Industrial Engineering articles from January 1994

Industrial Engineering archives from January 1994

Progress in worker participation too slow. (only 2 percent of American workers have a voice in job-related decisions)
January 1, 1994... According to the president of the Work in America Institute, Jerome Rosow, as few as two percent of American workers have what they consider to be a meaningful say in job-related decisions. In testimony before the Commission on the Future...

NAFTA: an industrial engineering challenge. (North Atlantic Free Trade Agreement) (IE Opportunities) (Column)
January 1, 1994... The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) will eliminate most trade barriers between Mexico, the U.S. and Canada. However, not all sectors of the U.S. economy favor NAFTA. The strongest opposition to NAFTA has come from the manufacturing...

AT&T eliminates wrong numbers with Spectrum One assembly. (using Spectrum One radio frequency technology to manufacture PBX systems)
January 1, 1994... PBX phone systems, manufactured by telecommunications leader AT&T, are customized for individual customers, proliferate small and large businesses, hospitals and universities and are vital to the way information is transmitted and communicated....

EDI helps Telescope sharpen focus on customer service. (Telescope Casual Furniture using Electronic Data Interchange)
January 1, 1994... When Sears Roebuck & Co. demanded that its trading partners use electronic data interchange (EDI), Telescope Casual Furniture was caught empty handed. Without an EDI system in place, Telescope's future as a supplier to an important customer was...

Data management software improves customer service. (Fabreeka International using DSP Development Corp.'s DADiSP data management software for vibration-control solutions)
January 1, 1994... Control of vibration in a lab or production environment is vital when sensitive equipment is used. In the production of semiconductors, for example, unwanted vibration can result in defective products, and therefore cause losses in time and...

Eskay use-point managers AS/RS automates Hargrove gas fire log production. (Hargrove Manufacturing Corp. using Eskay Corp.'s automated storage and retrieval system)
January 1, 1994... Hargrove Manufacturing Corp., Sand Springs, Okla., is a leading supplier of gas fire cement logs to fireplace specialty dealers and distributors in the U.S. and Canada. The company was ready to make the leap from manual labor-intensive...

The Medical Center takes proactive approach to healthcare reform. (Beaver, PA, hospital provides excellent healthcare with controlled costs) (includes related article on applying manufacturing practices to the healthcare industry)
January 1, 1994... As measured by operating costs, The Medical Center (TMC) in Beaver, Pa., is the most efficient hospital in western Pennsylvania. It also has excellent clinical quality and award-winning service departments. Yet, Bob Gibson, president and...

Performance measures for a JIT manufacturer: the role of the IE. (just-in-time manufacturing, industrial engineers)
January 1, 1994... In recent years, many manufacturing companies have adopted the JIT philosophy. A large number of these firms, however, are discovering that traditional, financially oriented performance measures are impeding the attainment of JIT's potential...

Total Research Quality Management Process at Vista Chemical Company. (Total Research Corp. establishes customer satisfaction measurement process)
January 1, 1994... In 1986, Vista Chemical formally established its Quality Management Process (QMP) program recognizing the clear competitive advantages that stem from quality leadership. Vista designed its quality process from the ground up, synthesizing it...

Future looks bright for IE profession. (industrial engineering satellite broadcast focuses on job outlook)
January 1, 1994... Almost 120 IIE chapters linked into the October 12, 1993, satellite broadcast on the future on industrial engineering jobs. Three panelists answered viewers' questions -- many concerning the perceived IE identity crisis -- and offered their...

Modern mail and package handling. (material handling)
January 1, 1994... From the Pony Express to Federal Express, we have greatly reduced the time it takes to get a letter, document or small package from Point A to Point B from weeks to hours. We trust a variety of delivery services to pick up, transport and...

Ergonomic improvements of wire wrapping jobs: a case for injury reduction. (an electronics manufacturing facility decreases pain and cumulative trauma disorders)
January 1, 1994... Employees at a medium-sized electronics manufacturing facility were developing pain and cumulative trauma disorders (CTDs) from their jobs, especially those employees performing wire wrapping. The injuries occurring from wire wrapping included...

Laser marking commercial and military plastics: alternatives to ink printing. (Automatic Identification)
January 1, 1994... plastics industry is plagued by two critical marking identification problems: ink permanency and poor text legibility and quality. Increased industry demands require indelible markings with excellent legibility and print quality,...

IIE president Lee Blank: structuring "better tomorrows" for members. (1994-95 initiatives)
January 1, 1994... What is one thing that parents, government leaders, educational institutions and lIE have in common? While members of these diverse groups may not share the same philosophies and may not always agree on the way that things are done, they all...