IIE Solutions articles from February 2001

IIE Solutions archives from February 2001

Bring on the recession.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... Jane Gaboury It was a Saturday afternoon in early January and the car radio was droning out news analysis about the impending changing of the guard in Washington. George W. Bush, in preparation for his inauguration, was readying the...

Letters to the Editor.
February 1, 2001... Batter up In keeping with the baseball analogy used in the December Punchline story "Cynical employees created by bad management," my experience is that bad management crows about the singles but is very silent about the double plays and...

Introducing girls to engineering.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... It's every girl's dream: Grow up and become an engineer. Well, not every girl, perhaps, and maybe not yet. But the National Engineer's Week Committee would like to make that dream commonplace. That's why they're launching the first annual...

Close quarters can double productivity.(use of "war rooms" office layout increases productivity)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... Teams of workers who labored together for several months in specially designed "war rooms" were twice as productive as their counterparts working in traditional office arrangements, University of Michigan researchers have found. Many...

Sharing data streams on the Internet.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... You can already use the Internet to download snippets of films or videotaped news. But taking in a popular feature-length movie via the World Wide Web has, so far, not been an option. A popular film, one that might be requested simultaneously...

Simulated operator does good work.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... As artificial intelligence research advances, computers are becoming more like humans. Now researchers at Carnegie Mellon University have developed a computer model that mimics the human ability to perform multiple tasks simultaneously. The...

Teaching the next Tiger ... about engineering.(engineering and physics program for children)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... Tiger Woods is a physics and engineering lesson in action, and Sandra Harpole wants to prove it -- at least to 11- to 13-year-olds. Harpole is a physics professor at Mississippi State University who runs a summer program for middle school...

NEWSMAKERS.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... * The University of Wisconsin-Madison hired Darek Ceglarek as an assistant professor of industrial engineering. Ceglarek earned his Ph.D. from the University of Michigan. His research interests include manufacturing process performance and...

Ergonomics at issue.(web sites on ergonomics)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... With OSHA's passage of the ergonomics standard last fall, everyone may be affected by new programs: businesses, managers, workers, and consultants. So this month, we point our browser at URLs with relevant ergonomics advice. * Start by...

Bringing IE to every department.(interdepartmental industrial engineering training program of R.W. Beckett Corp.)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... Industrial engineers know their discipline can benefit workers in just about any department. That's why the IEs at R.W. Beckett Corp. in North Ridgeville, Ohio, began their Industrial Engineering Enhancement Program in March 2000. Each...

What is SCM worth?(financial effects of supply-chain management problems)(Company Business and Marketing)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... "Supply chain management is on everyone's mind," said Vinod Singhal, associate professor of operations management at the Georgia Institute of Technology. "But any data about its payoff has been anecdotal or based on case studies." That...

Job stress may lead to back injury.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... On-the-job stress doesn't just strain the nerves -- it can strain the back, too. That's the implication of a study at Ohio State University, which found that people with certain personality types may increase their risk of back injury if they...

A 'delightful situation'.(Seymour Farber of American Buyer's Guild profiled)(Brief Article)(Company Profile)
February 1, 2001... Seymour Farber Owner, American Buyer's Guild Duquesne, Pa. When Seymour Farber graduated from the University of Pittsburgh in 1943 -- one of five members of the school's first graduating class of industrial engineers -- he had no...

Universities honored by Boeing.(Boeing Co.'s 2000 Outstanding Educator Award)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... The South Dakota School of Mines and Technology is the first-place winner of Boeing's 2000 Outstanding Educator Award. Brigham Young University took second place; Purdue University came in third. The award goes to a university-affiliated person...

Basic Six Sigma.(Review)
February 1, 2001... "According to a survey of CEOs of multinational corporations, becoming more customer centered is the major challenge facing large corporations," note Earl Naumann and Steven H. Hoisington, authors of Customer Centered Six Sigma: Linking...

GM grant to promote education.(University of Wisconsin-Madison gets grant from General Motors for engineering education)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... A $550,000 grant from General Motors will fund programs in key areas of the University of Wisconsin-Madison's College of Engineering during the next five years. The grant will pay for activities in diversity programs, the Engine Research...

