IIE Solutions articles from August 2002

IIE Solutions archives from August 2002

Time well spent. (Editor's Desk).
August 1, 2002... The sweltering heat here in Atlanta has done nothing to keep me from regretting the loss of my childhood summers. Having a string of months to do whatever I want with my days is just a fond memory. One day I'm kicking up my heels, musing at the...

Letters.(Letter to the Editor)
August 1, 2002... STAGGERING CONCEPT The June article "Forecasting with Stagger Charts" was very interesting. The problems of forecasting, reasons for a forecast going wrong due to things like customer and demand changes, etc., are clearly brought out. It...

Correction.(Correction Notice)
August 1, 2002... The sidebar "Jagged Little Pills" within the June 2002 feature "Scheduling a Cure" contained an error. In the sentence "Changing equipment from one portal to the next is a long process due to quality and compliance-related issues," the word...

Evolving flexible factories: a prototype machine tool may be the first step toward the creation of manufacturing facilities that can be transformed on demand. (News).(reconfigurable machine tools)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... If researchers at the University of Michigan's Engineering Research center for Reconfigurable Manufacturing Systems (ERC-RMS) have their way, companies will be building new factories that account from the outset for changes in market demand and...

More industries to get ergo guidelines: high incidence of injuries in grocery stores and poultry processing will be addressed. (News).(ergonomics)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... Grocery stores and poultry processing will be the focus of the next two sets of industry-specific guidelines to reduce ergonomic-related injuries in the United States. Assistant Secretary of Labor of Occupational Safety and Health John Henshaw...

Propel best practices in the pharma lab. (News).(quality control in pharmaceutical industry)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... Pharmaceuticals manufacturers know the quality control lab is the best line of defense against unnecessary manufacturing expenses. A benchmarking study conducted by Best Practices LLC reveals these top three success factors for optimizing...

Stuck on bar codes. (Looking Back).(first commercial use of scanning)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... The first item scanned in a commercial environment was a pack of Wrigley chewing gum in Marsh Supermarkets on June 26, 1974.

Savings for the road ahead: value engineering proves its worth as far as the Federal Highway Administration is concerned. (News).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... American taxpayers saved more than $932 million in fiscal 2001 because state highway and transportation departments applied value engineering methods, according to the Federal Highway Administration. "Once again, value engineering has...

Thriving youngster. (Fast Stat).(supply chain process management sector)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
August 1, 2002... The supply chain process management market enjoyed 83 percent growth between 2000 and 2001, according to the ARC Advisory Group. With global revenues of $170 million in 2001, that market is young and very large. SCPM is used to identify...

John C. Parmigiani. (Newsmakers).(joins CTG Healthcare Solutions Inc.)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... * John C. Parmigiani joined CTG Healthcare Solutions Inc. as practice director of health insurance portability and accountability. A 38-year member of IIE, Parmigiani holds a B.S. degree in industrial engineering and operations research from...

CMAS Inc. added Chris Barnes to its management team. (Newsmakers).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... * CMAS Inc. added Chris Barnes to its management team as director of business development. Barnes graduated from Bradley University with a B.S. in industrial engineering and from the University of West Florida with an M.B.A. He is on the Board...

Joseph B. Michels. (Newsmakers).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... * Joseph B. Michels will become dean of Montana State University's Billings College of Business. Michels earned his MS. in systems management from the University of Southern California and his Ph.D. in industrial engineering from Texas A&M...

HCA Inc., a provider of health care services, elected Charles O. Holliday. (Newsmakers).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... * HCA Inc., a provider of health care services, elected Charles O. Holliday to its board of directors. Holliday earned his bachelor's degree in industrial engineering from the University of Tennessee. He is chairman and chief executive officer...

David B. Wortman one of its Leading Technology. (Newsmakers).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... * Start magazine, which focuses on manufacturing innovation driven by technology, named David B. Wortman one of its Leading Technology Visionaries. Wortman, a past president and 29-year member of IIE, is CEO of Made2Manange Systems Inc. He...

The New Jersey Institute of Technology Newark College of Engineering. (Newsmakers).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... The New Jersey Institute of Technology Newark College of Engineering selected Tarbinlam Nguni as its outstanding senior I industrial and manufacturing engineering. Ngui is the president of NJIT's student chapter of IIE and chairman of IIE's...

