Data Mining References

Case Studies

• Call Centres
  KDD is used to group customers by their Lifetime Value (LTV). This approach allows customers to be handled in different ways and new products offered to them. Return of merchandise has decreased and satisfaction and revenue have increased.
  REFERENCES: "Knowledge Discovery in Integrated Call Centers: A Framework for Effective Customer-Driven Marketing", P Xia, KDD97, pp279-282
  LINK:

• Manufacturing - Cars
  Knowledge Discovery techniques are used to identify Early Indicator Cars (EIC). EICs are groups of customers that show particular patterns that can help find faults that may have occurred in manufacturing. Such EICs are taxis that drive many miles in a short period, and groups from one country are more concerned over paint than other countries. These patterns can be identified and used as early indicators of faults that may have occurred during manufacturing.
  (Daimler-Benz AG)
  REFERENCES: Detecting Early Indicator Cars in an Automotive Database: A Multi-Strategy Approach, KDD96, pp76-81
  LINK:

• Manufacturing - Machines & Systems
  Machines are installed by Hosokawa Micron Limited for such uses as powder and particle processing. One such use of data mining in this area involves analysis of machines making laser toner cartridges costing around £4-6M. The machines are optimised for yield and energy consumption. Since the running costs of these machines are in the order of £1M a year, a small change in production or running costs can have a large effect elsewhere.
  (Hosokawa Micron Limited UK using XpertRule)
  REFERENCES:
  LINKS:http://www.kdnuggets.com/solutions/manuf-xpertrule.html - http://www.attar.com

• Manufacturing - Various
  Varied use in manufacturing here ranging from control of anti-lock brake systems to traffic monitoring. The anti-lock brake system determines the conditions under each wheel during an emergency stop and learns what signals to send to each of the wheels and the steering system; the whole operation takes place in a fraction of second.
  Another example is a method for learning the status and operating conditions of a chemical plant. This method has been estimated by Du Pont to save around $500M a year to the company if implemented. The techniques has also been applied to the manufacturing of integrated circuits that allows larger and faster chips to be built.
  (Complexica, some uses of GAs and SA)
  REFERENCES:
  LINKS:http://www.rt66.com/~frye/complexica/DMEngManuf.html

• Manufacturing - General
  Data mining can be used to identify signs of problems during manufacturing and assembly operations. Factors that affect these problems include plant, build date and product type. This information helps engineers quickly locate the problems. Data mining analysis of this type can also be used to find patterns that can reduce warranty claims.
  (Information Discovery Inc.)
  REFERENCES:
  LINKS:http://www.patternwarehouse.com - Manufacturing Quality and Warranty

• Manufacturing - Water & Wind Pumps
  The Ebara manufacturing factory in Fujisawa, Japan have used expert system technology to match customer needs to their products. The company manufactures some 3000 wind and water pumps and customers are vague about the exact product they needs. By supplying basic information about their requirements, the system can match their needs to a product.
  (Ebara Manufacturing, Attar Software)
  REFERENCES:
  LINKS:http://www.attar.com/pages/case_eb.htm - Attar Software