This book presents a collection of real cases from industrial practices that production system and quality managers implement to ensure a high quality as well as a low cost in products. This book is divided in sections that are focused on: * The quality and philosophies implemented to production systems; starting from the product design as well as from the supply system. * The principal statistical techniques applied to the quality assurance (statistical quality control, analysis of tests and failure, quality function deployment, accelerated life tests, among others), the process of gathering information, its validation, its reliability process, and techniques for data analysis. * The techniques applied to the integration of human resources in the process of quality assurance, such as managers and operators' participation, training, and training processes. * Use of information and communications technologies, software, and programs implemented to guarantee the quality of the products in the production systems. ISO standards and policies that are used for quality management and monitoring.

The key to the successful development of distributed measurement and control systems is the communications link. Emphasising the importance of communications standards, this topical text describes and discusses serial data highways developed for measurement and control applications. Such standards demand conformity to a protocol which ensures reliable transmissions between digital field devices, using a common communications interface. This comprehensive overview of the large family of data highways currently in use addresses all aspects of the practical implementation of industrial control systems. Features include:

• Up-to-date overview of serial networking technology for measurement and control applications.
• Review of the fundamental concepts and relative merits of twelve serial network communication standards.
• A valuable insight into a wide range of market sectors where proprietary, national and international standards now apply.
• Discussion of each established or evolving serial data highway in the context of its application.

This text is an invaluable reference source for engineers and product designers in measurement and control seeking to increase their awareness of developments in the complete range of market sectors. For anyone contemplating the development of a communications standard, this will prove an indispensable frame of reference. In addition to providing detailed information about the serial bus, this unique book will furnish advanced students of electronic and electrical engineering with a broader view of their subject and encourage a more product-oriented approach. Serial Networked Field Instrumentation forms part of the Wiley Series in MeasurementScience and Technology. Chief Editor: Peter Sydenham Australian Centre for Test and Evaluation, University of South Australia. This series was founded to coincide with the recognition of measurement science and instrument technology as fields with their own scholarship and techniques.

This book provides an accessible one-volume introduction to Lean Six Sigma and statistics in engineering for students and industry practitioners. Lean production has long been regarded as critical to business success in many industries. Over the last ten years, instruction in Six Sigma has been linked more and more with learning about the elements of lean production. Building on the success of the first and second editions, this book expands substantially on major topics of increasing relevance to organizations interested in Lean Six Sigma. Each chapter includes summaries and review examples plus problems with their solutions. As well as providing detailed definitions and case studies of all Six Sigma methods, the book uniquely describes the relationship between operations research techniques and Lean Six Sigma. Further, this new edition features more introductory material on probability and inference and information about Deming's philosophy, human factors engineering, and the motivating potential score - the material is tied more directly to the Certified Quality Engineer (CQE) exam. New sections that explore motivation and change management, which are critical subjects for achieving valuable results have also been added. The book examines in detail Design For Six Sigma (DFSS), which is critical for many organizations seeking to deliver desirable products. It covers reliability, maintenance, and product safety, to fully span the CQE body of knowledge. It also incorporates recently emerging formulations of DFSS from industry leaders and offers more introductory material on experiment design, and includes practical experiments that will help improve students' intuition and retention. The emphasis on lean production, combined with recent methods relating to DFSS, makes this book a practical, up-to-date resource for advanced students, educators and practitioners.

This book shows how to identify potential design errors and modify procedures in the design process to mitigate design-induced error. Real life examples are used to demonstrate the points being made. Many of the concerns raised in the book have come from a worldwide study conducted with designers, managers, and end-users.

Pierce helps you take control of the dizzying process of effecting changing procedures, processes, and attitudes in your company's safety and health program and then position your operations for continuous improvement. He reviews Total Quality and its benefits over traditional management, provides a detailed plan for implementing a six-step process for effecting change, and outlines successful strategies, challenges, and pitfalls to avoid.

"Risks in Technological Systems" is an interdisciplinary university textbook and a book for the educated reader on the risks of today 's society. In order to understand and analyze risks associated with the engineering systems on which modern society relies, other concerns have to be addressed, besides technical aspects. In contrast to many academic textbooks dealing with technological risks, this book has a unique interdisciplinary character that presents technological risks in their own context.

Twenty-four scientists have come together to present their views on risks in technological systems. Their scientific disciplines cover not only engineering, economics and medicine, but also history, psychology, literature and philosophy. Taken together these contributions provide a broad, but accurate, interdisciplinary introduction to a field of increasing global interest, as well as rich opportunities to achieve in-depth knowledge of the subject.

