Industrial Engineer articles from March 2007

Industrial Engineer archives from March 2007

Plain-text messages.(editor's desk)
March 1, 2007... Even if you haven't contemplated the specific significance of Malaysia to your sphere of work, you'll find this month's cover story ("The Industrialization of Exotica," page 24) a fascinating read. In it, Managing Editor Candi Cross presents a...

BMW honored by EPA: environmental policy is also good business.(Front Line)(Environmental Protection Agency)(BMW Manufacturing Co. LLC and Durr Systems Inc. receives Landfill Methane Outreach Program Energy Partner of the Year award)(Brief article)
March 1, 2007... The United States Environmental Protection Agency named BMW Manufacturing Co. LLC and partner Durr Systems Inc., joint recipients of the Landfill Methane Outreach Program (LMOP) Energy Partner of the Year award. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] ...

R&D is up.(QUOTE, UNQUOTE)
March 1, 2007... "Total company R&D expenditures are forecast to have the largest growth that we have seen in this decade. Yet most of the R&D expenditure increase seems to be aimed at planning to develop new-business projects, with declines forecast in support...

Art in science.(SITE TO SEE)
March 1, 2007... Winners of the 2006 Science and Engineering Visualization Challenge successfully tackled such diverse subjects as mathematical surfaces, Egyptian child mummification, the cockroach, and the Mona Lisa. Science magazine and the National Science...

Worried about math, science performance: Americans recognize they aren't faring well.(Front Line)(Survey)
March 1, 2007... The United States isn't performing well in science and math education compared to other nations, say the majority (52 percent) of Americans. An even greater number (85 percent) say they know science is very important, according to a recent...

Predicting performance of complex systems: academic, government, and industry experts devise leading indicators.(Front Line)(Massachusetts Institute of Technology)
March 1, 2007... Taking a cue from the financial world, researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology along with experts in industry and government have developed a list of 13 measures that engineers can use to predict how well a system or project...

Chronic pain affects many workers: but employees still go to their jobs.(Front Line)(Survey)(Brief article)
March 1, 2007... Persistent, chronic pain has risen dramatically among fulltime U.S. workers in the past 10 years, but workers are choosing to go to their jobs rather than call in sick. This is leading to a growing trend of presenteeism--a negative impact on...

Regional Red Cross director.(UNCOMMON IE)(Roger Lindsey )(Brief article)
March 1, 2007... THE TASK AT HAND: As executive director of Indiana's Wayne/Union County Chapter of the American Red Cross, Roger Lindsey is responsible for the general management of the facility. With the help of one fulltime assistant and an army of...

Pay-for-value to improve health care: Mayo Clinic proposes new scheme.(Front Line)
March 1, 2007... Two of Mayo Clinic's top executives have called for a reimbursement system based on value rather than the current pay-for-performance system used by many insurers, including Medicare. Mayo Clinic President and Chief Executive Officer Denis...

UMass offers dual degrees: integrating engineering and management.(Front Line)(Brief article)
March 1, 2007... Students at the University of Massachusetts Amherst will have the option of integrating graduate studies in management and engineering with three new dual degree options that will be available beginning in September. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]...

Kanban to size.(Brief article)
March 1, 2007... While the kanban may be the simplest replenishment system to understand conceptually, it is the most complex to apply successfully. By and large, the literature does not deal with complexities faced by practitioners when they try to apply this...

Report backs NSF innovation prizes: inducement program could reward problem-solving research.(Front Line)(National Science Foundation)(Brief article)
March 1, 2007... The National Science Foundation should move forward with a program to encourage innovation but should do so with caution, says a report issued by the National Research Council. A new "inducement prize" program would reward scholars and...

Correction.(Front Line)(Correction notice)
March 1, 2007... Two of the photo captions in the January feature "High-flying Cities" contained errors. The correct name of the new terminal under construction at Indianapolis International Airport (shown on page 29) is the Midfield Terminal. The photo on page...

A negative effect of creativity: success.(OUTLIER)(Management Science)(Brief article)
March 1, 2007... Research and development managers who want to sustain the creativity of the inventors in their departments must cope with an unexpected problem--success--according to an article in the January issue of the journal Management Science. R&D...

Forecasting drug development costs: analytical model could save millions of dollars per drug.(Front Line)
March 1, 2007... It costs more than $800 million to develop a new drug. If pharmaceutical companies could predict which drugs will ultimately get approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, they would not only have greater confidence in their...

Dilbert.(Front Line)(Cartoon)
March 1, 2007... HEY, DILBERT, WOULD YOU MIND STOPPING BY MY HOUSE AFTER WORK AND SEEING IF YOU CAN FIX MY COMPUTER? [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] SURE. AND WHILE I DO THAT YOU CAN BE AT MY HOUSE CLEANING THE GROUT IN MY SHOWER. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]...

Red Cross honors Raytheon CEO: ie-trained corporate chief recognized as humanitarian.(Front Line)
March 1, 2007... Raytheon CEO William H. Swanson was recognized by the American Red Cross for his company's outstanding and long-term commitment to disaster relief work and the mission of the Red Cross. The Circle of Humanitarians Award bestowed on Swanson...

Too much bounce.(performance)
March 1, 2007... IF LEADERS UNDERSTOOD AND KNEW HOW TO reduce process variation instead of merely learning to react more effectively to what is usually common-cause variation, we could improve our workplaces in many ways. More than 25 years after the total...

Gambling with supremacy.(management)
March 1, 2007... WILL TOYOTA LAUNCH THE LATEST GLOBAL continuous improvement initiative? Are kaizen, lean, and Six Sigma techniques passe? The so-called Big Three automakers--GM, Ford, and Chrysler--reported disappointing sales for December 2006 and for the...

