Industrial Engineer articles from February 2003

Industrial Engineer archives from February 2003

Look ma, no hands!(Editor's Desk)
February 1, 2003... Whether it's swinging on a swing set or riding a bicycle, kids enjoy demonstrating their prowess at not holding on to anything in an activity that usually requires two hands. The same goes for grown-up kids with their toys. A wave of wireless...

What's old is new again.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
February 1, 2003... I am delighted to find out that our monthly publication is using the proud name Industrial Engineer, a throwback to the original magazine name, Journal of Industrial Engineering. I have always argued that the decision to change the magazine...

No identity crisis.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
February 1, 2003... I just checked out Monica Elliott's column in Industrial Engineer on the Web site ("What's in a Name?" January 2003). I could not agree more. Her statement at the end of the article, "Perhaps there is no identity crisis, only an opportunity to...

Not amused.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
February 1, 2003... I am very concerned with the recent issue of IIE Solutions (December 2002). "Bad Science" in Punchline says, "Science education in Georgia took a leap backward... to allow teachers to introduce creationist theories in the classroom alongside...

Fact vs. opinion.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
February 1, 2003... I have been a member of IIE for about one year now. I have always been pleased with the information that is presented each month in the magazine, and I will continue to be a member; however, I must admit that I was disappointed in "Bad Science"...

Unfair suggestion.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
February 1, 2003... Normally, Punchline is one of my favorite columns of the magazine. I have even participated in several of the surveys that were listed in the section. However, as a Christian, I am disturbed at the December 2002 issue's Punchline item "Bad...

No proof in any case.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
February 1, 2003... I read with great distaste "Bad Science" (Punchline, December 2002). The way this is written, it makes it seem that anyone who does not believe in evolution is some sort of wacko. In truth, neither evolution nor creationism can be proven...

A note on November.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
February 1, 2003... I very much enjoyed Monica Elliott's editorial "Tough Love" in the November 2002 issue. As a practicing IE, I also found Mark Daskin's review of Dr. Caramanis' IIE Transactions paper "Sequential DOE via Dynamic Programming" [in the Research...

Brave decision.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
February 1, 2003... Congratulations for the courage to print Philip Leinbach and Timothy Stansfield's article "Living up to Expectations" in the November issue. I don't doubt for one second that these are real plant managers' concerns about IEs. Now, if we...

Virtual drive through the Big Dig: Boston commuters can hit the road before it's built.(News)
February 1, 2003... Thanks to the efforts of a University of Massachusetts Amherst professor, commuters can test drive their routes through Boston's Big Dig before they even pull out of the driveway. Mechanical and industrial engineering professor Donald...

Sonic Cruiser scrapped: Boeing bids farewell to its futuristic high-speed plane plan.(News)
February 1, 2003... In December of last year, Boeing announced it was dropping its plans to build the Sonic Cruiser--a high-speed passenger jet that would have flown 15 percent to 20 percent faster than current commercial airplanes. Instead, the company will...

Steps to material handling success: control systems can bridge operational gaps in and between organizations.(News)
February 1, 2003... 1 Define business requirements. Examine your supply chain's business requirements and determine which processes help achieve the collective goals. Decide which processes need attention and where technology will create the most success. 2...

Safety milestone.(News)
February 1, 2003... One hundred dollars was the reward for each employee of the casters and wheels division of Milwaukee-based E.R. Wagner Manufacturing. Their accomplishment: two years without lost time due to injuries in the department. The milestone was the...

Newsmakers.
February 1, 2003... * IIE member Carter J. Kerk, Ph.D., has been selected as part of OSHA's new National Advisory Committee on Ergonomics. Kerk is an associate professor of industrial engineering at the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology. He holds...

Newsmakers.
February 1, 2003... William E. Ellis has been named general manager, Capital Programs, for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey's Port Commerce Department. A 24-year IIE member and 30-year Port Authority veteran, Ellis holds a bachelor's degree in...

