Industrial Engineer articles from November 2005

Industrial Engineer archives from November 2005

Mind over matter.(editor's desk)(Editorial)
November 1, 2005... It has been 100 years since Albert Einstein published his famous equation (a fact celebrated recently with a contrived but informative Nova presentation on PBS), an achievement that broke past the boundaries of science and engineering as far as...

Time is money.(Letter to the Editor)
November 1, 2005... My compliments and congratulations! I agree wholeheartedly with Kevin McManus' comments ("Back to Work," September), especially as an engineer and educator who frequently travels to European conferences and hence has occasion to see company...

Finding comparative data.(Mail)(Letter to the Editor)
November 1, 2005... To the IIE member who asked the question regarding product complaint metrics for pharmaceutical companies in the September issue (Ask the Expert): As Baldrige examiners, we need to review award applications that contain responses to...

Basic tools remain necessary.(Mail)(Letter to the Editor)
November 1, 2005... Bill Tolo's article is on the mark in that the newest techniques of change (i.e., lean, etc.) require good data to be effective ("21st-Century Stopwatch," July). All of the measurement tools such as time study and work sampling are necessary to...

Correction.(Correction Notice)
November 1, 2005... In the September Pick List section, the phone number and Web site for Munro & Associates' Design Profit software ("Virtual Design") should have been listed as (248) 269-0376 and www.leandesign.com. Our apologies for the error.

The RFID transformation: automotive, consumer goods, and transportation lead the way.(radio frequency identification )(Brief Article)
November 1, 2005... The automotive, consumer goods, and transportation industries will lead the way in implementing radio frequency identification technology solutions over the next year. Research commissioned by the Computing Technology Industry Association...

RFID saves baby.(Front Line)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2005... RFID technology supplier VeriChip Corp. claims its RFID infant protection system prevented the abduction of a baby at Presbyterian Hospital in Charlotte, N.C. On July 15, an alarm sounded when an infant was removed from the hospital...

Fatal injuries up: but total remains low overall.(Brief Article)
November 1, 2005... A total of 5,703 fatal work injuries were recorded in the United States in 2004, an increase of 2 percent from the 2003 total of 5,575. Despite the increase, 2004 had the third-lowest total since the annual fatality census compiled by the U.S....

Costly shortfall.(PRIME NUMBER)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2005... The looming shortfall of skilled labor in the United States will cost manufacturers $50 million. Source: Advanced Technology Services Inc. survey conducted by AC Nielsen

Camera ready.(Brief Article)
November 1, 2005... PAUL KNAPICK Corporate photographer BBL Construction Services Albany, N.Y. Graduation gifts often have a career-defining quality--something to prepare the graduate for his new life. When Paul Knapick received his industrial...

EDU briefs.(Brief Article)
November 1, 2005... North Carolina State University has accepted a $10 million gift from a former student and named its industrial engineering department in the alumni's honor. The Edward P. Fitts Department of Industrial Engineering joins industrial engineering...

Applying lean differently.(Freedom from Command and Control: Rethinking Management for Lean Service)(Brief Article)(Book Review)
November 1, 2005... John Seddon's Freedom from Command and Control: Rethinking Management for Lean Service shows how the Toyota Production System must be transformed for application in service organizations. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The book explains how...

Toyota ups plant investment: Texas facility to turn out 200,000 vehicles a year.(Front Line)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2005... Toyota Motor Manufacturing North America will invest an additional $50 million at its San Antonio, Texas, plant currently under construction. This will bring the total investment at the facility to $850 million and allow the plant to...

RFID hits the bottle: testing the toughest applications.(Front Line)(Connect Logistics Services )(Brief Article)
November 1, 2005... Connect Logistics Services is playing the part of guinea pig in a project testing radio frequency identification. Raymond Corp., Tibbett & Britten Americas, Icon Nicholson, and Econorack Group have partnered to use a Connect Logistics...

Beautifully secure.(Spider Boot)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2005... The Spider Boot, designed by GadShaananDesign, protects soldiers and civilians against land mines in difficult terrains. And it's a work of art. The boot is one of 300 contemporary products and prototypes featured in "Safe: Design Takes on...

Lean convergence.(Lean Management Solutions Conference)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2005... The Lean Management Solutions Conference, now in its fifth year, is IIE's answer to "What's new in lean?" With more than 60 presentations in tracks that include case studies, supply chain, quality and Six Sigma, retail, MRO, food...

Science live.(Brief Article)
November 1, 2005... News, news, and more news, all in the name of science. That's what you'll find at LiveScience (www.livescience.com). With a passel of headlines spanning subject areas that include technology, the animal world, human biology, the environment,...

