the three dimensions of sustainability: social, environmental and economic. These three dimensions were measured by means of classical models DEA-CCR input oriented. To unify performance score of individual dimensions, was designed a unique grouping index based upon two means: arithmetic and weighted. After this, another analysis was performed to measure the four perspectives of SBSC: learning and growth, internal processes, customers, and financial, unifying, by averaging the performance scores. NDEA results showed that no company was assessed with excellence in sustainability performance. Some NDEA higher efficiency Gas Stations proved to be inefficient under certain perspectives of SBSC. In the sequence, a comparative sustainable performance and assessment analyzes among the gas station was done, enabling entrepreneurs evaluate their performance in the market competitors. Diagnoses were also obtained to support the decision making of entrepreneurs in improving the management of organizational resources and promote guidelines the regulators. Finally, the average index of sustainable performance was 69.42%, representing the efforts of the environmental suitability of the Gas station. This results point out a significant awareness of this segment, but it still needs further action to enhance sustainability in the long term

Utformning av tak och möjligheter med automation av takstolstillverkning i trä

Purpose: The purpose of this work is to increase the possibilities of designing building components for specific demands to increase the building’s value, and to investigate how the possibilities can be affected by automating the production process. Method: The theoretical framework, which this study is based on, was collected using literature studies and was thereafter combined with the empirics, which were retrieved from qualitative methods as interviews and planned observations. A case study was made of the building Ormhuset in Jönköping. Findings: The objective of this work is to investigate the possibilities for designing roofs by using new automation methods for the production process of wooden roof structures. This study implies that parametric design can be used to generate new innovative shapes and designs that are optimised according to specific criteria. Furthermore, an increased use of automation in the production process of wooden roof trusses result in cheaper roof trusses, regardless of their shapes. The generated optimized designs are therefore cheaper and easier to produce using more automation in the production process. Implications: If parametric design is used, almost any kind of shapes can be generated and optimised. To ensure manufacturability of a design, an early connection between architect and manufacturer is important. Furthermore, increased use of automation can lead to easier and faster production of roof trusses and investing in more automation can be relevant for companies with large production volumes. Using digital files to control the manufacturing machines is time saving. There are alternative manufacturing methods for advanced roof structurers in wood, which are better suited for production, which cannot be rationalized as for roof trusses. Constraints for increased automation are often a high investment cost and limited space. Limitations: If the study is performed on another case than Ormhuset and with other respondents, the result might have differed but could be similar, why this study is not generally valid but only shows one possible outcome.

Improving safety and establishing episomal maintenance of Adeno-associated viral vectors

Adeno-associated viral (AAV) vectors are among the most widely used gene transfer systems in basic and pre-clinical research and have been employed in more than 160 clinical trials. AAV vectors are commonly produced in producer cell lines like HEK293 by co-transfection with a so-called vector plasmid and one (in this work) or two so-called helper plasmids. The vector plasmid contains the transgene cassette of interest (TEC) flanked by AAV’s inverted terminal repeats (ITRs) which serve as packaging signals, whereas the helper plasmid provides the required AAV and helper virus functions in trans. A pivotal aspect of AAV vectorology is the manufacturing of AAV vectors free from impurities arising during the production process. These impurities include AAV vector preparations that contain capsids containing prokaryotic sequences, e.g. antibiotic resistance genes originating from the producer plasmids. In the first part of the thesis we aimed at improving the safety of AAV vectors. As we found that encapsidated prokaryotic sequences (using the ampicillin resistance gene as indicator) cannot be re-moved by standard purification methods we investigated whether the producer plasmids could be replaced by Minicircles (MCs). MCs are circular DNA constructs which contain no functional or coding prokaryotic sequences; they only consist of the TEC and a short sequence required for production and purification. MC counterparts of a vector plasmid encoding for enhanced green fluorescent (eGFP) protein and a helper plasmid encoding for AAV serotype 2 (AAV2) and helper Adenovirus (Ad) genes were designed and produced by PlasmidFactory (Bielefeld, Germany). Using all four possible combinations of plasmid and MCs, single-stranded AAV2 vectors (ssAAV) and self-complementary AAV vectors (scAAV) were produced and characterized for vector quantity, quality and functionality. The analyses showed that plasmids can be replaced by MCs without decreasing the efficiency of vector production and vector quality. MC-derived scAAV vector preparations even exceeded plasmid-derived preparations, as they displayed up to 30-fold improved transduction efficiencies. Using MCs as tools, we found that the vector plasmid is the main source of encapsidated prokaryotic sequences. Remarkably, we found that plasmid-derived scAAV vector preparations contained a much higher relative amount of prokaryotic sequences (up to 26.1 %, relative to TEC) compared to ssAAV vector preparations (up to 2.9 %). By replacing both plasmids by MCs the amount of functional prokaryotic sequences could be decreased to below the limit of quantification. Additional analyses for DNA impurities other than prokaryotic sequences showed that scAAV vectors generally contained a higher amount of non-vector DNA (e.g. adenoviral sequences) than ssAAV vectors. For both, ssAAV and scAAV vector preparations, MC-derived vectors tended to contain lower amounts of foreign DNA. None of the vectors tested could be shown to induce immunogenicity. In summary we could demonstrate that the quality of AAV vector preparations could be significantly improved by replacing producer plasmids by MCs. Upon transduction of a target tissue, AAV vector genomes predominantly remain in an episomal state, as duplex DNA circles or concatemers. These episomal forms mediate long-term transgene expression in terminally differentiated cells, but are lost in proliferating cells due to cell division. Therefore, in the second part of the thesis, in cooperation with Claudia Hagedorn and Hans J. Lipps (University Witten/Herdecke) an AAV vector genome was equipped with an autonomous replication element (Scaffold/matrix attachment region (S/MAR)). AAV-S/MAR encoding for eGFP and a blasticidin resistance gene and a control vector with the same TEC but lacking the S/MAR element (AAV-ΔS/MAR) were produced and transduced into highly proliferative HeLa cells. Antibiotic pressure was employed to select for cells stably maintaining the vector genome. AAV-S/MAR transduced cells yielded a higher number of colonies than AAV-ΔS/MAR-transduced cells. Colonies derived from each vector transduction were picked and cultured further. They remained eGFP-positive (up to 70 days, maximum cultivation period) even in the absence of antibiotic selection pressure. Interestingly, the mitotic stability of both AAV-S/MAR and control vector AAV-ΔS/MAR was found to be a result of episomal maintenance of the vector genome. This finding indicates that, under specific conditions such as the mild selection pressure we employed, “common” AAV vectors persist episomally. Thus, the S/MAR element increases the establishment frequency of stable episomes, but is not a prerequisite.

