The role of industrial technology in addressing productivity encompasses work experience and attitude, quality assurance, research and development, time and motion studies, plant layout and flow diagramming, cost analysis, production process selection, maintenance, computer applications, materials and inventory requirements, safety programming,…

Advances in factory computerization (computer-aided design and computer-aided manufacturing) are reviewed, including discussions of robotics, human factors engineering, and the sociological impact of automation. (JN)

Explores the organization of the maintenance function of five manufacturing and utility companies and the involvement of maintenance workers in plant improvement. Highlights the role of tacit skills of maintenance workers and of the maintenance function on technological change and organizational performance. (Contains 41 references.) (JOW)

Describes advances in and advantages of computer simulation in education and industry. Gives examples from health care and waste handling industries and technology education classrooms. (SK)

States that short-run production theory and U-shaped cost curves do not conform to industrial reality. Explores in detail the reality of manufacturing stating that fixed proportions seem more suited to describing short-run manufacturing processes. Addresses fixed proportions in short-run production and short-run cost functions. Includes…

To demonstrate the impact of planned learning on company performance, direct relationships between training and systematic job performance improvements were observed. Results were used to refine Kirkpatrick's four-level evaluation model with an intermediate level 3.5 (performance impact) between levels 3 (behavior) and 4 (results). (Contains 29…

Provides insight into the exciting future of robotics. Includes a student quiz and possible student outcomes. (JOW)

In 1992, manufacturing continued to lose large numbers of jobs and other industries had small employment declines; only services and government added substantially to their employment but with weaker gains than in the 1980s. (Author)

The Screening Battery of the Adult Basic Learning Examination and a demographic questionnaire were completed by 65 employees in small manufacturing firms in Oklahoma City. Despite overall educational attainment of 11.5 years, grade equivalents of scores were 7.6 for reading comprehension, 8.9 for problem solving; 21.5% were classified as…

A survey of 498 firms that applied for Michigan Job Opportunity Bank-Upgrade grants received 157 responses, including 66 grant recipients. Data showed receipt of grants associated with large, significant (though one-time) increase in training hours and lasting reduction in product scrap rates. (SK)

The probability of losing one's job because of a recession is very different for women and men, but, in the last two recessions, gender differences were reduced. The major cause is the relative performance of industries that heavily employ women (such as services) versus those that heavily employ men (such as goods-producing). (JOW)

Philip Morris' troubleshooting improvement program is based on nine key elements: targeted work groups; procedural, declarative, and strategic knowledge; cooperative learning; plant managers' support; widely applicable procedures; training organized by machine components; varied instructional methods and media; team teaching by operational,…

An exemplary university/business partnership involved the development of a training program to enhance workplace productivity for a relatively small manufacturing facility. The objectives were to educate the work force in the principles of workplace organization and lean manufacturing practices. (Author/JOW)

Study of 11 European companies building a learning organization found that they used different pathways to achieve the same goal; human-resource innovation is fragile and easily destroyed; competency profiles were shaped by company contexts more than external standards; and the predominant approach was informal learning. (SK)

The mission of Virginia's Manufacturing Innovation Center (VMIC) is to enhance the capability of Virginia's small- and medium-sized manufacturing firms to meet the competitive challenges of the future. VMIC helps build strong economic foundations while improving the quality of life and maintaining strong economic development programs. (JOW)