PERSPECTIVES
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Stuck in systems infancy
System maturity is tough to attain. Maturity implies that something grows up over time. Absent of technology, many work systems have not changed much in the past 30 years.
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The other side of lean
Readers may be surprised by how long it will take for world-class companies hit by disaster, such as Toyota by the earthquake near Japan in March, to right themselves, revealing the weakness of lean in responding quickly to rapid changes in supply and demand.
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Measuring performance
All organizations have functions that can rely on accurate work measurement to ensure efficiency. And in healthcare, accurate measurement studies could be applied to scheduling, staffing, line balancing, simulation, cost calculations and productivity.
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Worthy improvements, part 2
Keeping a tight hold on your purse strings is not always best because many logistics expenditures yield tremendous savings. This continues looking at money-saving investment strategies that began in my April column.
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View the latest digital version of Industrial Engineer
May 2013
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