Industrial Engineering articles from November 1994

Industrial Engineering archives from November 1994

Engineering salaries rise faster than inflation.
November 1, 1994... MEDIAN SALARY, ALL INDUSTRIES Experience Median Salary, All Industries (Years Since B.S. Degree): 1992 1993 1994 A. Actual Dollars: Zero Years, B.S. Only $34,650 ...

What is agility? (agile enterprises) (Business Strategies)
November 1, 1994... The word "agility" has popped into the business jargon over the last several years. Many companies have had to develop some agile capabilities and are continuing to improve on them. There is a growing number of companies that are making agility...

Enterprise agility: jazz in the factory.
November 1, 1994... Listening to seasoned musicians play jazz can be a rewarding experience. Even if we are not jazz enthusiasts, we can appreciate the talent that becomes quickly evident, as melodies are created in a seemingly spontaneous fashion, but with notes...

Real-time factory floor scheduling enhances responsiveness.
November 1, 1994... The dynamic factory environment defies the best planning efforts because it is always in flux. Therefore, the best plan is to ensure that the factory and the organization are able to respond as soon as any condition changes. Informed managers,...

First fiber to the factory creates competitive advantage. (universal cabling system at Electrolux plant in Lehel, Hungary) (Applications)
November 1, 1994... Ask anyone in Hungary what he or she knows about Jaszbereny, and you will get one of the following responses -- Lehel's horn, the Lehel HC ice-hockey team, the Lehel refrigerator. And, with the last response, you will most likely hear the name...

Labs fashion fluid control components with Anvil-5000. (Vernay Laboratories; computer software)
November 1, 1994... Tiny elastomeric balls, rolling diaphragms and umbrella check valves are just a few of the products designed by Vernay Labs of Ohio. For nearly all of the design and drafting work at Vernay Labs, the designers use ANVIL-5000, a CADD/CAM/CAE...

Manufacturing software gets real-time results on shop floor.
November 1, 1994... Production requirements in the paperboard packaging industry vary from customer to customer, but quality requirements are always critical. Companies must work closely with their customers and be able to respond rapidly to market-driven style...

Building management system improves efficiency at Toyota. (Toyota Motor Manufacturing U.S.A. Inc.)
November 1, 1994... The Toyota plant in Georgetown, Ky. is well on the way to reaching its goal of significantly reducing its energy consumption this year, thanks to a building management system that ties all of the plant's industrial controls together. The...

Long-Airdox converts 63,000 CADAM drawings to AUTOCAD. (computer-aided design) (Management of Technology)
November 1, 1994... When Long-Airdox, a major manufacturer of coal mining equipment, acquired Simmons-Rand, it faced a major computer-aided design (CAD) conversion effort. More than 63,000 CADAM drawings stored on a mainframe had to be converted to AutoCAD drawings...

Spurring wider use of on-line condition monitoring for predictive maintenance. (Management of Technology)
November 1, 1994... Pressure to increase production output and eliminate quality defects is spurring manufacturing companies to shift from periodic data logging to on-line monitoring systems for performing predictive maintenance on plant machinery. This change in...

Fitting flexible manufacturing systems to the task. (Production)
November 1, 1994... A flexible manufacturing system (FMS) may be defined as a grouping of Computer Numerical Control (CNC) machines to simultaneously and efficiently process a variety of part types at low to medium volumes. FMSs typically include automated material...

Push or pull: perhaps the answer lies somewhere between. (Scheduling)
November 1, 1994... Priority rules are used to determine "what job to work next?" The facility used in this priority rule development has 16 work centers and produces 3,000 different components and assemblies with annual requirements between one and 5,000 units...

Assembly-line job satisfaction and productivity. (Labor Relations)
November 1, 1994... The U.S. has been moving from assembly-line or physical work to a technical society using more machines on the shop floor and more workers in the office. Even though many assembly plants exist, management concerns have shifted from the...

Productivity measurement methodology. (Engineering Economy)
November 1, 1994... How would you like to know how much of your profit is attributable to productivity -- all in a single report that would show both of them? In today's highly competitive business environment, businesses are increasingly under pressure to deliver...

Development of disassembly line for refrigerators. (Environmental Issues)
November 1, 1994... In the future, dismantling, disassembly, recycling and reuse of products should be the weapon of attack for a huge flow of discarded products. Today, governments are pressing these activities by increasing disposal taxes and by requiting...