Industrial Engineer articles from September 2008

Industrial Engineer archives from September 2008

Sweet rewards.(Hasbro Inc.)(Editorial)
September 1, 2008... Even after more than half a century of electronic games, action figure families, doll families and grown-up board games, Hasbro's Candy Land remains popular. The design of this colorful game has been modified to keep up with the times (today's...

Left out of NAFTA.(RANTS AND RAVES)(Letter to the editor)
September 1, 2008... As a former Ohio resident and a person who has lost two industrial engineering jobs to NAFTA, I am writing in to rectify some serious flaws and misconceptions about NAFTA recently expressed in the article, "An IE'S Guide to NAFTA" (July). I am...

Sustainable writing.(RANTS AND RAVES)(Letter to the editor)
September 1, 2008... I wanted to thank you for the informative article about our business (Case Study, July). The article was accurate and professional, and I appreciate the time you spent and the exposure you gave to Regional Computer Recycling and Recovery. ...

Crediting the profession.(RANTS AND RAVES)(Letter to the editor)
September 1, 2008... The article, "Olympian Logistics," (June) is great. Most people I know from China's auto industry do not know what industrial engineers are for besides time study, line balance and layout design. However, some of them are doing an industrial...

Mississippi's double win: Toyota brings manufacturing and classrooms.(NEWS, TRENDS & TACTICS)(Toyota Motor Corp.)
September 1, 2008... When it was announced that Blue Springs, Miss., would be the next manufacturing site for Toyota Motor Corp., Gov. Haley Barbour called the acquisition a "grand slam home run." Priced at $1.3 billion for construction, the plant is expected to...

Protecting persuasion: panel rejects ban on medical device sales tactic.(News, TRENDS & TACTICS)(Brief article)
September 1, 2008... Cost control and quality control experts representing patient advocacy groups squared off with the Joint Committee on Health Care Financing over a proposed ban in Massachusetts on medical device and pharmaceutical companies providing gifts and...

No place like home: transport, material costs restore manufacturing jobs.(NEWS, TRENDS & TACTICS)
September 1, 2008... Depending on the manufacturer you ask and how long the drive, rail route or flight is, the reason for returning a product line's assembly to its original maker varies. But the outcome is the same: fuel prices and raw material costs are...

Slips, trips research earns star: Liberty Mutual Award goes to French ergonomists.(Front Line)(National Research and Safety Institute)(Brief article)
September 1, 2008... Honoring human factors research contributions as diverse as driver attitudes and performance, age-related gait changes and motion analysis and the long-term consequences of sleep deprivation, the Liberty Mutual Award has brought credibility to...

More employers battle bulge: managers ready to lead weight management.(front line)(Survey)
September 1, 2008... Forget Weight Watchers and Curves. The workplace may be the next trendy spot in fitness and group support. Various employer-sponsored programs have flourished in Japan, Australia, New Zealand and Switzerland. Large companies in the United...

Pleased to meet.(SITE TO SEE)(Brief article)
September 1, 2008... EffectiveMeetings.com responds to the question, Why do we still meet?, by offering so many enjoyable tips on conducting productive meetings that you may be tempted to call one today. Whether meeting abroad, over the phone, in the conference...

Menu controller.(UNCOMMON IE)(Brief article)
September 1, 2008... THE TASK AT HAND: Research International states that more than half of the population eats fast food at least once a week. This statistic alone keeps David Feng in the quick-service restaurant business as a menu controller in Shanghai, China....

Edible waste.(PRIME NUMBER)(Brief article)
September 1, 2008... Every time a to-go container is left at a restaurant, the pile of food discards grows. This year, approximately 10 million tons of food items will be wasted; that's one-quarter of all food produced in the United States, according to the U.S....

Dilbert.(Cartoon)
September 1, 2008... THE COMPANY DECIDED TO INVEST A BILLION DOLLARS BASED ON YOUR STUPID, MADE-UP NUMBERS. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] YOU'VE CRUSHED MY DREAMS OF A BETTER TOMORROW. NOW MY LIFE IS A COLD, WET SLIDE TO OBLIVION. I FINALLY MADE A DIFFERENCE...

A passage to India.(BOOK OF THE MONTH)(Brief article)
September 1, 2008... Coupled with a diverse population that's suited for global business acumen across industry, having the largest youth population in the world has helped India collect steady foreign investment. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] As Rafiq Dossani...

Shifting your cost perspective.(performance)
September 1, 2008... I CAN'T GET AS EXCITED ABOUT THE seemingly high price of gasoline as the news media is. Part of my perceptual difference on this popular and concerning news topic is due to the fact that I often work in other countries where the price per...

Scaling inefficient processes.(management)(sales management)
September 1, 2008... HOW MANY ANGELS CAN FIT ON THE head of a pin? Many executives are baffled by their inability to grow their operations to support sales increases. The companies experience steady increases in revenue until they reach a plateau and can't seem...

Pretty is as pretty does.(human factors)(product design)
September 1, 2008... ONE OF THE UNIVERSAL CULTURAL traits is the worship of physical beauty. If you're pretty or handsome, you can get away with a lot of things that would cause less good-looking people to be roundly criticized. I'm not saying it's right. I'm just...