Supply chain integration.(Brief Article)
November 1, 2005... "Our job is less about moving paperwork and more about moving knowledge. It is less about bending metal and more about integrating systems. It is about joint and integrated endeavors." --Department of Defense Under Secretary of Defense for...

Is your name on the door?
November 1, 2005... SOME PEOPLE GATHER A MEASURE OF self-esteem from seeing their name on an office door--or for being one of the select few even to have an office. Still others take such signs of status very seriously. Back when participative management was...

Planning for disaster.(management)
November 1, 2005... WE RECENTLY ASSESSED RISKS AND internal controls at a $200 million manufacturer. The most surprising result was the lack of a business continuity plan. Management believed that the company was prepared for the remote possibility of a disaster....

Credit and communication.
November 1, 2005... CREDITING PEOPLE WHO HAVE CON-tributed to success and communicating progress to everyone in the organization are critical to lean transformation success. Credit should be specific and public, not just a pat on the back. Giving "atta boys" to...

Design competitively.(member forum)
November 1, 2005... ALTHOUGH LEAN AND SIX SIGMA have been hailed as saviors of many companies, the potential effect they can have on U.S. manufacturing pales in comparison to what can be achieved by using product design concepts such as the long shadow of design...

Don't outsource the relationship: it's not someone else's job when your company's bottom line is at risk.
November 1, 2005... There is a lot of hype and emotion surrounding the topic of outsourcing. Every day, I see an article or column strongly in favor of outsourcing and almost as often an article or column strongly against outsourcing. The fact is that outsourcing...

Bard in charge: once more into the management breach? Take the lessons of Shakespeare with you.(Movers & Shakespeares leadership training)
November 1, 2005... When Marc Antony spoke at Caesar's funeral, the power of his words swayed the crowd, but it was the timing of his oratory that really won them over. By saving his appeal for last, Antony managed to stir up his friends, Romans, and countrymen...

Above the curve: Six Sigma learning begins at home.
November 1, 2005... "Why is the standard deviation so large?" That was the question I was confronted with on a recent consulting engagement to validate a client's manufacturing strategy. I had analyzed the client's order-to-delivery lead-times for a specific...

The new school: educators change tactics to train the best engineers.
November 1, 2005... American universities have long been the proving ground for the world's crop of engineers. But emboldened countries like China and India, hungry for engineers to power their expanding research sectors and economies onto the global marketplace,...

Research: executive summaries.
November 1, 2005... The November issue of IIE Transactions (Vol. 35, No. 11) focuses on quality and reliability topics. Two articles from that issue are highlighted here. The first is concerned with optimizing post-production inspection decisions in settings where...

Ask the Expert: answers to your technical questions.
November 1, 2005... Lean energy Q: What are the trade-offs between energy costs and lean manufacturing? A: Lean manufacturing is the holistic consideration of all issues related to manufacturing to eliminate waste. In terms of trade-offs, after...

The lean times: streamlining solutions are just around the corner.(FOCUS)
November 1, 2005... There's still time to secure a spot at the Lean Management Solutions Conference in Orlando, Fla. Highlights of the conference, to be held Dec. 4-8, include: * Pre-conference workshops on lean works in service administration and health...

Certificate with a click: IIE to offer online lean SCM certificate.(FOCUS)(Institute of Industrial Engineers)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2005... The Institute of Industrial Engineers has teamed with the Leading Edge Group to offer a lean supply chain certificate granted by IIE. The training program consists of nine lessons that provide participants with a comprehensive overview of...

Get Involved.(ASK IIE)(membership of Institute of Industrial Engineers)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2005... Q: How can I become more involved with IIE? A: IIE is a member-led organization. Members are elected, appointed, or volunteer for the various boards, councils, committees, and task forces that are responsible for providing leadership. ...

Blog all about it.(FOCUS)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2005... With the launch of IIE's Blog Space in September, industrial engineers worldwide were given new options for communicating with peers, voicing opinions, and showing off their technical expertise. Hosted at www.iienet.org/blog, IIE's Blog...

One for the road: regional vice president bids adieu.(Brief Article)
November 1, 2005... Vito Wasniewski's term as Region 4 vice president officially ended in May, but after some cajoling, he agreed to stay on board until September. But those summer months in the upper Midwest weren't exactly hard work, Wasniewski admits. "I...

Industry city: practitioners to be well-represented at Annual Conference.(FOCUS)
November 1, 2005... Scores of companies will take advantage of the broad range of industry solutions tracks, workshops, and networking opportunities offered at the 2006 IIE Annual Conference in Orlando, Fla., May 20-24. The event promises to have a high level...

