Industrial Engineer articles from January 2004

Industrial Engineer archives from January 2004

Boom or bust.(Editor's Desk)(Editorial)
January 1, 2004... THE DAY THAT STAFF WRITER STEVEN AVERETT WAS SUPPOSED TO SUBMIT this month's cover story about the decline of modern manufacturing in America ("The Elephant in the Room," page 26), the headline of the New York Times read "Manufacturing at...

Hooray for November.(Mail)(Letter to the Editor)
January 1, 2004... I have had a problem with several of the past issues of Industrial Engineer because I thought they were unbalanced with too much profile and not enough content, but all I can say about the November issue is Wow! It is as close to perfect...

Interesting label.(Mail)(Letter to the Editor)
January 1, 2004... I enjoyed reading Waldemar Karwowski's letter in the October issue of Industrial Engineer ("Old Wine in a New Bottle"). I was intrigued with his suggestion that a more descriptive name for our profession would be "management engineer." It is...

Questionable necessities.(Mail)(Letter to the Editor)
January 1, 2004... I enjoyed Charles Parks' article, but I have two comments about what this guru has to say in "The Bare Necessities of Lean" (August). In saying "Value stream analysis is not as valuable as you think," Parks suggests that ignoring the past...

A lesson for all engineers; implications of the Columbia Space Shuttle investigation go beyond NASA.(Front Line)
January 1, 2004... The February 2003 Columbia Space Shuttle accident that killed seven astronauts has implications for professionals beyond those in NASA, according to MIT professor Sheila Widnall, a member of the Columbia Accident Investigation Board. The...

Smart home maintenance.(Site to see)(free program NEST (for National Economic Service-life Tools))(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... Roofing, siding, windows, the garage door: Home maintenance is a never-ending and costly task. Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology have developed a software program that takes the guesswork out of replacement...

Repetitive work linked to bone damage.(Site to see)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... While disagreement persists about whether work tasks alone can be pinpointed as the exact cause of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSD) such as carpal tunnel syndrome, a study by researchers at Temple University proves that a highly...

Events.(Front Line)(Calendar)
January 1, 2004... > JANUARY JAN. 19-21 * Six Sigma Green Belt seminar, Norcross, Ga. JAN. 26-30 * Six Sigma Black Belt seminar (three-week course continues March 1-5 and April 19-23), Norcross, Ga. > FEBRUARY FEB. 2-3 * Applied...

Getting engineers in the pipeline: National Science Board says government action is critical.(Front Line)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... It is critical that the U.S. government "act now" to meet future work force needs in science, engineering, and technology. So concludes a report released by the National Science Board following a three-year study. In a November media...

Dropping undergrads.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... Total undergraduate engineering enrollment in the United States decreased from approximately 380,000 in 1990 to 361,000 in 1999, according to the National Science Foundation.

<<< Prime number >>>.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... DIMINISHING RETURNS Reducing costs is the key mission of 43.2 percent of CEOs, but only 18.3 percent think it will be important five years from now, according to a survey conducted in North America, Asia, and Europe by The Conference...

Ford celebrates 300 million.(Brief Article)(Illustration)
January 1, 2004... Caption: Ford Motor Co. Chairman and CEO Bill Ford celebrated a company milestone last November. He drove Ford's 300 millionth vehicle--a red Mustang GT convertible--off the assembly line at the historic Ford Rouge Center in Dearborn, Mich. The...

All aboard!(Book of the Month)
January 1, 2004... Whether you're an engineer pitching a project or an executive promoting a strategy, you're selling something. Generating Buy-In:Mastering the Language of Leadership reveals how successful professionals use a "language of buy-in" to win over...

Cranking out the hits.(Front Line)(Jim Frische spent his career in the music reproduction business)
January 1, 2004... Having served as the head of the world's largest CD and DVD manufacturing facility, Jim Frische knows what it takes to make beautiful music. Frische retired from his post six months ago, but after spending 20 years with a company, it's hard to...

Education briefs.(Front Line)(U.S. Department of Homeland Security selected the University of Southern California as the first Homeland Security Center of Excellence)
January 1, 2004... The U.S. Department of Homeland Security selected the University of Southern California as the first Homeland Security Center of Excellence. USC will receive $12 million over the next three years to study risk analysis related to the economic...

Bye-bye bad buns: prototype inspection system assures consistent quality.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... An automated production-inspection system under development by Georgia Tech researchers will ensure that sandwich buns being shipped to fastfood restaurants meet exacting specifications. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The first phase of a...

Spend your time wisely.(Performance)(work time )
January 1, 2004... MY DEFINITION OF WORK: PEOPLE spending time and money to make money. It is for this reason that I think job design from a macro perspective is one of the most critical processes in an organization. We spend our work time in consistent, habitual...