Newsmakers.
February 1, 2003... The Educational Society for Resource Management designated IIE member Jeffrey H. Miller, P.E., as certified in production and inventory management. To earn CPIM status, candidates must endure a rigorous curriculum and pass a series of five...

Newsmakers.
February 1, 2003... The HIPAA Summit has given its first Extraordinary Achievement Award to Steven S. Lazarus, Ph.D., for facilitating the development and implementation of the HIPAA law and regulations. President and co-founder of the Boundary Information Group,...

Educating across engineering disciplines.(News)
February 1, 2003... Aided by a $100,000 planning grant from the National Science Foundation, the University of Missouri-Rolla is embarking on a novel approach to engineering education--one that cuts across engineering disciplines. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] ...

John M. Gilbreth.(Obituary)
February 1, 2003... John M. Gilbreth, 10th of the 12 children born to industrial engineering pioneers Frank and Lillian Gilbreth, died Dec. 25, 2002. He lived in West Caldwell, N.J. He is survived by his children, Peter, James, and Deborah, their spouses, three...

Innovation stagnation: ideas are great, but what happens next is often little or nothing.(Obituary)
February 1, 2003... Most CEOs recognize that innovation--in the form of new products and services, better business models, and original processes--is a key competitive strategy. But often, innovation stops at the idea stage. An Accenture survey of executives...

Approaching the whole: systems engineering offers a way to manage difficult projects.(Book of the Month ... Managing Complex Technical Projects)(Book Review)
February 1, 2003... Written for a wide spectrum of readers, Managing Complex Technical Projects presents complete coverage of the subject. The book presents the solution to delivering projects on time and within budget, avoiding failure and inefficiencies through...

Why do the elderly fall?
February 1, 2003... Falls are the leading cause of accidental death among people over the age of 75 and the second leading cause for those aged 45 to 75, according to the National Safety Council. Although the consequences of falling are well known, the...

Newsmakers.
February 1, 2003... General Electric has named Dee Mellor vice president and general manager, global supply chain at GE Medical Systems. A 24-year GE veteran with the Aircraft Engines and Medical Systems divisions, Mellor earned her B.S. in industrial engineering...

Newsmakers.
February 1, 2003... Autoliv Inc. has elected ALFA Chairman and CEO Dionisio Garza Medina to its board of directors. Medina holds a master's degree in industrial engineering from Stanford University. In addition to serving on the boards of many prominent Mexican...

Newsmakers.
February 1, 2003... Stanford University student Sweta Sarnot was named a 2003 Siebel Scholar for her work while pursuing a graduate degree in industrial engineering. Sarnot is an alumnus of the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology and was selected for the...

Newsmakers.
February 1, 2003... Fernanda Pompa of the University of Arizona, Tucson will be studying industrial engineering in France courtesy of a scholarship from ABB and the Global Engineering Education Exchange. The program seeks to increase the number of women in the...

A plan for boosting restaurant efficiency: Cornell researchers have developed an analytical approach to assessing productivity.
February 1, 2003... There's help for restaurants that are losing customers and revenues because they don't work as efficiently as they could. A team of Cornell researchers has developed a process to help restaurant operators isolate and assess the management...

Great meeting expectations.(Site to See)
February 1, 2003... The EffectiveMeetings.com resource center covers the spectrum of topics related to meetings. From the most mundane (choosing the right projector) to the most insightful (strategies to overcome dangerous scenarios), the dozens of articles on the...

Optical visionary.(Uncommon IE)
February 1, 2003... When Douglas Anderson's son Leif lost sight in one eye because a spontaneous retinal detachment went undetected, Anderson took action--not in a courtroom, but within his own company. He used his industrial engineering experience to design a...

Calendar.(Calendar)
February 1, 2003... FEBRUARY February 10-13 * ProMat: Global Productivity Solutions, Chicago; (800) 446-2622 or (704) 676-1190; http://www.promat2003.com February 11-13 * Six Sigma Green Belt training, Chicago; ...

