Manufacturing Engineer
Volume 85, Issue 2, April 2006
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Volume 85, Issue 2
April 2006
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- Source: Manufacturing Engineer, Volume 85, Issue 2, p. 2 –3
- DOI: 10.1049/me:20060210
- Type: Article
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- Author(s): J. Womack
- Source: Manufacturing Engineer, Volume 85, Issue 2, p. 4 –5
- DOI: 10.1049/me:20060211
- Type: Article
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This year marks Toyota's rise to the top of the automotive heap, surpassing once great brands such as Ford and GM. But what can the US giants do to regain their former glory? - Source: Manufacturing Engineer, Volume 85, Issue 2, page: 6 –6
- DOI: 10.1049/me:20060212
- Type: Article
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- Author(s): T. Dempster
- Source: Manufacturing Engineer, Volume 85, Issue 2, p. 8 –9
- DOI: 10.1049/me:20060213
- Type: Article
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Recent figures show that the Northwest of England is now the powerhouse of UK manufacturing, so why is that region thriving amidst the general gloom? - Author(s): M. Tormollen
- Source: Manufacturing Engineer, Volume 85, Issue 2, p. 10 –11
- DOI: 10.1049/me:20060214
- Type: Article
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The search for achieving next generation operational excellence is gaining momentum with new products that promise to increase plant optimisation with the help of closed-loop performance management systems. - Source: Manufacturing Engineer, Volume 85, Issue 2, page: 12 –12
- DOI: 10.1049/me:20060215
- Type: Article
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- Source: Manufacturing Engineer, Volume 85, Issue 2, page: 13 –13
- DOI: 10.1049/me:20060216
- Type: Article
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- Author(s): T. James
- Source: Manufacturing Engineer, Volume 85, Issue 2, p. 14 –17
- DOI: 10.1049/me:20060201
- Type: Article
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To allow a manufacturing company to benefit from the transformation initiatives in the implementation of lean manufacturing tools, any change must be accepted and adopted by the workforce. Lean manufacturing initiatives must be made part of the culture of a company. Ways by which three manufacturing companies made their workforce part of the change process are discussed. Autoliv used teamwork structure, Boeing Integrated Defense Systems used leadership and Duracell used communication and empowerment. - Author(s): D. Towill
- Source: Manufacturing Engineer, Volume 85, Issue 2, p. 18 –23
- DOI: 10.1049/me:20060202
- Type: Article
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The Toyota Production System (TPS), the engine behind the company's growth, is examined. Smooth is smart (SIS) is the hidden virtue behind TPS. Reducing uncertainties from all sources is the key enabler to have a successful TPS implementation. The well-trodden three-step TPS improvement model is discussed. The model involves process and supplier improvement and customer integration through action programmes from which sequential learning leads to action through knowledge. Controls are continuously updated to match improved scenarios. - Author(s): M.M. Nadakatti
- Source: Manufacturing Engineer, Volume 85, Issue 2, p. 24 –27
- DOI: 10.1049/me:20060203
- Type: Article
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The latest approach to world class maintenance is knowledge-based maintenance management, using specially developed expert systems, suited to individual company or machinery maintenance management systems (KBMMS) can be used by industries for effective maintenance management of their general-purpose machinery. The application, however, can be readily customised to suit each company's various maintenance requirements for different kinds of machinery. Knowledge-based systems for maintenance management can locate the fault and give expert advice to the user to repair the faulty component of the equipment. The knowledge base for maintenance mainly consists of rules describing the relationship between machinery problems and corresponding symptoms. - Author(s): C. Randles
- Source: Manufacturing Engineer, Volume 85, Issue 2, p. 28 –29
- DOI: 10.1049/me:20060204
- Type: Article
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Engineering calculations programmed into custom software may execute efficiently, but tend to be hard to use. Thus, they are virtually useless for managing engineering information. Spreadsheets are a big part of the problem. They are more about crunching numbers than documenting context, so they can be a risky tool for managing calculations. Spreadsheets show answers but omit context and are error prone. They are unsuited to the task of modelling, analysing and documenting engineering designs. An electronic calculation 'worksheet' is a good solution for effectively documenting design and engineering processes. Unlike spreadsheets, they employ real mathematical notation and capture - in human-readable text - the assumptions, methods and critical data behind every calculation. They may also include illustrative graphs, annotations and sketches - in essence, knowledge captured in a shareable form. Organisations can build on the value of these worksheets by organising, tracking, and controlling and sharing them in a Web-based repository. Calculations can be retrieved any time for reuse, validation, refinement, reporting and publishing - all in their proper context. - Author(s): D. Hillis