Développement des bétons autoplaçants à faible teneur en poudre, Éco-BAP: formulation et performance

Abstract : Although concrete is a relatively green material, the astronomical volume of concrete produced worldwide annually places the concrete construction sector among the noticeable contributors to the global warming. The most polluting constituent of concrete is cement due to its production process which releases, on average, 0.83 kg CO[subscript 2] per kg of cement. Self-consolidating concrete (SCC), a type of concrete that can fill in the formwork without external vibration, is a technology that can offer a solution to the sustainability issues of concrete industry. However, all of the workability requirements of SCC originate from a higher powder content (compared to conventional concrete) which can increase both the cost of construction and the environmental impact of SCC for some applications. Ecological SCC, Eco-SCC, is a recent development combing the advantages of SCC and a significantly lower powder content. The maximum powder content of this concrete, intended for building and commercial construction, is limited to 315 kg/m[superscript 3]. Nevertheless, designing Eco-SCC can be challenging since a delicate balance between different ingredients of this concrete is required to secure a satisfactory mixture. In this Ph.D. program, the principal objective is to develop a systematic design method to produce Eco-SCC. Since the particle lattice effect (PLE) is a key parameter to design stable Eco-SCC mixtures and is not well understood, in the first phase of this research, this phenomenon is studied. The focus in this phase is on the effect of particle-size distribution (PSD) on the PLE and stability of model mixtures as well as SCC. In the second phase, the design protocol is developed, and the properties of obtained Eco-SCC mixtures in both fresh and hardened states are evaluated. Since the assessment of robustness is crucial for successful production of concrete on large-scale, in the final phase of this work, the robustness of one the best-performing mixtures of Phase II is examined. It was found that increasing the volume fraction of a stable size-class results in an increase in the stability of that class, which in turn contributes to a higher PLE of the granular skeleton and better stability of the system. It was shown that a continuous PSD in which the volume fraction of each size class is larger than the consecutive coarser class can increase the PLE. Using such PSD was shown to allow for a substantial increase in the fluidity of SCC mixture without compromising the segregation resistance. An index to predict the segregation potential of a suspension of particles in a yield stress fluid was proposed. In the second phase of the dissertation, a five-step design method for Eco-SCC was established. The design protocol started with the determination of powder and water contents followed by the optimization of sand and coarse aggregate volume fractions according to an ideal PSD model (Funk and Dinger). The powder composition was optimized in the third step to minimize the water demand while securing adequate performance in the hardened state. The superplasticizer (SP) content of the mixtures was determined in next step. The last step dealt with the assessment of the global warming potential of the formulated Eco-SCC mixtures. The optimized Eco-SCC mixtures met all the requirements of self-consolidation in the fresh state. The 28-day compressive strength of such mixtures complied with the target range of 25 to 35 MPa. In addition, the mixtures showed sufficient performance in terms of drying shrinkage, electrical resistivity, and frost durability for the intended applications. The eco-performance of the developed mixtures was satisfactory as well. It was demonstrated in the last phase that the robustness of Eco-SCC is generally good with regards to water content variations and coarse aggregate characteristics alterations. Special attention must be paid to the dosage of SP during batching.

