Four industrial engineering students at the American University of Sharjah, United Arab Emirates (UAE), created a set of supply chain models and simulations to analyze the potential for using hyperloop technology to improve regional supply chains in the Middle East. Their project won first place in the College of Industrial Engineering senior design competition.
They explain in their project executive summary, “Hyperloop is an upcoming transportation technology and mode in the space of logistics, housing the ability to transport people and cargo at speeds of up-to 1200km/hr, whilst simultaneously being powered via green energy.” The focus of their study was to quantify the cargo-transporting capabilities of the hyperloop by analyzing the time and cost needed to transport a set volume of cargo in a hypothetical supply chain integrated with a hyperloop track.
Simulating Existing and Proposed Regional Supply Chains
They worked with executives of a large logistics company based in Dubai, Aramex, to model several of the company’s existing supply chains in Saudi Arabia and the UAE using SCM Globe software. One of those supply chains is shown in the screenshot below. This supply chain transported 15,299,300 Kg of cargo between Aramex’s main facilities in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Riyad, and Jeddah during the first three months of 2021. The team built an all-truck, “Vanilla,” model of the existing supply chain, then other models were built using hyperloop track to replace trucks on different routes.
Simulations of the different supply chain models were run to analyze the potential for using hyperloop in parts of the Aramex supply chain. Simulation data for operating performance and financial results was analyzed to find the best mix of existing truck-based transportation and hyperloop. Economic analysis of the simulation data led the team to make the recommendations shown below.
The hyperloop technology works best for the long haul sections of the supply chain that transport cargo between major cities. They concluded that the optimum ratio for Aramex to follow is a 40% – 60% mix of trucks against hyperloop transport. This produces an estimated annual 22.7% increase in profits to approximately $220.8 million USD in 10 years.
Members of the Winning Team
The four students on the winning project team are finishing work on their Bachelor’s degrees in Industrial Engineering. They are (clockwise from top):
Anas Azzouz ( LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/anas-azzouz-2510a5a5/)
Hassan Sobh (LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/hassan-s-a22873133/)
Philip Jarouj (LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/philip-jarouj-1a915a218/)
Ali Almheiri (LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/ali-almheiri-3bb613213/)
Student teams in this senior design competition came from each of the departments in the Engineering College (Mechanical, Civil, Chemical, Industrial, Electrical, and Computer Engineering). Their projects and presentations represented the culmination of their four years of study. Teams presented to a panel of professors, industry professionals, and corporate executives.
Philip explained, “I believe our topic of choice, being the hyperloop, aided significantly in helping us win the competition due to the importance of the topic as a newly emerging transportation mode that can revolutionize logistics and supply chains.” The team’s work shows hyperloops may well be the answer for developing responsive, high volume supply chains while also reducing cost and carbon footprint.
We asked team members to tell us something about their other interests and career ambitions
Ali: I’m a passionate off-roader who loves to endure danger on adventurous trips. In addition, I love to go fishing [ocean fishing in the Persian/Arabian Gulf] on the weekends as I feel like it connects me to my roots.
As for my career plans, I aim to nourish my talents in a multi billion corporation working alongside the best of the best in order to make a difference and prove to myself before others that I can make a difference in this world.
Philip : Skiing and snowboarding, as odd as that may sound for one to practice such activities in a desert-climate country such as the UAE. Nevertheless, there does exist an indoor ski-resort (called Ski Dubai) where one can ski/snowboard, and I have done so mainly through means of self-teaching and practice. I have also had the chance to travel abroad to Switzerland on a school ski trip in the Alps for a week, where I was able to ski the steepest ‘black’ rated slopes.
My plan is to find work opportunities in the field of logistics and supply chain at a large company, which would supplement the work done on my senior design project in the same field specifically, as well as the theory/material of which I learnt in university as an Industrial Engineer in general.
Ali summed up the team’s experience, “There’s a quote that goes, ‘Aspire to inspire before you expire.’ In this project we tried our best to inspire others to see the possibilities for optimization of supply chains through skillful use of new technology.”