Lean Division News June 2008
 
"In order to succeed, your desire for success should be greater than your fear of failure."
                                                                                - Bill Cosby
Simple Suggestions Can Help Reduce Manufacturing Costs
By Arthur G. Davis, principal, The Davis Group

I've run across some simple and often overlooked ways to improve operations that can trim as much as 15% to 20% of manufacturing costs. The best part of all is that these improvements can he implemented and realized in less than a year. Here are seven suggestions that manufacturers should try over the coming year...more
 
Operational Excellence Conference and Expo 2008
Sept. 29 - Oct. 2
Hilton Minneapolis

Graduate Student Poster Competition
For the second year, the Operational Excellence Conference and Expo will feature a graduate student poster session.

John S.W. Fargher Scholarship
Available to graduate students enrolled in any school in the United States and its territories provided the school's program is accredited by an agency recognized by IIE and the student is pursuing a course of study in industrial engineering or engineering management. Nomination deadline is Sept. 1.
 
Pre-conference Workshops
Three exceptional workshops provide opportunities for in-depth learning and hands-on training.

Panel Discussions
Be sure to sign up for the Going Green and Senior Leadership panel discussions where industry leaders will share their expertise and answer your questions.

Lean Student Paper Winners Announced
IIE Lean Division is pleased to announce the winners of the second Lean Student Paper Competition sponsored by J T. and Carol S. Black. The competition recognizes outstanding papers in the field of lean research and practices.
Resources
A New Model
A case study sponsored by Micro Analysis & Design
 
Simulation lets health care professionals evaluate different ideas and ask what-if questions about alternative methods of meeting demands using a variety of resources prior to implementation. These professionals must continue to find ways to become more efficient and effective to keep up with varying patient needs while continuing to re-evaluate their facility planning. MA&D helped create a successful model of a client's obstetric staffing and bed needs.
 
Featured lean definition
Autonomous Work-Group Design: The design of work around autonomous work teams to incorporate job rotation and/or job enrichment for a greater sense of task meaningfulness.

Featured Web site
Material Handling Institute of America
 
Ask the Expert: Retail Distribution
Question: I am an industrial engineer for a retail distribution center. I have been asked to calculate the savings of using palletized loads versus floor loads when making deliveries to our stores. Do palletized loads save money over floor loads?
Answer
Feedback
 
We welcome your input. Please send submissions and feedback to Beth Cudney. Please include "Lean e-Newsletter" in the subject line of your message.
 
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