"The image of the world around us, which we carry in our head, is just a model.
Nobody in his head imagines all the world, government or country. He has only
selected concepts, and relationships between them, and uses those to represent
the real system.
_Jay Wright Forrester
"Systems thinkers see the world as a collection of stocks along with
the mechanisms for regulating the levels in the stocks by manipulating flows."
_Donella H. Meadows, Thinking in Systems
"Purposes are deduced from behavior, not from rhetoric or stated goals."
_Donella H. Meadows, Thinking in Systems
"An important function of almost every system is to ensure its own perpetuation."
_Donella H. Meadows, Thinking in Systems
The Research Group for Engineering Systems and Logistics is a part of the department of Management and
Production Engineering at Politecnico di Torino.
Based on the experience and the knowledge about the management of the industrial systems and facilities, and
about of the organization and the logistics in manufacturiing, our group has gradually extended its competences
to healthcare organization, info-mobility, territorial logistics, engineering, project management and construction
and in general to complex systems needing multidisciplinary approach. In fact, a comprehensive perspective of
the many factors associated with process profitability and efficiency, is required to find adequate solutions for
complex organizational issues.
Our group carries out research in cooperation with main international institutes, and works with professors and
researchers of other departments at Politecnico to provide applied research services, consultancy, assistance,
and professional training for local governments and firms including hospitals, regional agencies, manufacturing,
engineering, and constructions companies.
People in the research group also teach in industrial plant, project management, industrial safety, and logistics
and supply chain courses at undergraduate, graduate and doctoral levels.
Healthcare organization
Rengineering of main hospital in Piedmont Region in Italy
Partner: Piedmont Region
This project aims to study organizational, informative and technological models mainly related to the logistics, so as to facilitate new hospitals design or to rengineering the existing ones. In particular, in some Piedmont hospital structures (Torino area: Chivasso, Ivrea, Cirie) we carried out a process analysis concerning information and materials hospital management, from prescription to administration to patients. This study allowed to identify criticalities in order to support the choice of improvement areas and of the future organizational goals according to the specific hospital situation.
Hospital material management and technological innovations for internal logistics
Partner: Gradenigo Hospital (Torino, Italy)
Our research group has started at Gradenigo Hospital (Torino, Italy) a project about the reingineering of the flows of drugs and medical device. For this purpose we applied a methodology based on kanban technique for wards supply from the central warehouse of the hospital. Thanks to this project, tested in three wards, we have obtained a significant management improvement. In fact we have observed a cost reduction for drugs consumption and a decrease in volume of stocked products. We are extending such study to the whole logistics cycle, including identification techniques, warehouse management approach as well as supporting technologies.
Materials management and Production Costs
Partner: Casa di Cura citta di Bra
The aim of the project is the reorganization of the whole healthcare supply chain together with the cost evaluation for each patient. The logistics flow analysis in the Central Warehouse, in the Wards, and in the Operating Rooms have brought to the identification of criticalities. This results in a re-design of the process with an improvement of efficiency and effectiveness. In particular the Kanban system has been introduced in the Wards and in the Operating Rooms for the management of drugs, new inventory control policies are now adopted in the Ward, the Operating Rooms and in the Central Warehouse and a new material management is used in the Operating Rooms through dedicated kits for every kind of surgery, together with the automated retrieval of material via optical identification. At the same time the project aims at defining an accounting system able to compute the cost for each single patient.
ARSS Veneto
Involvement on the strategies related to the healthcare logistics of Veneto Region.
IDEA Project
Partner: Ministry of University and Research
Analysis on the application of RFID technology on the handling of hospital material and packages of anti-blastic drugs. Economical and technological evaluation, clinical risk analysis and management re-engineering.
Reorganization of the healthcare logistics in Piedmont Region
Partner: Regional Agency for Healthcare Services -A.R.e.S.S. Piemonte
The aim of the project is the redefinition of the logistics system of the Regional healthcare structures subsequent to the reorganization of Local Healthcare Agency Cluster. Through the regional survey that has been carried out, it has been possible to understand that each organization manages the process by itself independently from the other ones. A feasibility study about the centralization in Cluster Warehouses of the material management has been developed. Moreover the project aims at providing guidelines for the development of logistics competitive bids for each Local Healthcare Agency Cluster.
