Industrial Engineer articles from October 2006

Industrial Engineer archives from October 2006

Infinitely adaptable.(drivers new rules for parking lots at gyms with more speed bumps )(Column)
October 1, 2006... Now I know how my dog feels. For months, I have been penned in, discouraged from leaving my house due to rampant road construction. In every direction, traffic lanes have been transformed into deep swaths of earth, the asphalt seemingly rolled...

Go to Abilene.(RANTS AND RAVES)(Letter to the editor)
October 1, 2006... I received the August issue of Industrial Engineer and read about the Abilene Paradox and Groupthink in Editor's Desk by Jane Gaboury and "Have You Been to Abilene?" by Kevin McManus. There is a good message in both. I have been in many of the...

Get lean.(RANTS AND RAVES)(Letter to the editor)
October 1, 2006... Thank you and Betsi Ehrlich for the great article on lean service in the August issue of Industrial Engineer. I have been consulting in the service industry for many years, and I have always focused on helping my clients make better use of lean...

Six Sigma shortcomings.(RANTS AND RAVES)(Letter to the editor)
October 1, 2006... Hey guys, can you do Six Sigma a favor and highlight where it doesn't work? I agree it's fantastic for manufacturing. I work for a large bank where they seem to think you can apply Six Sigma to everything because management bought into it. They...

Serenading industry.(RANTS AND RAVES)(Letter to the editor)
October 1, 2006... Thanks for recognizing Joel Leonard for his songs that try to awaken us to the shortage of skilled maintenance people ("Sounds Like a Crisis," Front Line, August). Leonard is not, however, a "self-proclaimed 'maintenance evangelist.'" I...

Measure more, make more: frequent measurement is key to manufacturing performance.(Front Line)(Brief article)
October 1, 2006... Manufacturing performance correlates directly to frequency of measurement, yet 84 percent of manufacturers are still relying on spreadsheets and ad hoc performance monitoring, according to an Aberdeen Group research report. "The...

Leave nothing behind.(OUTLIER)(Sanford University School of Medicine's research of diagnostic tool using RFID sensors.)(Brief article)
October 1, 2006... A scanning device that detects surgical sponges tagged with radio frequency identification chips could help operating room personnel detect foreign objects that have been inadvertently left inside patients. A foreign object is left in...

Looking to supply chain management: manufacturers up their software investment.(Front Line)(Brief article)
October 1, 2006... Manufacturers in batch, process, and discrete industries continue to turn to supply chain management to support their business strategies. According to market analyst Datamonitor, supply chain management software revenues in the...

An engineering degree is good for you: technical education suits just about any job.(Front Line)(Brief article)
October 1, 2006... People who earn a bachelor's degree in science or engineering are served well by their education regardless of the job they do. According to a National Science Foundation survey, people who have earned a science or engineering bachelor's...

Making a mountain out of work allocation.(QUOTE, UNQUOTE)(Quotation)
October 1, 2006... "In an ant colony, there are thousands of workers, but nobody is in charge. There's no management, no consultants, no IT department. And yet they manage to allocate workers to tasks so that the overall organization supports the survival of the...

Business insurance sales.(UNCOMMON IE)
October 1, 2006... THE TASK AT HAND: "I'm an agent for Teachers Credit Union Insurance Agency, so I prospect, knock on doors of businesses to let them allow me to bring to the table the services that we provide for their business insurance: workers' comp,...

Six sigma for service environments.(BOOK OF THE MONTH)(Howard S. Gitlow, Ph.D., David M. Levine, Ph.D., and Edward A. Popovich, Ph.D.)(Brief article)(Book review)
October 1, 2006... Since the inception of Six Sigma in the mid-1980s, manufacturers worldwide have adopted the method and have seen substantial financial impact as a result. A new process related to this method has emerged called design for Six Sigma that is...

Engineering lags in grad diversity: still a paucity of women and minorities earning diplomas.(Front Line)(Brief article)
October 1, 2006... Two reports issued by Engineers Dedicated to a Better Tomorrow identify engineering, physics, mathematics, and computer science as academic fields lagging in achieving gender and racial diversity in their graduating baccalaureate classes. ...

