IIE Solutions articles from October 2001

IIE Solutions archives from October 2001

Long, Too Long America.(Poem)
October 1, 2001... Long, too long America, Traveling roads all even and peaceful you learn'd from joys and prosperity only, But now, alt now, to learn from crises of anguish, advancing, grappling with direst fate and recoiling not, And now...

Letters to the Editor.
October 1, 2001... Fan for life Thank you and the staff of IIE Solutions, which is interesting and stimulating reading, even for an old codger like me. Quite a change from the stodgy journal of years past! From a life member fan. Art Stukey ...

Correction.(Correction Notice)
October 1, 2001... A table that accompanied the August news story "Index reveals leading causes of workplace injuries" contained errors. A corrected table appears below. Accident causes Percent of workers ...

Eskew named heir to UPS throne.(Michael L. Eskew)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... In August, UPS Vice Chairman Michael L. Eskew was voted chairman-elect of the company. He will assume the role of chairman and CEO in January 2002. Eskew, who began his UPS career in 1972 in the Indiana District industrial engineering...

Quality improvement in health care relies on measurement.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... The key to substantial quality improvement in the health care plan industry may boil down to taking the right performance measurements. "Many of the quality problems outlined in a recent report by the Institute of Medicine can be attributed...

National Academies seeks funding for state research.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... Attracting high-tech firms and boosting the use of advanced technology in the manufacturing and service sectors used to represent the kind of economic boost that states were looking for. Today, many states are recognizing the value of basic...

Car-crazy engineer.
October 1, 2001... A lot of people like their cars. Some may even be a little infatuated with their personal mode of transportation. But manufacturing engineer Sam Walters loves his car. And he was willing to prove it Walters recently completed Valvoline's...

Nudging teens toward manufacturing.(Get Tech campaign)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... Facing worker shortages even in a softening economy, manufacturers are beginning to get hip. A new campaign called Get Tech, sponsored by the U.S. Commerce Department and the National Association of Manufacturers, will encourage young...

NEWSMAKERS.(appointments, awards)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... * Rudolf J. Herrmann, president and CEO of Dover Resources Inc., was appointed to the board of directors of Made2Manage Systems. Herrmann, who has a B.S.I.E. from Iowa State University and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School, is an IIE...

A not-so-rocky road to lean manufacturing.(Cold Spring Granite)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
October 1, 2001... What economic downturn? That's the sentiment at Cold Spring Granite, where a kaizen-based lean management plan is keeping the chisel to the stone. Since the monument company first introduced its plans to heighten standards for reducing...

Germ detection device means safer beef.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... Dangerous food-borne bacteria are in the spotlight with the development of a commercial fecal detection system for the meat-packing industry. The electronic device, which can scan an entire beef carcass for contaminants that harbor germs such...

Is it time?(Long Now Foundation changes view of time)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
October 1, 2001... What time is it? What does now" mean -- this minute, today, your life span? Ever-accelerating technological advances, cultural changes, and economic conditions have attributed to a very short attention span in the average person. The Long Now...

Zoom Into Engineering.(National Engineers Week 2002)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... National Engineers Week 2002 will reach out to young students with a Zoom Into Engineering theme. The goal of the initiative is to get more people into the profession's pipeline sooner so that they have enough secondary math and science...

Donating $3 million to establish three endowed chairs.(Celestica donates to University of Toronto)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
October 1, 2001... Executives from Canadian electronics manufacturing services giant Celestica Inc. are giving back to their alma mater. The CEO and six senior executives are donating $3 million to establish three endowed chairs in the University of Toronto's...

A greater disadvantage in math and science.(children in single-parent families)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... Children in single-parent homes in the United States are at a greater disadvantage in math and science than children in single-parent homes in other industrialized countries, according to Pennsylvania State University researchers. They...

Ants lead the way to smooth operations.(BiosGroup research)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... Foraging ants leave a trail of pheromones, which becomes the basis for a simulation algorithm used to streamline a manufacturing schedule. It may sound like the theme for a low-budget thriller, but it's reality One company is proving that...

7 ways to boost order accuracy.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... 1. Work with vendors. If items are improperly identified or miscounted upon receipt, accuracy in all downstream processes is jeopardized Vendors can help by proving clear, simple product labeling. 2. Validate receipts against purchase...

Reducing risk with quality tools.(Organizational Mastery with Integrated Management Systems)(Review)
October 1, 2001... If you are tasked with streamlining environmental health and safety programs in your organization, where do you start? Maybe by reading Michael T. Noble's book Organizational Mastery with Integrated Management Systems. Presented as an...

