Past Senior Design Projects
Past Senior Design Projects
Each semester we have the pleasure of working with local companies on projects as part of our Senior Design Program. These projects are an opportunity for companies to use student resources to have new concepts and fresh ideas injected into their real-world projects. This sponsorship is rewarding for both the project sponsor and the student team. We would like to thank all our past sponsors for their participation in the program.
Spring 2024 | Photo Gallery
321 Coffee
Student Team: Noah Clontz, Anna Hallmark, Giselle Ramirez, Mason Welch
321 Coffee was in need of new methods for optimizing the production of their unique staff. Some of these practices in need of improvement include the movement of coffee beans throughout the facility and decreasing packaging times. Through facility redesign, inventory optimization, ergonomic practice implementation, and a standardized Way of Working (WOW), the NCSU team was able to assist 321 Coffee.
BSH Home Appliances
Student Team: Evan Barbaryka, Bradley Harrell, Anthony Peay, Gabe Valera
BSH Home Appliances wanted to develop an automated plan for every part within their manufacturing process through Kanban. This new technology helps handle inventory data efficiently, as it will eliminate the process of recording by hand. The ISE student team analyzed the current practices and through the use of Python, developed data comparison tools that allowed for the elimination of manual entry, resulting in a reduction of stagnant inventory and reduced manual changes to the material master data.
Century Furniture
Student Team: Luke Hepburn, Mohamed Hijazi, Shane Jennings, Tarra Scott, Julia Seidel
Century Furniture needed a strategy that could predict the life cycle of their products. This model would assist in reducing the production and purchasing of inventory that will eventually become obsolete. The model also will forecast the frequency and quantity of what products should be produced. Through the use of computer programming, the ISE student team was able to develop a model that increased prediction accuracy by 20% saving roughly $70,000 per year.
Fleet Readiness Center -East (FRC-E)
Student Team: Fergus Burns, Katie Hodges, Magdalen Lavelle, Connor Witt
FRC-East required better management practices for their equipment lifecycle. Through extensive equipment and economic research, the ISE team was able to develop a digital decision matrix tool that would determine if a subsystem was in need of replacement or not based on its information and previous replacement/maintenance. This tool assists in determining the cost-effectiveness of subsystem replacement versus full-system replacement.
Herbalife
Student Team: Griffin Cook, Katie Evans, Will Parker, Peyton Shue
Herbalife hoped to develop a new material handling system focusing on optimization. This system was needed to assist in determining the optimal quantity of totes and staffing levels within their newly implemented systems. The ISE team developed an Excel model that assists with data flow and determining the optimal quantities desired, assisting with finding the balance between improving production and maintaining cost efficiency.
Hickory Chair
Student Team: Aly El Ashiry, Jackson Harwell, Henry Jones, Richard McIntyre
Hickory Chair wanted to improve both the storage and flow of the parts of their products, specifically the accuracy of shipping dates. An ergonomic redesign of the facility layout was also desired with the goal of improving work quality for staff. The ISE team developed multiple new layout models and using established criteria, found to most efficient solution that addressed Hickory Chair’s desires.
Hitachi
Student Team: John Dukat, Hope Farlow, Helene Synnott, Ethan Turner
Hitachi Energy wanted to improve direct labor efficiency. Within their tanking and wiring processes, they looked to eliminate waste and improve throughput time. The ISE team developed multiple solutions including staffing practice and facility redesign. These new practices created new opportunities for the company to address the increased demand for electricity it has been experiencing.
Manhattan Associates
Student Team: Steven Lamm, Rishi Narayan, Nolan Whitley
Manhattan Associates looked to develop a profit analyzer that will allow for efficient data analysis through the use of visualization. Through extensive data modeling, the team was able to develop multiple assistive data visualization models. These new tools will assist in the reduction of time taken to analyze large sets of information.
NC State College of Veterinary Medicine (CVM)
Student Team: Henry Klier, Abby Lin, Tim Rossow
The NCSU College of Veterinary Medicine desired a programmatic assessment of their new data flow design. The results from the project needed to reduce the number of information handoffs and reduce/streamline the number of distinct systems within the department. The ISE team was able to identify areas of inefficiency within the current system and apply new practices to reduce these difficulties. Through qualitative data collection and internal benchmarking, data could be visualized.
NC State Emergency Preparedness and Strategic Initiatives (EPSI)
Student Team: Lulu Holtz, Bill Lamm, Braeden Saykaly
The NCSU Emergency Preparedness and Strategic Initiatives department desired improvement to their compliance with inspection process improvements. The goal of a 100% compliance rate on fire extinguisher inspections was set and could be met through improvements in worker route planning and data capture efficiency. Through data collection and the use of regression analysis, the ISE team was able to develop the most efficient routes for inspection. The team also developed a dashboard that allowed for progress monitoring and data collection.
Schneider Electric
Student Team: Kaitlyn Horky, Charles Johnson, Eliza Jones, Austin Modlin
Schneider Electric looked to develop a connected equipment tracking system through the creation of a dashboard that will track and automatically update connected orders by their product lines, customer segment, and customer. Through system visualization and data flow, the ISE team was able to identify areas of inefficiency and were able to reduce total system time by 85% through artificial data utilization and data cleansing.
Siemens Motor Control Center
Student Team: Anderson Hiser, Mike Mueller, Jakob Sealock, Mallory Vance
Siemens looked to develop a predictive assembly cycle time formula. Their configure-to-order assembly line requires a reliable method for determining the planned cycle time for upcoming builds, with benefits including improved productivity, forecast accuracy, and schedule adherence. Through the creation of a form, the ISE team was able to analyze data and measure key factors that affect the cycle time. With that, the form they created allowed for successful predictive modeling for Siemens cycle times.
Siemens Wiring
Student Team: Sarah Chestnut, Jessica Gbossou, Stephen Godwin, Ethan Parcelles
Siemens wanted to create a centralized wiring cell. This required the consolidation of the sit-down wiring workstations from each production line into one centralized department, which delivers completed wiring boxes for installation following just-in-time practices. The ISE team addressed this challenge by using the voice of the customer (VOC) to develop multiple new layouts, with the best being selected using the criterion from the VOC. This resulted in improvements in productivity and capacity and optimized the floor space within the facility.
UNC Health – Rex
Student Team: Elizabeth Poinsette, David Teague, Hannah Uglehus
UNC Rex desired improvement to supply chain and inventory levels within their facilities. The ISE team developed multiple recommendations to improve efficiency, including cycle count training, inventory tracking for call requests, and organization and standardization within the warehouse. All of these solutions directly impacted the total time lost in relation to inventory, as well as making improvements to their inventory accuracy and reducing stockouts/excess inventory.