Industrial Engineer articles from May 2008

Industrial Engineer archives from May 2008

The demands of the world.(MedShare International )(Editorial)
May 1, 2008... When A.B. Short and Bill Freeman co-founded MedShare International 10 years ago, they probably didn't realize that their nonprofit would serve as a great ambassador for industrial engineering. But as they considered all the people in all the...

Juran's dream: a quality society; Industry pioneer dies at 103.(Front Line)(Joseph M. Juran)(Obituary)
May 1, 2008... Joseph M. Juran, Ph.D., noted author and "father" of quality management, died Feb. 28 from natural causes. According to Joseph De Feo, CEO of the Juran Institute, a training and consulting firm founded by Juran, he was working hard at...

Two hospitals, one mission: transparency in quality, safety, and satisfaction reports.(Front Line)
May 1, 2008... "Good is not good enough," said Lois Silverman, chair of the Boston-based Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BID-MC) and Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital-Needham Board of Directors, while addressing the boards of both institutions on the...

System = solution.(BOOK OF THE MONTH)(Brief article)
May 1, 2008... Natural disasters, economic disasters, and other societal phenomena all stem from a root cause that then stretches through complex, dense components. But do they have to occur again and again? More specifically, must the effects always be...

Bargain infrastructure breaking.(PRIME NUMBER)(Brief article)
May 1, 2008... To keep the United States moving, the federal government should spend $225 billion per year for the next 50 years on its transportation systems, according to the National Surface Transportation Policy and Revenue Study Commission. Combined,...

USPS woos IEs: Operations Industrial Engineer Initiative creates 300 positions.(Front Line)(industrial engineers)(Brief article)
May 1, 2008... After closing the first application call for new industrial engineer hires in March, the United States Postal Service is set to start interviewing more candidates for operations, engineering, logistics, and headquarter functions. Operations...

Special effects report.(SITE TO SEE)(Brief article)
May 1, 2008... Annual reports are a necessary evil. Running up to 100 pages in length, each one feels like a book yet reads like a manifesto from a CEO. Printing companies received one less client when the diversified industrial manufacturer Eaton Corp. went...

Dilbert.(Comic)(Cartoon)
May 1, 2008... www.dilbert.com scottadams@aol.com [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] 5-29-04 [c] 2004 Scott Adama, Inc./Dist. by UFS, Inc. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [c] Scott Adams/Dist. By United Feature Syndicate Inc. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Trace of blood: RFID may secure the nation's blood supply.(Front Line)
May 1, 2008... In the United States alone, someone needs blood every two seconds. According to the American Red Cross, this means that more than 38,000 blood donations are needed every day with the average red blood cell transfusion being approximately three...

CSI-E.(UNCOMMON IE)(Brief article)(Column)
May 1, 2008... THE TASK AT HAND: We all know that a forensic engineer solves crimes on television shows. Well, not exactly. For Fred Pope of Professional Investigative Engineers in Denver, clients are attorneys and insurance companies who need an objective...

Safety pupils prepare: board examinations to change in 2009.(Front Line)(Board of Certified Safety Professionals)(Brief article)
May 1, 2008... The Certified Safety Professional certification held by more than 11,000 individuals is changing to reflect a wider grasp of contemporary issues. On Jan. 1, 2009, the Board of Certified Safety Professionals will begin to phase out the current...

Inside out.(performance)(Column)
May 1, 2008... IS UPPER MANAGEMENT SUPPORT A prerequisite for high performance? Top management support does matter, but the lack of such support does not mean that an individual or team can't make significant progress on its own. Process improvement is...

Avoiding growth pains.(management)
May 1, 2008... CAN TOO MUCH SUCCESS BE FATAL? A company that provides specialized equipment to financial institutions and construction companies on a rental basis to test and verify power systems has grown revenues by 50 percent. The equipment requires...

Consumed by cellular manufacturing?(manufacturing)
May 1, 2008... EVERY PRODUCT POSSESSES UNIQUE characteristics. Could there be one best process to manufacture these products? Does the traditional batch and queue process have rights to exist today? A supplier development engineer gave a presentation in a...

Voluntary parts: time and money donations fuel MedShare International's supply chain of aid.(Company overview)
May 1, 2008... IN THE GLOBAL MEDICAL COMMUNITY, THE DISPARITIES in the quality of supplies and equipment are too obvious to overlook. Routine tools, blades, and protective clothing used in surgical or emergency procedures in medical centers are plentiful...

Shanghai surprise: lean efforts gain an unusual champion in human resources.
May 1, 2008... MANY COMPANIES BASED IN CHINA are governed by a strong, group-motivated work ethic. In other words, an individual's success and fulfillment depends on the entire team's work measurement. With respect to group dynamics and goals, it's customary...

High performance management: process mastery reduces sting of change, complexity.
May 1, 2008... LEADERSHIP WITHIN ORGANIZATIONS IS FORCED TO respond to the greatest challenge since the Industrial Revolution: globalization and the increasing rate of change and complexity. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The critical aspect is not the...