- Source: Manufacturing Engineer, Volume 85, Issue 2, p. 30 –33
- DOI: 10.1049/me:20060205
- Type: Article
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Modern production plants often rely on a continuous and uninterrupted supply of material to the assembly line or production process. The two main areas where optimisation of the resources to transport the material can help are in the factory itself and in managing the inbound and outbound flow of supplier's transport. Optimising these can achieve a better flow of material especially in situations of fluctuating demand - and significant monetary saving in the resources needed to accomplish the work. Optimisation of the internal transport can significantly improve the capacity of a plant without expansion. Several manufacturing industries are featured to illustrate the benefits of resource optimisation. - Author(s): M. Venables
- Source: Manufacturing Engineer, Volume 85, Issue 2, p. 34 –35
- DOI: 10.1049/me:20060206
- Type: Article
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The recent installation of a new floor pan assembly line, the first of its kind in Europe at Nissan's Sunderland plant, has effectively removed the need for framing jigs on initial spot welding operations. Core to the line's effectiveness is the use of three Fanuc robots with intelligent control and integrated 3D laser vision systems. Each robot is a Fanuc R2000iA, a six axes 200 kg load capacity arm, fitted with a Fanuc V500iA 3DL vision system to locate the panel position. The robots enable the production of variants without lengthy tool change times. Variants are programmed into the robots and the NC tooling controllers, making conventional tooling and fixtures unnecessary. - Author(s): J. Dwyer
- Source: Manufacturing Engineer, Volume 85, Issue 2, p. 36 –39
- DOI: 10.1049/me:20060207
- Type: Article
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ERP deals well with core functions (production, finance and HR), but 'non-core' areas (supply chain collaboration, procurement and eBusiness) often demand "considerably more" in the way of dynamic change and the adoption of new or radically different processes. The article discusses composite ERP, which is replacing proprietary ERP, through which IT services are configured to precisely fit established business processes. The article discusses the factors that contributed to ERP's failure to deliver what it promised. Solutions that may help add to ERP's success are suggested. - Author(s): G. Kruse
- Source: Manufacturing Engineer, Volume 85, Issue 2, p. 40 –43
- DOI: 10.1049/me:20060208
- Type: Article
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A consultant's view on the mistruths in enterprise resource planning implementations is given. Factors for successful ERP implementation are outlined. Basically, ERP implementation problems are the result of a combination of a lack of understanding and application of the basics, and more than anything else, people. Cases of successful MRPII implementations, as well as unsuccessful ones, are discussed. - Author(s): R. Jeziorny
- Source: Manufacturing Engineer, Volume 85, Issue 2, p. 44 –47
- DOI: 10.1049/me:20060209
- Type: Article
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With technology convergence increasing, manufacturers are facing a bewildering array of diverse regulations that they need to comply with for their products to be successful. The European Commission's Convergence Green Paper discusses technology convergence in relation to its relevance to the Information Society, and therefore confines itself to consideration of telecommunications, media and IT sectors. Within these sectors it defines technology convergence as the ability of different network platforms to carry essentially similar kinds of services, or the coming together of services in consumer devices such as the telephone, television and personal computer. Because these are the areas which most affect everyday life, as well as a large proportion of product designers, they are the primary consideration of this article, but technology convergence presents manufacturers of all sorts of consumer and industrial equipments with a difficult challenge in bringing new products to market, especially a global market. - Source: Manufacturing Engineer, Volume 85, Issue 2, page: 48 –48
- DOI: 10.1049/me:20060217
- Type: Article
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News in brief
A lesson to be learned
News
Analysis: Regional strengths. Driving a new industrial revolution
Analysis: Plant optimisation. Closing the loop
Editor's letter
Letters to the Editor
It's all in the mind [lean manufacturing]
Smooth is smart [automobile manufacturing]
A knowledge based approach [maintenance engineering]
The hidden cost of mismanaging calculations [engineering calculations engineering computing]
Improving the flow [resource optimisation in logistics]
Let intelligent robots take the strain [automobile industry]
The final technology frontier [enterprise resource planning]
See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil [enterprise resource planning]
The challenges of compliance [technology convergence]
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