Esteem of ReSOLUTION System in Helthcare Organization
Partner: Johnson & Johnson Medical
The aim of the project is the economical and organizational evaluation of the ReSolution system in a healthcare structure. ReSolution is a system realized by Johnson & Johnson Medical based on RFID technology dedicated to the management of the procurement and the monitoring of medical devices in the operating room through the supply chain integration between customer and supplier. The study focuses on the procurement of medical devices, the material storage, the informative system, and the clinical risk. The application of ReSolution system has resulted in savings in terms of costs and time.
Logistics and supply chain management
RFId in retail supply chain
Partner: Miroglio Vestebene
Analysis of the value created by the introduction of RFid in retail stores.
Simulation for distribution warehouses optimization
Partner: Miroglio Vestebene
Application of dynamic simulation approaches to the optimization of a central distribution warehouse, of associated resources, and of the automated sorting system.
FIRB
Partner: University and Research Ministry
Extention of LogistiQual model to measurement of performances of supplier-customer relationships. Analyzing methods to deal with, supply chain dynamism e complex.
Platform Hybrid Electric Vehicles and Sustainable Distribution Network
Partners: Piedmont Region, Iveco S.p.A., FPT Industrial S.p.A., TNT Global Express S.p.A., Magneti Marelli S.p.A., Centro Ricerche Fiat S.C.p.A., Energrid S.p.A., Universita degli Studi di Torino, and Istituto Superiore Mario Boella
The project aims at designing, developing and testing architectures for new eco-friendly commercial vans, and at defining suitable utilization models and support services (e.g. green routing, e-driving, ecc) that are integrated in a telematics platforms both on-board and road-side. Reslog is working on the analysis of the current situation in terms of city logistics, the definition of vehicles simulation models, the study and the simulation of the distribution system and the ex-ante evaluation of the expected benefits. Furthermore Reslog is dealing with a benchmark analysis of different business models for the city logistics system based on electrical vehicles and value added services.
Project and Construction Management
Organizational model and management system for construction engineering and management services
Partner: Idest Ingegneria e servizi
The project aims to define an information, accounting and organizational model for small and medium enterprises offering engineering and project management services. We have carried out market analys about production context and sector operators, we have studied standards to classify services and competence centers, we have assessed project accounting integration methods, and we have analyzed methods for integrating informative management systems.
Artefice
Partener: Piedmont Region
This project develops functional tools for sale and operative budgeting process and for projects costs control for small facilities firms.
Industrial facilities
Analysis and simulation of manufacturing layout
Partner: Pirelli Tyre
Simulation of internal logistics for the enslavement of automatic lines for the production of tyres.
Studies of internal lighting system through simulation software for the definition of illuminance levels.
Design of conditioning and heating systems with innovative solutions for air refresh and climatic confort.
Design of plant offices from the open space perspective.
Economic and financial benchmark of solar and Aeolian fields
Partner: Impresa Costruzioni Rossi Spa
Smart Cities
Innovative business models for Smart City initiatives
Partner: Cassa Depositi e Prestiti
Based on the analysis of the main aspects of a smart citym, this project aims at developing new Public-Private partnership for the implementation of smart citty initiatives.
Smart Operational Logistics Efficiency (Sole)
Partner: Telecom Italia
This project focuses on the development of logistics delivery services with the associated informative flows in urban contexts, with reference to zero kilometers fresh good. These services ground on mobile devices such as smartphone or tablet and are addressed to producers and retailers (order management, warehouse management, customer and payment management), buyers (order emission and orders receiving, payment orders, information management of orders progress), distributors and curriers (intelligent loading management, optimum vehicle routing based on the orders and on traffic conditions). Services definition has been come with an analysis about their potential diffusion carried out through System Dynamic simulation that has brought to a mock-up prototype. The project is developed together with the Operational Research Group of the Department of Control and Computer Engineering of Politecnico di Torino.
Simulation and Optimization of Urban Logistics (SOUL)
Partner: Telecom Italia
The aim of the project is the development of logic and process models for the representation of logistics contexts, the evaluation of the usefulness and usability of ICT mobile technologies and the realization of a prototype. The project focuses on the optimization of models for the delivery of goods to urban retailers and of the related informative flows. In particular the attention is given to good traceability, routing scheduling and integration of traffic data. SOUL analyzes operative aspects such as the design and the development of the traceability along all the phases of the productive and distribution flow, from the producer to the consumer, and the integration in the scheduling system of the best routing in terms of travel times. The project is developed together with the Operational Research Group of the Department of Control and Computer Engineering of Politecnico di Torino.
Beekup
PieVerde
Urbelog
Cost Analysis of Local Public Transport in Piedmont
