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This paper present an initial effort of collaborating hybrid bacteria foraging oriented particle swarm optimization with linear quadratic regulator (LQR) design for automatic generation control (AGC) of power delivery system having power generation through hydro turbines in interconnected control areas to match the frequency variations as well as tie-power interchange to the well planned value after sudden load disturbance in interconnected system. The enactment of LQR highly depend upon the selection of state cost weighing matrix (Q) and control cost weighting matrix (R) in order to achieve the best control efforts. However, most of the researchers assume the structure of Q and R to be an identity and hence the LQR control action was restricted within certain range. Hence, an early attempt is made to compute the structure of Q and R for LQR through hybrid bacteria foraging oriented PSO for AGC of hydro system and application results are computed for various cases considering error evaluated and graphical AGC responses for step load alteration, influence of AGC non-linearities on the output of AGC, parametric alterations and random load alteration to show the efficacy as well as robustness of the present control design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of lean practices on performance improvement of process industries in India.Design/methodology/approach Based on a survey of Indian process industries, this paper proposes two sets of hypothesis to examine if there is any statistically significant impact of lean practices on certain specific performance metrics. First, the sample is classified into two classes of process industries: the adopters of lean and those who have not yet adopted the lean practices in their manufacturing operations. Then statistical tests are conducted to measure the differences in the level of performance between the two classes of Indian process industries with respect to nine performance measures. The survey results are augmented by two in-depth case studies. Case studies include one from lean adopter firms (a refinery) and another from the firms that have not yet adopted the lean practices (a primary metal manufacturing unit).Findings A survey result of 121 Indian process industries shows that adoption of lean practices results in a positive impact on inventory control, waste elimination, cost reduction, productivity, and quality improvement in process industries. On the other hand, based on the sample data on Indian process industries, no statistically significant improvement could be found on the lot size or space utilization between lean adopters and their counterparts.Practical implications This research provides guidance to the managers on how adoption of lean practices results in better performance in process industries in several operational areas.Originality/value To the knowledge, this study is the first attempt to analyze the impact of lean practices on a set of specific performance metrics in Indian process industry. Although this study focuses on the Indian process industry, the authors believe that findings of the research can inform other practitioners and researchers who are considering implementing lean in process industry sector in other developing countries like India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]