Marriage of equals.(MUST-DO EVENT)
October 1, 2006... Two widely acknowledged elements of contemporary corporate success are lean applications and quality processes. Together, the tactics behind these methods create powerful enhancement opportunities. For the first time, IIE and the ASQ...

It's good for business.(SITE TO SEE)(www.fastcompany.com)(Website overview)
October 1, 2006... Fast Company is a magazine for hip business types of all ages. A trip to its online home (www.fastcompany.com) uncovers a trove of fascinating material, including feature articles on a startup nanofactory in Buffalo, N.Y., disaster planning at...

Dilbert.(Cartoon)
October 1, 2006... www.dilbert.com scottadams@aol.com [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] 9-16-05 [c] 2005 Scott Adams, Inc./Dist. by UFS, Inc. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [c] Scott Adams/Dist. by United Feature Syndicate, Inc.. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Funding for young researchers: BMW offers innovation prize to academics worldwide.(Front Line)
October 1, 2006... The BMW Group is inviting young academics from all over the world to submit entries for its Scientific Award 2007. Prizes worth a total of 70,000 euros will be awarded to authors of outstanding bachelor's, master's, and doctoral theses,...

Exceeding lean expectations.(PRIME NUMBER)(Survey)(Brief article)
October 1, 2006... A benchmark study by the Aberdeen Group reveals that 75% of best-in-class lean companies are meeting or exceeding their lean program expectations for reduced inventory and assets, manufacturing and design cost reductions, improved manufacturing...

Choosing what to live with.(performance)
October 1, 2006... ONE OF MY BIGGEST CAREER lessons as a front-line leader was understanding the impact that tolerating poor performance can have. Most organizations are guilty of tolerating poor performance at all levels. This problem is magnified if an...

Inventory cost-cutters.(management)
October 1, 2006... INVENTORY VALUATION and standard costing are two of the most vexing problems for management. A client recently requested assistance concerning the transfer of inventory between plants. This company operates about 20 manufacturing locations...

Forecasting success with precision.(supply chain)(Interview)
October 1, 2006... I'M GOING TO MAKE A HIGHLY accurate prediction. In fact, before the end of the year, I'll make several--and so will the people who work in my department. Some people prefer to call these predictions by their more official name, supply...

Maintenance gets lean: synergies for step change.(Cover story)
October 1, 2006... IN TODAY'S competitive environment, business sustainability requires manufacturers to capitalize on every possible advantage. Companies often pursue lean manufacturing as a means for gaining competitive advantage. Similarly, numerous firms...

Form, function, and savvy technology: modular design supports award-winning pharma facility.(International Society for Pharmaceutical Engineering)(Baxter BioPharma Solutions)
October 1, 2006... Once slated to be the home of Columbia Records & Tapes, the stately facility in the heart of Bloomington, Ind., actually represents a groundbreaking creation in pharmaceutical manufacturing. The result of 3-D modular design and advanced...

On the air: St. Louis-based Arizon inflating structures around the world.
October 1, 2006... SINCE THE FIRST TIME A ROOF WAS BUILT OVER PEOPLE'S heads, architecture has undergone many an experimental evolution. Civilization has seen pyramids, coliseums, skyscrapers, and other structural creations. Aside from shelter, such structures...

Message of quality: rethinking marketing in Six Sigma organizations.
October 1, 2006... SIX SIGMA PRINCIPLES PRESCRIBE AN ORGANIZATION-wide set of processes, standards, and motivations to improve performance and creative efficiencies while decreasing defects and reducing variability. These principles have been adopted very...

Warehouse design eliminates slim pickings: alternative configuration shortens response time.
October 1, 2006... Push the shopping cart with your mouse and click to purchase. Thumb through the Sharper Image catalogue and sign off on the generic credit card slip. Holiday shopping has never been easier. That is if everything arrives on time. Now figure in...

Lean improves logistics, distribution.(SOLUTIONS IN PRACTICE)(Poli-Film America Inc.)
October 1, 2006... It is in Hampshire, Ill., where Gary Mooney plays ringleader. He's the materials manager for Poli-Film America Inc., a division of a German-owned company. Poli-Film manufactures protective masking that prevents abrasion and staining of exposed...

Research.
October 1, 2006... The October issue of IIE Transactions (Vol. 38, No. 10) focuses on design and manufacturing. Below are summaries of two articles from that issue. The first focuses on how to schedule customer orders on flexible manufacturing systems. The second...

