IIE Solutions articles from January 1997

IIE Solutions archives from January 1997

IE knits productivity with ergonomics tool. (Sara Lee Knit Products' ergonomics manager Mike Fleming)
January 1, 1997... At Sara Lee Knit Products, Mike Fleming holds a job he truly loves. It's appropriate, then, that one of Fleming's biggest responsibilities is to help other employees feel the same way about their positions. Fleming serves as division...

Production and inventory control: the move to the PC. (PC-based materials requirements planning system)
January 1, 1997... In the past, MRP and MRP II were associated exclusively with mainframes and minicomputers. This trend has been changing, however, since the mid-1980s with the introduction of PC-based manufacturing applications. The first programs to emerge on...

Emerging technology: production scheduling matures.
January 1, 1997... For the errors of the simple lead to their death, the complacency of fools works their own ruin... - Proverbs 1:32 Not long ago, two airline giants died in bankruptcy with combined spare parts inventories valued at nearly $1 billion. They...

MES and the shift toward a work flow environment. (manufacturing execution systems)
January 1, 1997... Since factories began manufacturing more than one wheel at a time, two systems have been involved in producing finished goods. The first of these systems is the office system. Today, these office systems are accounting-based programs that take,...

Achieving peak to peak performance using QS 9000.
January 1, 1997... How important is cultural transformation and quality? Let's look at the automotive industry in the late 1970s. Three leaders in the auto industry - Ford, General Motors, and Chrysler - were at a low point in quality and sales. Executive...

Automative stamper designs plant layout based on JIT. (just-in-time manufacturing at Volunteer Engineering)
January 1, 1997... CHALLENGE: To provide products to its customer on a Just-In-Time basis. STRATEGY: Install an automated storage and retrieval system to reduce downtime and increase output. RESULTS: The company has minimized inventory, reduced changeover...

Graco uses SPC software to improve quality of products. (statistical process control at Graco's Children's Products)
January 1, 1997... CHALLENGE: To improve the quality of products during the design phase. STRATEGY: Use SPC software to analyze design features and identify potential problems during the design process. RESULTS: Because problems can now be detected in the...

Improving efficiency in the operating room. (St. Francis Hospital)
January 1, 1997... CHALLENGE: To effectively utilize both staff and facilities in the operating room of a small primary care hospital. STRATEGY: Use simulation software to mimic the surgical environment and the complexities involved with staffing the facility....