Lamia Berrah

Towards an aggregation performance measurement system model in a supply chain context

This study deals with the supply chain (SC) performance formalization. We propose to build performance measurement systems (PMSs) by linking an overall performance expression to elementary ones. The overall performance is associated to a global objective whose break-down provides elementary objectives. Elementary performances are thus aggregated in a corollary way. The problem in the design of such PMSs, by the break-down/aggregation model, concerns both the coherent elementary performance expressions and the definition of the links between them. Some answers are proposed in the literature, such as the weighted mean aggregation operator, to handle hierarchical links, the Choquet integral operator, for taking interactions into account. As global frameworks, the AHP or MACBETH methodologies are suggested. By considering the SCOR model break-down, we propose to extend here the proposed approaches for expressing the overall performance of a SC. An aggregation methodology, based on the Choquet integral operator and MACBETH framework, is thus adopted.

Global vision and performance indicators for an industrial improvement approach

Abstract This article organizes reflections around the notion of industrial performance. If the latter has always justified all the actions carried out in an enterprise, these actions have evolved with the evolution of the context. From a brief review of the characteristics of this context where information technology plays an expanding role, two concepts inherent to today’s performance are deduced and then analyzed: the need to consider the enterprise through a global vision on the one hand, and the importance of a continuous improvement approach of the performance of the whole or parts of the enterprise on the other hand. Then, the study will focus more particularly on the performance indicator as a fundamental tool in an improvement approach.

Information aggregation in industrial performance measurement: rationales, issues and definitions

Industrial performance can be defined in terms of numerous criteria to be synthesized for global control purposes, many of them being of a complex nature, i.e. not related to one elementary physical measure. In this context, determining a global performance expression raises the issue of performance expression aggregation. To address such an aggregation issue, so-called performance measurement systems need to be implemented. The analysis of the corresponding literature leads to the conclusion that the majority of the proposed approaches either do not provide explicit aggregation mechanisms or propose overly simplistic methods really to cope with the complexity of the situations at hand. Only a few consider explicit adequate aggregation methods. Therefore, a thorough characterization of performance expression aggregation based on four stages, namely extraction, representation, combination and interpretation, as proposed by the information aggregation community is presented. The contribution deals with the definition of a performance expression combination based on two kinds of performance expressions commonly encountered (physical measures and performance evaluations, i.e. objective satisfaction degrees). Methodological guidelines for performance expression aggregation are proposed as well as associated mathematical tools, especially the fuzzy Choquet integral for taking criteria interactions into account. An industrial case study is used as an illustration, and some concluding remarks and emerging problems to be considered in the future, such as temporal aggregation, are finally pointed out.

Overall performance measurement in a supply chain: towards a supplier-prime manufacturer based model

This study deals with the supply chain (SC) overall performance expression. The developed idea concerns more particularly the performance of the manufactured products. Indeed, two companies or more contribute to the manufacturing of products that are generally assembled by the prime manufacturer company. Moreover, in the industrial practice, performance scorecards are defined with regard to each process; and the overall performance is neither expressed for each company, nor for the whole SC. We propose here to identify the SC overall performance to the combination of the performances of the different involved companies in the SC. Thus, in order to obtain a definition of such performance, we choose to focus first on the performance of the prime manufacturer. In this sense, the approach is based on the SCOR model for the handling of the main processes around the considered product manufacturing. The prime manufacturer performance is then defined as the aggregation of its involved processes’ performances. While the prime manufacturer performance is strongly dependent on the suppliers’ performance, we suggest the integration of the impacting supplier performance into the prime manufacturer scorecards. From an operational point of view, the MACBETH methodology is used to coherently express both processes and overall performances. More precisely, the Choquet aggregation integral operator is applied in order to model mutual interactions between processes. Finally, the expression of a bearing’s manufacturer performance illustrates the proposition.

Industrial performance measurement : an approach based on the aggregation of unipolar or bipolar expressions

Industrial performance concerns numerous criteria, often in interaction and of complex nature, not related to one elementary measure. Performance-measurement systems (PMSs) have been developed to support decision-making for reaching the objectives and launching adequate action plans. PMSs thus provide performance expressions which identify objective satisfaction degrees. Two kinds of performance expressions are useful in industrial problems, according to the scale (unipolar, bipolar) that is used for their definition. Moreover, these expressions generally have to be synthesized for global control purposes, and determining an overall performance raises the issue of performance aggregation. To address such an aggregation issue, adequate multi-criteria methods need to be implemented. Most of the approaches proposed in the literature either do not provide explicit mechanisms, or rely on overly simple methods. This paper deals with the definition of a performance combination based on mathematical tools, especially the generalized Choquet integral to take into account, on the one hand, criteria interactions and, on the other hand, both unipolar and bipolar scales. An application to a PMS for the service rate of a SME producing kitchen elements is used to illustrate the approach.