What does this button do?(human factors)
March 1, 2007... This month, I'll stop nagging at the quality improvement folks and comment on product design colleagues or, more precisely, the designers of many consumer products. Let's start with a short quiz. Who wrote: "To me, simplicity is imperative,...

The industrialization of exotica: Malaysia's future depends on foreign manufacturers.
March 1, 2007... Incentives to relocate a business usually include local tax abatement, low-interest loans, property tax credits, and pre-scheduled "personal purchase" appointments for everything from a house to racquetball lessons. Beyond the standard fare,...

Measuring history: work sampling for for a museum.
March 1, 2007... The following narrative depicts the true story of the work measurement study performed for the National Museum of the United States Air Force (NMUSAF) in Dayton, Ohio. The characters depicted are real. Although some literary license was used to...

Too heavy to bear: weight of employees demands workplace changes.
March 1, 2007... The dilemma of obesity is a serious health issue that crosses all barriers with no respect of race, age, sex, or economic background. People dealing with being overweight potentially face numerous physical ailments--from heart disease and...

Tell it like it is: essential communication skills for engineers.
March 1, 2007... The world of engineering employs its own language to identify problems and develop solutions. This language includes words, terms, and phrases that make engineer-to-engineer communications efficient and understandable. You can reduce time and...

Rug maker revitalizes.(Case Study)(Colonial Mills Inc., Rhode Island Manufacturers Extension Service)
March 1, 2007... The law of supply and demand is at the heart of American business, pumping blood and oxygen and giving life to the economy. However, just like the veins and arteries inside the human body, productivity can experience clogs, leading to serious...

Research.(GE Healthcare, Statistical Process Control Approach to Business Process Monitoring, Post-investment analysis)
March 1, 2007... This month, two articles are highlighted from the quality and reliability focused issue of IIE Transactions (April, Vol. 39, No. 4). The authors of the first paper devise methods to analyze so-called failure signatures--patterns of errors that...

Ask the expert: answers to your technical questions.(Interview)
March 1, 2007... Lean cement Q: I would like to know how lean manufacturing concepts can be applied in the cement industry. A: The essence of lean manufacturing is flow of product, eliminating waste in all processes to shrink the lead-time for the...

Ergo to go: Ergo Conference highlights you should know before you go.(FOCUS)
March 1, 2007... In just a few weeks, hundreds of practitioners will converge at IIE's 10th annual Applied Ergonomics Conference in Addison, Texas, just outside of Dallas. There are a plethora of reasons to attend the industry's most comprehensive...

Exhibit hall: 10th annual applied ergonomics conference.(FOCUS)(Brief article)
March 1, 2007... Showcased in the exhibit hall are innovative ergonomic products and services from exhibitors, including: * AliMed Inc. * Appleton Manufacturing * Auburn Engineers Inc. * Back-A-Line * Beagle I Inc. * Bureau Veritas...

Management Forum draws peers: annual gathering an opportunity to learn and network.(FOCUS)
March 1, 2007... Management professionals will share their insight on the challenges facing companies managing in a "flat world" at the upcoming Enterprise Management Forum slated for Monday, May 21. Held in conjunction with the IIE Annual Conference and...

Matching buyers and sellers.(FOCUS)
March 1, 2007... WEB ACCESS@IIENET.ORG The IIE Buyers Guide and Consultants Directory on IIEnet.org is an online destination for accessing product and services information. The searchable database is a quick and targeted tool that connects visitors to...

UPS supports minority, women engineers.(FOCUS)(Brief article)
March 1, 2007... What can brown do for you? Apparently more than just timely deliveries of packages. The shipping specialist continues its commitment to higher education by funding IIE's UPS Women and Minority Industrial Engineer Outreach Program. ...

Paul Adams.(KUDOS)(appointment at Board of Certified Safety Professionals)(Brief article)
March 1, 2007... Paul Adams, Ph.D., was elected vice president of the Board of Certified Safety Professionals. Adams earned a B.S. in industrial engineering from Iowa State University, an M.S. in industrial safety from Central Missouri State University, and an...

Robert E. Barnes.(KUDOS)(Tau Beta Pi 2006 National Outstanding Advisor)(Brief article)
March 1, 2007... Robert E. Barnes, Ph.D., was named Tau Beta Pi 2006 National Outstanding Advisor. Barnes is the associate dean for student affairs at the State University of New York at Buffalo. He also holds positions as co-director of the university's...

Carter J. Kerk.(KUDOS)(Tau Beta Pi McDonald Mentor Award)(Brief article)
March 1, 2007... Carter J. Kerk, Ph.D., P.E., was the recipient of the inaugural Tau Beta Pi McDonald Mentor Award. The prize celebrates excellence among Tau Beta Pi educators who nourish and develop talented students pursing a career in engineering. Kerk is an...

Mark Andrew Neier.(KUDOS)(Industrial Engineering Award)(Brief article)
March 1, 2007... Mark Andrew Neier, a student at Kansas State University, won the Excellence in Industrial Engineering Award, which carries a value of $430. He also took home the Kendall Aileen Sobering Memorial Scholarship worth $820. Neier joined the...

Call center operations.(Pick List)(Kinesis Corp.)
March 1, 2007... Winner of the National Ergonomic Conference and Exposition Attendees' Choice Award, the Kinesis Freestyle keyboard is the brainchild of ergonomists and health care professionals. Designed to reduce joint aliments while improving productivity,...

Work perfect: the day we strive for.(Jitamitra Desai is visiting Assistant Professor with Department of Systems and Industrial Engineering)(Interview)
March 1, 2007... What is a perfect workday? I'm not exactly sure how to answer that question. A day in which my undergraduate students don't trouble me--that would be the perfect day, I think! In terms of teaching, it's extremely gratifying being able to...