Monday, March 31, 2008

Records Management

A pioneer of scientific management and organizational efficiency, one who considered effective records systems as one of the twelve most important management efficiency principles, was Harrington Emerson (1853-1931).

Almost as well known as Taylor, Gantt, and the Gilbreths, Emerson was an engineering consultant for U.S. railroads who found that a sense of effective organization was often lacking in business enterprise and that there was a need to eliminate wastes in time, material, and labor.

His Twelve Principles of Efficiency (New York: The Engineering Magazine, 1912), a book which ran through six editions, was the first management publication to spell out a conceptual foundation for the importance of records in the business environment.

Emerson's principles included clearly defined goals, organizational effectiveness, and standardized control functions.

His Sixth Principle specifically enunciated the importance of "Reliable, Immediate, and Adequate Records." While he did not spell out the specifics of managing records as a resource, Emerson spoke to the nature and problems of adequate records. Some of his remarks have a strangely modern resonance:

In the same decade that Harrington Emerson's Principles appeared, some managers were going even further in applying the gospel of system and scientific management to records. For example, in his book The American Office (1913), J. William Schulze proposed that "records systems" were one of the three fundamental functions of all offices. The others he called "management" (i.e., human resources administration and budgeting) and "organization" (i.e., facilities, equipment, and telecommunications).(17) In addition to a lengthy section on files, filing systems, good recordkeeping practices, what records to keep and their formats, Schulze addressed issues such as disposition of 'useless" records, avoiding unneeded new records series, and the folly of making unnecessary copies of records for dubious legal needs.

Read for more information
Who put the "management" in records management?
ARMA Records Management Quarterly, Oct 1995 by Pemberton, J Michael

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3691/is_199510/ai_n8722267/pg_1

Thursday, March 27, 2008

Best Practices in Lean Six Sigma Process Improvement

Best Practices in Lean Six Sigma Process Improvement (Hardcover)
by Richard J. Schonberger (Author)

Book Description
Best Practices in Lean Six Sigma Process Improvement reveals how to refocus lean/six sigma processes on what author Richard Schonberger—world-renowned process improvement pioneer—calls "the Golden Goals": better quality, quicker response, greater flexibility, and higher value. This manual shows you how it can be done, employing success stories of over 100 companies including Apple, Illinois Tool Works, Dell, Inc., and Wal-Mart, all of which have established themselves as the new, global "Kings of Lean," surpassing even Toyota in long-term improvement.

From the Inside Flap

Best Practices in Lean Six Sigma Process ImprovementA Deeper Look

Among the most effective and robust improvement methodologies in the business world today, lean and six sigma offer sharp managers invaluable strategies and methods for achieving corporate goals. But the concepts behind lean six sigma, by now well-known, have proven highly susceptible to cherry-picking and avoiding difficult but higher-payoff elements.

Best Practices in Lean Six Sigma Process Improvement takes A Deeper Look at this high-potential science of success. Pitfalls and hidden opportunities are explained in simple terms that can help managers steer their companies' process improvement efforts toward sustained advantage in this era of global hypercompetition. Written by world-renowned best-practices pioneer Richard Schonberger, this eye-opening guide reveals invaluable benchmark data and guidance, prominently including long-term "leanness" data for over 1400 companies in thirty-six countries across thirty-three industrial sectors.

This broadly and deeply researched book provides the big picture and the details on what your corporation needs to succeed, including:

Proven pathways to lean in addition to those of the well-known "lean core"

How to re-energize the continuous, everyone-involved side of process improvement—as a potent complement to six sigma-based projects

Designs for plants, production flow, and jobs that maximize human involvement in best practice methodologies

What manufacturers should be learning from retailers and distributors about managing the supply pipelines

Making process data primal and numeric goal setting secondary as driving forces for improvement

Large numbers of graphs contrasting strong and weak performance of many well-known companies

Unique business models that some of the world's most innovative companies are using effectively to achieve customer-centric results even as they reach out globally

Addressing the question of why most lean/six sigma and other performance management initiatives undertaken by companies fall short of expectations, this indispensable book shows that sustained improvements in performance must focus on the customer, reducible to intentional dedication to continuously improving quality, response time, flexibility, and value.

Product Details

Hardcover: 304 pages
Publisher: Wiley (December 4, 2007)

Industrial Engineering (IE) Consultant - Operations Concepts

"Meeting Industry Demands with Effective
and Efficient Solutions for the Future"


Operations Concepts Inc. (OCI) is the world’s leading independent and objective Industrial Engineering, Operations & Logistics Management, Project Management and Systems Integration consulting organization. OCI’s professional staff provides proven, reliable, results driven and performance-based professional services to clients in manufacturing, warehousing and distribution, and service industries worldwide.

Our focus and expertise in industrial engineering and operations consulting ranges from advanced manufacturing and packaging line designs, and global supply chain network designs and implementations, to pilot process designs for introduction and distribution of the newest alternative energy, life sciences and nanotechnology products. Our ability to teach, integrate and implement Lean and Green engineering methods and practices will positively benefit you and your organization.