This book contains a selection of papers presented at the "European Robotics and Intelligent Systems Conference" (EURISCON '91) held in Corfu. Greece (June 23-28. 1991). It is devoted to the analysis. design and applications of technological systems with built-in intelligence achieved through appropriate blending of mathematical, symbolic. sensing. computer processing. and feedback control concepts. methods and software / hardware tools. System intelligence includes human-like capabilities such as learning. observation. perception. interpretation. reasoning. planning. decision making. and action. Integrated intelligent decision and control systems obey Saridis' prinCiple of Increasing Precision with Decreasing Intelligence (IPDI). and have a hierarchical structure with three basic levels. namely Organization. Coordination. and Execution Levels. As we proceed from the organization to the execution level. the precision about the jobs to be completed increases and accordingly the intelligence reqUired for these jobs decreases. As an example. it is mentioned here that in an intelligent robotic system the organization tasks can be realized using a neural net. the coordination tasks by a Petri net. and the execution tasks by local sensors and actuators. The field of intelligent systems is a new interdisciplinary field with continuously increasing interest and expansion. It is actually the outcome of the synergetic interaction and cooperation of classical fields such as system theory. control theory. artificial intelligence. operational research. information theory. electronics. communications. and others.

When humans are well, they are in a state where body, mind, and spirit are holistically integrated, and, as a result, are healthy, happy, and resilient. The same can be said for a thriving business. Industrial and Manufacturing Wellness: The Complete Guide to Successful Enterprise Asset Management explains how to use reliability engineering principles to design and build companies that are robust, reliable, self-improving, integrated business systems best suited for achieving optimal results. Written by asset management expert Mike Sondalini, creator and author of The Plant Wellness Way, this revolutionary work goes beyond basic plant management. Instead, it reveals a completely new way to engineer and implement business processes and work flow strategies that deliver overall operational excellence. The author introduces risk management, decision-making methods that prove the worth or not of a change before it is initiated in the organization, thus protecting a company from making the wrong choices. His universally applicable process improvement concepts empower readers to take a system-wide approach that can be repeated infinitely to deliver maximum success. Features Presents the first reliability engineering-based design and business process management solution. Includes a complete methodology to deliver enterprise asset management, plant maintenance, and equipment reliability. Shows how to maximize production uptime while minimizing costs and, uniquely, how to sustain those improvements. Incorporates the ISO 55001 framework in re-engineering business processes for operational success. Uses tips to reduce business processes to the fewest, simplest, quickest, safest, and most productive solutions. "Mike created what could basically be referred to as an ISO55001 implementation manual, with a big picture holistic engineering reliability approach to asset management. You will be surprised how he did that while also expanding on his existing 'Plant Wellness Way' methodology in just 286 pages! I also like how he emphasized throughout the book, attention to life cycle cost. Something that has been lacking in our industry. A must-read in today's world." -Don Fitchett, Business Industrial Network (BIN95.com)"Mike Sondalini's new book Industrial and Manufacturing Wellness is one of the best in our field that I have seen." -Len Bradshaw, Editor of Asset Management and Maintenance Journal(AMMJ)Mike Sondalini, MBA, CP Eng., is an expert in information and knowledge management, risk management and elimination, quality management systems, asset management, and operational excellence and reliability engineering. His immersion in these areas led him to create "The Plant Wellness Way," a life cycle asset management methodology. He subsequently coined the term "Industrial and Manufacturing Wellness" to depict a holistic, business-wide system of reliability. Introduction Reliability of Work, Processes, and Machines The Physics of Failure Variability in Outcomes Preventing Life-Cycle Risks Process 1-Identify Business and Operational Risks Asset Management For Plant Wellness Operating Equipment Risk Assessment Process 2-Order Risks by Importance Removing Risks And Raising Reliability Chance Reduction Risk Management Selecting Reliability Strategy Process 3-Numerate Risk Elimination Options The Accuracy-Controlled Enterprise Precision Maintenance Skills and Standards Process 4-Introduce Risk Control Solutions Reliability Growth Measuring to Improve Performance The Chance of Success Process 5-Control Operational Processes Failure Root Cause Prevention Change Management for Workplace Innovation Plant Wellness Index Process 6-Synthesize Ideas to Continuously Improve Bibliography Index

A combination of source inspection and mistake-proofing devices is the only method to get you to zero defects. Shigeo Shingo shows you how this proven system for reducing errors turns out the highest quality products in the shortest period of time. Shingo provides 112 specific examples of poka-yoke development devices on the shop floor, most of them costing less than $100 to implement. He also discusses inspection systems, quality control circles, and the function of management with regard to inspection.

