Showing posts with label
Activities of industrial engineering.
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Showing posts with label
Activities of industrial engineering.
Show all posts
An introduction to the process of designing work methods – The
general procedure for solving problems
In
the general procedure for solving problems, three different phases
can be distinguished: i) a definition phase, ii) a search phase and
iii) a definition phase.
Definition
phase
It
consists of determining the characteristics of the problem, that is:
- The
specifications of the initial and final state.
- Existing
restrictions.
- The
criterion (preference).
- The
number of repetitions.
- The
time limit.
- This
includes a description of the data or constraints within which the
methods analyst must operate.
Search
phase
The
search process implies an inquiry regarding the alternative solutions
of the problem, that is, the different methods to achieve the
transformation of the initial state towards the end.
This
process is characterized by an investigation as exhaustive as
possible, to later carry out a synthesis. In this phase, the
ingenuity and inventiveness of the methods analyst plays an important
role.
Decision
phase
The
decision process consists of evaluating the alternatives obtained,
and then choosing based on the established criteria.
In
practice, the aforementioned phases of the problem-solving process
may have points in common, and it is often necessary to repeat the
cycle, with the corresponding feedback, before finding a satisfactory
solution.
An introduction to the process of designing work methods – The
characteristics of a problem
What
are the characteristics of a problem?
Being
familiar with the characteristics of a problem is one of the
foundations for its solution, since it facilitates the understanding
and scope of the design and the procedure that it implies, since the
design is, in essence, the solution to a problem that by tradition is
entrusted to the engineers.
Solving
an engineering problem, including of course related to methods
engineering, involves dealing with several different methods to
achieve the desired result. If there were no known or unknown
alternative solutions, there would be no problem.
If
all solutions were equally satisfactory, then there would not be a
problem either, however this is usually not the case, since a problem
involves finding a preferred method; for example, the least
expensive. Therefore, if the preferred method is obvious from the
beginning, there is also no problem.
In
any problem there is a set of initial circumstances (input, or
starting point) and a set of final circumstances (output, goal, or
result for which a method is sought). The characteristics of a
problem are listed below:
- The
number of possible solutions is, in general, large.
- Possible
solutions to a practical problem are seldom obvious at first. In
reality, it is not often that all possible solutions are known in
advance, even if prior analysis or research has been done.
- Alternative
solutions are not equally desirable, therefore the preferred solution
is sought, for which it is necessary to apply selection or decision
processes. In this way, the existence of methods with different
degrees of preference enables a fruitful search before making a
choice. The base of the preferences is usually called the criterion
and in various problems in the business world, this parameter is the
profit obtained; This allows choosing the best alternative among
various investment alternatives. Therefore, the method sought is the
one that maximizes the profit when time, money and other resources
are invested.
- The
relative advantage of alternative solutions to a problem is generally
not evident, and the search for data, measurements and calculations
must be carried out to determine it satisfactorily.
The
cost of time and other resources dedicated to solving a problem must
be considered in a reasonable way, since, as with many economic
concepts, a point is reached where it is more difficult to find
additional solutions and where productivity begins to decline.
descend. Thus, while the search for better methods continues, a point
in time is reached where better solutions are unlikely to be found
that justify a greater investment of time, money, and other
resources.
Can
a problem be solved perfectly?
There
are two reasons why a problem cannot be solved perfectly: i) the time
required for such a task would be greater than the life of the
problem, which is true for the vast majority of problems in the
industry and ii) it is not economically optimal to try to find a
perfect solution. It is more economical to direct efforts to other
problems that require solutions, before continuing to try to find a
perfect solution.
In
solving problems, it is not intended to find one that is completely
ideal, nor is it expected to find it, since there would be no
possibility of recognizing it as such if it were found. The idea that
is pursued is to progress towards the ideal solution, looking for
better solutions until it is determined that it is not productive to
continue with the search.
What is the importance of productivity and how to improve it
Creating goods and services in different areas requires that certain
resources be transformed into these (raw materials, supplies, labor,
etc.). The more efficiently the mentioned transformation happens, the
more productive it will be.
In its most basic form, productivity can be understood as the
proportion of outputs (goods and services) among the inputs
(resources such as raw materials, inputs, labor, capital, etc.).
Improving productivity it is of vital importance for any company.
Improving the ratio of outputs and inputs (productivity) will be one
of the most important tasks (if not the most important) that
industrial engineering and in general the directors of operations or
production face in their daily work.
How to improve productivity?
Productivity improvement can be achieved in the following ways:
either by reducing the inputs while the outputs are kept constant, by
increasing the outputs while the inputs are kept constant, or by
increasing the outputs and reducing the inputs at the same time. This
implies an increase in productivity.
