Cycle time reduction for productivity improvement in the manufacturing industry

Cycle time is one of the viable parameters which needs to be optimised as much as possible whenever the manufacturing industry is trying to improve efficiency, cost base and customer responsiveness. This systematic study presents on the reduction of cycle time for productivity improvement in the manufacturing industry. In industries, cycle time should be focused due to the high need of balancing man, machine, materials, methods and management. It must be renowned that the reduction of cycle time is not an easy task. Productivity improvement process involves many factors in achieving the maximum reduction of unnecessary time for higher improvement. The appropriate approaches to be implemented includes lean manufacturing tools, value stream method, method-time measurements, just in time for inventory control, motion study, process study, VAT plant classification, total productive maintenance, improved MRP (material requirements planning)-based production planning, theory of constraint, linear programming and other simulation related techniques. The V, A or T types of plant classification can also be classified using optimisation production technology (OPT)

Phagocytic activity and the phagocytic index of milk PMN’s as a marker for diagnosis and monitoring of the therapeutic and prophylactic efficacy of antioxidant formulation in bovine mastitis

A clinical study was undertaken on bovine mastitis in the Kashmir valley to study the relationship between Phagocytic activity (PA) and the phagocytic index (PI) of milk neutrophils (PMN’s) and bovine mastitis. The PA and PI of milk PMN’s were assessed in mastitic animals and compared with normal, healthy, lactating animals. A significant decrease was found in the values of the PA and PI of milk neutrophils in clinical cases of mastitis as compared to the healthy control group. The utility of anti-oxidants in clinical management of mastitis was measured through the response to treatment with trace minerals such as Cu, Zn, Mn and Se in addition to conventional antibiotic therapy. Two groups of mastitic animals received two therapeutic regimens. Group I animals received antibiotics (Enrofloxacin 6.6 mg/kg BID for 5 days) and a self-formulated trace mineral anti-oxidant mixture at therapeutic doses for 7 days, while Group II animals only received the antibiotic (at the same dose rate and frequency). Therapeutic regimen I proved more efficacious than the therapeutic regimen II in the treatment of clinical mastitis, as evidenced by higher recovery rates, a lower number of mean days required for recovery, and higher PA and PI of the milk PMN’s on day 10 post treatment. For prophylactic studies, 24 healthy lactating cows were divided into two groups of 12 animals each. One group was supplemented with a self-formulated trace mineral anti-oxidant mixture at prophylactic doses for 30 days, which resulted in a significant improvement in udder health status in terms of the SCC, PA and PI of milk PMN’s. Supplementation with the antioxidant formulation played a significant role in early recovery and prophylaxis of bovine mastitis. Assessment of PA and PI of milk PMN’s could be utilised as an effective tool for diagnosing susceptibility to the occurrence of mastitis, as well as monitoring the therapeutic efficacy of different treatment regimes.</jats:p

fagocitna aktivnost i fagocitni indeksi polimorfonuklearnih stanica mlijeka (PMN) kao markeri za dijagnozu i praćenje terapijske i profilaktičke učinkovitosti različitih formulacija antioksidanata u suzbijanju mastitisa goveda

A clinical study was undertaken on bovine mastitis in the Kashmir valley to study the relationship between Phagocytic activity (PA) and the phagocytic index (PI) of milk neutrophils (PMN’s) and bovine mastitis. The PA and PI of milk PMN’s were assessed in mastitic animals and compared with normal, healthy, lactating animals. A significant decrease was found in the values of the PA and PI of milk neutrophils in clinical cases of mastitis as compared to the healthy control group. The utility of anti-oxidants in clinical management of mastitis was measured through the response to treatment with trace minerals such as Cu, Zn, Mn and Se in addition to conventional antibiotic therapy. Two groups of mastitic animals received two therapeutic regimens. Group I animals received antibiotics (Enrofloxacin 6.6 mg/kg BID for 5 days) and a self-formulated trace mineral anti-oxidant mixture at therapeutic doses for 7 days, while Group II animals only received the antibiotic (at the same dose rate and frequency). Therapeutic regimen I proved more efficacious than the therapeutic regimen II in the treatment of clinical mastitis, as evidenced by higher recovery rates, a lower number of mean days required for recovery, and higher PA and PI of the milk PMN’s on day 10 post treatment. For prophylactic studies, 24 healthy lactating cows were divided into two groups of 12 animals each. One group was supplemented with a self-formulated trace mineral anti-oxidant mixture at prophylactic doses for 30 days, which resulted in a significant improvement in udder health status in terms of the SCC, PA and PI of milk PMN’s. Supplementation with the antioxidant formulation played a significant role in early recovery and prophylaxis of bovine mastitis. Assessment of PA and PI of milk PMN’s could be utilised as an effective tool for diagnosing susceptibility to the occurrence of mastitis, as well as monitoring the therapeutic efficacy of different treatment regimes.Kliničko istraživanje mastitisa goveda u dolini Kashmir provedeno je kako bi se procijenila povezanost fagocitne aktivnosti (PA) i fagocitnih indeksa (PI) neutrofila u mlijeku (PMN’s) i mastitisa goveda. PA i PI neutrofila u mlijeku analizirani su u životinja s mastitisom i uspoređeni sa zdravim životinjama u laktaciji. Pronađeno je znakovito smanjenje PA i PI neutrofila u mlijeku u slučajevima kliničkog mastitisa u usporedbi s kontrolnom, zdravom skupinom. Korisnost antioksidansa u slučajevima kliničkog mastitisa mjerena je putem odgovora na liječenje mineralima u tragovima kao što su Cu, Zn, Mn i Se, koji su dodani konvencionalnoj antibiotskoj terapiji. Dvije skupine životinja s mastitisom imale su dva terapijska programa. Skupina 1 primala je antibiotik (enrofloksacin 6,6 mg/kg, 2 puta dnevno, tijekom 5 dana) i vlastito pripremljenu mješavinu antioksidantnih minerala u tragovima u terapijskoj dozi tijekom 7 dana, dok je skupina 2 dobivala samo antibiotike (u istoj dozi i intervalu). Terapijski program u skupini 1 pokazao se učinkovitijim od onoga u skupini 2 u liječenju kliničkog mastitisa, što dokazuju veće stope oporavka, manji prosječan broj dana potreban za oporavak te povećane vrijednosti PA i PI polimorfonuklearnih stanica mlijeka deseti dan poslije tretmana. Za istraživanje profilakse 24 zdrave krave u laktaciji podijeljene su u dvije skupine sa po 12 životinja. Jedna je skupina dobivala vlastito pripremljenu mješavinu antioksidantnih minerala u tragovima u profilaktičkoj dozi tijekom 30 dana. To je rezultiralo znakovitim poboljšanjem zdravlja vimena što se vidjelo po vrijednostima SCC, PA i PI neutrofila u mlijeku. Dodatak antioksidantne formulacije znakovito je utjecao na rani oporavak i profilaksu mastitisa u goveda. Procjena PA i PI polimorfonuklearnih stanica mlijeka mogla bi biti učinkovit alat pri dijagnostici sumnje na mastitis kao i praćenju učinkovitosti različitih terapijskih program