IIE Solutions articles from April 2000

IIE Solutions archives from April 2000

Olly, olly, oxen free!(Brief Article)
April 1, 2000... Industrial engineers, you are not alone. There I was, flipping through The Industrial Physicist magazine some months back and expecting to find nothing of particular significance to share with IIE Solutions readers, when I turned a page and was...

Letters to the Editor.
April 1, 2000... Make incompetents competent Enjoyed Jane Gaboury's editorial about being as different from each other on the inside as we are on the outside ("Thinking eye to eye," February). I believe most of us at one time or another have used our own...

Correction.(March issue)(Correction Notice)
April 1, 2000... The March issue profile of Chuck Harris ("Running on Smart Growth") contained a spelling error in the photo caption. The name of the county in which Harris serves on the board of supervisors is Loudoun County.

World-class manufacturers embrace technology.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2000... A number of key differences exist between "world-class" organizations and other companies, according to the third annual census of manufacturers by IndustryWeek magazine and PricewaterhouseCoopers. The survey also uncovers some drastic...

Time capsule machine would make Goldberg proud.(cartoonist Rube Goldberg)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2000... The student chapter of the Society of Women Engineers won Purdue University's local Rube Goldberg Machine Contest in February by preserving the most significant inventions of the 20th century in a Rubbermaid spaghetti keeper used as a time...

ISO qualification tax deductible.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2000... The Internal Revenue Service has released Revenue Ruling 2000-4, which states that the costs of obtaining, renewing, and maintaining ISO 9000 qualification are generally tax deductible.

Professor exposes the myth of the rising fastball.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2000... Like most baseball fans, Terry Bahill has an interest in numbers. But the University of Arizona professor of systems and industrial engineering goes beyond batting averages and home run records. He has used numbers, graphs, and mathematical...

XLR8-ing.(XLR8 consulting firm)
April 1, 2000... When Eve Strella quit her corporate job two years ago to join her former boss in founding their own consulting firm -- The XLR8 Team -- it wasn't the first time she'd taken a leap. After all, she's a former champion equestrian. And industrial...

NEWSMAKERS.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2000... * The University of Michigan honored Meredith Chan with a Martin Luther King Spirit Award, which is given to students who epitomize King's work and spirit. Chan is a senior at UM studying industrial and operations engineering. Her activities...

PBS film examines the life and work of Frederick Taylor.(Public Broadcasting Service)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2000... Stopwatch, a film about the life and work of industrial engineering pioneer Fredrick W. Taylor, will air on public television stations across the United States this year. The film, which first aired in November 1999, is based on Robert...

NAE announces top engineering achievements.(National Academy of Engineering)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2000... Speaking on behalf of the National Academy of Engineering, astronaut and engineer Neil Armstrong announced the NAE's picks for the top 20 engineering achievements of the 20th century. The announcement was part of the NAE's National Engineers...

Virginia Tech celebrates 80 years.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2000... The industrial and systems engineering department at Virginia Tech celebrates its 80th anniversary this year. The department was established in 1920 as the department of commercial engineering, It was the fifth IE department in the United...

'Bible' of consulting updated.(Review)
April 1, 2000... Flawless Consulting: A Guide to Getting Your Expertise Used by Peter Block was first published in 1978. It became the best-selling consulting book of all time for its ability to explain how consultants can manage their relationships with...

Survey helps manufacturers benchmark.
April 1, 2000... RSM McGladrey and the National Association of Manufacturers began the annual PulseMark survey four years ago to get critical plant-level manufacturing information they couldn't find elsewhere. "We believe that the competitive profiles of...

IIE fellows elected to NAE.(Institute of Industrial Engineers; National Academy of Engineering)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2000... Two of the 78 people recently elected to the National Academy of Engineering are fellows of the Institute of Industrial Engineers. Way Kuo, Ph.D., and Hanif D. Sherali, Ph.D., P.E., were among the members elected in February. Election to...

