Industrial Engineer articles from August 2005

Industrial Engineer archives from August 2005

Identity crisis.(biometrics)(Editorial)
August 1, 2005... Seeking a tangible sense of security in 2005 is a precarious business. The world seems so unstable and people seem more vulnerable than ever regardless of land, creed, or country. But history buffs know that there's not much new or different...

Toyota still tops in operations: annual report shows most North American automakers improved in 2004.(Front Line)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Most North American automotive manufacturers improved their operations in 2004, with Toyota reaching an even higher level by reinvigorating its Toyota Production System, according to "The Harbour Report North America 2005," the annual study...

When they can't stand to sit: 'cushy jobs' aren't all that comfortable.(Front Line)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... As America's work force becomes increasingly sedentary, workers are increasingly voicing discomfort. More than 89 percent of office workers reported feeling muscle tension or fatigue at least occasionally at the end of their workdays,...

Productivity linked to health: even those who aren't sick may not be their best because they don't feel the best.(Front Line)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... While most adults are not sick at any given point in time, a vast majority of them lack full health and vitality, according to an Emory University study. And such "incomplete health" has a great impact on productivity of the work force. ...

Strategic engineers.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... "As IE professionals, we have a unique opportunity to be the evangelists about the changing role of the supply chain within our companies. As such, just like the supply chain, this moves our profession beyond the realm of measurement and...

Events.(Calendar)
August 1, 2005... AUGUST AUG. 8 * Six Sigma Yellow Belt seminar, IIE online AUG. 15-18 Association of Canadian Ergonomists Conference, Halifax, Nova Scotia; (709) 729-0056; www.aceconf.ca AUG. 16-17 National Logistics & Distribution...

Watershed moment.(Bob Walkup)(Interview)
August 1, 2005... Bob Walkup knew all along he would follow in his father's foot-steps and become an industrial engineer. Becoming a politician was the furthest thing from his mind. But if you ask him now that he's been both, working as an IE and running the...

Big check.(donations to create a systems integration chair in the industrial engineering department)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... University of Arkansas Chancellor John White and his wife, Mary Lib, donated $1.5 million to the school. The gift will be matched by the Walton Family Charitable Support Foundation to create a systems integration chair in the industrial...

Hear here.(www.americanrhetoric.com)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... American Rhetoric (www.americanrhetoric.com) is an online bank of more than 5,000 full-text, audio, and video of public speeches, sermons, legal proceeding, lectures, debates, interviews, and other recorded media events. The site is a treasure...

Off the Cuff.(family and friends attribute for being an engineer)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... QUIRKY HABITS What habits do family or friends attribute to you being an engineer? "My family tends to think I approach everything too logically. My friends don't notice a difference because they're all engineers." --Brian M....

Intelligence at risk: capturing employee knowledge before retirement.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Many U.S. companies are failing to capture critical work force knowledge and experience from older employees facing retirement, and few companies are transferring that knowledge to newer employees, according to the results of a survey by...

Helping women engineer: new tool identifies what works.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... A team representing seven educational institutions has developed a tool that will help users assess what types of programs work best for recruiting and retaining women and minorities in engineering. "Taming unruly data is a common problem...

Under the iceberg.(The Forgotten Half of Change : Achieving Greater Creativity through Changes in Perception )(Brief Article)(Book Review)
August 1, 2005... Leaders, wake up the right side of your brain and learn to perceive the world in different ways, advocates Luc de Brabandere in his new book, The Forgotten Half of Change. It's become clear, he says, that innovation is not enough to ensure...

Uncovering best chemical practices: seeking study participants.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... One path that chemical companies have taken to achieve increased revenues and shareholder value is working toward world-class supply chain performance. The challenge is determining with a high degree of certainty what steps to take to achieve...

Foiling textile cheats: tagging system would counter counterfeiters.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... A textile marking system developed at Oak Ridge National Laboratory encodes information invisible to the naked eye. It could save the United States millions of dollars in revenue lost each year to counterfeiters and violators of trade laws. ...

Too many meetings.
August 1, 2005... IT PAINS ME TO ADMIT THAT COMPANIES have too many meetings and that most of them are less effective than they could be. For at least 20 years, I have been a strong advocate of employee involvement and participative management. Meetings used to...

Production scheduling two-step.
August 1, 2005... A LARGE MEAT PROCESSOR RECENTLY contacted my company with a question regarding production scheduling: We are in search of a production planning and scheduling expert who can help us define our business practices in these areas. We are a...

Avoiding enterprise demise.( )
August 1, 2005... THE TERM LEAN MANUFACTURING HAS caused many companies, in the absence of true understanding, to treat the concept as a manufacturing-based initiative. This focus tends to concentrate attention on processes and technology while neglecting views...

The right map.
August 1, 2005... SOME PEOPLE ASSUME VALUE STREAM maps are just the latest trend. Rather than investing in learning the value stream mapping process, they continue to process map. People also mistakenly think that the real value of value stream maps is making...

