IIE Solutions articles from May 1996

IIE Solutions archives from May 1996

Get more mileage from flexible simulation.
May 1, 1996... Process simulation is one of the most powerful and versatile tools available to industrial engineers. It can be used to design a flexible manufacturing system, or to determine how many nurses to staff an emergency room, or even to help manage...

Using simulation optimization to find the best solution.
May 1, 1996... As IEs, we're regularly involved in answering tough questions. Some of these questions might include: * What is the optimum Kanban size for minimizing production cycle times? * What is the optimum teller staffing strategy at a bank to...

Simulation-based scheduling: meeting the semiconductor wafer fabrication challenge.
May 1, 1996... Compared to most discrete manufacturing industries, semiconductor wafer fabrication poses some unique planning and scheduling challenges. Some of these specific challenges include: * A large number of process steps (generally greater than 250...

Using CAD for space planning and asset management. (computer-aided design)(part two)
May 1, 1996... A significant, but often underutilized, capability of CAD-based facility drawings is computerized space and asset planning and analysis. With the constant goal of trying to produce more with less space and equipment comes the need to better...

Achieve job success: feed your manager.
May 1, 1996... I'll never forget a lesson I learned in the late 1960s. At the time, I was the industrial engineering department manager at a top Fortune 500 company. I was attending a workshop with my boss, who was the plant manager. The workshop was being...

MRP at "lightspeed" (without the MRP). (material requirements planning at Trane Unitary Products Group)
May 1, 1996... Tyler, Texas sits 85 miles east of Dallas, in an area that teems with oil and gas wells. It also teems with progressive manufacturing, which is taking place at our company, The Trane Co.'s Unitary Products Group (UPG). UPG is headquartered in...

Supply-chain makeover doubles company's inventory accuracy. (planning and manufacturing systems at Merle Norman Cosmetics Inc.)
May 1, 1996... Things were going good for Merle Norman. The company was being recognized as one of the best companies to work for in the United States. At the same time, however, its production and warehouse managers were scrambling to keep up with a flood of...