Industrial Engineer articles from November 2007

Industrial Engineer archives from November 2007

On board with balance.(editor's desk)(Viewpoint essay)
November 1, 2007... Crouched atop a short board bouncing on the eternally rushing wave of the surfing simulator, I held the hands of my instructor, whose feet were planted on a firm surface. Confidence flowed through me. I have good balance, and this fact gave me...

Special but questionable.(RANTS AND RAVES)(Letter to the editor)
November 1, 2007... The article "A World Gone Green" (September) prompted me to write. In the introductory remarks, the author claims that the industrial revolution began in the United States during the 20th century. In fact, it was a period in the late 18th and...

Warming, cooling natural.(RANTS AND RAVES)(Letter to the editor)
November 1, 2007... In response to "A World Gone Green," I offer opposing observations and comments. Richard S. Lindzen, Ph.D., Alfred P. Sloan Professor of Atmospheric Sciences at MIT and former lead author of the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change...

Simplification effects not so simple: increasing efficiency may reduce productivity in the long run.(Front Line)
November 1, 2007... One new study indicates that various efforts to increase efficiency by simplifying workers' job responsibilities may in fact be leading to lower employee job satisfaction and productivity over time. "In a globally competitive marketplace,...

Better ABC.(BOOK OF THE MONTH)(activity-based costing)(Brief article)
November 1, 2007... Textbook activity-based costing appears straightforward--a great way to manage a company's resources. But many executives who have tried to implement ABC on a large scale have found the approach limiting and frustrating. A new book by...

Travel ace.(UNCOMMON IE)(Occupation overview)
November 1, 2007... THE TASK AT HAND: Tammy Troilo-Krings hasn't practiced industrial engineering since she worked on B-1 bomber and space shuttle projects for Rockwell in the 1980s, but you wouldn't know it to hear her describe the techniques that make her travel...

Tracking the elusive shipping container: tag the size of a card deck keeps tabs.(Front Line)
November 1, 2007... At any given time, there are some 40,000 large cargo ships plying the world's waterways and oceans, not to mention innumerable smaller merchant craft, all pulling in and out of ports, loading, unloading, changing out crews and cargos, and...

Lean rules.(PRIME NUMBER)(Brief article)
November 1, 2007... Lean shows no signs of slowing as a favored improvement method. Nearly one in four U.S. manufacturing plants--39 percent--are following a lean manufacturing improvement plan, with an additional 12 percent using a combination of lean and Six...

YouTube for the science savvy.(SITE TO SEE)(YouTube Inc.)(Brief article)
November 1, 2007... Mash up science with You Tube and what do you get? "SciVees"--video and podcasts that supplement traditional peer-reviewed articles. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The Internet source of these transmissions, SciVee (www.scivee.tv) launched...

Dilbert.(Cartoon)
November 1, 2007... www.dilbert.com scottadams@aol.com [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] 06-1-06 [c] 2006 Scott Adams, Inc./by UFS, Inc. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [c] Scott Adams/Dist. by United Feature Syndicate, Inc. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

More for less.(QUOTE, UNQUOTE)
November 1, 2007... "The form of energy efficiency that appeals greatly to me is the idea of efficiency of construction. I have always admired getting the same results with fewer parts or procedures. That's a win for everyone. I used that concept in my design...

Logistics chair endowed at Clemson: business, industry, government, and academic partnership at work.(Front Line)
November 1, 2007... Armed with a $2 million award from the South Carolina Centers of Economic Excellence and a matching gift of $2 million from the Fluor Corp., Clemson University has created the Fluor Endowed Chair of Supply Chain and Logistics at Clemson within...

A less resistant path.(performance)(Viewpoint essay)
November 1, 2007... I EXERCISE AT MY LOCAL YMCA, AND OVER the past month, I have observed a significant case in change adaptation. The weightlifting equipment had become a bit aged, so 16 pieces of new equipment--essentially all of the major machines in that part...

Who's steering the ship?(management)
November 1, 2007... THE PERENNIAL DILEMMA MOST ORGANIZAtions face when installing an enterprise resource planning system is the decision to configure the software to support current business processes or to re-engineer the processes to conform to the software. ...

Faltering lean.(manufacturing)
November 1, 2007... THE UNITED STATES SEEMS TO BE THE global hotbed of lean. That is to be expected since the lean movement spilled forth from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's $5 million, five-year study on the future of the automobile, becoming the...

The quality of quality control.(member forum)(Food and Drug Administration to increase the security of medication supply chain )
November 1, 2007... THE U.S. FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRAtion is trying to increase the security of the medication supply chain by decreasing medication error, counterfeit drugs, and the threat of terrorist sabotage. To combat medication errors in hospitals, the FDA...