Remembering VSM.(member forum)(value stream mapping)(Column)
September 1, 2008... MANY OF US HAVE USED OR AT LEAST been exposed to value stream mapping (VSM). The Shingo Research Prize-winning book, Learning to See, by Mike Rother and John Shook provides a solid foundation for the concept. The book also teaches how to use...

The strategy behind organizational change is elusive but mandatory.(Unmasking Transformation)(International Business Machines Corp.)(Company overview)
September 1, 2008... A BOARD SET OF BUSINESSES HAVE STRIVED TO ACHIEVE what IBM accomplished in the 1990s. When IBM added the Global Business Services division to its brand, the company engaged in a level of organizational transformation that had no contemporary...

The loop: sustainability underscores university's yo-yo manufacturing project.(NOURISHING)
September 1, 2008... THANK GOODNESS FOR RAW WILDCAT BLUE! For more than a decade, R.J. Robinson looked at a growing pile of large and small plastic collected from past projects with no new purpose. Robinson, the rapid prototyping manager with the Technical...

Energy requirements planning must drive future product development.(NEW POWER GENERATION)
September 1, 2008... ENERGY IS THE LIFEBLOOD OF commerce, industry, services--essentially all that we do, so we cannot afford to be lackadaisical about energy issues. Energy consciousness and awareness have heightened dramatically in recent times due to price...

Building an error-prevention culture.(SAFETY for PROFIT)(organizational change)
September 1, 2008... IN A WORLD OF COMPLEX GOVERNMENT REGULATIONS and global risks, there is no room for error. Organizations must anticipate and rapidly respond to legislation, industry regulations and public interest groups on issues of health, safety, security...

The great debate: is the Institute ready for a name change?(Institute of Industrial Engineers)(Organization overview)
September 1, 2008... IN 1981, OUR ASSOCIATION WENT FROM BEING THE American Institute of Industrial Engineers to being the Institute of Industrial Engineers. Throughout the years, IIE's member magazine has gone through a few name changes, the most recent in 2003...

Shedding wings.(SOLUTIONS IN PRACTICE)(Cessna Aircraft Co. in the plant relocation)
September 1, 2008... All the dread about travel fees and fuel efficiency in the dawn of price increases has caused some to forget the positive characteristics of the airline industry. For instance, despite the cost, getting to another country in just hours...

Research.(health care costs affecting health care services)
September 1, 2008... As health care costs continue to escalate, industrial engineers are actively seeking ways to provide better health care outcomes at lower costs. This month, we highlight two articles that appear in a special issue of IIE Transactions centered...

Ask the expert: answers to your technical questions.
September 1, 2008... Finding standard time Q: There has been discussion recently at my work about whether to use work factor or standard time to do a line balance (standard time = work factor + allowance). In the past, we have always balanced our line using...

Car cosmetics.(INNOVATIVE TOOLS OF THE TRADE)(X-Rite Inc's latest innovation)
September 1, 2008... In the dwindling automotive industry, automakers have turned to progressive parts suppliers and packaging companies to heighten product appeal. This summer marked the debut release of X-Rite Inc's latest innovation in color measurement,...

A life of improvements: Gilbreth Award Recipient reflects on the trajectory of industrial engineering.(KEEPING PACE WITH IIE)(Marlin Thomas received Frank and Lillian Gilbreth Award)
September 1, 2008... Marlin Thomas, dean of the Graduate School of Engineering and Management at the Air Force Institute of Technology, has witnessed vast changes to the profession he's been affiliated with since the 1960s. Thomas welcomes industrial engineering's...

Lessons in perfection: Operational Excellence Conference & Expo adds tracks, special events.(Conference news)
September 1, 2008... Ever go to a conference and aim to get motivated, be inspired and leave equipped with more than business cards and bags of novelty items you won't use? Of course you have, and the organizers of the 2008 Operational Excellence Conference & Expo...

Prime selection: IIE'S scholarship fund trustee board announces winners.(focus)(Oklahoma State University)(Northwestern University )(University of Arkansas)(Brief article)
September 1, 2008... The following scholarships have been awarded for the 2008-2009 academic year: [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] A.O. Putnam Memorial Scholarship Thomas Hong, Oklahoma State University C.B. Gambrell Undergraduate Scholarship David...

Joining ranks: New Faces of Engineering search begins.(focus)
September 1, 2008... The competition is fierce, but the rewards are fabulous. New Faces of Engineering promotes the accomplishments of young engineers by highlighting their engineering contributions and the resulting impact on society. Nominations for the 2009...

What time is it? Calendar indicates nomination season.(focus)(Institute of Industrial Engineers)(Brief article)
September 1, 2008... IIE wants to hear from you! Recognizing achievements in education, leadership, research, service and student excellence is an annual tradition and a credit to the profession of industrial engineering. High achievers are sought for more than 25...

The day we strive for.(Work Perfect)(Litho-Krome Company Inc.)
September 1, 2008... Litho-Krome Co. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Hallmark Cards. We have three primary businesses: Hallmark lithography, speed-to-market greeting card converting and fine art reproduction. Our vision is to be the print center of excellence,...