Browsing by Author "Thibbotuwawa, A"
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- item: Conference-Full-textAnalyzing the combined influence of accessibility and capacity of roads on urban density, land use mix and vitality(Sri Lanka Society of Transport and Logistics, 2022-08) Dilrukshi, DMVA; Jayasinghe, A; Perera, N; Thibbotuwawa, AResearch focuses on analyzing the factors behind the change of urban form and its relationships. The main four urban form elements are recognized as Road network, land use mix, density and vitality based on natural movement and Transport land use feedback theory. A Road network is a combination of accessibility and capacity of the road, which can be referred as topological and mobility characteristics. Planners have identified theories and relationships, but never captured the combined influence of topological and mobility parameters of the road networks. It is required to analyze and quantify the Combined Influence of Accessibility and Capacity of Roads on Land Use Mix, Urban Density, and Vitality to identify the behavior of the urban form. This research was conducted in Colombo, Kurunagala, and Mawanlla. Results reveal the combined influence of accessibility and Capacity of roads to change land use, density and vitality. MATLAB 3D graphs, SPSS regression correlation analysis have been used to model real ground data. Cities have been tested for Accessibility and Capacity of road parameters. The study has recognized that the influence of accessibility varies from 50% - to 60% and the influence of the Capacity of Roads varies from 30% – to 45%. The study can be used for local and urban planning and will be a guide for preparing future plans and regulations.
- item: Conference-Full-textAssessing the impact of lean and agile supply chain strategies on effective covid-19-mass vaccinations(Sri Lanka Society of Transport and Logistics, 2022-08) Gomes, K; Perera, HN; Perera, N; Thibbotuwawa, AA properly designed vaccine supply chain that uses suitable supply chain strategies can facilitate an effective mass vaccination that minimises COVID-19 infections and deaths. This study assesses the impact of two supply chain strategies which are Lean supply chain strategy and Agile supply chain strategy on effective mass vaccination using a two-stage approach. In the initial stage, we developed an optimal vaccine distribution network under both Lean and Agile supply chain strategies separately, for a selected scenario in Colombo, Sri Lanka. In the second stage, we have developed a Susceptible-Exposed-Infected-Recovered (SEIR) model for COVID-19 which reflects the impact on infections and deaths when using the two different supply chain strategies. Results of this study reflect that a higher percentage of lead time saving can be achieved when using the Agile supply chain strategy. Moreover, when using Agile strategy, a considerable reduction of infections and deaths can be expected for the considered scenario despite a cost accumulation of approximately 32%.
- item: Article-Full-textAutonomous vehicles for urban air mobility : future of mobility(2021-12) Dahanayaka, M; Thibbotuwawa, A; ;Urban mobility is evolving with the arrival of autonomous vehicles which contributes for a unique fundamental change. The environmental and social concerns have brought the quest to redesign urban mobility sustainably.
- item: Article-Full-textBarriers to optimize the upstream of the tea smallholding supply chain in Sri Lanka(Department of, 2023) Fernando, M; Ratnayake, C; Perera, N; Thibbotuwawa, ASri Lanka is the world’s fourth-largest tea producer and prime orthodox variety supplier. In Sri Lanka, tea export earnings peaked in 2014 at USD 1.56 billion, and the industry managed to record USD 1.3 billion in 2021, regardless of the increased cost of production and lower yields. The majority (75%) of total tea production is supplied by tea smallholders whose land extent is less than ten acres [1]. Tea is grown in 14 districts, and smallholder farmers play a significant role in Rathnapura, Galle, Matara, Kandy, Kalutara, and Kegalle districts. Smallholder farmers cultivate 61% of the total tea-grown land, which amounts to 200,000 hectares. According to the Tea Small Holdings Development Authority (TSHDA), approximately 75% of smallholder land plots are less than one acre, demonstrating the notable contribution of micro-level farming to the industry
- item: Conference-Full-textBenefits of using unmanned aerial vehicles for last-mile vaccine delivery in Sri Lanka(Sri Lanka Society of Transport and Logistics, 2022-08) Gunaratne, K; Thibbotuwawa, A; Hewage, HC; Vasegaard, AE; Perera, N; Thibbotuwawa, AThe faster speed, low maintenance cost, and absence of dependency on roads in unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) have propagated their application as a successful alternative to road delivery. Hence, it is suggested as a solution to overcome the distribution inefficiencies in the vaccine cold chain of Sri Lanka. Because of the last-mile delivery problems and routine distribution of vaccines, UAV delivery is recommended for the network arc between the Regional Medical Supplies Division (RMSD) and its respective Medical Officer of Health (MOH) units. An existing delivery plan was compared against UAV delivery solutions using 5 key performance indices (KPI) to determine the potential advantages of using UAVs in the above-mentioned distribution arc. From the comparison, it was revealed that when UAVs are included, the time consumption and carbon dioxide emission are reduced significantly resulting in a more efficient and environmentally friendly delivery network. However, due to the limited number of flights in the current context, economic benefits can be realized only if the cost of the Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) is funded. Instead, if the UAS cost is borne by the government, the high capital cost exceeds the operational savings, leading to a higher cost per vial compared to the status quo. Nonetheless, once the initial setup cost is overcome UAVs can reduce the operational cost vastly, ensuring the longevity of the vaccine program. Moreover, even though the homogenous (i.e., Only UAV) solution yields better savings than the heterogeneous (i.e., Truck and UAV) solution, considering the higher capital resources required to implement the homogeneous solution, later is recommended for the initial execution.