Conducting cotton research.(dyeing cotton)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... Textile manufacturers will get a charge out of research being conducted at North Carolina State University. Peter Hauser, Ph.D., associate professor of textile engineering, chemistry, and science, is developing a more efficient method of dyeing...

Running a career.(Scott Eriksson)(Brief Article)(Interview)(Statistical Data Included)
October 1, 2001... The world is full of career choices: Olympic athlete... industrial engineer... But why choose just one? After earning his bachelor's degree in industrial engineering from the University of Michigan in the mid-1980s, Scott Eriksson worked as a...

Robotic material handling alleviates staffing problem.(Johnson Controls Battery Components Division)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
October 1, 2001... One would assume that a strong regional economy is a good thing, but it can also hold the potential for staffing problems when workers have an abundance of jobs from which to choose. The Battery Components Division of Johnson Controls in...

It PaYs to serve in the U.S. Army.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... U.S. manufacturers and the U.S. Army have joined forces in an employee-recruiting program aimed at addressing their joint need to retain skilled workers. In the Pays (Partnership for Youth Success) program, Army recruits learn industry-related...

Money for manufacturing education.(Pennsylvania's Regional Innovation in Manufacturing Education Coalition)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... The National Science Foundation awarded an $846,030 grant to southwestern Pennsylvania's Regional Innovation in Manufacturing Education Coalition. This brings the total funding for PRIME, which has received financial commitments from industry...

Who will I be today?(management)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... Each morning as I arrive at work, I think about what type of leader I will he that day. Over the years, I have watched a lot of leaders in action, learned about several leadership philosophies, and practiced different leadership styles. Some...

Pertinent design parameters.(Brief Article)(Column)
October 1, 2001... One benefit of writing this column is that I correspond with many interesting people. E-mail being what it is, I have had the opportunity to mentor students on ergonomics class projects, have been challenged on my approach to ergonomics issues,...

Breakthrough thinking.(creativity)
October 1, 2001... "I shook the habit off Entirely and for ever, and again In Nature's presence stood, as now I stand, A sensitive being, a creative soul." - William Wordsworth The popular perception of an engineer's professional life (if...

Broken Promises.(cost reduction)(Statistical Data Included)
October 1, 2001... Why organizations don't achieve business case results and how you can guard against failure Often, organizations make a choice to reduce costs with the belief that profit will improve as a result. Almost as often, efforts fail to deliver...

Business process orientation, supply chain management, and the e-corporation.
October 1, 2001... Taking a business process orientation can result in a key competitive advantage in the supply chain and this new economy Organizations are faced with intense global competition, demanding customers and employees, rapidly shrinking product...

Repetitive manufacturing: Benefits, benefits.(Statistical Data Included)
October 1, 2001... There are very basic reasons to consider using a repetitive manufacturing model in your facility - cost avoidance and cost savings Repetitive manufacturing has been around for many years, but it still isn't clearly understood in many...

Toxic nostalgia.
October 1, 2001... From the vantage point of the 21st-century, 1950s America looks charming. But not if you're working in an environment that typifies its complacency Sometimes, you just want to find out who put the patients in charge of the asylum....

Manufacturing Action Group, Inc.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... MAGI is a leading provider of ERP software to help run your factory profitably Other systems focus on providing accountants with reports showing how badly the factory is performing; WinMAGI focuses on providing the factory with the tools it...

Build-to-order Assembly Systems.
October 1, 2001... In today's economy you must be able to receive your orders electronically, pass the BOM to the factory floor electronically and electronically display how to build and ship the product to the customer. All the while, doing this with zero errors...

EASEWorks[R].
October 1, 2001... Manufacturing Productivity Solutions Efficiency: The Holy Grail of manufacturers. An efficient process will minimize costs, boost productivity, and maximize profits. EASEWorks[R] is a suite of software, training, and consulting services...

Microsoft Great Plains eEnterprise.
October 1, 2001... Microsoft Great Plains eEnterprise gives discrete manufacturers the tools needed to lower costs and improve performance. eEnterprise applications are seamlessly integrated across manufacturing, distribution, finance, sales and marketing,...

Geer Mountain Software.
October 1, 2001... Stat::Fit[R] statistically fits input data to analytical distributions. Auto::Pit function automatically fits continuous and discrete distributions. Export function translates fitted distribution into specific forms for simulation software.

Optimal corporate and community management.(lIE Outstanding Achievement in Management Award )(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... As vice president of human resources and quality for Eastman Chemical Co., B. Fielding Rolston has ample opportunity to demonstrate his management prowess. But this year's winner of the lIE Outstanding Achievement in Management Award makes...

Field of dreams.(Rodney P. Hunt, CEO of RS Information Systems)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... The cover story in the July-August issue of Industrial Management features a man who had two options that became one dream. Upon graduating from high school, Rodney P. Hunt had all the talent of a professional baseball player and all the...

