Sudhendu Rai

LDP Lean Document Production---O.R.-Enhanced Productivity Improvements for the Printing Industry

Xerox has invented, tested, and implemented a novel class of operations-research-based productivity-improvement offerings, trademarked LDP Lean Document Production® solutions, for the

A hybrid hierarchical control architecture for paper transport systems

100 billion printing industry in the United States. These solutions, which Xerox has implemented in approximately 100 sites to date, have provided dramatic productivity and cost improvements for both print shops and document-manufacturing facilities, as measured by reductions of 20--40 percent in revenue-per-unit labor cost. They have generated approximately

A lean document production controller for printshop management

200 million of incremental profit across the Xerox customer value chain since their initial introduction in 2000. The offerings have extended the use of operations research to small-and medium-sized print shops, while increasing the scope of its application to large document-production facilities.

Design optimization of robots based on time optimal control

Paper transport subsystems transport sheets of paper from a starting point to a final destination with high accuracy and reliability. Traditional roller-based transport systems consist of rollers operating in an open loop mode. Therefore, such systems do not exhibit graceful degradation and adaptable control. We present a distributed hybrid hierarchical control for transport systems which are flexible, modular, and exhibit graceful degradation of throughput.

Simulation-based optimization using simulated annealing for optimal equipment selection within print production environments

A new framework for the application of advanced manufacturing practices to printshops is discussed and illustrated. The architecture and functionality of a lean document production controller are described. Controller modules for ID assignment, routing, workflow mapping, and batching, are described in detail. The implementation of these practices in an actual printshop managed by Xerox Corp. is described.

Data-Driven Simulation-Enhanced Optimization of People-Based Print Production Service

This paper presents design optimization of high speed robots based on time-optimal control. The nonlinear equations of motion dynamics of robots are reformulated using concepts from Riemannian geometry into a simpler form. This form is then used to derive a design criterion whose minimization improves the optimal point-to-point travelling time of the robot. Based on this criterion the design of robots is formulated as a constrained optimization problem. To account for the flexibility of the structure, the eigenfrequencies of a linearized finite element model are also improved optimization techniques. The optimization results are presented that show significantly improved travelling time.

Simulation-Based Optimization Using Greedy Techniques and Simulated Annealing for Optimal Equipment Selection Within Print Production Environments

Xerox has invented, tested, and implemented a novel class of operations-research-based productivity improvement offerings that has been described in Rai et al. (2009) and was a finalist in the 2008 Franz Edelman competition. The software toolkit that enables the optimization of print shops is data-driven and simulation based. It enables quick modeling of complex print production environments under the cellular production framework. The software toolkit automates several steps of the modeling process by taking declarative inputs from the end-user and then automatically generating complex simulation models that are used to determine improved design and operating points. This paper describes the addition of another layer of automation consisting of simulation-based optimization using simulated-annealing that enables automated search of a large number of design alternatives in the presence of operational constraints to determine a cost-optimal solution. The results of the application of this approach to a real-world problem are also described.

System identification and machine setup of color xerographic machines using multivariate modeling and multiobjective optimization

This paper describes a systematic six-step data-driven simulation-based methodology for optimizing people-based service systems on a large distributed scale that exhibit high variety and variability. The methodology is exemplified through its application within the printing services industry where it has been successfully deployed by Xerox Corporation across small, mid-sized and large print shops generating over

Apparatus and method of distributed object handling

250 million in profits across the customer value chain. Each step of the methodology consisting of innovative concepts co-development and testing in partnership with customers, development of software and hardware tools to implement the innovative concepts, establishment of work-process and practices for customer-engagement and service implementation, creation of training and infrastructure for large scale deployment, integration of the innovative offering within the framework of existing corporate offerings and lastly the monitoring and deployment of the financial and operational metrics for estimating the return-on-investment and the continual renewal of the offering are described in detail.

Production server architecture and methods for automated control of production document management

Xerox has invented, tested, and implemented a novel class of operations-research-based productivity improvement offerings, marketed as Lean Document Production (LDP), for the