User-friendly optimal improvement of an overall industrial performance based on a fuzzy Choquet integral aggregation

The design and use of performance measurement systems (PMSs) for industrial improvement and control have received considerable attention in recent years. Indeed, industrial performances are now defined in terms of numerous and multi-level criteria to be synthesized for overall improvement purposes. Only a few quantitative models for PMSs have been proposed in order to better monitor the continuous improvement cycle. Among them is the one proposed by the authors, based on a fuzzy Choquet integral aggregation operator. It allows expressing an overall performance according to the relative importance of criteria and interactions between elementary expressions. This article is a contribution to the decision-makers requirements for optimizing the improvement of an overall performance versus the allocated resources. It is proved that with a Choquet Integral aggregation, the resulting profile of elementary performances for optimal improvement can only take particular forms, which greatly aid the diagnosis and control tasks.

A formal modelling of control processes

This study concerns the performance management of manufacturing processes. Such processes are decomposed into two types: the operating processes and the control ones. While an operating process has to realise the deliverable products, a control one is designed to plan, control and supervise the execution of the activity of the operating processes. In this sense, one approach of control is discussed. The proposed model is based on the exchange relation concept between a customer and a supplier. The different control parameters are defined from this point of view, such as the activities assigned objectives and the performance indicators associated with them, the control activities and their functions, the control means... this for both the technical and economical levels of control. These ideas are applied to some problems encountered in manufacturing processes. In particular, aluminium metallurgy processes are considered. The performance of these processes are driven by many parameters such as the quality of the raw materials, the conformity of the tools used, the elements to assemble, the know-how of the operators.

Towards a unified descriptive framework for industrial objective declaration and performance measurement

Expressing the performance of industrial companies is an important feature for their continuous improvement. As the performance concept refers to the objective one, our idea is to relate the performance expression mechanism to that of the objective declaration. We propose a variable tree framework to describe the break-down of objectives and the expression of the performances, highlighting the multicriteria aspect of both the performance and the objectives. Moreover, the temporal aspects of the objective declarations are emphasised, leading to the introduction of both the objective and the performance temporal trajectories. Such trajectories take into account the whole of the temporal horizon that is associated with the achievement of the objective. The link between the provided trees and trajectories is established through the elementary objective notion which corresponds to the leaves of the trees. A conventional recursive depth-first search algorithm is applied to the variable tree for the computation of the corresponding performances, at any considered milestone of the temporal horizon. Finally, the overall throughput time of the hydraulic cylinders manufacturing line of the Bosch Rexroth Company is considered to illustrate the proposed ideas.

Optimising industrial performance improvement within a quantitative multi-criteria aggregation framework

The major industrial control purpose is the reaching of the expected performances. In this sense, improvement processes are continuously carried out in order to define the right actions with regard to the objectives achievement. Thus, in order to better monitor the performance continuous improvement process, we consider a quantitative model for performance assessment. The industrial performance being multi-criteria, the proposed model is thus based on the one hand, on the MACBETH method to express quantitatively elementary performances from qualitative expert pair-wise comparisons and, on the other hand, on the Choquet integral to express the overall performance according to subordination and transverse interactions between the elementary performances. Then, the main focus concerns the decision-makers requirements for optimising the improvement of the overall performance versus the allocated resources. In this view, we propose useful pieces of information first for diagnosis, then for overall performance improvement optimisation versus the costs of elementary performance improvements. Finally, the proposed approach is applied to an industrial case looking for optimising the improvement of the lean objective satisfaction related to the throughput time of hydraulic component manufacturing.

Efficacy and efficiency indexes for a multi-criteria industrial performance synthesized by Choquet integral aggregation

Nowadays, despite widespread recognition of the importance of performance measurement systems (PMSs), there are some issues that require further investigation if PMSs are to be effective in their role of control support. This article seeks to illustrate that the Choquet integral aggregation operators can address the problem of taking interactions between performance criteria into account. However, the use of this quite complex approach requires to explicitly define pieces of information aimed at aiding decision makers through a better understanding of the contribution of the elementary performances to the overall one, and better assessing of the different ways of improving the overall performance. In this view, indexes of efficacy and efficiency of the elementary performances aggregated by a 2-additive Choquet integral are proposed and applied to a case submitted by a small and medium-sized company (SME).