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The use of just-in-time (JIT) manufacturing is not only limited to large corporations. Lately, a substantial number of smaller businesses have been implementing the JIT concept in their production facilities. However, two characteristics unique to such small job shops hinder their abilities to fully and successfully adopt the JIT philosophy. These are their wide array of products and limited operating revenues., Just-in-time (JIT) manufacturing, both as a philosophy and a disciplined method of production, has received much attention in the business community since its introduction nearly 20 years ago. The current [...]

Finite-capacity scheduling is not a new idea, but it's a good one The acceptance and availability of the Windows operating system, cheap and powerful PCs, and highly visual and rapid [...]

Product and process proposals made by industrial engineers may fail to win acceptance if the proposals are poorly presented, documented, or fail to justify return on investment. Proposals should consider the effect on product life cycles, the scale of change needed, and product quality. Engineers who make or sponsor proposals should be familiar with the principles of finance as well as production. Companies can develop better projects by making structural changes that are conducive to innovative ideas. Steps that industrial engineers can take to ensure that their proposals will be accepted include: making sure the proposal is technically accurate; showing how the proposal will provide a capability, reduce costs, or keep the plant running; obtaining help and advice from people who can help the project, 'pre-selling' the proposal so that there are no surprises in the presentation, and being persistent.

Companies can utilize group technology (GT) to enhance quality and reduce response time. The concept, which was introduced in 1919 to improve productivity, is useful in introducing new products and in ushering in technologies that help implement a production strategy designed to increase automation. GT can be applied in the design and manufacturing processes to improve quality., The effort to become more competitive and cost efficient in the production of high-quality products, while reducing scrap and rework is a critical issue for any manufacturing company. During the [...]

Industrial engineers have been called agents of change, and that is really what we do--or should be doing--most of the time. Sometimes we must use our knowledge in projects that [...]

The purpose of traditional cost accounting activities is to produce price information, provide inventory values, and control costs. This information is misused if it focuses on improving one measure, such as costs, while leading to a decline in product quality. Investments in automation may be difficult to justify using traditional cost accounting methods. Discounted cash flow methods offer a more realistic picture of the costs and benefits of automation because discounted cash flow is based on the notion that the benefits of automation should be adjusted by the cost of capital, the cost of financing, and the tax implications of capital investments.