Doug Keller joined Imperial Technology Inc. (Newsmakers).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... Doug Keller joined Imperial Technology Inc. as senior director of vertical markets. With more than 25 years' experience, he will be responsible for increasing the company's market presence. Keller graduated from the University of Illinois with...

The University of Oklahoma honored Misty D. McDowell with a Letzeiser Award for good citizenship and achievements. (Newsmakers).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... The University of Oklahoma honored Misty D. McDowell with a Letzeiser Award for good citizenship and achievements. McDowell is a senior industrial engineering major at the university. A four-year student member of IIE, McDowell was the chair of...

Robotic system will make composite. (News).(Honeywell Aircraft Landing Systems)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... A team of researchers is developing a robotic system to reduce the production cost of a lightweight, heat-resistant composite material, offering promise for future widespread applications. Carbon-carbon composites are currently too costly...

Workplace injuries cost billions.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
August 1, 2002... Workplace injuries cost billions Liberty Mutual released its annual Workplace Safety Index, revealing the 10 leading causes of disabling workplace injuries that account for 86 percent of the estimated $40 billion in wage and medical...

Future perfect professor. (Site to See).(http://sll.Stanford.edu/projects/tomprof)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... Tomorrow's Professor Listserv is the brainchild of Richard Reis, executive director of Stanford's Alliance of Innovative Manufacturing. Its Web-based home is found at http://sll.Stanford.edu/projects/tomprof. The biweekly listserve offers...

Applications submitted by the 2001 Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award winners. (Business Briefs).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... Applications submitted by the 2001 Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award winners are available on the Web. The American Society for Quality has published the information for benchmarking purposes. Go to...

Nissan announced a plan for a $500 million expansion of its plant. (Business Briefs).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... Nissan announced a plan for a $500 million expansion of its plant in Canton, Miss., to increase its North American manufacturing capacity. The project will add 1 million square feet to the existing 2.5 million-square-foot facility.

Average salary increases in manufacturing are below 4 percent. (Business Briefs).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... For the first time in nine years, average salary increases in manufacturing are below 4 percent, according to The Conference Board. The decline is attributed to the economic downturn, uncertainty in world affairs, and the woes of major...

The l40,000-square-foot facility will support 45 dealerships in Florida. (Business Briefs).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... BMW of North America selected Jacksonville, Fla., for the site of its fourth regional parts distribution center. The l40,000-square-foot facility will support 45 dealerships in Florida, Georgia, and North and South Carolina, stocking about...

The National Science Foundation's Research Experiences for Undergraduates program supports active research by students in engineering and several other disciplines. (Education Briefs).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... The National Science Foundation's Research Experiences for Undergraduates program supports active research by students in engineering and several other disciplines. The amount of the awards will vary. The deadline for submitting proposals is...

Fourteen Texas universities are teaming up in a $2 million initiative to help boost the number of engineering graduates in the state. (Education briefs).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... Fourteen Texas universities are teaming up in a $2 million initiative to help boost the number of engineering graduates in the state. Funded by state grants, the Texas Engineering Education Pipeline program will be managed by the Institute for...

Michigan high-school students in several counties have an opportunity to pursue a specialized diploma in pre-engineering studies. (Education Briefs).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... Michigan high-school students in several counties have an opportunity to pursue a specialized diploma in pre-engineering studies at the new $4.2 million Fitz Tech in Warren, Mich. The program provides a concentrated curriculum in science and...

Programming an IE degree: Don Gilman Senior Consultand and Founder Applied Computing Services Inc. Bryan, Texas. (Uncommon IE).(industrial engineering)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... Few people can turn a hobby into a paying enterprise. But one computer gamer with a passion for military history went further - he combined two hobbies to create a phenomenon. Don Gilman, now a senior consultant with Applied Computing...

Early metal. (News).(Early Bronze Age metal factory)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... In a remote desert area in southern Jordan, archaeologists from the University of California, San Diego have discovered the largest Early Bronze Age metal factory in the Middle East, dating to about 2700 B.C. Among the ruins were hundreds of...

USA victory in robot match: Cornell students design team that distinguishes fellow players from opponents. (News).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... Americans still smarting from their loss in World Cup soccer to Germany can take comfort. In June, Cornell University students brought home the 2002 RoboCup, beating out Free Universitat of Berlin. The small-size robot soccer league...

