Industrial Engineer articles from February 2006

Industrial Engineer archives from February 2006

World, interrupted.(editorial)(Editorial)
February 1, 2006... Spending time with my friends and family used to be so easy. In fact, sometimes it seemed too easy. Family was just always around, and my friends would either descend on my place or I'd go to their places or we'd all meet at our usual haunts....

Team management.(RANTS AND RAVES)(Letter to the Editor)
February 1, 2006... I work for a German company in South Carolina, and one of the steps taken here to encourage teamwork and increase efficiency was to create an open office area where there are no tall cubicles or totally enclosed offices. This arrangement...

Inside out.(RANTS AND RAVES)(Letter to the Editor)
February 1, 2006... In "Don't Outsource the Relationship" (November 2005), James Tompkins provided a good and effective analysis of current thinking on outsourcing but did not reach the levels of understanding available through management engineering. ...

Retailer rolls out RFID: drugstore chain is the first.(usage of Radio frequency identification equipment)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... Walgreen Co., the largest drugstore chain in the United States, will install a tracking system that uses radio frequency identification chainwide at the more than 5,000 Walgreens stores. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Working initially with 15...

3-D bar code.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... A microscopic bar code that stores encrypted information about the provenance of items will make it easy to identify ownership of goods such as diamonds should they ever be stolen. The cubic bar code is 30-micrometers wide. It is being...

Trucking is less of a drag.(Front Line)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... An experimental fuel-saving device that reduces wind drag may revolutionize the trucking industry. The device resembles a set of doors when closed and opens out into a box-like structure. It was developed by a team led by aeronautical and...

The we're-only-human factor.(PRIME NUMBER)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... 1 in 5 male drivers and 1 in 10 female drivers are so distracted by scantily clad models on roadside billboards that they are likely to crash, according to research in the United Kingdom. "While we currently know a lot more about in-vehicle...

Hear me now: hang up and drive; Researchers confirm that cell phones and driving don't mix.(Front Line)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... Next time you're en route, look at all the drivers on the road with you. Many of them will be on a cell phone call. And they think that as long as they pay attention and maintain a safe distance from the car in front of them, there's no harm....

Worker shortage to hurt automakers: survey of executives shows they'll look to outsourcing.(Front Line)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... In a survey released late last year, senior automotive executives said their industry will be particularly hard hit by the looming labor shortage. They estimated that individual companies would lose an average of $50 million over the next five...

Innovating surgical workflow: patient tracking enables real-time resource management.(Front Line)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... A technology that helps hospitals deliver more efficient surgical care won the 2005 Product Innovation Award given by consulting company Frost & Sullivan. The award to PeriOptimum recognizes the company's commitment to innovation that helps...

Addressing health care change.(MUST-DO EVENT)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... Addressing the National Mandate for Change is the theme of IIE's 18th annual Society for Health Systems Conference. The two-day event presents authoritative speakers on topics such as lean, Six Sigma, ISO 9001, simulation, change management,...

Don't count on innovation.(QUOTE, UNQUOTE)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... "In the appropriate setting, process management activities can help companies improve efficiency, but the risk is that you misapply these programs, in particular in areas where people are supposed to be innovative. Brand new technologies to...

Good news for engineers.(OUTLIER)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... Mayo Clinic researchers have discovered that peoples' education and career affect their Parkinson's disease risk later in life. Engineers were found to have a reduced risk of Parkinson's disease compared to the general population....

EDU briefs.(Front Line)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... The Cornell University Engineering College's School of Operations Research and Industrial Engineering has opened a branch in New York City's financial district. Called Operations Research-Manhattan, the center will focus on research, including...

Kitchen table research.(SITE TO SEE)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... In towns and cities across the United States, National Engineers Week is celebrated every February. And NEW is just the tip of the science fair iceberg. Schools everywhere encourage youngsters to learn through invention, experimentation, and...

Avoiding tumbles.(book review)(Book Review)(Brief Review)
February 1, 2006... Understanding and Preventing Falls is a comprehensive guide to the nature and extent of the problem of falls. Edited by ergonomics professors Roger Haslam, Ph.D., and David Stubbs, Ph.D., the book draws on the most current research in the...

Panama Canal CEO.(UNCOMMON IE)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... THE TASK AT HAND: Alberto Aleman Zubieta works for the Panama Canal Authority with his management team to ensure safe, reliable, and efficient passage for all vessels that transit the Canal, which is the leading interoceanic waterway serving...

Bridging the gender gap.(Front Line)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... A University of Michigan project to bridge the gender gap in science and engineering has been so successful that officials have decided to make it permanent. The number of women hired annually for science and engineering faculty positions...