Services
Productivity Engineering & Lean Engineering
Operations Improvements & Justification Analysis
Automation Solutions & Material Handling Systems
Auto ID / Bar Coding / RFID Solutions
Manufacturing & Packaging Facilities Planning & Integration
Warehouse & Distribution Facilities Planning & Integration
Supply Chain & Operations Business Systems Consulting
Project Management & Systems Integration Services


http://www.operationsconcepts.com/

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

Modern IE Equipment and Software

Software for workmeasurement

www.quetech.com


Intuitive work measurement software

www.laubrass.com

Simulation software and services, advanced planning and scheduling software and services

www.pmcorp.com

Six Sigma Checklist - Stat package

www.statgraphics.com

Magnatag Visible systems 365 day attedance monitor for scheduling

www.magnatag.com


Employee time and labor management system

www.unitime.com

lean system training kit
www.visionaryproducts.biz

Logitech MX Revolution mouse lets users fly through long documents
www.logitech.com

5S solution package
www.enna.com

Process mapping tool
www.worksimp.com

Distribution Center benchmark measures 2006
www.werc.org

Book: Rules of Thumb for Distribution/Warehosue facilities design
www.naiop.org

Process simulation software
www.flexsim.com

Simulation software
www.simulationsoftware.com

Statistical software
www.minitab.com


Removable paint for 5S and lean manufacturing implementation
www.mobile-colors.com

Ergonomically designed tools to minimize operator injuries and increase productivity
www.honsatools.com

Core cutting automation
www.appletonmfg.com

For moving rolls battery powered movers
www.appletonmfg.com

Kinesis Freestyle keyboard - Winner of National Ergonomic Conference and Exposition Attendees award
www.kinesis-ergo.com

Headset that allow people talk from a distance of 300 feet
www.ergonomicconnection.com

Ergonomic chairs
www.ergogenesis.com

Ergopak Portable analysis kit
www.hogganhealth.com

Monday, March 17, 2008

Google Books on Industrial Engineering

Efficiency is the focus of industrial engineering. Human work efficiency improvement is a major objective. Simultaneously system efficiency improvement is also the concern of industrial engineers. As a division of labor idea, we can say industrial engineers take as input effective system designs and improve the efficiency of those systems applying industrial engineering principles and methods.





1. Industrial Engineering by M I Khan

http://books.google.co.in/books?id=eqfOEDSmcc8C&printsec=frontcover&dq=industrial+engineering&sig=foczV_2fMHHyV27mBA8ym8Gyr6M


2.Maynard's Industrial Engineering Handbook By Kjell B. Zandin, Harold Bright Maynard

http://books.google.co.in/books?id=ba6Cduv_ewcC&printsec=frontcover&dq=industrial+engineering&sig=W5TLI-71WX6_Jo1Pfs0v8WJdMlM

3. Handbook of Industrial Engineering: Technology and Operations Management By Gavriel Salvendy
http://books.google.co.in/books?id=sjY3IZ9Unv0C&printsec=frontcover&dq=industrial+engineering&sig=B9umzRFZ8htPC0FuSCh_dc5ksIA

4.Ergonomics in Manufacturing: Raising Productivity Through Workplace Improvement By Waldemar Karwowski, and Gavriel Salvendy
http://books.google.co.in/books?id=UTvILIxCrAoC&pg=PA1&dq=industrial+engineering&lr=&sig=yhkhAtmWgSNi62O2u2pwufPacRA

5. The High-Tech Personal Efficiency Program: Organizing Your Electronic Resources to maximize YOur Time and Efficiency By Kerry Gleeson
http://books.google.co.in/books?id=xgoyLpnq_O4C&printsec=frontcover&dq=efficiency&lr=&sig=ClXb5KV3NXBkcnXpPvg0fcLMQCY


6. The Application of Efficiency Principles: By George H. Shepard By George Hugh Shepard

http://books.google.co.in/books?id=1C01AAAAMAAJ&q=efficiency&dq=efficiency&lr=&pgis=1


7. Fundamental Sources of Efficiency By Fletcher Durell
http://books.google.co.in/books?id=62wcAAAAMAAJ&q=efficiency&dq=efficiency&lr=&pgis=1

8. Increasing Human Efficiency in Business By Walter Dill Scott

http://books.google.co.in/books?id=o94E6dHp0okC&printsec=frontcover&dq=efficiency&lr=&sig=WCVlFeeejRTQzx4-hhuvOXsSH6g

Monday, March 3, 2008

Specialty of Industrial Engineers - Efficiency

Eficiency is the special focus of industrial engineers.
Industrial engineers focus on human efficiency as well as efficiency of production equipment, production processes, work systems, products, and business processes.

Among effectiveness and efficiency, efficiency is the focus area of industrial engineers.

Industrial engineers take an effective system as an input and make it more efficienty with principles and tools of efficiency at their disposal.

This idea can be illustrated with value engineering as an example. Value engineers reduce the cost of a product designed and developed by engineers who specialize in inventing, designing and developing the prototypes as well as production models. Industrial engineers do not focus on new product design. But once the new product department comes out the with a working product, value engineers work on it to reduce its cost. value enhancement or cost reduction is the focus area of industrial engineers and not new product design.

In business processes also similar things occur. The business specialists may design a working process which is effective and then IEs can make it more efficient.