A taste for perfection: Utah's single alcoholic beverage DC swallows old processes.(Cover story)
November 1, 2007... Signs of the holiday season can usually be found where epicureans are breaking bread or clinking glasses. It's hard to tell whether you'll see more mugs or stemware between now and the start of 2008 since the number of sips may be a tie between...

Enabling imagination: implementing Six Sigma, innovation requires plenty of give-and-take.(Company overview)
November 1, 2007... Children are often astonished when they see a yo-yo in action for the first time. But they can also find it frustrating when they play with one, not knowing how to control it with just one end of the string wrapped around a finger. They...

Project management by the numbers: how earned value analysis can keep you on track.
November 1, 2007... You look at the cost sheets for the project you are managing, and you see that expenditures are 20 percent below what you expected them to be by now. Is that good news or bad? It could be good news: Maybe you have accomplished the work you...

Operated by enlightenment: RIT students team up with visually impaired workers to ensure safety.(Rochester Institute of Technology)
November 1, 2007... Proper application of environmental health and safety can assist companies in reducing regulatory costs and workers' compensation claims while enhancing overall productivity and efficiency. Still, many employers are unclear about regulatory...

Big visions: project management on a global scale.
November 1, 2007... Recently, a search for a global projects manager found me re-evaluating the requirements for that position. I started by revisiting my own general rules-of-thumb for project management: [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] ...

A healthy dose of kaizen.(SOLUTIONS IN PRACTICE)(Arche Wellness)
November 1, 2007... To Erin McClelland, tradition is just no good. The executive director of an alcohol and drug rehabilitation center just outside of Pittsburgh, McClelland doesn't believe in traditional methods often used to keep addicts clean and sober....

Research.(industrial location and business logistics must be in convenience to customers)
November 1, 2007... Designing and managing manufacturing and service businesses with multiple locations is a formidable task. This month, two articles are described that are concerned with these issues. The first addresses the problem of choosing the number and...

Intern dilemma.(ANSWERS TO YOUR TECHNICAL QUESTIONS)(managing employees and increasing productivity)
November 1, 2007... Q: I am working approximately 10 hours a week as an industrial engineering intern and have been asked to document detailed work instructions for a particular product. Some workers do not know the names of the parts they work with or the serial...

Construction IE.(ANSWERS TO YOUR TECHNICAL QUESTIONS)(using sustainable construction while venturing in construction industry)
November 1, 2007... Q: I have recently decided to venture into the construction industry as my next job search begins. My father has been in construction management his entire life, which is what sparked my interest. I currently work at an aerospace/defense...

What's utilization?(ANSWERS TO YOUR TECHNICAL QUESTIONS)(differnce between utilization and optimization)(Brief article)
November 1, 2007... Q: What is the difference between utilization and optimization? A: Utilization: The proportion of the systems resources used by the traffic that arrives at it. Optimization: The procedure or procedures used to make a system or design...

Managing VSM.(ANSWERS TO YOUR TECHNICAL QUESTIONS)(value stream mapping)
November 1, 2007... Q: I am new to value stream mapping. How do I manage machine centers that are members of several value streams? Our primary business is custom metal fabrication, so our cell layouts can't necessarily be built around one value stream because...

A door to Latin America: Mexico office is next step in expanding international relations.(KEEPING PACE WITH IIE)(Institute of Industrial Engineers opened a new international office in Latin America)
November 1, 2007... Officials with the Institute of Industrial Engineers believe now is the best time to go south of the border. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Hundreds of people gathered to celebrate the grand opening of the IIE Latin America office in...

Ergo gathering in Orlando 'works': conference, Expo to include facility tours, annual contest.(KEEPING PACE WITH IIE)(2008 Applied Ergonomics Conference and Expo)(Conference news)
November 1, 2007... Speakers, site tours, and competition lead the list of ergonomic-related activities taking place in Florida next March. The 2008 Applied Ergonomics Conference and Expo is set for March 10-13 at the Rosen Centre Hotel in Orlando, Fla....

Know the travel rules: visas, passports a must to attend annual event.(KEEPING PACE WITH IIE)(Institute of Industrial Engineers annual event attendies under regulation)(Conference news)(Brief article)
November 1, 2007... The IIE Annual Conference and Expo 2008 is a five-day industrial engineering extravaganza of education, awards, and networking set to take place next spring in Vancouver, British Columbia. But if you're traveling to Canada from another country,...

Work perfect: the day we strive for.(interview of Tim McGlothlin executive Director of The Ergonomics Center of North Carolina )(Interview)
November 1, 2007... We travel the world doing consulting work for clients to try to identify ergonomic issues and do training workshops. And we do research, too. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] I have a fairly large responsibility for marketing and promoting the...