Dilbert.(Cartoon)
February 1, 2006... www.dilbert.com scottadams@aol.com [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] 8-20-05 [c]2005 Scott Adams, Inc./Dist. By UFS, Inc. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [c]Scott Adams/Dist. by United Feature Syndicate, Inc..

Stop breaking the rules.(performance)
February 1, 2006... THE GAME OF BUSINESS, LIKE ANY competitive venture, uses rules to ensure that expectations are met. Policies, procedures, company missions, and regulations exist for this purpose. In spite of this need for rules and the myriad rules that exist...

What's the world coming to?(management)
February 1, 2006... SEVERAL PILLARS OF AMERICAN industry made the headlines in 2005, including AT & T, General Motors, Delphi, and Ford Motor Co. If you were to pick up any business journal 10 years ago, most likely all of these names would be prominent in any...

Focused solutions for your supply chain.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... March 27-30, 2006 * I-X Center * Cleveland, OH The 2006 Material Handling & Logistics Show and Conference (NA 2006) is your one-stop destination for manufacturing, warehousing and distribution solutions. With a comprehensive showcase of...

The rule of six and 20.(manufacturing)
February 1, 2006... TRY FOLLOWING THE E-MAIL streams related to completing business processes or resolving problems in your company. Someone sends a request for something, the recipient forwards it to someone else for comment or approval, and that person replies,...

Posers.
February 1, 2006... I JUST RETURNED TO MY OFFICE after a conference call. Three Fortune 100 firms were on the call, all deciding how best to respond to an RFI from JFCOM. (That's a request for information from Joint Forces Command for those who are uninitiated...

Staying ahead of the storm: strong corporate culture and supply chain flexibility are the ingredients of disruption management.
February 1, 2006... As Hurricane Katrina swirled into a Category 5 monster in the Gulf of Mexico and took aim at the shores of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama, workers at a Wal-Mart distribution center in Brookhaven, Miss., 130 miles north of New Orleans,...

Put your warehouse in order: tired of re-inventing the wheel for every layout? Use these 10 rules as your master plan.
February 1, 2006... When it comes to warehouse layout, the application of 10 basic concepts will determine your success. These concepts, present in every warehouse layout, are quickly learned and easy to recall. Think of them as a checklist for your next planning...

Strong medicine: can lean manufacturing help the pharmaceutical industry get better?
February 1, 2006... The pharmaceutical industry has taken hits in the past couple of years due to the dogged influenza virus. A vaccine shortage during the 2004-2005 flu season caused people to wonder how such a thing could happen in the 21st century. Experts...

Wireless wellness: enhancing health care productivity and safety with the latest technology.
February 1, 2006... In 1999, the Institute of Medicine completed a report titled To Err is Human: Building a Safer Health System, which highlighted the risk of adverse events in clinical settings. This report revealed that between 44,000 and 98,000 people die in...

Racetrack assembly.(company profile)(Company Profile)
February 1, 2006... John Deere's manufacturing traditions date back to 1837, when blacksmith John Deere, developer of the first commercial self-cleaning steel plow, founded the firm. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Now the company--which does business in more than...

Research.
February 1, 2006... Two articles from the operations engineering-focused issue of IIE Transactions are highlighted below. In both articles, the authors devise new methods for solving complex optimization problems that arise out of very practical...

Supplier security.(ANSWERS TO YOUR TECHNICAL QUESTIONS)
February 1, 2006... Q: We want to sample some of our suppliers to see whether they are in compliance with our security requirements. What factors need to be considered (such as confidence level)? If we have 1,500 suppliers, how many suppliers would we need to...

Finding center.(ANSWERS TO YOUR TECHNICAL QUESTIONS)
February 1, 2006... Q: If I designed the operating specifications of a normally distributed process but the process mean value is not actually in the center line, how can I compute the expected quality loss function? What are the integration limits of the expected...

Data envelope analysis.(ANSWERS TO YOUR TECHNICAL QUESTIONS)
February 1, 2006... Q: My manager asked me to do some research into data envelope analysis. What is it? When should it be used? Is it a tool we can use in the credit card service industry? A: Data envelope analysis (DEA) is getting exposure as a productivity...

Nomenclature.(ANSWERS TO YOUR TECHNICAL QUESTIONS)
February 1, 2006... Q: Is industrial engineering a profession? I say no because lots of professional elements are missing. For example, a lawyer should not give professional advice on things outside of his or her field, but I see IEs using Six Sigma to look at...

Skills assessment.(ANSWERS TO YOUR TECHNICAL QUESTIONS)
February 1, 2006... Q: I graduated as an industrial engineer five years ago. I don't know how to assess my skills or how to increase my technical capacity. A: It is important every few years to take an inventory of your skills and make sure that you have what...

