Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering, Artificial Intelligence, Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment, Modeling and Simulation
75
Scopus Publications
Scopus Publications
Machine learning models integrated with strategic theories for predicting delivery time in supply chains Awsan Mohammed, Musab AlRehaili, Ahmad Al-Hanbali, Ahmed M Attia, Mohamed Noomane Darghouth, Ahmed Ghaithan, Mohammad Abdel-Aal, Omar Alsawafy Results in Engineering, 2026 • Identify factors influencing delivery time of materials in supply chain • Purpose machine learning algorithms to estimate the delivery time of goods • Evaluate the performance of the proposed models based on a real case study • Offer predictive models to reduce transportation, inventory, and shortage costs The delivery time of goods in the oil and gas supply chain is a critical enabler for achieving overall supply chain excellence and business success. However, the uncertainty of the delivery times of goods is a significant issue, making it critical for businesses to develop effective logistics and shipping strategies. Consequently, this paper proposes machine learning models to predict delivery times of the items in oil and gas supply chain and enhance its responsiveness. The proposed approach integrates predictive analytics with the Resource-Based View (RBV) and Dynamic Capabilities View (DCV) to align operational forecasting with strategic objectives. Key factors influencing delivery time are identified through a combination of literature review and expert input. Several machine learning models are trained and tested using real-world oil and gas supply chain data. The results indicate that transportation mode, item complexity, and supplier location are the most influential predictors of delivery time. Among the evaluated models, the ensemble approach demonstrates the best performance, achieving prediction accuracy exceeding 85% and exhibiting strong generalization capability. The proposed models equip supply chain managers with actionable decision-support tools to enhance scheduling, reduce uncertainty, and improve inventory planning and logistics coordination for better disruption response. From a strategic perspective, integrating machine learning with RBV and DCV strengthens organizational responsiveness and supports sustained competitive advantage in dynamic supply chain environments.
Predicting schedule delays of construction projects in the oil and gas industry: comparative study Awsan Mohammed, Anas Bahatheq, Ahmed Ghaithan, Adel Alshibani, Khwaja Mateen Mazher, Ahmed Alrashidi Built Environment Project and Asset Management, 2026 Purpose Delays in oil and gas construction projects present major challenges due to the sector's complex operations, high capital investment and strict timelines. Such disruptions affect project execution and can have serious socioeconomic impacts. The purpose of this paper is to identify key factors contributing to schedule delays and develop predictive models using artificial neural networks (ANN), decision trees (DTs) and multiple linear regression (MLR) to estimate delay percentages. Design/methodology/approach This study adopts a mixed-methods approach, combining qualitative and quantitative techniques. Expert interviews and a literature review identified and prioritized key delay factors. Data from completed oil and gas construction projects selected through purposive sampling to reflect varied sizes, complexities and locations were analyzed using correlation and outlier tests to ensure reliability. Predictive models: ANNs, DTs and MLR, were then developed, trained and validated with real project data. Findings Design consulting experience, project location and scope changes are assessed as the leading factors influencing delay percentages in oil and gas construction projects. The MLR demonstrated the highest accuracy, exceeding 96%, outperforming both ANNs and DTs. Originality/value This paper focused on the quantitative models rather than the qualitative aspects of predicting schedule delays in construction projects in the oil and gas industry. The proposed models support planning stages by enabling more realistic project schedules and decision-making processes. The proposed models also empower project stakeholders to optimize project outcomes.
Risk Analysis Framework for Airport Infrastructure Systems: A Novel Integrated Approach Ahmed M. Ghaithan, Faisal Al-Omran, Awsan Mohammed, Khwaja Mateen Mazher Journal of Infrastructure Systems, 2026 Airports are complex infrastructure systems characterized by diverse equipment, activities, and departments that must seamlessly integrate to fulfill their roles with minimal faults. Enhancing the reliability of airport systems is vital to maintain their operational efficiency. The purpose of this study is to develop a risk analysis framework based on integrated fuzzy-failure mode and effects analysis for assessing risks of airport systems. The potential failure modes associated with each system and failure causes are identified based on historical incidents and interviewing experts. The fuzzy approach is used to prioritize failure modes based on severity, occurrence, and detectability. The risk priority numbers of integrated fuzzy-failure mode and effects analysis (fuzzy-FMEA) are benchmarked with the traditional failure mode and effects analysis to highlight the benefits of considering uncertainties using fuzzy approach. The findings showed that the most critical failure modes are jet fuel tank rupture, runway approach light failure, weather station readings transmission failure, flickering approach lights, and instrument landing system glideslope deviation. The study indicates the appropriateness of the integrated fuzzy-FMEA approach for assessing risks of airport systems. It highlights that proactive maintenance practices, robust infrastructure, and continuous monitoring are essential and effective practices for ensuring the safety and reliability of airport operations.
