Industrial Engineering articles from August 1993

Industrial Engineering archives from August 1993

Changing the manufacturing paradigm: a blueprint for U.S. industrial competitiveness. (Column)
August 1, 1993... After taking a beating from foreign competition in the 1970s and early 1980s, many U.S. companies made significant gains to improve quality and manufacturing efficiency. Total quality management, concurrent engineering and empowered employees...

Beyond most modern-day maintenance strategies: strategy indicators. (Column)
August 1, 1993... During the time of paper records systems, the gathering of data for performance indicators was a cumbersome and time-consuming process. For this reason, many organizations focused on a very small number of indicators. Often, conclusions drawn...

Rapid deployment of automated SPC systems. (statistical process control in the aerospace manufacturing industry)
August 1, 1993... Even though Statistical Process Control (SPC) is widely accepted as a way to achieve world-class quality in aerospace manufacturing, some top management and most middle management personnel do not believe SPC is applicable in their shops. As a...

IEs at Insight Industries put their computer expertise to work. (industrial engineers at software developer Insight Industries Inc.)
August 1, 1993... You'll never catch the industrial engineers at Insight Industries using stopwatches, even though they do collect detailed data on employee operations. But on any day, you will find them using spreadsheets, relational databases ore even...

Pick-by-lights system achieves 99.99 percent accuracy. (Ing-Way's Computer Assisted Packing System (CAPS) for order fulfillment used at Avon Products Inc.)
August 1, 1993... With over 1,000,000 items to pick every day, Avon Products operates a sophisticated order fulfillment system at its regional distribution center in Atlanta. One of a number of Avon facilities around the world, this 400,000 square-foot...

Norton Company reduces demand by 211 Kw. (company saves yearly kilowatts usage with improved lighting)
August 1, 1993... The Coated Abrasives Division of Norton Co., Watervliet, N.Y., has recovered $119,107 in rebate awards from Niagara Mohawk Power Corp. for conservation measures in the lighting and motors areas. In conjunction with encouragement from Gary...

Cummins Engine combines new management and technology to develop strategy for the future. (Cummins Engine Company Inc.)
August 1, 1993... The start of production at Cummins Engine Company's Columbus Midrange Engine Plant (CMEP), near its headquarters city of Columbus, Indiana, represents a significant landmark for the company, its workforce and for the way technology is...

The human side of kanban. (manufacturing effectiveness theory)
August 1, 1993... Kanban is a simple, mechanistic tool for tightly linking a material use point with its source. At least that is the impression we get from writings about kanban. But the apparent simplicity of kanban masks subtleties that are important in...

Laser printer assembly is a snap at Lexmark International. (Lexmark International Inc.)
August 1, 1993... Assembling the IBM 4019, 4029 and 4039 LaserPrinter products at Lexmark International Inc., in Lexington, Kentucky, is a snap because interlocking parts are a major part of the basic design of these award-winning printers. Lexmark is a global...

Building an operations management foundation that will last: TQM, JIT, and CIM. (total quality management, just-in-time, computer integrated manufacturing)
August 1, 1993... There is strong agreement that the state-of-the-art in high-technology operations management is based on a tri-cornered foundation. One element of the foundation is total quality management (TQM). TQM embodies the notion that every member of...

Mixed model operations: solving the manufacturing puzzle.
August 1, 1993... Many companies are struggling to respond to the ever increasing demands from customers while at the same time minimizing working capital requirements and operating costs. Customers want fast and reliable delivery while requiring more options...

Fine-tuning reengineering with workflow automation: blueprint and tool. (business reengineering)
August 1, 1993... Through the 1990s, organizations will become increasingly involved in reengineering how they do business. Through reengineering business procedures and processes, companies will gain greater efficiences, including improved customer service,...

Design for analysis leads to a new concept in plating lines. (industrial engineers' role in product design)(includes bibliography)
August 1, 1993... "The storm that flickered on the horizon for American industry during the 1970s came ashore with a rash in the 1980s. Torrents of imported products flooded our markets and eroded the profitability of domestic suppliers. The U.S. balance of...

Increased customer service begins in the engineering department.
August 1, 1993... In recent years, many organizations have undergone dramatic changes as they have frantically vied to become more customer-focused. With intense competition in markets at both home and abroad, firms have turned their attention to increasing...

In sync with synchronous manufacturing at Form Rite Corp.
August 1, 1993... To stay competitive in a global economy, Form Rite Corp., a supplier of automotive tubular assembly products, is endlessly trying to manufacture world-class products for "the big three" auto makers using the best manufacturing...

New floor reduces slip hazard, improves cleanliness. (Rust-Oleum Concrete Protection Systems' Overkete industrial floor covering)
August 1, 1993... Based on preliminary testing, slip-resistant floors installed at Huck International Inc. in June 1992, have proved to be so effective in reducing the potential for employees to slip and fall that the company continues to resurface major...