IIE Solutions articles from July 1997

IIE Solutions archives from July 1997

Efficient supply chain practices mean big savings to leading manufacturers.
July 1, 1997... Companies that improve their supply chain can generate savings equal to 7 percent of their annual revenues, but most companies instead spend nearly twice that amount on inefficient processes, according to a new study of 225 manufacturers. The...

Health care consultant makes a difference. (John Nackel)
July 1, 1997... Like many people who are involved in the health care field, John Nackel, Ph.D., wanted to make a difference in the well-being of others. Thanks to an industrial engineering background, he's been able to do that for the past 21 years....

Three warehouses for the future.
July 1, 1997... In 1939, Hans Joachim Pabst von Ohain placed a new type of engine into an airplane. Within a few years, people called von Ohain's new vehicle by a new name - the jet. Likewise, perhaps those of us involved with the storage and distribution of...

Flexibility for the future in warehouse design.
July 1, 1997... Warehousing demands today are constantly changing. With fluctuations in cost and consumer demand, warehousing must be able to keep up with these changes to remain competitive. In short, a warehouse must be flexible. Flexibility means being...

Secrets to cost justifying warehouse management systems.
July 1, 1997... Most logistics professionals are familiar with warehouse management systems (WMS). Using bar coding and radio frequency communications to relay information in real time, these systems can optimally direct the warehouse's day-to-day operations,...

Taking another look at continuous flow manufacturing.
July 1, 1997... In the early 1980s, the manufacturing community discovered several new ways to control inventory, with each enabling reductions in both inventory and the associated carrying costs. One of these new methods - just-in-time (JIT) - is a popular...

10 proposal-related questions customers should be prepared to answer.
July 1, 1997... Procuring systems can be a complicated and time consuming process. The complexity of the process increases as the systems become more integrated or integral to the operation. Justification risk increases as the cost increases. The risk of...

Simulation made easy.
July 1, 1997... Simulation is a relatively easy tool to use, but by the same token it can be quite complex - complex but not overly complicated. Simulation must be able to model complex situations and decision making processes. This article presents a basic...

Forecasting software ensures fast food customers' satisfaction.
July 1, 1997... When Carl Karcher and his wife, Margaret, bought a hot dog cart for $326 in 1941, they had no idea it would lay the foundation for a business of more than 600 full-service restaurants. Karcher's hotdog-only menu expanded to include charbroiled...