Industrial Systems and Manufacturing Engineering

As the problem solvers for the manufacturing and service industries, industrial engineers design factories, production systems and service systems. They are also involved in reengineering existing factories and systems to use resources effectively and increase productivity. Manufacturing engineers design the methods by which products are manufactured.

2024 Engineering Open House Home

2024 Projects

3PL Facility Layout 

MEMBERS: Yashika Subnani; Bashar Alajmi; Sultan Alkahtani; Mohammed Alhassan 

ADVISOR: Dr. Cindi Mason

SPONSOR: Western Industries Plastic Products LLC, Winfield

The aim of this project is to utilize facility layout concepts and lean tools to create an efficient layout that minimizes travel time, leads to better space utilization and be resilient to demand fluctuations for high-running products.

 

Sheriff’s Office Squad Car Design Review

MEMBERS: Annika Thomas; Jasmine Carlucci; Jenna Ercolani; Jacob A. Mayne​

ADVISOR: Dr. Cindi Mason

SPONSOR: Sheriff’s Office Squad Car Design Review

Our senior design project is sponsored by the Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Department. The Sheriff’s department is comprised of four Bureau’s. Our project team works specifically with the road patrol division of the Law Enforcement Bureau. This division is responsible for daily patrols including traffic enforcement, responding to 911 calls, community policing, drug interdiction, and other duties.
 
This project focuses on finding potential solutions to two aspects of the road patrol’s regular duties by performing an ergonomic assessment and improving access to equipment in the Deputies SUVs and the standardization of placement for standard and emergency equipment. The expected outcome of this project is the improvement of the deputy's safety in performing their required duties by making improvements or adjustments to the placement and access of their equipment within their vehicles. The scope of the work for the Squad Car Design Review includes all planning, research, development, and explanation for a complete ergonomic review and development of interior equipment storage standards.

 

Dole VA Patient Flow

MEMBERS: Abbye Hodges; Lindsey Vierthaler; Natali Aguilar-Lopez; Adelyn Heuer

ADVISOR: Dr. Cindi Mason

SPONSOR: Robert J. Dole VA Medical Center - Wichita

The goal of this project was to provide the Dole VA Hospital with Industrial Engineering solutions based on data and traditional Industrial Engineering methods to improve the flow of patients from the Emergency Department to their designated admission unit. In doing so, this will assist patients in getting the care they need in the timeliest manner possible while still receiving good quality of care. The methods our group focused on to provide these solutions were the Lean method of Value Stream Mapping and the Industrial Engineering method of System Simulation using the software Simio.

XL Grip Ring Assembly

MEMBERS: Ashlynn Clark; Ashlie Weber; Adrian Thorner; Evan Keomany; Hussain Aljunabi

ADVISOR: DR. Cindi Mason

SPONSOR: XL Grip Ring Assembly

Viega LLC has a production line for assembling elbows and couplings on this production line. Employees are manually inserting the O-rings, Separate rings and grip rings into this assembly. The process is hard on the hands and the company would like for the team to design a tool that makes this process ergonomic.

Process Improvements for Crating and Foam Departments

MEMBERS: Alex Holmes; Jaeza Robertson; Jason Nguyen; Vicknesh Prasad

ADVISOR: Dr. Cindi Mason

SPONSOR: Western Industries Corporation

Western Industries Corporation (WIC) is a manufacturing company that specializes in custom crating, and pallet production through the use of wood and foam. They recently relocated and are actively struggling to formulate a standardized and efficient workflow for their Crating and Foam Departments. WIC has effective systems in place for their pallet manufacturing line, mainly for their largest customer, Johnson Controls, but they have not moved those good work practices to the Foam and Crating areas of their plant. WIC is using this project to create opportunities for our team of engineering students to integrate the current work practices with our own outside perspective to maximize efficiency of their overall work process, as well as reduce waste in areas such as, storage, raw materials, labor, and motion.

Siemens Gamesa Facility Optimization

MEMBERS: Noah Glickman; Dimitri Seneviratne; Cameron Hurwitz, Joshua Day

ADVISOR: Dr. Cindi Mason

SPONSOR: Siemens Gamesa tooling facility, Wichita, Kansas

Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy inc., seeks to enhance operational efficiency and standardization in managing and deploying toolkits for wind turbine farm construction and repair, particularly North America and Canada. The Wichita Tooling Center serves as a hub for these activities, but faces challenges in efficient retrieval, packing, and shipping of tools. To address these concerns, Siemens tasked the Senior Design team with two primary objectives: development of a 2D warehouse mapping to optimize movement and space utilization, and designing standardized shadow boards for the KNAACK Piano Box to streamline the toolkit packing process for their high value/high demand repair kit which contains around 200 items.
 
The 2D mapping project started with measuring the facility in detail, before digitizing the warehouse’s total floor space, designated areas, walkaways, and fixed installations, using CATIA V5 for an accurate 1:1 digital representation. This enhanced navigation and operational flow within the facility for current employees and new hires. The implementation of shadow boards eliminates variability in toolkit packing for ease of inventory checks, consistency, and efficiency in preparation for shipment. The previous inconsistency in packing toolkits posed challenges in inventory management, time lost during inspections, and continuity in packing processes. Going off the available space within their KNAACK Piano Box and the inventory list provided by Siemens we used design thinking to optimize the locations of all items stored in the toolkit by determining ergonomic locations for specific equipment, which items were consumables, which would be returned back to Siemens, ease of visibility, etc. Foam boards were cut out to match the profiles of the items and standardized for all future toolkits.
 
Through the accomplishment of these goals the senior design team not only met but exceeded the expectations of Siemens Gamesa, setting a new standard in operational efficiency and toolkit management for windmill farm construction and repair projects.
 
Inventory Process Management at Little Caesars

MEMBERS: Jett Barton; Colten Pounds; Rupert Nunez, Maria Contreras Velasco

ADVISOR: Dr. Cindi Mason

SPONSOR: Little Caesars, Wichita KS

A deep dive into Little Caesars' current inventory and waste management system. Standardization of inventory tracking processes resulting in reduced inventory variation and waste. Inventory standardization ensuring FIFO resulting in waste reduction and food safety.

3P Production Flow Redesign | Spirit Aerosystems

MEMBERS: David Ozinga; Greyson Tanner; Nico Ornelas; Sebastian Vazquez

ADVISOR: Dr. Cindi Mason

Our project focused on implementing a 3P (Production Preparation Process) initiative aimed at redesigning production flows within the company's manufacturing facilities for a new machine and the location of that machine. The objective was to enhance efficiency and optimize workflow to meet evolving market demands. Our team collaborated closely with engineering, production, and management personnel at Spirit AeroSystems to identify inefficiencies and opportunities for improvement. Through structured workshops, we engaged in creative problem-solving exercises to reimagine production layouts, material flow pathways, and workspace configurations. By applying principles of lean manufacturing and continuous improvement, we aimed to achieve sustainable gains in productivity and competitiveness for Spirit AeroSystems. Results from our project showcase improvements in production efficiency, including streamlined workflows and reduced cycle times. The implementation of new production layouts and standardized work processes yielded tangible benefits such as increased capacity utilization and decreased inventory levels. Our project exemplifies the practical application of engineering principles in addressing real-world challenges within the aerospace industry.