ANSYS Inc.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2000... ANSYS Inc., a provider of computer-aided engineering software, is taking part in an educational engineering effort in conjunction with the University of Pittsburgh. The program allows students to use ANSYS/DesignSpace software for up-front...

Maxim/IT.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2000... Maxim/IT, a startup company nurtured in one of Purdue University's business incubators, has developed an intranet search engine called Find? View that uses Java programming language to access all types of engineering and manufacturing...

Average starting salary.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2000... The average starting salary for college grads with degrees in engineering is now $42,281 -- that's 23 percent higher than the national average for all new college graduates, which is $34,433, according to Jobtrak.com's index. The average...

Netsource.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2000... TQM and ISO 9000 Resources on the Internet http://fiat.gsfls.utexas.edu/[sim]rpollock/tqm.html. This site offers a well-rounded list of hot links to quality information Web sites. References run the gamut from a beginners guide to...

Do you have teams?(Brief Article)
April 1, 2000... Three years ago, I came across some survey results that intrigued, angered, and motivated me. The October 1996 issue of Training Magazine summarized the results of a survey regarding teams. To this day, I find the results amazing because of the...

Learning to surf.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2000... At 9 a.m. it was already so hot that the black tar in the cracks had become squishy and soft. Dark goop oozed out of the seams in the gray concrete road. The street was bleeding and its smell betrayed a hint of its long-ago conception and...

A prolific Hedge.(ergonomics researcher Alan Hedge)
April 1, 2000... Conduct an Internet search on "ergonomics," and you will most certainly come across the name Alan Hedge. In fact, nearly every citation is apt to link to Hedge's groundbreaking research -- on office chairs, lighting, and keyboards, to name a...

Virtual Teams: Connect and Collaborate.
April 1, 2000... Project management has come a long way from its star in the early 1960s as a technique for managing major defense projects. Most modern organizations are now built around projects, with many recent converts among the companies that mine the...

Successful site selection: a case study.
April 1, 2000... It's one of the most traumatic things that can happen to a manufacturing company: moving. There are many reasons for companies to move: the firm may be growing and need more space, the company may have lost its lease, rents may be going up, or...

The supermarket in 2010.
April 1, 2000... Industrial engineering techniques will boost efficiency Charles Darwin showed us that change is inevitable; in order for organisms to survive, they must adapt. The same is true for business. The grocery industry will be a leader in change...

Business Pro LB.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2000... Product: Business Pro LB Price: $6,000 Platform: Windows 95/98/NT Description: With the QuickTimes standards generator, users can add graphics to their studies and perform line balancing. Entire processes are defined for up to 500...

Business Pro Time Study Module.
April 1, 2000... Product: Business Pro Time Study Module Price: $2,500 Platform: Windows 95/98/NT Description: Any Business Pro module can be upgraded to handle time study using Windows CE devices, which replace manual stopwatches. The results of...

QuickTimes for Business Pro.
April 1, 2000... Product: QuickTimes for Business Pro Price: Free Platform: Windows 95/98/NT Description: Create and save standards using the QuickTimes generator. An MTM-based approach creates accurate values for short and long cycle work....

CAWS Mod I Work Sampling Study Designer.
April 1, 2000... Product: CAWS Mod I Work Sampling Study Designer Price: $195 Platform: Windows 95/98/NT Description: The software allows the analyst to design two basic work sampling design elements. First, the user determines the number of...

CAWS/E.
April 1, 2000... Product: CAWS/E Price: $50 - $1,950 Platform: Windows 95/98/NT Description: CAWS/E allows users to analyze indirect labor and identify waste, virtually automating work sampling, particularly data management, summarization, and...

CITS APR.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2000... Product: CITS APR Price: $50 - $1,950 Platform: Windows 95/98/NT Description: A tool for analyzing repetitive direct and indirect labor operations, CITS APR automates time study, particularly data management, summarization, and...

PalmCAWS.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2000... Product: PalmCAWS Price: $995 per site license Platform: Palm OS Description: The software includes all the features of the CAWS/E system and is small and lightweight. At this time, the Palm PC does not run CAWS Mod I, Pocket...