Master's degree program.(Old Dominion University modeling and simulation program)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... Old Dominion University's College of Engineering and Technology graduated its first multi-student class from the master's degree program in modeling and simulation in December 2000. It is one of only three such programs in the country and is...

Henry Ford Technology Award.(WhereNet Corp. receives award)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... The development team of WhereNet Corp.'s WhereCall Parts Replenishment System received the annual Henry Ford Technology Award. The award was presented during a two-day ceremony in Dearborn, Mich., where Ford Motor Company President and CEO...

Extraordinary Product Award.(Bill Communications award to ProCarta)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... Bill Communications honored ProCarta with its Extraordinary Product Award. ProCarta makes a software tool that helps organizations rapidly document and publish their business process. The award will be given annually to outstanding products...

3PL customer expectations.(third-party logistics providers information services expectation survey)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... Customers of third-party logistics providers have significant interest in the ability of 3PLs to provide information technology-based services, according to a survey conducted by Exel, Cap Gemini, Ernst and Young, and the University of...

Easing air traffic control bottlenecks.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... Two Virginia Tech engineers are calling for a change in the way air traffic controllers perform their work in order to help alleviate the enormous time delays air travelers experience. "Efforts to augment the current capacity by building...

Don't overcomplicate quality.(using effective simplicity to convey ideas to employees)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... I have experienced a variety of programs, processes, and training during the past 20 years that were intended to improve quality and organizational effectiveness. Unfortunately, I have yet to find an approach that meets all my expectations. ...

A mother's concern.(ergonomics and its value to corporations)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... My mother sent me a newspaper clipping about ergonomics that she had cut from her local paper. She was concerned that her unemployed (self-employed, actually, but it's all the same to her) son was working in a field so hotly disputed that even...

Danger lurking.(computer simulation problem-solving)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... I was invited to make a presentation at IIE's Simulation Solutions Conference in May. Among the list of possible topics was "Pitfalls in the Simulation Process." Intriguing. The literal meaning of pitfall is a trap made by digging a hole in the...

An American dream.(W. Spencer Hsu, industrial engineer and postmaster)
February 1, 2001... In 1978, a young W Spencer Hsu flew from Taiwan to the United States to attend Georgia Southern University to earn an M.B.A. He was armed with $50 cash, a marginal knowledge of the English language, and the hope of marrying his sweetheart, who...

Mapping the value stream.(industrial engineering)
February 1, 2001... Use value-stream mapping to reveal the benefits of lean manufacturing Not too long ago I visited a manufacturing company in hopes of landing that ever-elusive "perfect job." After summarizing my life on six sheets of paper and sweating...

Improving in-process handling.
February 1, 2001... In-process material handling can dramatically affect a supplier's ability to satisfy its customers The information age has changed our lives and the way we do business forever. However, the dramatic leap in productivity and output that was...

Analyzing production schedules.(finite-capacity scheduling)(Review)
February 1, 2001... Finite-capacity scheduling is not a new idea, but it's a good one The acceptance and availability of the Windows operating system, cheap and powerful PCs, and highly visual and rapid software development tools such as C++ and Visual Basic...

A note from the president.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... BOT and staff are a team I have enjoyed receiving comments from IIE members about my columns in IIE Solutions. They help me understand others in our organization. Thanks for sending them, and please let your comments continue! Speaking for...

Virtual learning partnership.(DigiScript and the Institute of Industrial Engineers)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... With all the information and knowledge that is typically shared at conferences, attendees may return home to find their heads swimming. It would be nice to have access to conference information at a moment's notice, wouldn't it? To address this...

Season's additions.(membership)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... In addition to all the festive presents of food, sweets, cards, and so on, IIE received the gift of 406 new members in December 2000. Moreover, 145 previous members came back to the fold and were reinstated.

IE community loses three prominent members.(Inyong Ham)(John E. Koop)(Bob Buzby)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... Last year, IIE and the industrial engineering community lost Pennsylvania State University professor Inyong Ham, Ph.D., as well as John E. Koop and Bob Buzby, two prominent and active members of IIE's Reading, Pa., chapter. Inyong Ham,...