Prevention, control, sustainability: plan and conduct effective safety audits.(environmental, health, and safety audits)
May 1, 2008... Planning and conducting environmental, health, and safety (EHS) audits for a company or client's full range of operations can be a daunting undertaking. These operations may include both domestic and international manufacturing plants, research...

Reality chain: seven habits for supply chain success.
May 1, 2008... COMPANIES WITH THE TOP-PERFORMING SUPPLY CHAINS have one thing in common--habits that ensure success. But there's a mountain of information on supply chain strategies, so how do you know which regular habits to follow? First, recognize six...

The aloha tracker.(SOLUTIONS IN PRACTICE)
May 1, 2008... Hawaii may have been the last state to join the United States, but it may be the first one to track food and protect consumers with radio frequency identification. The state's Department of Agriculture will test a centralized system for...

Research.
May 1, 2008... Strategies to decrease costs and wait times in the airline industry can be applied in many other industries. This month we highlight research that introduces these strategies. The first article describes an approach to making initial...

Drawing up the right map.(ANSWERS TO YOUR TECHNICAL QUESTIONS)
May 1, 2008... Q: We are going to start to streamline our front-end operation made up of the product development center and the merchandising sections. Could you describe the steps we should follow to streamline this process? A: Lean for...

DFSS to the rescue.(ANSWERS TO YOUR TECHNICAL QUESTIONS)(design for six sigma)(Brief article)
May 1, 2008... Q: I am working in a steel manufacturing plant in China, and I was recently assigned to the new product development team. I really don't have any idea about how this process works. Even the BOM (bill of materials) is very new to me. Can you...

P.E. vs. green belt.(ANSWERS TO YOUR TECHNICAL QUESTIONS)(Brief article)
May 1, 2008... Q: Which certification do you feel is more important in terms of job security, upward mobility, and salary increases: the FE [Fundamentals of Engineering exam] or the Six Sigma green belt? Do employers consider the Six Sigma green belt...

The right takt.(ANSWERS TO YOUR TECHNICAL QUESTIONS)(lean layout )(Brief article)
May 1, 2008... Q: I am working on a lean layout for finished parts storage. Right now I am struggling with a current layout that contains a split of flow through design and FIFO lanes. I would like to know about the latest and best layout technique(s) that...

Costly data.(ANSWERS TO YOUR TECHNICAL QUESTIONS)(Brief article)
May 1, 2008... Q: I am developing a dissertation on intelligence agent systems for problem solving in manufacturing for my M.S. in manufacturing systems engineering. My background is the industrial engineering consultancy area, and I would like to perform...

Job hunt refreshment.(ANSWERS TO YOUR TECHNICAL QUESTIONS)(Brief article)
May 1, 2008... Q: I completed my master's degree in industrial engineering in India two years ago. I'm now in New Jersey, but I don't have any previous job experience. I need some advice about which area of industrial engineering I should take and which books...

From the toolbox.(ANSWERS TO YOUR TECHNICAL QUESTIONS)
May 1, 2008... Q: How can you implement industrial engineering tools in a construction project? A: Historically, IEs have not been extensively involved in the construction industry. But here are a few examples of areas for IE contribution: ...

Robot-powered results.(INNOVATIVE TOOLS OF THE TRADE)(Seegrid Corp.)
May 1, 2008... Seegrid Corp. is paving the way for materials handling techniques of the future. Famous for their creation of the first industrial mobile robot equipped with a vision-guiding camera, Seegrid's latest automated guided vehicle, the GT3, has...

Texas trio's urban agenda: student team honored for 2008 Future City Competition entry.(KEEPING PACE WITH IIE)(Institute of Industrial Engineers)
May 1, 2008... In the year 2311, the city of Varvara will be the world leader in technological innovation to improve the overall quality of life for its citizens. The city's use of nanotechnology will protect infrastructure, ensure clean drinking water...

Wanted: nominees! Call for Board of Trustees and Networking Leadership Council positions.(KEEPING PACE WITH IIE)(Institute of Industrial Engineers)
May 1, 2008... IIE is seeking nominees for various positions to be filled. Members who are elected to the Board of Trustees are required to attend four meetings per year. Spring, summer, and fall meetings are held at IIE headquarters in Norcross, Ga. An...

IIE on Facebook.(KEEPING PACE WITH IIE)
May 1, 2008... South Central Regional Vice President Joan Wagner gave the Institute of Industrial Engineers an identity on Facebook, one of the largest networking portals on the Web. Visit www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=26148220561&ref=nf to join other...

SHS conference prescribed ... keynoters, intensive workshops energized attendees.(KEEPING PACE WITH IIE)(Conference notes)
May 1, 2008... Keynote speakers Laura Adams, president and CEO of the Rhode Island Quality Institute, and Joseph Duhig, senior vice president of the Juran Institute and Juran Healthcare, roused professionals and students alike at February's Society for Health...

Work perfect: the day we strive for.(Santee Cooper Power)
May 1, 2008... Santee Cooper is a nonprofit electric and water utility serving more than 2 million South Carolinians. Our mission is to be the state's leading resource for improving the quality of life for the people of the state. We are focused on generating...