From the economic perspective, the inputs can be identified as land,
labor, capital and management. These inputs are combined in a
production system. Through management, the conversion of inputs into
outputs can be achieved. The better the management the greater the
productivity that can be achieved in a given production system.
The outputs resulting from a production process can be goods or
services of various kinds (for example computers, calculators, cell
phones, soft drinks, education, hotels, etc.). Production then can be
viewed as all the goods and services produced. The fact of having a
high production may originate from an increasing number of people
working (which can lead to an increase in employment levels), however
this situation does not necessarily imply that there is a high
productivity.
Measuring productivity is a good way to assess a country's ability to
provide and improve the living standards of its inhabitants. The
increase in productivity is closely linked with the improvement in
productive capacity and therefore, in a macro context, it can lead to
an improvement in the standard of living.
Without an increase in productivity, the increase in the benefits
generated by the factors of production (labor, capital, land,
technology, management) implies an increase in prices. Conversely,
when productivity increases, prices tend to decrease since more is
produced with the same amount of resources.
About occupational health
and safety
Occupational health and safety is relevant in all branches of industry,
business and commerce including traditional industries, information technology
companies, care homes, schools, universities, leisure facilities and offices.
Occupational health and safety affects all aspects of work, that’s why high
hazard manufacturing plant requires many different specialists, such as
engineers (industrial, electrical, mechanical and civil), lawyers, medical
doctors and nurses, trainers, work planners and supervisors, may be required to
assist the professional health and safety practitioner in order to ensure that
there are satisfactory health and safety standards.
Generally, there are many obstacles in the process of achieve good
health and safety standards. The pressure of production or performance targets,
financial constraints and the complexity of the organization are typical
examples of such obstacles. However, there are powerful incentives for
organizations to strive for high health and safety standards. These incentives
are moral, legal and economic.
The corporate
responsibility and the relation with occupational health and safety
Corporate responsibility, a term used extensively in our days, covers a
wide range of issues. It includes the effects that an organization’s business
has on the environment, human rights and common welfare. Health and safety in
the workplace is an important corporate responsibility issue.
One
definition of corporate responsibility
Corporate responsibility has various definitions, however, broadly
speaking it covers the ways in which organizations manage their core business
to add social, environmental and economic value in order to produce a positive, sustainable impact on both society and the business
itself. Terms such as corporate social responsibility and socially responsible
business refer to this concept.
In terms of corporate responsibility, organizations must
work in order to:
- improve management systems to reduce
injuries and ill health
- demonstrate the importance of health and
safety issues at board level
- report publicly on health and safety
issues within their organization, including their performance against targets.
Effective management of health and safety:
- is vital to employee well-being
- has a role to play in enhancing the
reputation of businesses and helping them achieve high-performance teams
- is financially beneficial to business.
Definition of safety and industrial hygiene
Safety
at work
According to Bestratén (1999), safety at work is
"the set of techniques and procedures that are designed to
eliminate or reduce the risk of accidents."
Therefore, safety
at work is concerned with addressing a number of hazards that affect
industrial accidents, such as:
- Lack
of mechanisms of protection against moving parts of machinery,
equipment and tools;
- Poor
conditions of order and cleanliness in the workplace;
To achieve safety at work, we should develop preventive
actions that fall within both general and specific rules, such as:
- The mission and vision of the company;
- The safety policies;
- Procedures at work;
- Staff training;
- Incorporation of
safety devices on machines, equipment and facilities.
Industrial
hygiene
According to Hernandez and Marti (1989), industrial
hygiene is the discipline that aims the prevention of occupational
diseases by controlling chemical, physical or biological agents in
the working environment.
The (chemical, physical or biological) agents
mentioned have effect in the workplace; not only directly for workers
who perform a particular task, but also for people from other areas
that are part of that environment. Moreover, the presence of these
agents also affects the external environment of the company like
nearby businesses, nearby communities and in general the soil, air
and water.
In order to reduce occupational risks of emerging
pollutants, three objectives are established:
Controls on the origin and source of danger;
Controls on the path between the hazard and the
worker;
Controls on the subject exposed to danger.
Activities of industrial engineering
Most important activities of industrial engineering are:
- Development of time standards, costing and performance standards.
- Selection of processes and assembling methods.
- Selection and design of tools and equipment.
- Design of facilities including plant location, layout of building, machines and equipment, material handling system raw materials and finished goods storage facilities.
- Design and improvement of planning and control systems for production, inventory, quality and plant maintenance and distribution systems.
- Cost control systems.
- Development and installation of job evaluation systems.
- Installation of wage incentive schemes.
- Design and installation of value engineering and analysis system.
- Operation research.
- Mathematical and statistical analysis.
- Performance evaluation.
- Organization and methods.
- Supplier selection and evaluation.