From blocks to benchmarks: How research in blockchain and operations management aligns with policy making and SDGs Nokhaiz Tariq Khan, Hira Tahir, Awsan Mohammed, Ahmed Ghaithan, Muhammad Tayyab, Sami El-Ferik Results in Engineering, 2026 This study maps how blockchain research in operations management (OM) diffuses into policy, quantifies the association between academic visibility and policy uptake, and identifies the core themes of blockchain-OM research that influence policy development. We combine bibliometric mapping of Scopus records with topic modeling (NMF + TF-IDF) of policy-cited papers and policy-topic extraction from Overton. The top five topics are aligned with the subject areas of policy documents and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The results reveal that policy-cited papers accrue, on average, more than 60 additional Scopus citations compared to non-cited ones. Open-access articles are both more numerous and more cited, while review papers attract disproportionately high citation counts. Academic and policy impact exhibit a non-linear relationship, indicating that high academic visibility does not necessarily translate into policy relevance. Policy themes cluster around five domains: technology, economy, and sustainability; supply-chain risk; agrifood traceability with health and trade linkages; circular economy and decarbonization; and crisis management and pandemic resilience. By integrating bibliometrics, policy-topic mapping, and effect-size inference, this study uncovers where blockchain-OM scholarship intersects with policy agendas and highlights persisting translation gaps between academic prominence and policy uptake. Practically, to enhance policy reach, researchers should prioritize open access, pair studies with actionable policy briefs or tools, engage regulators, and target sectoral pilots such as traceability, circular credit systems, and emergency logistics.
Barriers to learning from incidents in the construction industry of Saudi Arabia Waleed Imtiaz Usman, Khwaja Mateen Mazher, Firas M. Tuffaha, Ahmed M. Ghaithan, Mubashir Aziz, Hafiz Zahoor, Abubakar Sharafat, Awsan Mohammed Ksce Journal of Civil Engineering, 2026 Despite advances in safety performance over the last 30 years, globally the construction sector continues to have a five-fold higher accident and sickness rate than the industry average. Research suggests that learning from incidents (LFI) in the construction industry is low and this remains a chronic issue. Barriers to LFI were identified from literature and interviews with six construction experts in the local construction industry. This was followed by a questionnaire survey of the health and safety professionals in multiple construction organizations in Saudi Arabia, resulting in 75 sets of valid responses. The primary factor that contributes to learning problems is ‘poor quality of actions’ (mitigation strategies) which suggests that construction employees’ involvement is limited in developing recommendations to prevent similar incidents in the future. Another major barrier to LFI is ‘limited dissemination of findings’ i.e., incidents reports are not shared across the organization. Other major barriers include ‘lack of commitment by management’, ‘lack of understanding of how and what to report’ – while recording an incident, and ‘limited quality of incident reports’. Application of interpretive structural molding (ISM) showed that ‘lack of commitment by management’ is the most influential barrier to LFI. Participants identified the ‘intervening phase’ in the LFI model as the most significant phase in terms of possible loss of learning from incidents in construction organizations.
Enhancing the reliability of steam turbine-driven air blowers in industrial processing units: a maintenance-centric approach Awsan Mohammed, Talal AlShamrani, Adel Alshibani, Ahmed Ghaithan, Ahmed M. Attia Journal of Quality in Maintenance Engineering, 2026 Purpose This paper aims to enhance the reliability of steam turbine systems in sulfur recovery units (SRUs) within the gas processing industry. These turbines are essential for driving air blower systems in the Claus process, yet they frequently encounter reliability challenges such as high vibration, misalignment and component degradation. The paper seeks to identify critical failure points and propose a robust improvement strategy. Design/methodology/approach A quantitative reliability framework is applied using ten years of historical maintenance data. Component failure behavior is modeled using an exponential failure distribution. System reliability is evaluated through reliability block diagram (RBD) modeling for series–parallel configurations, while availability is assessed using MTBF and MTTR metrics. A quantitative risk-based criticality index combining failure rate and repair duration is employed to prioritize failure-prone subsystems and guide reliability improvement efforts. Findings The results identify the steam turbine (ST), air blower (AB), overspeed mechanical trip mechanism (OMM) and coupling (CT) as the most critical components impacting system reliability. The proposed optimized reliability model achieves system availability of 99%, contributing to enhancing operational continuity, reducing maintenance costs and improving overall system safety. Originality/value This research provides a novel, component-level reliability assessment model for SRU steam turbines. It offers practical guidance for improving turbine performance and supports broader industry efforts toward predictive maintenance and operational excellence by integrating risk-based prioritization and reliability metrics.