- item: Conference-Full-textBenefits realisation of robotic process automation (rpa) initiatives in supply chains(Sri Lanka Society of Transport and Logistics, 2022-08) Piyatilake, A; Vitharanage, ID; De Silva, M; Thibbotuwawa, A; Perera, N; Thibbotuwawa, ARobotic Process Automation (RPA) is becoming an integral part of today’s businesses that compete in more dynamic business environments as it helps to automate rule-based, repetitive tasks. However, it is necessary to identify benefits realisation key success factors (BRKSFs) applicable for RPA initiatives, given that most of the initiatives are failures. This research aims to identify BRKSFs and hierarchical relationship between BRKSFs relevant to RPA initiatives. Research findings are conveyed as a model which shows the hierarchical relationship. According to the findings, having a clear, well-defined, and immutable process is the most significant BRKSF as its driving power over the other factors is high. Overall, the findings of this study will help researchers and industry practitioners to identify a priority order between RPA BRKSFs.
- item: Article-Full-textBenefits realization of robotic process automation (RPA) initiatives in supply chains(IEEE, 2023) Nielsen, IE; Piyatilake, A; Thibbotuwawa, A; De Silva, MM; Bocewicz, G; Banaszak, ZARobotic Process Automation (RPA), which automates repetitive, rule-based operations, is becoming a crucial component of today’s enterprises as they compete in more dynamic business contexts. This study intends to provide implications on the Benefits Realization Key Success Factors (BRKSFs) appropriate for RPA projects, given that between 30% and 50% of RPA initiatives fail. The methodology of this study comprises three stages: identify the main contributing BRKSFs, develop a hierarchical relationship model for BRKSFs, and provide real-world examples to show the usability of BRKSFs using two case studies. The results show that having a clear, well-defined, and unchanging process is the most important BRKSF because of its strong influence over other factors. Three factors, namely, aligning the objective of the RPA initiative with the organization’s strategic objectives, choosing the right process for automation, and change management, have lower driving powers but high dependence powers than other factors. The five factors that have both high driving and high dependence powers are: prioritizing the benefits that can be obtained through the RPA initiative, performing a feasibility study, assembling a cross-functional team, having a team leader and receiving support from top management. This study sheds light on the interdependencies between BRKSFs for academics and business professionals, enabling them to determine which variables must be considered most for RPA initiatives.
- item: Conference-Full-textBlockchain-based solution for the process of obtaining and maintaining of the rainforest alliance certification in the Sri Lankan tea supply chain(Sri Lanka Society of Transport and Logistics, 2023-08-26) Wickramaarachchi, K; Thibbotuwawa, A; Fernando, M; Gunaruwan, TLThe tea industry in Sri Lanka holds a significant position in the global market, as it is the fourth largest tea producer worldwide, and renowned for its premium brand name, “Ceylon Tea.” However, despite the positive economic impacts, the industry encounters several sustainable challenges, such as inadequate agricultural practices, labour wage disparities, deforestation, and soil erosion, among others. This study aims to propose a blockchain-based framework to address these sustainability issues and streamline the process of obtaining and maintaining the Rainforest Alliance certification in the Sri Lankan tea supply chain. The Rainforest Alliance is a voluntary certification program that is widely adopted in the tea industry as a mark of sustainability.
