Industrial Engineer articles from July 2005

Industrial Engineer archives from July 2005

Artificial intelligence.(machines in human life)(Editorial)
July 1, 2005... "Wake up, Neo. The Matrix has you." These lines appear on a computer screen at the beginning of the film The Matrix. The premise of the film is that machines have taken over society and there is an underground movement to free humans from a...

His beautiful article.(Mail)(Letter to the Editor)
July 1, 2005... [Steven Averett's] article about the laundry operations in the April issue was excellent ("His Beautiful Launderettes"). It's a practical IE application such as this that makes our journal such a great publication. I hope we'll have more...

Crunching the numbers.(Mail)(Letter to the Editor)
July 1, 2005... While I thought the article "Guarding the Line" (April) was generally very good at emphasizing that ergonomics should be effectively integrated into lean events and metrics, I feel that there are two questions with the analysis of the economic...

Take caution in your tone.(Mail)(Letter to the Editor)
July 1, 2005... I am a degreed IE working for a major retailer, although not a direct competitor of Wal-Mart. I'm also on a team investigating the RFID hype machine. I just read this article on RFID from the March issue ("Delivering the Goods"). I was...

Not the new math.(Correction Notice)
July 1, 2005... In the sidebar to the April cover story "His Beautiful Launderettes" (page 33), a zero was omitted from the statement "10 pennies = one dollar." It should read "100 pennies = one dollar."

Ergo redirect.(Correction Notice)
July 1, 2005... The Web site for the 2006 Applied Ergonomics Conference was printed incorrectly on page 55 of the May issue. The URL is www.appliedergo.org.

Regrettable omission.(Correction Notice)
July 1, 2005... Luis Guerra should have been listed in the June issue (page 56) as a member of the Texas A&M University team that competed as finalists in the IIE/Rockwell Student Simulation Software Competition at this year's IIE Annual Conference. Our...

Disruption on the manufacturing line: innovative technologies will have a profound impact.(Front Line)
July 1, 2005... The future of the U.S. economy and national security will depend in part on the development of "disruptive" manufacturing technologies, concludes the National Council for Advanced Manufacturing. Disruptive technologies are innovative...

Hospitals still error-prone: medical mistakes continue even in highly computerized facilities.(Front Line)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Errors in drug ordering, dosage, and monitoring that may have serious consequences for patients persist in hospitals even after the adoption of computerized medication systems, according to a study published in the Archives of Internal...

IE heads Turkey EU talks.(Front Line)(European Union)(industrial engineering)(Ali Babacan )(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... In May, Ali Babacan was appointed Turkey's top negotiator in membership talks with the European Union scheduled to begin in October. Turkish premier Recep Tayyip Erdogan made the announcement. Babacan currently serves as economy minister...

Certifiably appreciated.(quote, unquote)(Marilyn vos Savant)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... "... Everyone knows we need schoolteachers and nurses, and we all love to recognize the individual genius--philosopher or mathematician. But the occupational group most responsible for modern society is engineers, who should win a 'most...

Events.(Brief Article)(Calendar)
July 1, 2005... > JULY JULY 11 * Six Sigma Green Belt seminar, IIE online JULY 22-27 International Conference on Human-Computer Interaction, Las Vegas; (765) 494-5426; www.hci-international.org > AUGUST AUG. 2-4 North Carolina...

Hot property.(UNCOMMON IE)(Richard Kessler)(Biography)
July 1, 2005... Richard Kessler is a walking manifestation of the American dream. From humble beginnings in Effingham County, Ga., he has built a small empire of high-end hotels and other properties, armed with a solid IE education, a savvy business sense, and...

Supply chain savings.(prime number)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Companies' savings from their largest-impact quality project for the supply chain average $5 million, according to a benchmarking study by Best Practices LLC.

Outsourcing for cost reduction: not for revenue growth.(Front Line)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Companies continue to make outsourcing decisions that are driven by cost reduction rather than revenue generation or competitive advantage. That is the conclusion of "Outsourcing Strategically for Sustainable Competitive Advantage," a...

Off the cuff.(employee motivation)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... BOOSTER SHOT What's the most motivating thing a boss ever said to you? "'Be greedy. Take advantage of every opportunity to learn as much as you can as fast as you can. I will give you as many challenging opportunities as I can, some of...

Why girls bypass science: perceptions and messages steer them away.(Front Line)
July 1, 2005... Girls steer away from careers in math, science, and engineering because they view those fields as solitary rather than social occupations, according to a University of Michigan psychologist. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] "Raising girls who...

Spend management.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
July 1, 2005... Exponential savings and breakthrough innovations are promised in The Incredible Payback with the application of "spend management." [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Building on the 20 best procurement practices they outlined in an earlier book,...

Verifying how things measure up: NIST to review measurement standards.(National Institute of Standards and Technology)
July 1, 2005... An initiative to forecast the nation's future measurement needs was announced by the Commerce Department's National Institute of Standards and Technology. "The nation's measurement system is a vital element of our innovation...