The next big things.(Performance Improvement)
February 1, 2003... Technology continues to advance. This past Christmas, VCRs and "big box" PC monitors were being sold en masse probably for the last time. During 2002, the continued growth of DVD players and flat-screen monitors reached a price point that made...

Things are not always as they seem.(Management)
February 1, 2003... If I asked you to tell me within five seconds which lies farther east, the Atlantic or the Pacific side of the Panama Canal, you would not have time to consult a reference or even recall a visual image of a map of Central America. You would be...

A separate reality.(Elgonomics)
February 1, 2003... I was having lunch the other day with a longtime friend with whom I do not get to visit very often. We had a lot to catch up on. Robert is a civil/aerospace engineer (I have long since forgiven him for his chosen engineering field of study),...

IIE Annual Conference May 17-21, 2003 Portland Hilton Portland, Oregon.
February 1, 2003... PORTLAND COME ALIVE! Join us in Portland for the latest in IE research and practical, real-world applications! Impact your bottom line with the newest techniques in: * Lean manufacturing * Quality and process improvement *...

The importance of people.(Manufacturing)
February 1, 2003... Getting back to basics is often a starting point for making improvements. When trying to improve their operations, most people in the manufacturing sector attack waste by simplifying processes and flows, making better use of technology, and...

It's not about apples.(Member Forum)
February 1, 2003... Benchmarking is many things, but it's not like comparing apples to apples. I often find myself having this discussion with all levels of management. In the perpetual quest for a "true comparison," the real goals of benchmarking are often lost....

Shop at IIE's online store!
February 1, 2003... 1 / Wilson Ultra Tour Titanium Golf Balls--3 Pack NEW! The Wilson Ultra Tour Titanium features Wilson's patented Titanium core technology designed to help you hit the ball straighter and further. Each ball is imprinted with the IIE logo....

New world manufacturing order: supply chain management goes global in a dispersed manufacturing environment.(Cover Story)
February 1, 2003... The label on the sweater says "Made in Hong Kong." but it's quite possible that the yarn came from a Korean producer, was woven and dyed in Taiwan, then cut, sewn, and assembled in Thailand (with zippers and buttons from Japanese factories in...

Communicating with capital: Mark Christensen helps Intel invest in the best of the wired and the wireless.
February 1, 2003... E-mails, faxes, cell phones, pagers, voice mail, Internet calling--Alexander Graham Bell would surely marvel at what the world has wrought in the aftermath of his monumental invention. Yet the telecommunications market is not immune to the...

Picking up the pieces: how to find low capital expenditure options for distribution center operations.
February 1, 2003... Just a few years ago, distribution centers handled most goods either by a pallet load or as individual closed cases. Piece picking, an operation that demands a lot of resources, was an exception to this rule or was a very small portion of the...

Harnessing e-business potential.
February 1, 2003... B2B or not B2B--that is no longer the question, and neither is B2C for that matter. E-commerce has arrived, and it is dramatically altering the traditional manufacturing and distribution chain. Electronic business-to-business and...

5th annual simulation solutions conference.
February 1, 2003... Join respected industry experts to explore the best simulation tools and techniques. Dynamic sessions hold the key to simulation success and reveal practical tips through lessons learned, case studies, and more. Simulation Solutions 2003 is...

Making simulation a reality; taking your proposal from the boardroom to the work center by facilitating a team effort.
February 1, 2003... You have worked weeks to create the perfect simulation, and now it's time to present your proposal to senior management. Your graphics wow the audience. The technical detail and analysis you present is compelling. Everyone thanks you for your...

Research reports: executive summaries of current studies.
February 1, 2003... This edition of Research Reports highlights five papers in the area of operations engineering. Topics include the design of airline baggage screening systems, mitigating and even eliminating the bullwhip effect in supply chain management, the...

