The Course aims at giving the student the necessary knowledge and technical tools to critically approach industrial plants design. In particular the course involves the identification and assessment of different planning solutions in the three phases of the design process: industrial plant design, implementation, and management, with a particular focus on their interaction. Topics about operations strategies are dealt and experiences of building industrial plants are offered through testimonials from companies.

Industrial plants: introduction and general concepts.

Strategy of operations: strategic priorities, production policies, competitive goals of a production system (cost, quality, flexibility, service level).

Feasibility analysis: market analysis, production systems, capability, cost analysis, investment analysis, risk and sensitivity analysis.

Industrial layout: product analysis, material flows and relationship analysis (rel-charts), layout planning, Muther model.

Industrial storage and material handling systems: conveyors, loading systems, Automated Guided Vehicles (AGV), automatic store systems.

Quantitative methods for industrial plants design: simulation as a tool for industrial plants design (from concept to detailed design)

Air conditioning and heating systems: types of industrial systems, criteria for design, human thermal balance.

EPC contractors: Engineering, Procurement, Construction companies, organization and business models

Project management: introduction to project planning, control, costs, risks.

The course is organised through lectures, discussion of case studies, testimonials/seminars from companies and in-class exercises. Marking will be based on written examination on lectures, exercises and seminars. On voluntary basis, an in team project work about the topics of the course could be proposed and contribute to the final assessment.