Course Outline - Industrial Engineering

Industrial Engineering Techniques is an on-site 40-hour program, normally presented in five consecutive days, which provides new engineers, supervisors, non-IEs, and other technical and non-technical personnel a grounding in classical Industrial Engineering methods and procedures.

The program relies heavily on interactive demonstrations, teamwork, video, and class exercises. This program has been presented many times for automobile manufacturers and OEM suppliers, as well as other manufacturers. The program uses numerous video examples of real plant scenes in fabrication and assembly operations. The overall program consists of several "modules" that may added or deleted to produce a custom program of three- to five-day duration as desired by the client.

Industrial Engineering Overview

	Industrial Engineering Pioneers - Taylor, Gilbreth
	Program Topics
	Relationship of Method & Standard to Output

I. Work Measurement (Time Study)
	History of Human Work Measurement
	Relationship of operator method to output
  	Advantages and uses of work measurement
  	The work measurement model
  	Terms and Definitions
		Daywork and Measured Daywork
  		"Fair Day's Work" Concepts
		Normal and standard time
  		Allowances
  		Avoidable and unavoidable delays
  		The Standard Hour Concept

II. Tools and Techniques
	Stopwatches and boards
  	Time study procedure
  	Work description
  	Method description and breakpoints
  	Characteristics of normal performance
  	Performance rating systems

Performance Rating

I - Definitions and Concepts

	What is Performance Rating?
	How Ratings are Applied to Labor Standards
	What are "Normal" Operators?
	What is a "Fair Day's Work?"
	Factors that Affect Performance
	Speed, Skill, Effort, and Consistency
	Difficulties in Evaluating Jobs
	Speed Rating
	The MTM System
	Predetermined Method-Time Systems
	Pros and Cons of PMTS

II - Rating Benchmarks and Training

	Training for Performance Rating
	Performance Rating Analysis and Simple Statistics
	Benchmarks for Normal Performance
	Relevance of Rating Benchmarks

III - Applying Performance Rating in Time Study

	Rating Performance at the Job Site
	Limits of judgment
	Effects of Work Element Length
	Applying Ratings to the Time Study

IV - Time Study Exercises

Work Sampling

I - History and Theory of Work Sampling

	Advantages of Work Sampling
	Disadvantages
	Study Prerequisites
	Sampling Indirect Labor Activities

II - Structuring and Conducting a Study

	Structuring a Study
	Determining an Observation Schedule
	Determining Random Times
	Designing a Data Recording Form
	Tracking Study Progress
	Assuring Non-Biased Observation
	Unusual and Productive Uses for Work Sampling

III - The Self-Sampling Technique

Motion Economy and Workplace Design

I - Work Areas, Movements and Motions

	The Work Area
	The Normal Work Area
	The Extended Work Area
	Workplace Dimensions for Seated Tasks
	Workplace Dimensions for Standing Tasks
	Movement - Definition
	Motion - Definition

II - Motion Economy
	Classification of Motions
	Principles of Motion Economy
	Arrangement of the Workplace
	Design of Tools and Equipment

III - Ineffective Worker Movements
	Causes of Ineffective Worker Movements

IV - Hand Tool Design
	Neutral Wrist Position
	Static Muscle Loading
	Stress on Soft Tissue
	Optimal Grip Span
	Sharp Edges, Pinch Points and Awkward Motions
	Repetitive Finger Trigger Actions
	Other Considerations

V - The NIOSH Lifting Equation
	Lifting Equation Software

Assembly Line Balancing

I - Concepts and Definitions
	Progressive Lines
	Assembly Lines and Types
	Assembly Line Terminology

II - Line Efficiency and Precedence
	Efficiency
	Precedence and Precedence Diagrams
	Precedence Diagram Exercises

III - Assembly Line Balancing Examples
	Line Balancing Rules
	Learning and Fatigue
	Examples of Simple Line Balances
	Line Balancing Procedure
	Considerations
	Line Shutdown Alternatives

IV - Assigning Work on an Assembly Line
	Principles
	Personnel Issues
	Tag Relief
	Line Balancing Exercises

V - Using the Computer to Maximize Line Efficiency
	The COMSOAL Algorithm
	Example Computer Solutions
	Manual vs. Computer Analysis