PalmCITS.
April 1, 2000... Product: PalmCITS Price: $995 per site license Platform: Palm OS Description: The software has the same features as the CITS APR except for real-time accuracy feedback and real-time active element performance rating. The advantage...

Productivity-Efficiency Monitor.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2000... Product: Productivity-Efficiency Monitor Price: $295 Platform: Windows CE 2.0 Operating System Description: The monitor is designed to help production operators, industrial engineers, and supervisors. On a handheld PC, the operator...

JD-7 Random Reminder.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2000... Product: JD-7 Random Reminder Price: $125 - $185; $4 - $7 per week rental Platform: N/A Description: This small device for time and work sampling supports complex time studies. Adjustable random samples are given with more than...

EaseWorks.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2000... Product: EaseWorks Price: $12,500 - $40,000 Platform: Pentium Description: EaseWorks is a suite of software, training, and consulting services designed to provide manufacturing and service companies with the ability to develop...

MOST for Windows.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2000... Product: MOST for Windows Price: $1,995+ Platform: Windows 95/98/NT Description: This work measurement tool enables users to create and maintain a database of work elements and suboperations. The software generates times based on...

MOST Data Manager.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2000... Product: MOST Data Manager Price: $5,625+ Platform: Windows 95/98/NT Description: MOST Data Manager allows users to create time standards quickly and easily. Features include automated and efficient standard data search and...

VIA, Productivity Measurement Software.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2000... Product: VIA, Productivity Measurement Software Price: $3,995 Platform: Windows Description: VIA tracks production, develops discrete manufacturing scheduling, tracks scrap/defects and offal, schedules deliveries and shipments,...

AutoMATS.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2000... Product: AutoMATS Price: $7,500 per seat Platform: Windows Description: AutoMATS is an engineering and ergonomic tool that enables users to develop a detailed process implementation that calculates cycle times and piece-per-hour...

MTM-LINK.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2000... Product: MTM-LINK Price: $6,000+ Platform: Windows 3.1/95/98/NT Description: MTM-LINK is a full-featured database tool designed to automate development, maintenance, and application of work standards and their associated...

PC/Graphic Microdata.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2000... Product: PC/Graphic Microdata Price: $1,995 Platform: DOS 5.0, Windows 3.1/95/98/NT Description: This software system and training package is designed to meet the needs of the individual engineer for an MTM-based work measurement...

Time Ladders.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2000... Product: Time Ladders Price: $995 Platform: DOS 5.0, Windows 3.1/95/98/NT Description: Time Ladders is a software tool that fully automates the complex statistical processes associated with data analysis.

MCIE III Plus.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2000... Product: MCIE III Plus Price: $987 per seat Platform: Most PCs, minicomputers, and mainframes; Windows 95/NT; OS/2; OS/400 Description: This fully automated work measurement system features an intelligent interface. The system...

MCIE Assembly Engineering and Line Balancing System.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2000... Product: MCIE Assembly Engineering and Line Balancing System Price: $5,500 per seat Platform: Most PCs, minicomputers, and mainframes; Windows 95/NT; OS/2; OS/400 Product: This system develops a station-by-station plan for...

UniCAD.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2000... Product: UniCAD Price: $2,995 per seat Platform: Most PCs, minicomputers, and mainframes; Windows 95/NT; OS/2; OS/400 Product: UniCAD is integrated with MCIE III PLUS work management system, allowing the user to place the work...

UniFlow.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2000... Product: UniFlow Price: $28,000 per seat with kanban Platform: Most POs, minicomputers, and mainframes; Windows 95/NT; OS/2; OS/400 Description: Demand flow technology makes a synthetic line, or lines, out of the entire...

Stopwatches.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2000... Product: Stopwatches Price: $57 - $206 Description: These stopwatches meet timing needs for industrial engineering, laboratories, research, and general pursuits. They time in intervals of 1/5 second, 1/10 second, 1/100 minute, 1/1000...

