Process Mining and Process Prediction in Logistics (Vanderlande)

Summary

In the context of the “Process Mining in Logistics” research project between Vanderlande Industries, we are offering multiple Master projects on process mining on event data of large-scale material handling systems. The fundamental challenges addressed are size (logistics processes are a factor 10-100 larger than business processes), reliable performance analysis and process prediction.

We offer several topics that build on a rich stack of recently developed advanced techniques for data preparation, process mining, and process prediction. Possible topics are:

  • Intelligent event data abstraction for route analysis, integrating domain-knowledge in the event data abstraction process for improved process prediction
  • Explainable event data clustering for route analysis, providing context and causal explanations for detected outlier behavior
  • Developing real-time process monitoring for logistics systems using the performance spectrum to enable real-time process prediction, see https://github.com/processmining-in-logistics/psm
  • Developing understandable visualizations for event data of multi-item processes in warehouse automation systems

All projects are executed using large datasets from existing Vanderlande systems and with Vanderlande engineers providing concrete use cases and requirements. All projects require the development of new techniques, concepts, and algorithms as well as their implementation as a proof-of-concept that is demonstrated to work on the provided data and addresses the given use cases.

Vanderlande

Vanderlande is the global market leader for value-added logistic process automation at airports and in the parcel market. The company is also a leading supplier of process automation solutions for warehouses. Some figures:

  • Vanderlande’s baggage handling systems move 3.7 billion pieces of luggage around the world per year.
  • Our systems are active in 600 airports including 13 of the world’s top 20.
  • More than 39 million parcels are sorted by its systems every day, which have been installed for the world’s leading parcel companies.
  • More than 206 projects in 105 countries
  • Many of the largest global e-commerce players and distribution firms have confidence in Vanderlande’s efficient and reliable solutions.

Vanderlande focuses on the optimization of its customers’ business processes and competitive positions. Through close cooperation, we strive for the improvement of our customers’ operational activities and the expansion of their logistical achievements.

For Vanderlande, it is critical that we have state-of-the-art techniques to analyze and optimize our customers’ logistics processes. Reasons are (a) the constantly increasing size and complexity of our material handling solutions, (b) growing complexity of our software solutions, covering larger and larger parts of our customers’ business processes, and (c) the demand for more advanced service offerings, covering logistics and business services together. We believe that process mining is of high value for Vanderlande. Therefore, we work with the Eindhoven University of Technology on making process mining fit for analyzing logistics processes. In this context, we offer graduation positions on process mining and the application in our business.

Previous Master projects

Contact

See https://pa.win.tue.nl/master-projects/ for the procedure
Dirk Fahland d.fahland@tue.nl

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