Exploring emerging barriers to BIM adoption for sustainable project tracking and control readiness in Saudi Arabia: an ISM-based approach Mohamed Mudawi, Naji Osman, Adel Alshibani, Mohammad A. Hassanain, Awsan Mohammed Engineering Construction and Architectural Management, 2026 Purpose Although BIM has advanced globally, its implementation still faces resistance and practical challenges. This paper examines barriers to implementing building information modeling (BIM) for project tracking and control readiness from the perspectives of architectural/engineering (A/E) firms and contractors in Saudi Arabia. Design/methodology/approach Literature review was integrated with expert interviews. Two approaches were utilized for ranking barriers to BIM adoption for sustainable project tracking and control readiness. The first was the relative importance index (RII) to assess obstacles facing A/E firms and contractors. The second was the interpretive structural modeling (ISM) to analyze interdependence and key influencing barriers. Findings The top barriers for A/E firms were a lack of client demand, insufficient software skills, poor data quality, reliance on traditional practices, and budget constraints. For contractors, the main challenges included budget limitations, lack of client demand, inadequate software skills, early contractor involvement and project type. The ISM analysis highlighted incomplete adoption across stakeholders as a key dependent variable, driven by fundamental barriers. Practical implications This study points out the main barriers to adopting BIM as a new digital technology for tracking and controlling ongoing construction projects during the construction stage. Originality/value An integrated TOE–RII–ISM approach was proposed for identifying and prioritizing the key barriers to adopting BIM in project tracking and control, from two perspectives (A/E and Contractors). The findings offer valuable insights into current practices by providing a quantitative method that uses advanced models to determine the relationships among key barriers.
Fuzzy-based model for developing a digitalization index for evaluating construction project digitalization levels in Saudi Arabia Awsan Mohammed, Yazeed AlSalamah, Ahmed Ghaithan, Ali Shash, Adel Alshibani Construction Innovation, 2026 Purpose This paper aims to propose a digitalization index (DI) based on a fuzzy approach for evaluating the digitalization level of construction projects in the Saudi Arabian construction sector. It also aims to identify and rank potential digitalization activities and evaluate these activities using modified technology acceptance measures. This provides a quantitative framework for assessing digitalization levels in uncertain environments. Design/methodology/approach The research identifies potential digitalization activities within construction projects in the Saudi Arabian construction sector and ranks them based on their digitalization level. A fuzzy-based model is then developed to construct a DI and evaluate the degree of digitalization. The model is validated using data from a real project in Saudi Arabia. Findings The findings revealed significant differences in project activities based on the DI within the Saudi construction sector. Deviation tracking, document system updates and energy consumption improvements were the most digitalized activities. The proposed fuzzy model accurately assessed digitalization, aligning with actual project data, highlighting the sector’s generally low digital maturity and the need for targeted digital transformation in Saudi construction management. Practical implications The proposed model offers a practical tool for construction stakeholders to assess and quantify digitalization activities. The model helps stakeholders address challenges in digital transformation and prioritize activities for improving digital integration in construction projects. Originality/value This research proposes a DI as an innovative approach to assess the digitalization levels in construction projects, using a fuzzy-based model to deal with uncertainty. It incorporates modified technology acceptance measures and provides an innovative method for quantifying digital transformation in an uncertain environment.
Optimizing inspection and maintenance decisions in degrading systems with quality-loss Ahmad Al Hanbali, Mohamed Noomane Darghouth, Ahmed Mohammed Ali Atiah, Ahmed Mansoor Hussein Ghaithan, Awsan Mohammed, Omar Alsawafy, Mohammad A. M. Abdel-Aal Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers Part O Journal of Risk and Reliability, 2026
A Green Manufacturing Model: Joint Optimization of Maintenance, Scheduling, and Sustainability Proceedings of International Conference on Computers and Industrial Engineering CIE, 2025
ECONOMIC-ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT OF CONCENTRATED SOLAR POWER FOR SEAWATER DESALINATION Proceedings of International Conference on Computers and Industrial Engineering CIE, 2024
Multi-objective mathematical model for closed loop supply chain design Proceedings of the International Conference on Industrial Engineering and Operations Management, 2019