Student Solutions.(advantages for student members of the Institute of Industrial Engineers)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... Q: Do IIE student members automatically receive a subscription to IIE Solutions magazine? A: All students, whether they reside in the United States or abroad, receive access to the electronic copy of IIE Solutions at the magazine's Web...

Longtime member a passes away.(Anthony A. Morfidis)(Brief Article)(Obituary)
October 1, 2001... Anthony A. Morfidis, P.E., a career-long member of IIE's South Jersey senior chapter, died of Parkinson's disease July 25 at the age of 76. Morfidis was director and treasurer of the chapter for more than 15 years. After retiring as CEO...

Make room on the mantel.(awards for IIE Solutions)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... IIE's publications had to make room on the mantel for more awards received for editorial and design excellence. The Magazine Association of Georgia and the American Society of Business Publication Editors recognized IIE Solutions and Industrial...

Better member and customer support.(database for the Institute of Industrial Engineers)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... Thanks to a new database installed in June, the capability of IIE Member and Customer Support is new and improved. "The new database will result in better and more immediate service than ever before," said Donna Calvert, director of the...

Sponsorship opportunities.(Institute of Industrial Engineers conferences)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... An increasing number of companies are discovering they can support the goals of IIE while promoting themselves to potential customers by sponsoring an IIE event. There is a wide range of opportunities and price points that companies can select...

Foundation promotes profession with donations.(Institute of Industrial Engineers Foundatioon)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... Since its establishment, IIE has embraced its responsibility to advance the industrial engineering profession. Through scholarships supporting students, awards recognizing IE leaders, and publicity promoting the profession, the IIE Foundation...

Multi-directional trucks.(Drexel Industries)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... Drexel Industries' multi-directional narrow-aisle trucks come in 4,500- and 5,500-pound capacities. The trucks have lift heights up to 29 feet and a 48-volt power system for fast operation. The vehicles will handle palletized products as well...

Cut inventory costs.(Infimacs II ERP Electronic Forms module )(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... The Infimacs II ERP Electronic Forms module allows users to merge report data with pre-set bitmapped layouts to produce high-quality forms, thereby eliminating the need for expensive, pre-printed forms. The software is loaded on each client PC...

The color of success.
October 1, 2001... Verify and sort parts based on color with Cognex's In-Sight 1000c, a machine vision sensor with built-in Ethernet communications. The sensor can be used in many industries to perform various tasks. Auto manufacturers can use it to check the...

Design experiments with ease.
October 1, 2001... Design-Ease 6.0 is an entry-level statistical software package that allows users to improve products or processes through the use of experimental design tools. This design-of-experiments software features standard two-level and fractional...

Internet-based commerce tool.
October 1, 2001... Commerce, from Mapics Inc., delivers an e-commerce infrastructure to manufacturers for building online business. This interactive buying and selling environment provides intuitive product selection, order management, advanced e-marketing,...

Design-for-assembly upgrade.
October 1, 2001... Version 9.0 of Boothroyd Dewhurst's Design for Assembly software features new tools to help users estimate assembly times and costs for designs, investigate new design ideas, and whittle down product design alternatives. The program guides...

MasterFlow software.
October 1, 2001... MasterFlow, a document workflow/collaboration add-on to MasterControl, gives manufacturing companies the ability to embed automated collaborative workflow requirements into current business processes. With thc software, document creation and...

Move products with ease.
October 1, 2001... The Ergo-Lean Turntable Truk from Torqer Inc., is a wheel-mounted transporter designed to move a 2,000-pound load in bulk boxes or on pallets. Its rotating platform allows workers to load the transporter with minimal bending and reaching. The...

Vehicle-mounted data collection.
October 1, 2001... The LANpoint CE Vehicle-Mounted Terminal makes implementing data collection solutions easy and efficient, increasing operation productivity and cost effectiveness. These terminals incorporate the Windows CE operating system, giving users, VARs,...

Shower curtain mystery unveiled.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... At last, an engineer has come clean on the problem of shower curtains that billow in and stick to exposed flesh. David Schmidt, assistant professor in the mechanical and industrial engineering department at the University of Massachusetts, has...

When multitasking is inefficient.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... New studies reveal the hidden costs of multitasking. Whether people toggle between their Web browser and other computer programs or talk on cell phones while driving, they're performing tasks that demand the brain to prioritize tasks and allot...

Toying with engineers.(Meccano, Erector Sets teach engineering principles)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... You might have assumed the most dangerous thing about Legos was the possibility of stepping on one of the sharp-edged building blocks in the dark of night. But then, you'd be underestimating their power to undermine your profession, according...