Systems thinking.(ANSWERS TO YOUR TECHNICAL QUESTIONS)
February 1, 2006... Q: What's the main difference between systems thinking and systems dynamics? A: Systems thinking means paying attention to systemwide factors; systems dynamics describes how the system state evolves over time. Systemwide factors are often...

IIE officers win education award.(Institute of Industrial Engineers)(awards)
February 1, 2006... Two IIE Board of Trustees members are among five recipients of the $500,000 Bernard M. Gordon Prize, which recognizes innovation in engineering education. IIE President Allen L. Soyster, Ph.D., helped design the Learning Factory while head...

Erasing the border: Canadian chapters merge with IIE.(Institute of Industrial Engineers)
February 1, 2006... When Andrew Avgousti went to the IIE Annual Conference last May as the newly elected president for the Toronto Chapter, he was joined by past presidents and members who were ready to broker for solidarity between U.S. and Canadian chapters....

Fulfilling the mission: acceptance into nonprofit means IIE is hitting on all cylinders.(Institute of Industrial Engineers)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... IIE was recently accepted as a member of Educate America, an education, school support, and scholarship funds charity within the Combined Federal Campaign. IIE's acceptance into the charity and the CFC means that it is fulfilling its mission as...

A new year in business.
February 1, 2006... In the January/February issue of Industrial Management, contributors ring in a new year by discussing business topics ranging from the business effects of a pandemic to how to be candid with your manager. Supply chain expert Jim Tompkins...

Demanding resource.
February 1, 2006... Though the name of the newest feature of IIE's Resource Library sounds like something Spider-Man does to catch bad guys, the recently launched on-demand webcasts actually provide industrial engineers an easy way to get insight from industry...

H.B. Maynard & Co.(promotion of Jeffrey Arnold )(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... Jeffrey Arnold was promoted to vice president of operations of H.B. Maynard & Co. after serving as consulting manager with the firm for more than four years. Arnold began his career with Maynard as an associate consultant in 1994 after...

The Federal Aviation Administration.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... The Federal Aviation Administration presented its 2005 Excellence in Aviation Research Award to Colin Drury, Ph.D., University of Buffalo distinguished professor and chair of the department of industrial engineering, for his work in aviation...

Asia Pacific Industrial Engineering & Management Society Conference.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... Carmelo Hammond Ja Vier represented IIE as a keynote speaker at the Asia Pacific Industrial Engineering & Management Society Conference in Manila, Philippines. He is a lean expert with Honeywell International and holds a bachelor's degree in...

Air Force Institute of Technology.(appointment of Marlin Thomas )(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... Marlin Thomas, Ph.D., was named dean of the Graduate School of Engineering and Management at the Air Force Institute of Technology. Thomas had served as professor and head of the School of Industrial Engineering at Purdue University since 1993....

Whirlpool Corp.(Jerry Weinstein retires)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... Jerry Weinstein, corporate vice president, Global Supply Chain, has announced his retirement from Whirlpool Corp. Weinstein's career with Whirlpool has spanned more than 30 years, beginning as a research engineer. Weinstein serves as IIE's Past...

The economy of ergo: the value of the applied ergonomics conference is the people.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2006... David Alexander, one of the founders of IIE's Applied Ergonomics Conference, remembers well the very first competition for the Ergo Cup. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] "The competition was very spirited, you could say. A couple of contestants...

EZ-Reach 2020 and 2030.
February 1, 2006... If the EZ-Reach 2020 and 2030 from TypeMatrix look like 10-keys with too many buttons, and they appear to be smashed flat by a steamroller, well, that's the point. Displaying the keys in columns is designed to save fingers extra work, and the...

Pro-Line Model CHD.(Creature comforts)
February 1, 2006... The modular design of the Pro-Line Model CHD (cantilever heavy duty) independent workstation makes for easy customization and expansion as well as unfettered station-to-station movement. The design creates an open work environment but comes...

AirFit BackRest.(Creature comforts)
February 1, 2006... The self-inflatable AirFit BackRest has a curved, back-hugging design that cradles the vertebrae and fills the gap between the lower spine and seat back. It's also fully adjustable for a custom fit: The patented valve and self-inflating...

EAP/4C-PAL.(Creature comforts)
February 1, 2006... The Biofit EAP/4C-PAL office chair features the combination of a narrow backrest that supports the spine and allows unrestricted side-to-side torso movement plus a four-way contoured ergonomic seat. The seat has a waterfall front and an...

Work perfect: the day we strive for.
February 1, 2006... One of my all-time favorite quotes is "Work smarter, not harder," and I enjoy finding ways to make work more efficient and less stressful. So I'm going to start my perfect day by digging in and meeting with various hospital staff for a variety...