Leaving a print: fingerprint biometrics company braces for the technology to hit stateside.(Cover Story)
August 1, 2005... WHEN SCOTT MOODY TRAVELS TO THE FAR EAST ON business, he leaves his cellular phone in Florida. "I'm glad my phone doesn't work in Japan," says the CEO and co-founder of AuthenTec, "because it would be very embarrassing to take out." The...

A demanding strategy: executive Pat Knight sheds light on IBM's supply chain transformation.(Patrice Knight)(Interview)
August 1, 2005... ONE DAY = $250 MILLION IN CASH That attention-grabbing equation is one way IBM is assessing the value of its on-demand supply chain management strategy. The dollar figure represents improvements in the company's cash flow: It has trimmed...

Sailing the seven C's: today's opportunity becomes tomorrow's imperative when going from batch flow to lean production.
August 1, 2005... NAVIGATING FROM BATCH FLOW to lean production sounds attractive, and many companies have made this transition, at least in part. However, it is not simple or easy. This article addresses the changes required to make the transition successfully...

Nothing ventured, nothing gained: discrete-event simulation takes on business planning.
August 1, 2005... ATTRACTING VENTURE CAPITAL FINANCING FOR A SMALL business is a challenging task. The key variables that the venture capitalist looks for in a business plan include the management team, products and services, markets in which to compete, and...

Ultra-reliability: going beyond root cause analysis to design dependable systems.
August 1, 2005... RELIABILITY IS A CRITICAL COMPONENT of any system. We expect our cars to run smoothly, our food to taste right, and our medicines to make us better. At work, we need machines, conveyors, and cash registers to function so that we can provide...

Research: executive summaries.
August 1, 2005... The August issue of IIE Transactions focuses on scheduling and logistics. We highlight two of the articles here. The first is a whitepaper on educating industrial engineers in the post-industrial era. The second is concerned with dynamically...

Ask the Expert: answers to your technical questions.
August 1, 2005... Quality variation Q: Is there any difference between quality improvement and continuous quality improvement? A: There is no difference. Some people use different techniques, but the objective is the same: to serve the customer better...

Flat-panel holder.(Pick List)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... The stylish Swingarm is capable of holding flat-panel display monitors and boasts a wide range of adjustability. It also allows for compact storage, screen tilting for glare reduction, and multiple wall mounting options. The aluminum monitor...

A view of quality.(Juran Institute)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... The quality Minutes video series from the Juran Institute includes 98 case studies that illustrate and reinforce how breakthrough performance improvements were achieved in a wide variety of organizations. It is available in two formats: by...

Web-based SCM.(Supply Chain Management Software)(Mitrix Inc.)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... An on-demand supply chain management solution for small to mid-sized enterprises, SCM Live is delivered via the Internet. No hardware or software is installed on site. The product is engineered to manage supply chain processes within highly...

Robotic case packer.(Pick List)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... With an arm constructed of a carbon fiber composite, the KUKA KR 40 PA case packing robot is light and fast, helping to increase throughput. The four-axis robot is the third mechanism in KUKA's supply chain automation lineup to use carbon fiber...

Asset tracker.(Pick List)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... The Visidot Automatic Identification and Data Capture system represents a cost-effective method for tracking assets. Assets are uniquely labeled with standard 2-D data matrix bar codes or Visidot Colorcodes. A reader can then capture hundreds...

Sharp simulation.(Pick List)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Users of Micro Saint Sharp Version 2.0 can view their simulation models in three ways: in network diagram view, in 2-D animation, and in 3-D animation. This redesigned Micro Saint Sharp is faster, modular, and more powerful than its predecessor...

Easy lifting.(products)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Adjusting workstation height is a breeze with the Ergo-I lift column. The compact unit has no pinch points and is suited for use in clean facilities because there are no hydraulics; it is fully electric. Applications include work-stations for...

Flexible maintenance help.(Pick List)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... The latest generation in computerized maintenance software systems from Eagle Technology is ProTeus IV. Developed specifically for use in facilities such as health care, government, and educational institutions as well as process manufacturing...

The office, reimagined: Mayo Clinic work environment gets employees moving.(Mayo Clinic)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Visitors think they've walked into a gym. "This is a fully functioning office. My entire staff works here," said James Levine, M.D., as he walks on a moving treadmill that serves as both desk and computer platform. "The idea is to...

Dilbert[R].(Cartoon)
August 1, 2005... I'VE BEEN ASKED TO QUANTIFY THE BENEFITS OF OUR KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] I MEASURED OUR INTERN'S HEAD TO SEE IF IT GOT BIGGER. THE HIGHER DRAG COEFFICIENT MEANS WE LOST A LITTLE IN THE SANDWICH-FETCHING...

Tag, you sit.(Radio Frequency Identification demo)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Tennis fans participated in an RFID demo when they attended the French Open in June. IBM, a longtime sponsor of the Roland-Garros Tennis Tournament (as the French Open is formally known), worked with AeroScout Inc. to track its own staff...

Attention deficit.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... The reason talking on a cell phone makes driving unsafe may be that the brain isn't a good multi-tasker. Research led by a Johns Hopkins University psychologist suggests that the human brain can't simultaneously give full attention to both...