Manufacturing still matters. (Book of the Month).(Manufacturing Works: The Vital Link Between Production and Prosperity)
August 1, 2002... Sure to be appreciated by anyone who earns a living in the manufacturing segment, Manufacturing Works: The Vital Link Between Production and Prosperity makes a convincing case that America's manufacturing base drives the country's economic...

Calendar.
August 1, 2002... AUGUST August 19-21 Shop Floor Control seminar, Bowling Green, Ohio: (419) 372-8181; abetts@bgnet.bgsu.edu; http://conted.bgsu.edu August 22-23 Overcoming the Crisis in Manufacturing workshop, Orlando, Fla.; (435) 797-2279;...

Assume nothing: we are responsible for improving work systems and training people to use new processes and tools. How often do we consider language and other interpretive barriers that may exist? (Performance Improvement).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... Assumptions can be dangerous. In 1992, I took seven supervisors who reported to me through a two-day training course on statistical process control. I assumed they had grasped at least the most salient concepts of the process control...

A rose by any other name: it seemed that as much emphasis was being placed on creating exclusive niches in the field of ergonomics as on solving challenges inherent in the field. (Ergonomics).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... I love circular arguments--particularly ones that revolve around slippery definitions. They appear to establish something tangible and concrete, but no one seems to be quite sure if they create answers or questions. Are you an ergonomist? Why...

Money talks, but only in a whisper. (Management).(employee incentives)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... The logic is straightforward. Pay people for measurable results, and they will produce better results in order to maximize their incomes. So why isn't every worker in the industrialized world on some sort of financial incentive program?...

Road Warrior: Jun-Sheng Li is taking the transportation and logistics industry on a cost-effective ride.(Transplace)(Interview)
August 1, 2002... What colorful pop culture imagery comes to mind when you hear "road warrior"? Some people conjure up the knowing face of a smirking literary icon recklessly scouring the American countryside for adventure and fulfillment. Others may recall a...

Dynamic leans this way: how one manufacturer found success in merging tried-and-true industrial engineering with contemporary lean thinking.
August 1, 2002... Lean thinking has been described as a process of doing more with less - less human effort, less equipment, less time, and less space. The total elimination of waste, often the result of no-cost or low-cost innovations, is the centerpiece of...

The truth about shyness: being bashful is not a detriment to your career.(techniques for coping with extreme self-consciousness and sensitivity)
August 1, 2002... Johnny, a sandy-haired 40-year-old manufacturing engineer, was always the quiet one. At school, he rarely raised his hand, and later as a professional, he was content to do his work without having to say anything more than necessary. He had...

Backward progress: turning the negative perception of reverse logistics into happy returns.
August 1, 2002... Traveling clown a one-way street, you suddenly reach a dead end. With traffic behind you, there's nothing left to do but sit and wait. One wrong turn in an unfamiliar area landed you in this frustrating predicament. The same thing can happen...

Research reports: executive summaries of current studies.
August 1, 2002... Research is the seed corn of innovation, Presented in this new department are summaries of papers that have appeared or will shortly appear in IIE Transactions, the flagship research journal of the Institute of Industrial Engineers. The papers...

IEs in wonderland: conference blends education, innovation, and appreciation to bring members together in Orlando. (Focus).(Institute of Industrial Engineers annual meeting)
August 1, 2002... A healthy dose of sunshine accompanied the IIE Annual Conference in Orlando, Fla., May 19-22. With a record-breaking 1,004 attendees, participants of the conference managed to squeeze some warm-climate relaxation between educational sessions,...

Too pooped to pick. (Punchline).(mental fatigue and decision-making)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... Mentally fatigued people make less systematic decisions than fit colleagues, often switching to an "automatic pilot" approach even when that tactic repeatedly leads to the same mistakes. Psychologists from the University of Amsterdam...

Good cop/bad cop supervisors harm productivity. (Punch Line).(negative, positive support sends mixed signals)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... Supervisors who direct both positive support and negative behaviors toward employees cause more damage than if they were always negative. University of Arkansas researcher Dan Ganster has found that negative interactions -- called social...

Ditch the clutch. (Punchline).(student drivers using standard transmission)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... Young drivers will find no surprise in the results of an Israeli study of student drivers: The safest way to learn to drive is with an automatic rather than a standard transmission. Researchers in the department of industrial engineering...