- item: Conference-Full-textA capacitated vehicle routing problem model for stationery industry(IEEE, 2022-07) Liyanage, RN; Thibbotuwawa, A; Edirisinghe, PM; Rathnayake, M; Adhikariwatte, V; Hemachandra, KThis paper aims to present an optimization solution for the distribution of stationery products with a seasonal demand pattern. The problem is structured as the capacitated vehicle routing problem is one-to-many with multiple products, where each customer has a variety of product types and demands. It is observed that yearly distance has varied by 43% between the season and off-season periods and the total distance savings throughout the year is around 40%. A mixed-integer linear programming model was used to give an optimal solution and the Gurobi solver was used to arrive at the solution. The objective of the research is to determine the appropriate number of vehicles used to complete the delivery process in both seasonal and off-seasonal periods, together with the route sequence of every vehicle, such that the distance-related costs are minimized with effective vehicle capacity utilization.
- item: Conference-Full-textChallenges for circular economy adoption in sustainable food supply chains(Sri Lanka Society of Transport and Logistics, 2022-08) Pannila, N; Jayalath, MM; Thibbotuwawa, A; Perera, N; Thibbotuwawa, AThis study seeks to identify challenging factors to the adoption of the circular economy in the food supply chain. A total of 17 challenging factors have been identified via a systematic literature review. The challenging factors were grouped into 6 categories: economic, social, institutional, technological and informational, supply chain, and organizational. To prioritize the challenging factors based on literature importance, a literature frequency analysis method was utilized. The possibility of misestimations in challenges ranking that result from frequency analysis is eliminated by employing an article-level research citation metric of Field-Weighted Citation Impact. The findings reveal that the three most critical challenges to adopting circular economy in the food supply chain are cost efficiency consideration, less enforcement of legislation and regulations, and lack of long-term shared vision among stakeholders. The findings will help managers, decision-makers, practitioners, and governments to formulate policies and strategies to effectively implement circular practices in the food industry.
- item: Conference-Full-textChallenging factors to adopt circular economy in sustainable food supply chain(IEEE, 2022-07) Pannila, N; Jayalath, MM; Thibbotuwawa, A; Perera, HN; Rathnayake, M; Adhikariwatte, V; Hemachandra, KEven though circular economy has captured global attention recently with its sustainable implications, the adoption takes a much slower approach, particularly in the food supply chain. This study attempts to identify challenging factors that hinder the adoption of circular economy in the food supply chain. A total of 17 challenging factors are identified via a systematic literature review. The challenging factors were grouped into 6 categories: economic, social, institutional, technological and informational, supply chain, and organizational. Literature frequency analysis method combined with an article-level research citation metric of field-weighted citation impact was employed to prioritize the challenging factors based on the literature importance. Thus, the findings reveal that cost efficiency considerations, less enforcement of legislation and regulations, and no long-term shared vision among stakeholders are the three most critical challenging factors to adopt circular economy in the food supply chain. The findings will help managers, decision-makers, practitioners, and governments to formulate policies and strategies to implement circular practices in the food supply chain effectively.
- item: Conference-Full-textComparing different metaheuristic methods in solving a real-world application of vehicle routing problem(Sri Lanka Society of Transport and Logistics, 2022-08) Fernando, WM; Thibbotuwawa, A; Perera, HNThis research applied an extension of the Vehicle Routing Problem (VRP) to optimize the distribution processes of a supermarket chain. This model is a combination of CVRP (Capacitated VRP), MDVRP (Multi-depot VRP), and HFVRP (Heterogenous fleet VRP). The applied model aims to minimize the distribution cost of the selected supermarket chain. All the constraints of the VRP model were defined based on the operational practices of the application. The research aimed to compare the performances of three metaheuristic methods, Simulated Annealing (SA), Tabu Search (TS), and Guided Local Search (GLS) in optimizing the real-world application. Results highlighted that GLS outperformed in terms of the quality of the solutions and the computation time in optimizing the selected distribution network. This research is significant because it tests both the VRP model and the three metaheuristic methods using a real-world industry application.