Innovation potholes: senior managers cite weaknesses inhibiting innovation-to-cash process.(Illustration)
July 1, 2005... Leveraging suppliers for new ideas 51% Moving quickly from idea to sales 50% Balancing risks, timeframes, and returns across projects 43% Strictly enforcing project success hurdles ...

Read between the lines.
July 1, 2005... HOW DO YOU TELL IF YOU ARE improving? Do you simply rely on what your gut feelings say or do you consistently trend process performance over time and try to develop theories about why your processes behave as they do? Unfortunately, a very...

Economics 2005.(manufacturing costs)
July 1, 2005... A YOUNG MOTHER STARTED A YOUNG adult clothing business 25 years ago that currently enjoys annual sales in excess of several hundred million dollars. The clothes are sold through major retailers and the company's retail outlets. Many of the...

Cargo, cargo everywhere.(congestion)
July 1, 2005... THANKS LARGELY TO DOUBLE-DIGIT increases in Asia-to-United States shipments, our nation's busiest ports recently have received a "too much, too soon" infusion of extra traffic. The result has been a pervasive condition known as congestion. ...

Stamp of approval.(member forum)(communicating an idea)
July 1, 2005... CONVINCING PEOPLE OF THE MERIT of your idea starts with your own image because acceptance of your idea largely depends on what others think of you. It isn't logical, but if we admire people, we will often be more receptive to and more easily...

Mechanical logic: smart machines are getting a lot of attention from engineers and researchers, but will they really be able to think for themselves?(Cover Story)
July 1, 2005... IT'S LATE. ALL THE LINE WORKERS HAVE GONE HOME for the night except that one guy who keeps trying to organize the defects bin. Perhaps now that almost everyone has left, you can get down there and get to the bottom of why those machines keep...

21st-century stopwatch: powerful work measurement in retail applications.
July 1, 2005... WHEN IT COMES TO WORK measurement, where have all the industrial engineers gone? Time study used to be the place to start one's career. IE degree programs used to devote a class to work measurement, but now it is possible to get a B.S.I.E....

A tension invention: in which the father of scientific management plays the unlikely part of muse to a most modern endeavor of aesthetic proportions.(applying scientific management principles to choreography)
July 1, 2005... IF AN AWARD WERE TO RECOGNIZE THE achievement of giving fresh legs to Frederick Taylor's groundbreaking body of work, Hilary Easton would surely take the prize. Educated in the fine arts and skilled in the practice of modern dance,...

Valuable building blocks: Baldrige award-winner carries continuous improvement into new facility.
July 1, 2005... MEDRAD INC. IS A MANUFACTURER of medical devices and services that enable and enhance diagnostic imaging procedures of the human body. The company was one of seven organizations to receive the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award in 2003 and...

Across the wire: Nortel's Chahram Bolouri is reshaping the global network.(Nortel Networks Corp.)
July 1, 2005... CHAHRAM BOLOURI HAS ALWAYS prided himself on staying ahead of the curve. Shrewdly recognizing the burgeoning demand for industrial engineers in the 1970s, he became one of only 35 IE graduates from L'Ecole Polytechnique de Montreal in 1979. ...

Research: executive summaries.
July 1, 2005... The July 2005 issue of IIE Transactions (Vol. 37, No. 7) focuses on operations engineering. Below, we highlight two articles from that issue, one on coordinating a supply chain with component manufacturing in a push mode, final assembly in a...

Ask the expert: answers to your technical questions.(work roles of industrial engineers)
July 1, 2005... Lean changes Q: I'm interested in the changing role of the industrial engineer in a lean environment. Are there any behaviors, skills, or projects that are different for an IE transitioning from a traditional role to one that supports a...

Teaching enthusiasm: Young-Jun Son gets students fired up for simulation.(PROFILE OF A WINNER)
July 1, 2005... University of Arizona assistant professor Young-Jun Son, Ph.D., is excited about the promise of simulation and thinks other engineers should be excited about it, too. It is his success at imparting that enthusiasm to his students and to...

Honored students.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... IIE Technical Paper Competition Regional winners from around the world competed to present the most engaging technical papers. First place: Manuelito Cortez, California State Polytechnic University (Region 7, Southern Tier), for...

It's the little things.(nanotech in industry)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... In the May/June issue of Industrial Management, contributors address the little things--literally and figuratively--that are worthy of some real attention. In "Small Revolution," Fariborz Ghadar and Heather Spindler look at the...

Kudos: celebrating member achievements.(Morgan Clark selected as one of eight national recipients )(achievements of Alfonso de Leon)(Charles Mitchell was awarded a scholarship)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... University of Alabama senior Morgan Clark was selected as one of eight national recipients of the Award of Excellence from Alpha Pi Mu, the industrial engineering honor society. In addition, Clark recently received the George C.K. Johnson...

