Dr Ming Lim

Phone number
+44 (0)121 204 3508

Email
m.k.lim@aston.ac.uk

Profile

I obtained my PhD degree from the University of Exeter (UK). Prior to that, I graduated with a First class B.Eng(Hons) in Manufacturing Systems and Management at the University of Liverpool. In 2001, I was appointed as Research Fellow in an EPSRC research project, Dynamically Integrated Manufacturing Systems (DIMS), based at the University of Exeter. This project aimed at increasing the agility and reconfigurability of manufacturing systems as well as of supply chain system to cope with dynamic changes in the market and production environment.

Before obtaining my lectureship at Aston University in Dec 2006, I was appointed as business improvement manager at ePI International, a fast-growing organisation providing consultancy to clients in saving process/overhead costs in their companies. My roles included managing a team of knowledge engineers in conducting research into diverse business processes and identifying performance improvement solutions within the extended supply chain operations. I was also involved in planning and managing the development of an intelligent knowledge-based portal system, which aimed to help organisations assessing their business processes, and improving their profitability through implementing performance improvement solutions that are relevant to their business performances.

Expertise

My expertise is in Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) technology, lean & agile manufacturing, responsive & reconfigurable manufacturing/supply chain, cost & system optimisation, and system modelling & simulation.

Since joining Aston University, I have been providing consultancy to companies from the manufacturing and logistics sectors in enhancing production and supply chain competitiveness, as well as in the implementation of RFID technology. I established a research group, namely RFID Advanced Research, in October 2008. The aim of the research group is to explore new RFID functions to enhance the competitiveness in the supply chain and manufacturing to achieve rapid responsiveness, cost optimisation and system efficiency under dynamic changing environment. An interest group is formed and consists of eight organisations across different industry sectors and countries. The research group is a member of the EU RACE networkRFID.

The research group has gained international recognition in RFID research; I have been invited to give a public seminar on RFID applications at SIMTech (Singapore Institute of Manufacturing Technology) at Singapore Nanyang Technological University. Following this successful seminar, I was invited back in Singapore to be a session speaker and a panel member at the high-profile RFID World Asia 2009. Since then, I have been a regular speaker for various workshops/conferences. More recently, I was invited to be the session speakers at the Asia Pacific Business Innovation and Technology Management Conference in Lausanne (Switzerland) and the Asia Pacific Microwave RFID workshop in Melbourne Australia. I am currently an advisory council for Asia Pacific Business Innovation and Technology Management Society and an editorial board member for Operations and Supply Chain Management: An International Journal.

RFID Advanced Research has successfully secured various funded projects, and has project collaborations with companies from different industry sectors, including DHL Exel Supply Chain, the UK National Health Service (NHS), SMEs such as Accutronics, Hazlin of Ludlow, Carton Edge Packaging, ATMS, and UAV Engines. We are actively supporting companies in enhancing economic competitiveness in their relative business markets, as well as in assessing their operations for RFID adoption. We welcome any form of collaboration with companies through, e.g. consultancy projects, student projects, or a range of funded schemes available. We are also seeking association with other research institutions through collaborative research funding.

Membership of Professional Bodies

• Member of IEEE professional association
• Chartered member of CILT(UK)
• Associate member of Universities' Transport Study Group (UTSG)