Industrial Engineering articles from September 1992

Industrial Engineering archives from September 1992

Auto ID for accuracy, ergonomics and productivity. (automatic identification)
September 1, 1992... "We recently got a letter from a customer who said 'We got our order and it was 100 percent correct. What's wrong?''' I actually heard a warehouse manager say that statement not long ago. Are we so familiar to inaccuracy in order picking...

Fundamental changes in corporate restructuring.
September 1, 1992... Faced with global competition, market fragmentation and increasing capital constraints, many executives over the past 10 years have moved to restructure their companies. But now, a fundamental change is occurring in the way companies...

Riot-ravaged Taco Bell rebuilt in 48 hours using project planning software. (restaurant burned in Los Angeles riot replaced quickly with the aid of Primavera Systems' Finest Hour software) (case study)
September 1, 1992... Project Planning For the Taco Bell in Compton, Calif., fast food means more than just the cooking and serving time. The quick-service Mexican restaurant, a subsidiary of PepsiCo Inc., had been destroyed by fire during the Los Angeles...

Archway Cookies meets increased product demand. (CIM) (case study)
September 1, 1992... CIM "Relocating, then adding a second tier to our flow storage system gave us almost three times the finished goods storage capacity; capacity absolutely necessary since our sales have grown an amazing 10 percent each year, for the...

New automation system provides advantages to Baxter Pharmaseal. (Baxter International's Pharmaseal division uses new information systems technologies to consolidate manufacturing operations)(case study)
September 1, 1992... Information Systems Baxter International's Pharmaseal division, based in Valencia, Calif., manufacturers, markets and sells more than 3,000 different surgical supplies, medical devices and respiratory therapy devices. In March 1990,...

Data collection system provides IBM plants 100 percent accuracy. (IBM uses computer-integrated manufacturing to link plants in Poughkeepsie and Kingston, NY)(case study)
September 1, 1992... Since the IBM plants in Poughkeepsie and Kingston, N.Y. opened in the 1940s, they have built everything from radar control systems to the IBM System/360. Poughkeepsie manufactured the system components and Kingston used the components to...

Every business should want superior distribution. (marketing distribution)
September 1, 1992... All companies start with the same easy list of broad business goals: increase sales, reduced net landed product costs, cut operating expenses, and improve return on assets. After that it gets tough, since every company in every industry must...

An inventory control solution for on-site warehousing. (GE Supply implements On-Site Acquisition and Stock Inventory System) (Managing Distribution)(case study)
September 1, 1992... Just-in-time (JIT) inventory management can be applied at construction job sites to save time and material costs. As an extension of a traditional warehouse and distribution system, on-site warehousing offers the benefits of traditional,...

Using prototype expert systems for AGV selection. (automated guided vehicles)(includes related articles on sample rules, parameter travel)
September 1, 1992... As research fields in artificial intelligence accelerate and a high number of experts are demanded by industry, expert systems play an important role in meeting the technological sophistication required in today's competitive world....

New warehouse technology makes well-designed floors a necessity. (designing floors in warehouses)
September 1, 1992... Warehouses and distribution centers are designed for "throughput," the movement of materials in and out of the faciltiy. Efficient throughput can improve customer service while simultaneously reducing the costs of distribution, important...

Planning for epoxy ESD floor installation in a manufacturing environment. (electrostatic discharge)(case study)
September 1, 1992... Manufacturing environments can be tough on electrostatic discharge (ESD) floors, tougher than most ordinary waxing programs can handle. Data collection throughout the CalComp facility (Hudson, New Hampshire) indicated specification failure up...

Kitting in JIT production: a kitting project at a tractor plant. (just-in-time manufacturing at CASE IH cargo plant)
September 1, 1992... Successful kitting increases the productivity of an assembly process. Kitting eliminates search times, simplifies materials handling and provides better shop floor control. In the electronics industry where parts are generally small and...

Now is the time to speak out in defense of time standards. (Commentary)
September 1, 1992... When Dr. W. Edwards Deming talks about quality, mathematics or statistical quality control, one can only admire and respect him. However, when he ventures into discussions of work standards, he may be outside of his area of expertise. ...

3-D continuous path conveying. (three-dimensional conveying systems for solving bulk handling problems)
September 1, 1992... Three-dimensional conveying systems solve difficult bulk handling problems encountered in municipal and industrial applications. Unique engineering allows the conveyor to follow horizontal, vertical and helical paths. The diverse path...

An analysis of test-repair loops in modern assembly lines. (Simulation) (Technical)
September 1, 1992... Test-repair station loops are fairly common in many assembly lines. A simple implementation usually involves a single test or inspect station and a single repair station that receives parts rejected by the test station (Figure 1). This...

10 burning questions concerning quality improvement.
September 1, 1992... "How do you recognize and reward quality and what effect does it have on behavior?" People are affected by fundamentally two things at the workplace, how they are rewarded and how they are evaluated. When you want to recognize quality,...

Achieving professional success in a decade of economic uncertainty. (industrial engineering careers)
September 1, 1992... The nineteen nineties have clearly embarked on a radical departure from the nineteen eighties, when a roaring economy offered seemingly secure and financially rewarding job opportunities. The "Nervous Nineties" are already being characterized...