El futuro de la ropa ecológica en Colombia a partir de las tendencias desarrolladas en Reino Unido y Suecia y su impacto ambiental

Durante los últimos años, los consumidores han tomado conciencia acerca del cuidado medio ambiental, obligando a las empresas a realizar modificaciones tanto en sus procesos como en los insumos empleados. Un claro ejemplo de ello es la ropa ecológica, esta industria busca promover la fabricación de prendas de vestir a partir de insumos orgánicos y/o reciclados, minimizando desperdicios e impacto durante su proceso de producción. Actualmente, hay varias empresas que han empezado a fabricar este tipo de prendas, especialmente en Europa, siendo Suecia y Reino Unido los más representativos. El presente trabajo estudió la factibilidad de la ropa ecológica en Colombia, tomando como punto de referencia los países mencionados. Para lograrlo, se realizaron encuestas a una muestra representativa, al igual que un análisis detallado sobre la producción y tendencias de consumo de la ropa ecológica en Bogotá, Colombia. Además, mediante las encuestas aplicadas, se estudió el comportamiento del consumidor colombiano y se realizó un comparativo frente a estudios desarrollados en países europeos en los últimos años. En conclusión, se encontró que a pesar de la ausencia de empresas y tiendas enfocadas en dicha industria, el consumidor colombiano estaría dispuesto a comprar ropa ecológica. A lo largo del documento, se explica con detalle las características que buscan los colombianos al momento de comprar estas prendas, el lugar en donde prefieren hacerlo, el valor que están dispuestos a pagar y las razones o motivos por los cuales realizan estas acciones.

Perfil logístico de Volkswagen desde la producción

Este análisis muestra detalladamente la línea de producción de la planta de Volkswagen, ubicada en México en el estado de Puebla. Se describe la capacidad operativa utilizada para satisfacer la demanda de la planta de producción de automóviles más grande de Latinoamérica, siendo clave para mantenerse en el mercado con estándares de calidad altos y contribuir al desarrollo de la economía del país. Asimismo, a nivel regional, esta planta se abastece de proveedores estratégicos ubicados en una zona cercana, ayudando a disminuir costos de transporte de piezas y tiempos de respuesta. Inicialmente se realiza una breve descripción del entorno económico de la empresa a nivel regional y del sector a nivel global para hacer énfasis en lo competitivo que es el mercado de la producción de automóviles. Posteriormente se describe la finalidad que tiene esta misión empresarial soportada por la Universidad del Rosario, donde se afianzan conocimientos importantes sobre un mercado de talla mundial. El siguiente aspecto es un diagnóstico de la empresa, donde se dan a conocer las marcas que hacen parte del grupo Volkswagen y la situación financiera que refleja la marca desde el 2012, revelando los ingresos obtenidos durante el período 2012-2014, gastos operacionales y factores que no se destacan positivamente como un flujo de caja negativo para el 2014. Posteriormente se plasman los conceptos teóricos necesarios para que el lector comprenda las variables inmersas en una planta de producción, destacando la teoría de colas y el diseño del layout de la empresa. Finalmente, se da una descripción detallada del proceso de producción en esta planta, donde se muestra la línea de producción, el ensamble y la importancia de un sistema operativo interno que depende principalmente de una alta inversión de tecnología e ingeniería que permite obtener un mayor beneficio en cada etapa del proceso.

Nuevas tendencias en la Supply Management en Colombia y México

La Misión empresarial a México 2015, tiene como propósito brindar a los estudiantes espacios para el crecimiento profesional, mediante la aplicación de los conceptos y los modelos estudiados en las diferentes visitas empresariales que se realizaron. Se pretende conocer cuáles son las nuevas tendencias en el manejo y administración de la cadena de abastecimiento de las empresas, de manera que estos conceptos puedan ser aplicados en diferentes tipos de empresas. Se realizó una investigación de cada una de las empresas que fueron visitadas realizando un análisis de un punto clave en cada una, por ejemplo, se describe la política “Think Blue” empleada por el grupo Volkswagen para el éxito y reconocimiento empresarial en la logística verde, y se analizan los principales procesos de producción de la planta productora del grupo Modelo, entre otras. Por otra parte, se analiza el modelo de gestión logística para pequeñas y medianas empresas, desarrollado en la Universidad Popular Autónoma del Estado de Puebla, el cual puede ser usado como base para el progreso y fortalecimiento de las pymes en nuestro país.