The proposal was selected based on criteria that includes "possible impact on the future of the material handling industry, timeline, and feasibility of budget."  Innovative research ideas were submitted from more than 19 universities. On a typical year, the Raymond Corporation selects a number of projects into their University Research Program, this year Khir's proposal was the only one selected. 

 

The work will provide new insights into the limits and merits of designing scalable, real-time, responsive material handling operations systems that can achieve the perfect balance between operational stability with data-driven, real-time adaptability. Khir’s team plans to demonstrate how these designs can not only aid operations, but also boost management by “ultimately enhancing short-term performance goals while preserving operational consistency and practicality for long-term, system-wide robustness”.

 

Khir's research interests are in the planning and design of logistics and transportation systems, with a special focus on system optimization and design under uncertainty.

 

Through the University Research Program, professors and student researchers are encouraged to apply their engineering and technical research to discover innovative solutions for the material handling industry. In doing so, the program helps drive the next generation of technology for the supply chain, logistics and material handling industries, drawing synergies and collaboration between collegiate research and Raymond. 

 

The University Research Program has funded 19 projects from over 20 leading universities across the country, totaling more than $5 million in funding since 2016. The selected applicants are evaluated on several criteria, including their possible impact on the future of the material handling industry, timeline and feasibility of budget.