- item: Conference-Full-textThe design of travel routes in wang nam khiao sub-distinct nakhon ratchasima province based on logistics principles and tourists’ behavior(Sri Lanka Society of Transport and Logistics, 2022-08) Tanaiutchawoot, N; Manmai, C; Pokati, T; Srina, S; Ariyarit, A; Kasemsri, R; Perera, N; Thibbotuwawa, AThe objectives of this research project are to (1) support communities and natural resources in the province that have the potential to become tourist attractions; (2) design a route for community-based tourism and natural resources to accommodate the factors in travelers' diverse decisions and logistics systems; and (3) develop methods or tools for accessing tourist attraction information and presenting community-based tourism routes and natural resources to accommodate the diverse behavioral patterns. This research combines a survey to collect preliminary tourist attraction data with an experimental study to investigate the travel route using a computer program system. Wang Nam Khiao in Nakhon Ratchasima Province is the case study. According to the results of 107 travelers, 46.7 percent preferred to go for two days and one night. More than half of those questioned chose nature tourism, sightseeing, and camping. Twenty attractive tourist places are classified into 5 categories including camping areas, cultural tourism, natural tourism, farms, and cafés. The GAMs program is used to determine the tourism routes based on the traveling salesman and conditions from the survey results. The results show 4 tourism routes that pass 4 attraction tourism areas and 1 camping area and are then presented in the brochure.
- item: Conference-Full-textDetermining reliable section-wise bus travel times using gps data: a case study of Kandy city(Sri Lanka Society of Transport and Logistics, 2022-08) Ubayasekara, P; Dhananjaya, D; Kumarage, AS; Perera, N; Thibbotuwawa, AReforming bus operations in Kandy City is a part of the ongoing Strategic City Development Project. This study carries out under the GPS data analysis of the Kandy Bus Reforms Project (KBRP). The GPS data consists of device id number, device time, GPS coordinates, and bus speed at that moment. Capturing bus trips of selected bus routes, obtaining arrival times, dwell times, and departure times from waypoints, performing a summary of monthly bus trips, and providing reliable bus travel times to the passengers in different periods are the main objectives of this study. The data cleaning, reading, and analysis are executed using Python programming language with several data manipulating libraries. The initial study has done for Kandy – Amunugama route with the GPS data collected for 2 months.
- item: Conference-Full-textDetermining the level of service of bus transportation in sri lankan context(Sri Lanka Society of Transport and Logistics, 2022-08) Herath, E; Sivakumar, T; Perera, N; Thibbotuwawa, AAssessing the existing service quality of public bus transportation is a key requirement to identify potential improvements in buses. Level of service has been identified as an effective indicator to measure the service quality of buses. Even-though the definition of LOS says it should be measured based on user perception, existing LOS scale values have been derived through expert judgement. This research attempts to derive LOS threshold values for selected six service attributes (loading level, speed, service hours, waiting time, reliability, and frequency of service) which affect the level of service of public buses based on user perception using law of successive scaling technique. The derived LOS benchmarks are ranging from LOS A to LOS E which denotes the “best” to “worst” levels. The results of the study can be used to identify the existing service level of buses and thus to identify potential improvements for public buses in terms of identified service attributes.
- item: Conference-Full-textDevelopment of a microscopic traffic simulation model for Galle road, Colombo(Sri Lanka Society of Transport and Logistics, 2022-08) Jayasinghe, T; Sivakumar, T; Kumarage, AS; Perera, N; Thibbotuwawa, AThis research attempts to build a microscopic traffic simulation model for a 17km road section in the Galle Road corridor in Colombo, Sri Lanka. The simulation was developed by utilizing existing traffic counts collected at multiple intersections. The developed model is validated with actual hourly traffic speeds on the corridor. This simulation platform can be used to evaluate different traffic management interventions.
- item: Conference-Full-textDynamics in closed-loop pallet management: a case study approach(IEEE, 2023-12-09) Piyatilake, A; Thibbotuwawa, A; Abeysooriya, R; Adikariwattage, V; Hemachandra, KThe pallet is the most common form of packaging used in the world for product handling, storage, and transportation. Closed-Loop Pallet Management (CLPM) has gained significant attention as an efficient approach for goods handling, storage, and transportation. This study focuses on developing a System Dynamics model for Closed-Loop Pallet Management (SDCLPM) using a case study. By utilizing a system dynamics approach, the dynamic behavior of the factors involved in the CLPM process is identified and analyzed. The findings emphasize the significance of accurate forecasting in reducing pallet purchases and overall pallet management costs. Moreover, the research reveals the mediating role of moving pattern, volume, weight, contamination ability, and the varieties of goods when deciding the required pallet quality. Supplier capability emerges as a critical consideration in the system, and selecting pallets made from more durable materials proves to be an effective strategy for reducing the need for new pallet purchases and minimizing total pallet management costs. The findings of this study provide insights into considerations for effective CLPM systems.