Cost of quality.(ANSWERS TO YOUR TECHNICAL QUESTIONS)
October 1, 2006... Q: What is the most common percent used when allocating a portion of total cost for quality failures? A: Generally speaking, when an organization implements a cost of quality process it does not allocate amounts to any of the categories;...

Where to begin.(ANSWERS TO YOUR TECHNICAL QUESTIONS)
October 1, 2006... Q: I am a recent graduate and I've started working for a medium-size manufacturer. The company has asked me to take a look at the current processes in its plant to see where improvements can be made. Being the only industrial engineer with not...

Simulating SKU picking.(ANSWERS TO YOUR TECHNICAL QUESTIONS)
October 1, 2006... Q: I was thinking of using simulation to improve the slotting of my SKUs for picking. Can you suggest a program that will allow me to slot SKUs based on velocity, forecast, weight, and other factors? A: Simulation would be an excellent...

Corporate training gets thumbs up: Institute boasts opportunities for businesses to gain professional edge.(KEEPING PACE WITH IIE)
October 1, 2006... The Institute of Industrial Engineers is known for its devotion to the advancement of and education about industrial engineering to professionals and students alike. Businesses can also benefit from IIE's ability to raise the level of...

Bingguang Li.(KUDOS CELEBRATING MEMBER ACHIEVEMENTS)(Brief article)
October 1, 2006... Bingguang Li, Ph.D., an assistant professor of supply chain management and quantitative methods at Harry F. Byrd Jr. School of Business, Shenandoah University in Winchester, Va., was recognized as an APICS Certified Fellow in Production and...

Elinor Pape.(KUDOS CELEBRATING MEMBER ACHIEVEMENTS)(member of the Texas Silver-Haired Legislature)(Brief article)
October 1, 2006... Elinor Pape was sworn in as a member of the Texas Silver-Haired Legislature by Texas Secretary of State Roger Williams. The group is an all-volunteer advocacy for seniors in Texas and makes recommendations to the Texas Legislature. Pape is a...

Tim Schroeder.(KUDOS CELEBRATING MEMBER ACHIEVEMENTS)(senior vice president and general manager at PML Microbiologicals )(Brief article)
October 1, 2006... Tim Schroeder was named senior vice president and general manager of PML Microbiologicals in Wilsonville, Ore. He has been with the company for 10 years. PML, a manufacturer of medical devices, is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Pelican Life...

Bevlee A. Watford.(KUDOS CELEBRATING MEMBER ACHIEVEMENTS)(Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University)(Brief article)
October 1, 2006... Bevlee A. Watford, Ph.D, was inducted into the Academy of Distinguished Alumni by the Grado Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering at Virginia Tech. Watford received her bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees from Virginia Tech....

Big easy welcomes SHS conference: health care professionals descend on New Orleans.(KEEPING PACE WITH IIE)(Conference notes)
October 1, 2006... More than 260 health care professionals will help bring life back to the Crescent City when the Society for Health Systems holds its 19th annual conference in New Orleans Feb. 23-24, 2007, at the New Orleans Convention & Visitors Bureau. The...

Jones awarded chapter scholarship.(KEEPING PACE WITH IIE)(Devan Jones, industrial engineer at Morgan State University)(Brief article)
October 1, 2006... Larry Donahue (left), president of IIE's Central Connecticut Chapter, congratulates scholarship winner Devan Jones. Jones, who attends Morgan State University, submitted the winning essay on how he plans to apply his technical education...

Honoring open-door education: Texas A & M professor earns 2006 Holzman award.(KEEPING PACE WITH IIE)
October 1, 2006... Guy Curry, Ph.D., P.E., received the 2006 Albert G. Holzman Distinguished Educator Award in May at the HE Annual Conference in Orlando. A professor of industrial engineering and director of the department of industrial and systems engineering...

Efficiency boosters.(WHAT ENGINEERS WANT)(Advanced Input Devices Inc.)(Ultriva)(Minitab Inc.)
October 1, 2006... Work measurement studies can be easily performed on handheld computers using Laubrass' UmtPlus. This software package helps optimize resources, minimize waste, and increase productivity. Data is more accurate and statistics are available...