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The authors have developed and applied a methodology to ewiluate and prioritize proposed waste minimization activities affecting Department of Energy (DOE) programs. This approach provides a systematic and defensible method for selecting a set ot" waste minimization proposals that maximizes the benefits to DOE while maintaining costs within a specified budget. The report discusses the development of a structured set of evaluation criteria to characterize waste minimization issues; techniques for documenting the anticipated and potential costs, risks, and benefits of waste minimization proposals; and a method of translating disparate data into a figure of merit for each proposal. A test case demonstration of this prioritization approach was applied t,: proposals currently being considered at two DOE weapons production facilities. Recommendations are provided t'c_r combining this approach with the existing DOE proposal selection process.

Effective use of resources that are shared among multiple products or processes is critical for agile manufacturing. This paper describes the development and implementation of a computerized model to support production planning in a complex manufacturing system at the Pantex Plant, a US Department of Energy facility. The model integrates two different production processes (nuclear weapon disposal and stockpile evaluation) that use common facilities and personnel at the plant. The two production processes are characteristic of flow-shop and job-shop operations. The model reflects the interactions of scheduling constraints, material flow constraints, and the availability of required technicians and facilities. Operational results show significant productivity increases from use of the model.

The end of the Cold War changed the missions of facilities in the US nuclear weapons complex. They ceased production of new weapons and focused on dismantling old weapons and maintaining the safety, security, and reliability of those remaining. The Pantex Plant, operated for the US Department of Energy (DOE) by the Mason and Hanger Corporation, is the sole assembly and disassembly facility for dismantlement, evaluation, and maintenance activities for the US nuclear stockpile. We developed a decision support tool, the Pantex Process Model (PPM), to help Pantex plan capacity and deploy resources to meet its new requirements. Using the PPM, Pantex has provided critical input to help the US form and defend positions during arms-control-treaty negotiations. It has changed the way Pantex and the DOE evaluate resource requirements in planning future workloads. It has also led to an innovative cooperative agreement among Pantex, the Transportation Safeguards Division of DOE, and the Department of Defense (DOD) that resulted in Pantex exceeding weapon-dismantlement goals.

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