- item: Conference-Full-textExploring the impact of covid-19 on mobility in Colombo metropolitan region, Sri Lanka(Sri Lanka Society of Transport and Logistics, 2022-08) Ranaweera, NN; Jayasinghe, A; Perera, N; Thibbotuwawa, ATo combat the COVID-19 pandemic, the Sri Lankan government has initiated a variety of travel restrictions, particularly in the Colombo Metropolitan Region (CMR). With over 50% of cases and significantly different CMR mobility patterns, the CMR has evolved as the focal point of the COVID-19 outbreak in Sri Lanka. However, only a few research have been carried out to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mobility in Sri Lanka. Therefore, the objective of this paper is to investigate the influence of COVID-19 on CMR mobility at different times throughout the COVID-19 epidemic. The mobility change in Sri Lanka was examined using the Google COVID-19 Community Mobility Change data. 934 questionnaire survey samples were used to analyze the change in CMR mobility. The results indicate that whereas residential mobility in Sri Lanka increased by up to 50% following the epidemic, mobility in the workplace, transportation, parks, pharmacies, and retail decreased. According to the survey's findings, daily travel frequency has dropped by more than 50%, and people prefer their private vehicles over public transportation. Therefore, the study gives essential and practical information to transportation engineers, planners, and decision-makers to take effective actions to regulate the pandemic situations and mobility.
- item: Article-Full-textFeasibility of digital twins to manage the operational risks in the production of a ready-mix concrete plant(MDPI, 2023) Weerapura, V; Sugathadasa, R; De Silva, M. M; Nielsen, I; Thibbotuwawa, AThe ready-mix concrete supply chain is highly disruptive due to its product perishability and Just-in-Time (JIT) production style. A lack of technology makes the ready-mix concrete (RMC) industry suffer from frequent production failures, ultimately causing high customer dissatisfaction and loss of revenues. In this paper, we propose the first-ever digital twin (DT) system in the RMC industry that can serve as a decision support tool to manage production risk efficiently and effectively via predictive maintenance. This study focuses on the feasibility of digital twins for the RMC industry in three main areas holistically: (1) the technical feasibility of the digital twin system for ready-mix concrete plant production risk management; (2) the business value of the proposed product to the construction industry; (3) the challenges of implementation in the real-world RMC industry. The proposed digital twin system consists of three main phases: (1) an IoT system to get the real-time production cycle times; (2) a digital twin operational working model with descriptive analytics; (3) an advanced analytical dashboard with predictive analytics to make predictive maintenance decisions. Our proposed digital twin solution can provide efficient and interpretable predictive maintenance insights in real time based on anomaly detection, production bottleneck identification, process disruption forecast and cycle time analysis. Finally, this study emphasizes that state-of-the-art solutions such as digital twins can effectively manage the production risks of ready-mix concrete plants by automatically detecting and predicting the bottlenecks without waiting until a production failure happens to react.
- item: Conference-Full-textFood logistics: a study on lobster fisheries, Sri Lanka(Sri Lanka Society of Transport and Logistics, 2022-08) Basnayake, RL; De Silva, DAM; Ekanayake, S; Liyanage, U; Perera, N; Thibbotuwawa, AFood logistics is playing a vital role because of the importance of on-time delivery with minimum or no food waste since the majority of food products have a very short shelf-life. Lobster fishery is one of the most economically important marine coastal fishing activities, since it is a good source of foreign exchange. This study carried to studying of the current logistics practices in lobster fisheries, to identify the loopholes in the current logistics system and to recommend strategies to improve the system. Interviewer administrated questionnaires, in-depth interviews were facilitated to collect required data from 30 fishermen, 05 collectors and 03 exporters. The results revealed that, the supply chain of lobsters is consists with fishermen, collector, distributor and exporter or local hotels and the inbound freight management is in very poor level with zero traceability from upstream to downstream. while outbound logistics are more concerning on keeping product quality since, the end product is exporting as live animals. Introducing proper cages to handle the animals, training on importance of proper inbound logistics management and further, precise planning, execution, and efficient monitoring to effectively manage the movement of lobster from sea to plate with minimum wastage.
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