Computerized Maintenance Time Standards System.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2000... Product: Computerized Maintenance Time Standards System Price: $15,000+ Platform: Windows 98 Description: CMTS includes a database of MTM-based time standards for maintenance and custodial activities. The database includes more...

Multimedia Video Task Analysis.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2000... Product: Multimedia Video Task Analysis Price: $5,000 Platform: Windows 95/NT Description: MVTA automates time and motion studies and ergonomic analysis of virtually discerned activities. It uses custom multimedia software and a...

Striped Lightning Labor Reporting.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2000... Product: Striped Lightning Labor Reporting Price: $25,000 - $150,000 Platform: Client/server, Windows Drive, platform and database independent Description: This real-time, online, bar code-based labor reporting module is used to...

Fast.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2000... Product: Fast Price: $6,995 Platform: Windows Description: Create and manage work standards using all work measurement techniques. The package includes line balancing, costing/estimating, routers, and a comprehensive password...

Perform.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2000... Product: Perform Price: $995 Platform: Windows Description: This software, which is for manufacturing and distribution applications, compares actual times to standard times, including performance percentages.

TimeCalc.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2000... Product: TimeCalc Price: $995 Platform: Windows Description: Take time studies with a stopwatch or with an electronic data collector and send the data to TimeCalc for instant summarization.

TimeData.
April 1, 2000... Product: TimeData Price: $995 Platform: Windows Description: Users can perform and manage motion analyses in their computers using MST, MTM, MOST, MSD, or MODAPTS.

WorkSamp.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2000... Product: WorkSamp Price: $995 Platform: Windows Description: Work-sampling data can be taken on paper forms or with an electronic data collector. Then the data is summarized with WorkSamp by department or by subjects; for major...

ProRep.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2000... Product: ProRep Price: $2,500+ Platform: MS-DOS, Windows 95/98/2000/NT Description: This productivity measurement and reporting system that tracks performance, productivity, and quality. Job standards can be entered or generated....

OCS Tools.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2000... Product: OCS Tools Price: $245 - $975 Platform: Windows 95/98 Description: The OCS data analysis software includes six components, which are available separately or as a bundle. The user may define specific events to enter using...

OCS-Live Toolset.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2000... Product: OCS-Live Toolset Price: $495 Platform: Windows 95/98 Description: The software can be used with a notebook PC's system clock to perform time study work on the manufacturing floor. Because reports can be generated on the...

OCS-VCR Toolset.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2000... Product: OCS-VCR Toolset Price: $2,485 Platform: A camcorder, or a camera and VCR, and TRC's PC-Video Commander card (for timecode synchronization with VCRs and camcorders). An alternate PC-MPEG card may be used for digital video...

The future looks exciting.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2000... IIE 2000 is the Institute of Industrial Engineers' path into this new millennium and the beginning of our second half-century. It focuses on you -- our valued student, professional, and lifetime members -- by providing the greatest value...

Learning about efficiency.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2000... It's all about efficiency at IIE. After attending a workshop about process mapping, Marguerite O'Brien applied her new knowledge to mapping accounts receivable and accounts payable processes for recording income and expenses. O'Brien compiled...

Exhibits showcase developments in IE.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2000... Exhibits are a high-profile facet of the Industrial Engineering Solutions Conference each year. As many as 20 exhibitors participate, enabling attendees to learn about new developments in industrial engineering and giving exhibitors the...

'Bigger and better' conference career fair.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2000... "Last year's career fair was a big success, and we expect that this year will be even bigger and better," said Jim Cook of Resume Link, who is coordinating the event at IIE's annual Industrial Engineering Solutions Conference in Cleveland in...

Birge named IIE president-elect.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2000... The IIE Board of Trustees named John Birge, dean of the school of engineering at Northwestern University, president-elect of IIE. Eric Malstrom was elected to that position during the February leadership elections; he died just three weeks...