Southern pride: Industrial Engineer takes home a passel of awards.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Industrial Engineer magazine was honored in May with several awards bestowed by the Magazine Association of the Southeast. The winning entries include: * Gold Award, Best Redesign * Gold Award, Best Feature ("Eclipsing the Past,"...

Ergonomination: competing for the 2006 Ergo Cup.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... If your organization has changed the workplace for the better with an innovative ergonomics solution or education initiative, throw your name in the hat for the top prize in ergonomics. The Ergo Cup will be awarded to the best ergo design or...

Esteemed chapters: senior chapters recognized with awards for excellence.
July 1, 2005... Gold Award Dallas Detroit Greater Kansas City (Kan.) Manitoba Mississippi Valley Rochester (N.Y.) South Jersey (N.J.) Silver Award Central Alabama Dayton (Ohio) Huntsville (Ala.) ...

Old and new: fifty is nifty.(celebrations of Institute of Industrial Engineers)
July 1, 2005... In April, nearly 60 people gathered at the Fairview Marriott Hotel in Falls Church, Va., for a gala celebrating the 50th anniversary of IIE's National Capital chapter. The night was filled with handshakes, hugs, and reminiscing as old friends...

Life questions.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Q: What costs and benefits are involved in being a life member? A: Life member status is awarded to members whose age and continuous years of membership for which dues were paid equal 100. The ranks of life members have grown to total...

Wanted: OR/MSers.(operations research)(management science practitioners)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Karen S. Holness, a University at Buffalo doctoral candidate, is seeking research participants so she can model how operations research/management science practitioners solve problems that require software solutions and how these solutions are...

The lean laboratory.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... After years of working with his lean manufacturing mentor, the late John Fargher, Ph.D., Merwan Mehta, Ph.D., will lead the value stream mapping workshop for IIE's Lean Management Solutions Conference solo in December. Back in 2001, during...

Harsh computing.(Pick List)(DAP Technologies Corp)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... The Microflex CE 8640X from DAP Technologies is a mobile handheld computer especially built to withstand rugged conditions. The new unit includes a 128 MB memory capacity and a USB host for external link integration. It is equipped with an...

Walkie-talkie talks.(Pick List)(Nextel Communications Inc.)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Nextel's new Group Connect service enables instant group walkie-talkie conversations nationwide. The service allows groups to be created directly on the handset within seconds. It also allows users to create or access a group by scrolling over...

Data driver.(Pick List)
July 1, 2005... An enhanced version of the Infinity QS 2004 SPC suite allows manufacturers to monitor and improve the quality of their operations through the use of statistical process control. The current version offers a configuration-free method to capture...

Easy mover.(Pick List)
July 1, 2005... The CartCaddy5WP tug makes moving warehouse items easier by quickly attaching to all types of heavy carts and equipment, even carts that have product hanging over their framework. The customized attachment on the front of the tug's...

Turnkey solution.(Pick List)
July 1, 2005... Proceed is a turnkey software solution for manufacturing companies to model, optimize, and simulate complex processes. The software is based on the integration of Caterpillar's patent-pending analytic processes and Statsoft's suite of...

Low-tech measurement.(Pick List)
July 1, 2005... The genius of the Pi Tape is not in its progressiveness but in its uncomplicated and consistent history. Originally introduced in 1944, Pi Tape precision measurement gages are used to measure the true diameter of round and out-of-round forms...

Sitting pretty.(Pick List)
July 1, 2005... Increased adjustability is one enhancement of the Microtech chairs for Class 10 clean rooms and Class 10 combination clean room/static control applications. Adjustable armrests and additional controls for seat and backrest adjustment are now...

CD dispenser.(Pick List)
July 1, 2005... Autologik's SPS-200 Inductor can dispense CDs, DVDs, videos, and paperback books at a rate of up to 225 items per minute. The bottom-dispensing feeder system offers such benefits as quick changeover, top loading, the ability to load...

Clicking for scholars: technology gives professors instant assessment.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... There must not be a college professor alive who hasn't looked up from the chalkboard, turned to face a classroom full of students, and wondered, Do they get it? Personal response systems, or clicker technology as it's known, puts students...

Handy word finder.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Next time a word gets stuck on the tip of your tongue, wave your hands to shake it loose. By observing the hand gestures of bilingual children, researchers at Canada's University of Alberta surmise that gestures aren't used to aid...

Pack-ratting pays.(Intel Corp)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... When Intel Corp. set out to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Moore's Law this spring, the company was lacking a key element. It didn't have a pristine original of the 1965 Electronics Magazine bearing Moore's article that put forth the famous...

Tea measurement.(tea making equipment)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... In England, it's rude for a co-worker to make a cup of tea without offering to do so for everyone else within earshot. But just like cleaning the communal microwave oven in American offices, tea sharing duties in Britain aren't always fairly...