Call for presentations: September 7-11, 2003.
February 1, 2003... 3rd Annual Lean Management Solutions Conference Atlanta Georgia * Sheraton Buckhead TRACK TOPICS * Tools and Lean Methodologies * Case Studies * Changing the Corporate Culture to Lean * Effects of Lean on Quality and...

Things to do in Portland when you're an engineer; go for the IIE Annual Conference, stay for some unique attractions.(Focus on IIE)
February 1, 2003... This year's IIE Annual Conference is being held May 18-21 in Portland, Ore. Often called the City of Roses, Portland is suffused with stunning natural, cultural, and culinary attractions. From great blues and jazz clubs to spectacular seafood,...

Seeing the forest for the trees; Outstanding Young IE enjoys a varied career.(Profile of a Winner)
February 1, 2003... Russell Meller isn't as young as he used to be. "I was really happy," he says of winning IIE's Outstanding Young IE Award. "But at the same time, this is the demarcation that I'm officially no longer young.... It's basically 35 and...

ABET training update.
February 1, 2003... The Technology Accreditation Commission of ABET is offering its Technology Criteria 2000 (TC2K) program evaluator training Monday, May 19 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the IIE Annual Conference in Portland, Ore. The Commission evaluates and...

Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes: the winds of change prevail in the November/December issue of Industrial Management.(In Other Publications)
February 1, 2003... * Organizational change should begin at the top, asserts author John Covington in "Eight Steps to Sustainable Change." Too many sweeping initiatives fail, he says, because management is not converted until well into the process. Bringing...

Chuck Reilly named director of volunteers: new position will result in more effective use of member talents.
February 1, 2003... A new position has been created to accommodate the need for better volunteer management at IIE. Tapped to fill the role of director of volunteers was IIE veteran Chuck Reilly. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] "Strong volunteer organizations...

Six Sigma Black Belt training begins this month.
February 1, 2003... A three-week sequence of Six Sigma Black Belt training begins the week of Feb. 24-28 at IIE headquarters in Norcross, Ga. Attendees are required to complete all three weeks of the course, which concludes with sessions April 7-11 and June 2-6....

Chapter 1 hosts Ohio.
February 1, 2003... Students, faculty, and professionals from across Ohio gathered last October for the All-Ohio Meeting of Industrial Engineers held by IIE Chapter 1 of Columbus, Ohio. An opportunity to network and learn, the conference allowed attendees to enjoy...

Irish IIE-SME conference held in Waterford.
February 1, 2003... In November, Faithlegg House Hotel and Golf Club in Waterford, Ireland hosted a joint conference of the Irish Institute of Industrial Engineers and the Society of Manufacturing Engineers. Titled "Lean Enterprise--Unlocking Potential," the...

Resources.
February 1, 2003... Work Measurement Royal J. Dossett Corporation Time Study/Work Sampling Package Only $495 Complete package comprises Datawriter data collector, Charger, and Cable, plus Time Study software and Work Sampling software. No setup...

Eloquent e-mail: anti-spam tool uses poetic justice to nab offenders.(Punchline)
February 1, 2003... Haiku (a form of traditional Japanese poetry made up of 17 syllables) is one company's answer to the pesky problem of spam (a form of junk e-mail made up of unwanted solicitations). Instead of identifying spam with a filter, the technique...

You light up my cortex.(Punchline)
February 1, 2003... Researchers at Dartmouth are getting closer to understanding why some melodies stick in your head or why a particular song can bring back strong memories. In finding and mapping the area of the brain that processes and tracks music, researchers...

Math solves knotty problem: if you're looking for efficiency, rethink your shoe lacing scheme.(Punchline)
February 1, 2003... Thousands of years of trial and error have led to humans lacing their shoes in the strongest way possible, found mathematician Burkard Polster of Monash University in Australia. But we haven't adopted the best way of tying laces into knots or...