Industry leaders deliver conference keynotes.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2000... David Poirier is looking forward to delivering his keynote address, titled "The Role of the IE in Corporate Transformation," at the Industrial Engineering Solutions Conference in Cleveland in May. "I think it's a great opportunity to get some...

Celebration of excellence.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2000... Each year at IIE's annual conference, which comprises the Industrial Engineering Research Conference and the Industrial Engineering Solutions Conference, a number of professionals are honored by IIE in recognition of their achievements. The...

E-mail discussion lists are a gateway to peers.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2000... E-mail-based discussion lists -- commonly called "listserves" -- are now available to IIE members who belong to a society, division, or interest group. According to IIE Director of Member Benefits and Programs Terry Clements, these e-mail...

Around IIE.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2000... An industrial engineer joined the staff of IIE Solutions and Industrial Management magazines in February when Monica Elliott became the publications' editorial assistant. "I wanted to get into an area where I could use my writing skills...

Battery powered tug.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2000... The CartCaddyHD is a tug for applications that require extra power and traction. The battery-powered unit is designed for loads that weigh 10,000 to 50,000 pounds and are being moved short distances within a facility. The CartCaddyHD weighs up...

JIT order picking.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2000... The Quixxstation from Worksmart Systems Inc. offers modular workstations that allow flexibility in cell design for custom kitting and packing. The simple design eases changeovers for order fulfillment in logistics, mail order, medical, and...

Ride-able hand truck.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2000... The Furniture Mover is a battery-powered hand truck that operators can ride and that supports all sizes and weights of furniture. The average employee can move furniture at seven miles per hour using the Furniture Mover. A free video is...

Conveyor for food manufacturers.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2000... Spiroflow's flexible screw conveyor is designed for a variety of food manufacturing applications and is built according to the standards of the USDA and 3A Sanitary Council. The mobile unit includes detachable housings and clean-in-place...

Auto-focus robotic cutting head.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2000... The stainless steel robotic cutting head from GSI Lumonics is designed for automotive and other industrial manufacturers. The head focuses a laser beam onto the workpiece, maintains focus, and delivers assist gas jet while cutting. Its...

Plant floor computers.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2000... PC9 is a line of industrially hardened, PC-based workstations that open like a book for servicing and customization. The PC9 workstations support SCADA, networking, and enterprise demands. The flexible design features a self-monitoring system,...

Supply chain advice.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2000... An audio edition of No Boundaries: Moving Beyond Supply Chain Management by Jim Tompkins has been released. The one-hour presentation is based on Tompkins' forthcoming book by the same title. In it, Tompkins urges companies to move beyond...

Bar coding for e-commerce.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2000... E-barz is an e-commerce version of the UniBar bar code printing software. It offers a graphics output that can be added to HTML documents, then viewed and printed from a browser on the client system without downloading any software to the...

Lifting lighter loads.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2000... Backsaver Lite Lifts are a line of lift tables designed to improve the productivity and increase the safety of workers lifting loads of 500 to 1,500 pounds. Features include oversized low-pressure hydraulics; fully adjustable down speed; fast...

Lack of science learning is in the books.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2000... Lulled into lexical laziness by years of oversimplified schoolbooks, American grade-school students are in for a shock when they reach high school: Science books are too hard for them to read, according to a Cornell University sociologist. ...

Top 10 things engineering school didn't teach you.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2000... 10. There are at least 10 types of capacitors. 9. Theory tells you how a circuit works, not why it does not wori. 8. Not everything works according to the specs in the databook. 7. Anything practical you learn will be obsolete...

SCAM ALERT!!! PLEASE READ!!!(Brief Article)
April 1, 2000... If you get an envelope from a group calling itself the "Internal Revenue Service," DO NOT OPEN IT! This group operates a scam around this time every year. Their letter claims that you owe them money, which they will take and use to pay for...

Seeking female mentors.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2000... MentorNet, a large-scale Internet mentoring program for women, seeks women working in scientific and technical fields to mentor female engineering, science, and math students via e-mail. During the 1998-99 academic year the network linked more...