Got rhythm?(Management)(workplace observation)
January 1, 2004... ENGINEERS AND MANAGERS WILL always require quantitative analysis as part of their work because it is essential for accurate descriptions of workplace phenomena and for effective solutions of workplace problems. Part of the problem-solving...

Five things it's not safe to say.(Supply Chain)(occupational safety )
January 1, 2004... THE TOUGH BUSINESS ECONOMY puts today's warehousing professionals under tremendous pressure to work harder and faster. Therefore, they're more likely to engage in risky behavior if they think it will improve productivity. Each year, numerous...

American manufacturing is not dead.(Member Forum)
January 1, 2004... NOT A DAY GOES BY THAT THE NEWS media is not bemoaning the loss of manufacturing jobs in the United States and making dire predictions of how the downslide in American manufacturing is hurting the economy--present and future. It's true that...

The elephant in the room; talking about the state of manufacturing in America.(Cover Story)
January 1, 2004... WITH THE AMERICAN ECONOMY IN FLUX AND everyone from economists to politicians debating the course of American industry, one uncomfortable question surfaces again and again: Is American manufacturing in decline? [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] ...

What is nanotechnology? And how will this small wonder make a big change in manufacturing?
January 1, 2004... NANOTECHNOLOGY IS THE CONSTRUCTION and use of functional structures designed from atomic or molecular scale with at least one characteristic dimension measured in nanometers. How big is one nanometer? About a 50,000th of a hair width. ...

The best defense: with Bill Swanson at the helm, Raytheon is poised for prosperity in the new year.
January 1, 2004... BILL SWANSON IS HAVING A LOVE AFFAIR, BUT NOT THE kind that readily jumps to mind. He had a 31-year courtship with Raytheon that culminated last summer with his appointment as CEO of the multi-billion dollar defense company. [ILLUSTRATION...

A good fit in Argentina; a shoe company goes from being production-centered to market-oriented with lean manufacturing.(Company Profile)
January 1, 2004... WHEN STOCKS REACH HIGH LEVELS and customer delivery times are too long, managers start thinking about what changes are needed to meet demand better. Unique characteristics must be considered when planning those changes in the apparel and...

Research.
January 1, 2004... Scheduling tires Solideal is an international manufacturer of industrial tires, producing mainly in Sri Lanka. Its management asked Raf Jans and Zeger Degraeve to develop a scheduling system that could produce high-quality production...

Answers to your technical questions; tuning in to productivity.(Ask the Expert)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... Q: Does listening to the radio decrease employee performance? I have found studies that indicate listening to instrumental music increases concentration but none about the effect of other types of music. Do you have any insight from human...

Answers to your technical questions; recruitment frustration.(Ask the Expert)
January 1, 2004... Q: Our university's annual career fair was held last week and there were few companies seeking industrial engineers compared to those hiring civils and mechanicals. Likewise, at the start of the fall recruiting season, several companies...

Duke headlines Arkansas chapter event: Wal-Mart leader recounts a varied career.(Focus)
January 1, 2004... IIE's Northwest Arkansas chapter recently joined the growing list of local chapters to come out of dormancy. The chapter celebrated its rebirth with an event headlined by Mike Duke, president and CEO of Wal-Mart Stores. The University of...

The icebreaker: chapter innovator and Annual Conference fixture.(Volunteer Snapshot)(Nathan Randol)(Interview)
January 1, 2004... Nathan Randol seems a little young to be losing count of how many IIE Annual Conferences he's attended. "Portland was my fourth one. Actually, no, I take that back. It was the third. Because I went to the ones in Dallas, Orlando, Portland,...

Laying the groundwork; Home Depot partners with IIE to offer the Student Award for Excellence.(Focus)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... A three-year agreement between IIE and The Home Depot will help some deserving college graduates get a head start in their industrial engineering careers. By sponsoring the Student Award for Excellence, the company gives three students a...

Spreading the word.(Ask IIE)
January 1, 2004... Q: I've been a member of the Detroit chapter for many years. I'll be traveling abroad later this year to attend an industrial engineering conference in Asia. I would like to serve as a representative of IIE, distributing information about...

Kudos: celebrating member achievements.(Focus)(Salvendy Gavriel, Ph.D., received the Great Wall of China Friendship Award)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... Gavriel Salvendy, Ph.D., received the Great Wall of China Friendship Award in Beijing. Salvendy delivered a lecture at the ceremony about IEs' contributions to productivity and quality of life. It was seen by an estimated 90 million people in...

Kudos: celebrating member achievements.(Focus)(Ali Allahverdi, Ph.D., received Distinguished Researcher Award)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... Kuwait University promoted Ali Allahverdi, Ph.D., to full professor and presented him with its Distinguished Researcher Award. The award, which includes a $5,000 cash prize, recognizes achievements in research over a six-year period...