Ohio chapters meet and greet.(Institute of Industrial Engineers)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... Ohio senior IIE chapters in Columbus and Dayton held their 25th annual Tri-City IIE Meeting in October 2000, welcoming more than 30 attendees. The topic of the meeting was non-traditional careers for industrial engineers, and the cornerstone...

Never can say good-bye.(John Powers)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... Who says wishes don't come true? Many people at IIE headquarters have been silently or not-so-silently hoping that John Powers, IIE's executive director of the past two years, would postpone his planned retirement. He has agreed. The IIE Board...

A new editor for IIE Transactions.(Mark Daskin)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... Mark Daskin, Ph.D., professor and chair of industrial engineering and management sciences at Northwestern University, says he's excited about his new position as editor-in-chief of IIE Transactions. "It's a great opportunity, and I look forward...

Senior status.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... Q: When can I become a senior member of IIE? A: According to Donna Calvert, IIE director of member and customer support, the requirements for senior member status vary according to one's educational degrees: * Members who have an IE...

Down-home food and fun.(IIE Annual Conference)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... Bring your appetite to the IIE Annual Conference. Eddie Deen's Ranch in downtown Dallas will host the opening night reception May 20, and in addition to tasting the world-renowned barbecue, attendees can enjoy live music, indulge in a...

Faster prototypes.(modeling machine, product introduction)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... Stratasys's Maxum prototyping machine can operate 50 percent faster than the company's previous systems. Its soluble-support feature nearly eliminates post-processing time by dissolving model supports. The product comes with processing software...

Large-scale flight test.(management software)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... SimVision 3.1 allows users to model their organization and work processes and helps managers predict strategy outcomes. The software focuses on problems encountered in fast-track project execution. Users develop project models by entering an...

Content management.(software introduction)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... Cimage NovaSoft's e3 eBusiness Applications Solutions Suite enables project, operational, and historical information to be managed and re-used across a distributed enterprise and its supply chain. The suite's project management solution helps...

One-person pallet handling.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... The Anver VT-PLA Pallet Lifting Attachment lets one person lift and move pallets without bending or stretching. The attachment features a quick-release mount and is fully adjustable. It is made of extruded aluminum and is operated by an...

Take a gander at cranes.(Gorbel Inc. brochure of job cranes and bridges)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... A 12-page color brochure highlighting a variety of ergonomic bridge and job cranes is available from Gorbel Inc. The cranes' capacities range from 150 to 4,000 pounds; they are available in steel, aluminum, and stainless steel. The brochure...

Paperless work ordering.(maintenance software)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... The combination of Mainsaver's Shop Floor and Dispatch modules allows maintenance departments to use paperless work order assignment. All work order administration, labor assignment, and tracking is handled on-screen by the Dispatch module. The...

Handheld data.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... The DLI Watchman DCA-31 is a data collector that provides machine condition monitoring when coupled with AdvancedAlert or ExpertAlert for Voyager software. It incorporates a high-resolution screen with comprehensive data presentation and...

Planning and scheduling.(software)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... Resource Manager is a planning and scheduling solution that can be immediately implemented by all operations. The software allows users to manage staff resources, materials, and work centers in near real time. Resource Manager functions as an...

Extend-ing simulation.(Imagine That Extend software)(Software Review)(Brief Article)(Evaluation)
February 1, 2001... What an academic finds useful is not necessarily what works well in the industrial world. So how does a professor judge the power and usefulness of products? One of the most valuable ways is unsolicited feedback from students who have graduated...

One expensive drain.(employees surf auction Web sites)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... Corporate America is losing $6.5 billion each year in productivity due to employees surfing auction Web sites at work, according to research by software company Websense Inc. More than 6 percent of employees with Internet access visit auction...

Attitudes of gratitude affect gratuities.(tipping research study)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... Tipping is not a reliable performance measure of restaurant servers, it turns out. Michael Lynn, associate professor of consumer behavior in Cornell University's School of Hotel Administration, has published his 16th study on tipping,...

Titanic coincidence.(accidents)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... "Most accidents in well-designed systems involve two or more events of low probability occurring in the worst possible combination."