Industrial Engineering articles from February 1993

Industrial Engineering archives from February 1993

"Traditional" IEs keep pace with company's needs. (Lamson and Sessions Co. Carlon Div. hires industrial engineers)
February 1, 1993... The Clinton, Iowa, manufacturing plant that hired Patti Rogers had never employed a full-time industrial engineer. But upper management at Carlon, a Lamson & Sessions Co., had already identified areas that needed attention, and when Rogers...

Belt-splicing helps drum manufacturer cut downtime and waste. (Van Leer Container Inc.)
February 1, 1993... In a far corner of VanLeerContainer's Canton, Miss. plant, a 90-foot coil-shear line measures, cuts and squares steel sheets that are converted into more than 890,000 industrial drums annually. The raw materials processing operation plays a...

Effective benchmarking: taking the effective approach.
February 1, 1993... The benchmarking process is being used increasingly by companies and organizations worldwide. Benchmarking is defined as a search for the best industry practices that, when put into effect, will lead to superior products, processes and...

Steps for engineering truck and trailer maintenance.
February 1, 1993... The industrial engineer is frequently called upon to design and implement maintenance systems in a variety of plant and industrial environments. A lesser known area but equally challenging to these plant settings is the field of truck and...

A comparison of computer-based training and classroom instruction.
February 1, 1993... With the increasing demand for training, companies are considering computer-based training (CBT) courses as an alternative to conventional classroom instruction. The main advantage is reduced learning time. Trainees progress at their own pace...

Changing tool configurations to change production capacity.
February 1, 1993... Flexibile manufacturing means flexibile capacity. This flexible capacity can be implemented either through flexible labor or flexible machining. In flexible machining systems, CNC controlled are predominantly used and their capacity (here...

Choosing lifting magnets for greater productivity, safety and cost-effectiveness.
February 1, 1993... Permanent or electro-magnets in single or multiple configurations have wide-ranging industrial applications to pile or unpile, or to lift and move, steel plates and shapes. Operating efficiency, cost-effectiveness and safety are primary...

Forklift fleet management: six steps toward maximum return on investment.
February 1, 1993... The past decade has seen forklift trucks attain new levels of productivity. No longer content with "bare bones" equipment, today's user demands trucks with efficient fuel systems, sophisticated electronics, operator-friendly controls and...

Using self-administered work sampling in a state agency.
February 1, 1993... The Texas Department of Human Services (TDHS) uses 20,253 employees to administer the yearly distribution of more than $8 billion in aid to residents of Texas. Much of this aid is mandated by federal entitlement programs (Medicaid, AFDC, food...

JIT: strategic weapon for aerospace and defense? (just-in-time)
February 1, 1993... As aerospace and defense companies compete for scarcer contracts at fixed costs, they have been compelled to recognize that manufacturing efficiency is central to their competitive position. Companies that can demonstrate the ability to...

Driving quality up and cycle time down with design of experiment.
February 1, 1993... It is common knowledge that the key to survival in business is satisfying customers. It is also well understood that companies can satisfy their customers by continuously improving the quality of their products and processes and by reducing...

Don't implement before you validate! (discrete event simulation models)
February 1, 1993... Discrete event simulation is now commonly used to solve manufacturing problems. The availability of easy-to-use simulation software for microcomputers, the increased coverage of the topic in trade journals, and publicized successes have all...

Teach what you use and research what you teach. (Transcript)
February 1, 1993... This speech was delivered at the first Industrial Engineering Research Conference, May 20-21 1992, in Chicago, Ill. What is IE research? A trite answer is that IE research is research done by IEs. A better answer is that IE research is...

The real world of military standard 1567A and work measurement.
February 1, 1993... On December 18, 1991, the Department of Defense (DoD), Office of Inspector General, published a report, "Use Of Work Measurement System Data In Negotiating With Prime Contractors." The audit results concluded, "Procurement contracting officers...