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INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERING TOOLSFOR QUALITY AND PRODUCTIVITY IMPROVEMENT

By: Dr. Carlito G. Impas, Sr.

If you are standing at the viewing window in the Hospitals operating room looking at a

surgeon extending an open hand and a nurse placing an instrument into it, what reallycomes to your mind? Is it not improvement of methods?

Did you know that one of today's operating room procedures were developed by FrankGilbreth (along with Frederick Taylor, one of the founders of Industrial Engineering), in anefficiency study of medical operations? The next time you see a surgeon extending anopen hand and a nurse placing an instrument into it, think of Industrial Engineering. Priorto this change in method, doctors wasted a lot of time (frequently while the patientbled) searching for the right tool.

With such development, how do you apply this principle to your furniture manufacturingoperation? Can you afford to just look at the furniture parts on the pallet or a dolly for one

day or more in between cut-off saw and the surface planer or jointer like the bleedingpatient lying on a bed while waiting for the surgeon find the right tool? Maybe your answeris yes for the furniture parts on a pallet because the parts will not die but, what about yourcommitment to the buyers to deliver their orders it in 30 days after confirmation? I thinkthese two are just the same. As patients could die, buyers can leave as well. Is this not thepicture we have in the furniture industry nowadays? Although the industry has acomparative advantage in terms of design and materials availability but with the inability ofour manufacturers to deliver the customers demands, the industry will likely to lose itsshare in the export market. So, what should we do with this situation?

If you would like to improve your performance and your company's performance, thisarticle will guide and provide you a brief overview of what Industrial Engineering is; itsdiscipline and the tools that could be used to improve furniture manufacturing methods.This is not an attempt to cover every single step or procedure of methods improvementbut at least this article would help you on what to do in order to increase thecompetitiveness of the furniture industry thereby applying the principles of IndustrialEngineering. Anyway, do furniture manufacturing companies have a department or sectioncalled Industrial Engineering whose functions and responsibilities include all programsrelating to work systems, methods, procedures in establishing time standards, plantcapacities, labor and space utilization geared towards effective company resourcesutilization high productivity and efficiency?. If there is none, then, it is high time to haveone reporting directly to the owner or top management.

What is Industrial Engineering?The Industrial Engineering function highlights working with people to do things better,faster, safer, and help the company save money and stay competitive. They figure outhow to do things better and engineer processes and systems that improve quality andproductivity. Industrial Engineers make significant contributions to furniture manufacturingcompanies by saving money while, at the same time, making the workplace better forfellow workers.

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What are the Industrial Engineering Tools for Methods Improvement?

One of the important Industrial Engineering activities is to analyze the Job or Workplace.This is to be used for quality and productivity improvement specially the workers activity,working space, materials, machines, jigs and fixtures, tools and other equipment in the

furniture production department. This department includes different basic sections namely:the parts preparation which has basic and advance machines, sub-assemblies andassembly section, surface preparation or sanding section, finishing section, final assemblysection and packing section.

In analyzing the Job or workplace, questions should be answered using the followingIndustrial tools:

QUESTIONS IE TOOLS

Task Factors Refer to

1. What is happening in the department?

How do parts and components flow in andout? - Process Flow Chart

2. What kind of motions are involved- Video Analysis, Principles of Motion

Economy

3. Are there any tools, jigs and fixtures beingused?

- Tool Evaluation Checklist

4. Is the workplace laid out well? Any farreaching parts or sub-assemblies orassemblies?

- Workstation Evaluation Checlists

5. Are there awkward finger/wrist motions?How frequent?

- CTD Risk Index

6. Is there any lifting activity - NIOSH Lifting Analysis, UM2D Model

7. Is the worker fatigued? Physical Workload

8. Is there any decision making to be decidedby the worker? Mental workload?

- Heart Rate Analysis, Work restAllowances

9. How long in ach cycle? What is thestandard time?

- Time Study, MTM-2 Checklist

Work Environment Factors Refer to

10. Is the illumination acceptable? Is thereglare?

- IESNA Recommended Values

11. Is the noise level acceptable? - OSHA Levels

12. Is there heat stress? - WBGT

13. Is there vibration - ISO Standards

If the Industrial Engineering Department of the company does not perform the above Jobor Workplace Analysis, then the dream of having efficient and productive operations toincrease competitiveness will never come true.

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In line with the objective of CFIF to help the member companies to be efficient andproductive, the HRDP Unit is planning to offer an In house Consultancy in the field ofQuality and Productivity Improvement using the above Industrial Engineering tools.