Kudos: celebrating member achievements.(Focus)(Andres Tinoco, Ph.D., named general manager for EBSI-Peru)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... Andres Tinoco, Ph.D., was named general manager for EBSI-Peru. Tinoco is president of IIE Peru and serves as advisor to the IIE student chapter at Ricardo Palma University, the first IIE chapter in Latin America. He holds a B.S. and Ph.D....

Kudos: celebrating member achievements.(Focus)(Marlin U. Thomas was named by Institute for Operations Research and Management )(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... Purdue University professor of industrial engineering and former IIE president Marlin U. Thomas, Ph.D., was one of 13 fellows named by the Institute for Operations Research and Management. Thomas is also a fellow of IIE and the American Society...

Kudos: celebrating member achievements.(Focus)(South Dakota School of Mines and Technology's professor Stuart D. Kellogg, Ph.D, named Professor of the Year)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... The Carnegie Foundation named South Dakota School of Mines and Technology professor of industrial engineering Stuart D. Kellogg, Ph.D., South Dakota's Professor of the Year. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] RELATED ARTICLE: SHARE YOUR...

The road to Bogota; IIE trustee addresses Colombian conference.(Focus)(Kenneth Musselman, Ph.D)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... Kenneth Musselman, Ph.D., IIE senior vice president, industry, traveled to the Universidad Distrital Francisco Jose de Caldas in Bogota, Colombia to deliver the keynote address at the school's 14th annual engineering conference. "This was...

Ergo keynotes: speakers announced.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... The 2004 Applied Ergonomics Conference will feature keynote addresses from three distinguished guests. Astronaut Nancy Currie, Ph.D., a veteran of four space shuttle missions, works as a consultant to NASA's Space Human Factors Engineering...

SimSol just around the corner: Q&A with Andrew Borden, chair of the Simulation Solutions Conference.(Focus)(Interview)
January 1, 2004... Disney World's Tomorrowland won't be the only place to glimpse the future when the Simulation Solutions Conference comes to Orlando, Fla., March 15-16. In its sixth year, the conference promises to be the most successful yet, with expert panel...

Sharp 3-D from a laptop.(Pick List)
January 1, 2004... Sharp has released the first laptop computer that allows users to view three-dimensional images without the need for special eyewear. Proprietary technology enables users of the Actius R[D.sub.3]D notebook to view [.sub.3]-D images with the...

Alert travel companion.(Pick List)
January 1, 2004... The Luggage Locator is a two-part system that allows travelers to find a suitcase quickly. A small receiver attaches to a suitcase handle. The transmitter is small enough to attach to a key chain. By pressing a button on the transmitter, the...

Standards for every occasion.(Pick List)
January 1, 2004... The National Institute of Standards and Technology supplies more than 1,300 reference materials to industry, academia, government, and other users. The standards are available for industrial materials production and analysis, environmental...

Stalking divergence.(Pick List)
January 1, 2004... QSolve NCR is a comprehensive system for capturing all nonconformances and documenting corrective actions, ensuring nothing falls through the cracks. Track customer complaints, internal audit findings, warranty returns, and supplier issues. The...

Professional calculator.(Pick List)
January 1, 2004... Hp 49g+ is the flagship in HP's new line of graphing calculators. With more power, faster calculating speeds, and the ability to accept widely available standard memory and program plug-in cards, engineers and students alike will find the...

Engineering research aid.(Pick List)
January 1, 2004... Engineering Information, a division of Elsevier, has made its Engineering Index Backfile available online through Engineering Village 2. Backfile subscribers have desktop access to engineering literature from 1884 through 1969. Nearly two...

Graphic stats.(Pick List)
January 1, 2004... The newest version of Minitab Statistical Software for Windows features extensive graphical enhancements. In addition, upgrades include expanded and simplified graph creation and editing; options that increase graph flexibility; new quality...

The terminator.(Pick List)
January 1, 2004... Security Engineered Machinery's DS-22 industrial shredder features dual cutting mechanisms that can reduce 1,800 pounds of waste per hour to particles as small as 3/32 inch. The system is ideal for destroying bound documents, binders, books,...

Imbibing entrepreneurs chill out.(Jeff Durand and Ross Lucivero start company Kegs on Legs)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... Most college students count beer as an expense, but two engineering seniors at the University of Massachusetts look at the malt beverage and see revenue. Industrial engineering student Jeff Durand and mechanical engineering student Ross...

PM principle.
January 1, 2004... Golub's law: A carelessly planned project takes three times longer to complete than expected; a carefully planned one will take only twice as long.

Acres per mile.(Fossil fuel consumption research)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... A staggering 98 tons of prehistoric plant material--196,000 pounds--is required to produce each gallon of gasoline we burn in our automobiles, according to a university ecologist. "Can you imagine loading 40 acres worth of wheat--stalks,...