Ali Allahverdi.(KUDOS)(awards)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2005... Kuwait University presented its Research Performance Award to Professor Ali Allahverdi, Ph.D. The award, which includes an $8,500 cash prize, recognizes outstanding significance and research output of a conducted project. Allahverdi holds...

Emma Fulton.(KUDOS)(achievements)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2005... Emma Fulton, an industrial and systems engineering major at Rochester Institute of Technology, led a team to first place in a national competition for environmentally friendly product design. The team received the U.S. Environmental Protection...

Thomas L. Landers.(KUDOS)(appointed as interim dean of the College of Engineering at the University of Oklahoma)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2005... Thomas L. Landers, Ph.D., became interim dean of the College of Engineering at the University of Oklahoma this summer. Landers has bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees in industrial engineering and is the Morris R. Pittman Professor and...

Paul Ray.(KUDOS)(promotions)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2005... Paul Ray, Ph.D., was promoted to full professor of industrial engineering at the University of Alabama. He has also recently been listed in the 59th edition of Who's Who in America and the eighth edition of Who's Who in Science and Engineering....

Michael Smith.(KUDOS)(appointed)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2005... Michael Smith, Ph.D., has been named the Duane H. and Dorothy M. Bluemke Professor of Engineering at the University of Wisconsin. The professorship is awarded to an instructor with demonstrated excellence in teaching. Smith has been named the...

Tote for a good cause.(Pick List)
November 1, 2005... RoadWired's new series of Skooba laptop bags come with pink trim details and lining. In addition to offering a fashion alternative, the bags will be featured in an ongoing charitable program that will donate 10 percent of sales to the Susan G....

Ethics on film.(Pick List)
November 1, 2005... The National Institute for Engineering Ethics, a division of the Murdough Center for Engineering Professionalism at Texas Tech University, has released the international edition of Incident at Morales, an Engineering Ethics Story in DVD format....

Pallet protector.(Pick List)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2005... Pallet Dawg by The Raymond Corp. is a pallet guard for all lift trucks with Class Two fork carriage. The guard directs a lift truck's impact force to the center stringer of the pallet instead of the top boards. This prevents damage to the first...

Free air conditioning.(Pick List)
November 1, 2005... Engineers hoping to control testing environments optimally can access the free Temperature and Temperature/Humidity Mapping Guide from Dickson Co. The guide provides step-by-step instructions on how to create and maintain effective facility...

Air supply.(Pick List)
November 1, 2005... The Fill-Air NTS table side packaging system inflates cushions for packing from a continuous clear roll of perforated film. The cushions are available in different sizes and reduce material and shipping costs without increasing the overall...

Label artist.(TechnoRiver Software)(SmartCodeStudio)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2005... TechnoRiver's SmartCodeStudio is a label design, bar code printing, and RFID encoding software suite. SmartCodeStudio offers a large and expandable label stock database. The stock database stores all the dimensions of different industry labels,...

Hands-on RFID.(Pick List)(Jett RFID+ - a handheld mobile computer)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2005... The Jett RFID+ is a handheld mobile computer that can read tag IDs, read and write data blocks, and authenticate and encrypt data to and from compatible tags. This allows secure storage of information on tags for privacy, which is required in a...

Time machine.(Pick List)(AccuStudy- Time analysis software from Interval Systems)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2005... AccuStudy is a computer-based time study tool that runs on handheld touch-screen computers that use the Microsoft Windows CE operating system. AccuStudy ensures accuracy by eliminating the need to look at a stopwatch. The system instantly...

Unbelievable research: how reliable are scientific discoveries?(Outliers)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2005... "There is increasing concern that in modern research, false findings may be the majority or even the vast majority of published research claims," according to researcher John Ioannidis writing in the medical journal PLoS Medicine. In his...

Dilbert[R].
November 1, 2005... I NEED THIS INFORMATION TODAY. PLUS A COMPLETE ANALYSIS OF THE ALTERNATIVES. CRINKLE CRINKLE STUFF THAT WASN'T NICE. IN TODAY'S LESSON, YOU LEARN THAT YOU'RE MY CO-WORKER, NOT MY BOSS. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] ...

Oddly creative.(Outliers)(schizotypal personalities)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2005... Social awkwardness might not be such a hindrance after all. In fact, being quirky may be the ticket to fame as a great inventor or artist. New research on people with schizotypal personalities--individuals characterized by odd behavior and...

Unrequited love.(Outliers)(Narcissism)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2005... People who think highly of themselves are unlikely to have co-workers who share that opinion. Conceited, vain, and self-absorbed employees tend to have an inflated estimation of their job skills. In reality, they are sub-par performers in...