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Full text release has been delayed at the author's request until May 05, 2026

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Design and Analysis of Facility Location Experiments Applied to Alcohol-Based Hand Sanitizers

Al Kader, Abedallah A.
http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2854-9313
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1704417966350733

Abstract Details

2024, Doctor of Philosophy, Ohio State University, Industrial and Systems Engineering.
This dissertation introduces a groundbreaking data-driven approach to optimize the placement and quantity of facilities relevant across various industries and supply chains, such as warehouses, charging stations, and hand sanitizer dispensers. Addressing a critical challenge in operational efficiency, this research seeks to significantly impact industry practices, public health, and environmental sustainability. In our preliminary analysis working with a major provider of Alcohol-Based Hand Sanitizer dispensers, we discovered that up to 80% of dispenser facilities are underutilized, underscoring a widespread issue in resource allocation with profound implications for manufacturers and public health. This dissertation aims to rectify such inefficiencies by proposing the first-ever data-driven methodology for facility placement, rooted in optimally designed experiments and optimally placed facilities. We investigate relevant optimal experimental design, a key component of scientific research that ensures precise data collection while minimizing costs. This research pioneers the development of efficient, optimal experimental design methods for the relevant type of linear models to facility location problems which we argue are generalized linear models that address period-specific response cross-correlations. Time periods in which facilities are configured are termed a type of “whole plot” in that responses at the facilities correlate within the period. Related experimental planning leads to a new type of optimal split designs which account for terms including “network effects” associated with the specific configuration of facilities, including co-location. In our split plot formulation, we also include “market presence” effects relating to the total number of facilities within a local region. The coordinate-exchange algorithm, initially proposed by Meyer and Nachtsheim in 2005, is enhanced to cater to scenarios where the proximity of physical locations influences demand patterns, a novel approach in the field. A critical aspect of our study involves examining the effects of situating multiple facilities in the same location. Contrary to previous studies that focused on single-facility scenarios, our research demonstrates through a real experiment that accommodating two different types of facilities at one location can more than double the demand. Also, we present empirical evidence that, at least for sanitizer dispensers of our types, there is no transportation of demand, i.e., demand associated with sites without facilities is apparently completely lost. The research also highlights the importance of facility placement in public health contexts, using hand sanitizer dispensers as a case study. We analyze how their strategic location can influence usage rates, affecting public health outcomes and reducing waste. Finally, this dissertation culminates in a comprehensive case study that compares our novel and preexisting formulations for facility location which address demand endogeneity, i.e., location choices affect overall demand. Using our experimental data and a numerical study, we demonstrate the likely practical efficacy of our approach. Our case-planned experiment represents perhaps the first of its kind in optimally planned and statistically analyzed facility location problems.
Theodore Allen (Advisor)
Susan O'Hara (Committee Member)
Samantha Krening (Committee Member)
89 p.
Industrial Engineering
Experimental Design, D-optimal, Facility Location, Hand Sanitizer, Exchange Algorithm, Split Plot.

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Al Kader, A. A. (2024). Design and Analysis of Facility Location Experiments Applied to Alcohol-Based Hand Sanitizers [Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1704417966350733

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Al Kader, Abedallah. Design and Analysis of Facility Location Experiments Applied to Alcohol-Based Hand Sanitizers. 2024. Ohio State University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1704417966350733.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Al Kader, Abedallah. "Design and Analysis of Facility Location Experiments Applied to Alcohol-Based Hand Sanitizers." Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University, 2024. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1704417966350733

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

osu1704417966350733
© 2024, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by The Ohio State University and OhioLINK.