The book brings together a number of subjects of prime importance for any practicing engineer and, students of engineering. The book explains the concepts and functions of voluntary standards, mandatory technical regulations, conformity assessment (testing and measurement of products), certification, quality and quality management systems as well as other management systems such as environmental, social responsibility and food safety management systems.The book also gives a comprehensive description of the role of metrology systems that underpin conformity assessment. A description is given of typical national systems of standards, quality and metrology and how they relate directly or through regional structures to international systems. The book also covers the relation between standards and trade and explains the context and stipulations of the Technical Barriers to Trade Agreement of the World Trade Organization (WTO).

As robots are used more and more to perform a variety of tasks in a range of fields, it is imperative to make the robots as reliable and safe as possible. Yet no book currently covers robot reliability and safety within one framework. Robot System Reliability and Safety: A Modern Approach presents up-to-date information on robot reliability, safety, and related areas in a single volume, eliminating the need to consult diverse sources. After introducing historical, mathematical, and introductory aspects, the book presents methods for analyzing robot system reliability and safety. It next focuses on topics related to robot reliability, including classifications of robot failures and their causes and hydraulic and electric robots' reliability analysis. The book then explains the analysis of robot-related safety and accidents, covers key elements of robot maintenance and robotics applications in maintenance and repair, and addresses human factors and safety considerations in robotics workplaces. The book concludes with chapters on robot testing, costing, and failure data as well as six mathematical models for reliability and safety analysis. Written by a well-known expert in reliability engineering, this book will be useful to system, design, reliability, and safety engineers along with other engineering professionals working in the area of robotics. It can also be used in courses on system engineering, reliability engineering, and safety engineering.

Statistics for Quality Control is a basic level study of statistics used in a production operations setting. It is primarily intended for students entering quality control or other industrial and operations careers. It covers introductory topics such as a brief background, measurements, and graphing techniques. It then moves on to the beginning statistics necessary to understand these practices commonly found in industry and ends with coverage of quality assurance issues along with some pertinent managerial practices associated with this topic.Daniel Jackson is an Associate Professor of Architectural and Manufacturing Sciences at Western Kentucky University. He has more than 30 years of teaching and research experience in manufacturing operations and design, quality assurance and control, six sigma, lean concepts, and graduate courses. He works extensively with students by teaching, advising, and directing their career interests. He has traveled throughout the world teaching and conducting research. Preface. The Industrial Age. CH 1- Numbers, Measurements & Scales. CH 2- Sampling & Organization of Data. CH 3- Basic Statistics for Discrete Distributions. CH 4- Statistics for Continuous Distributions. CH 5- Statistical Process Control for Attributes. CH 6- Process Control for Variables. CH 7- Control Chart Analysis. CH 8- Acceptance Sampling. CH 9- Inferential Applications. CH 10- Additional Uses of Statistics in Industry. CH 11- Quality Management. Appendices.

This new edition builds on the success of the first edition. It has been enhanced to embrace new topics including Due Dilgence, EHS Auditing, Process Safety, Auditing, and a chapter summarizing auditing with the relevant ISO standards. The rest of the book has been updated to fit with the guidance and requirements set out with the changes in the ISO standards. The goal of this book remains the same, to provide a "down to earth" guidance for managers and specialists in organizations who are committed to improving their safety, health and environmental performance, but are not sure where to start or do not wish to employ consultants to do this for them. They do it themselves using this book.

Electronic software and additional materials available upon request.

Features

Integrates the concepts of safety health and environmental auditing into a common approach of "loss prevention"

Provides an audit protocol for 60 aspects of safety, health, and environmental management

Presents a summary of the requirements of ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 to auditing

Introduces the novel and unique concept of Auditing Convergence

Offers a simple auditing software (The Plaudit II audit process) in an electronic program which no other book on this topic can offer

Table of Contents

Preface

About the Author

Chapter 1 Elements of a Good Safety, Health and Environmental System

Chapter 2 Management Systems

Chapter 3 Auditing: The Principles

Chapter 4 What Makes a Good Auditor?

Chapter 5 The Standard or Requirement

Chapter 6 Preparation

Chapter 7 Protocols and Checklists

Chapter 8 The Entry Meeting

Chapter 9 Area Familiarisation

Chapter 10 Audit Observation Skills

Chapter 11 The Formal Discussion

Chapter 12 The Informal Discussion

Chapter 13 Statistical Significance

Chapter 14 The Importance of Verification and the Audit Trail

Chapter 15 Conformity

Chapter 16 Documentary Review

Chapter 17 Convergence

Chapter 18 The Exit Meeting

Chapter 19 Audit Uniformity and Credibility

Chapter 20 Auditor Training

Chapter 21 Managing Auditee Expectations

Chapter 22 Auditing and Its Relevance to Regulatory Compliance

Chapter 23 Reporting: Quantitative Assessment

Chapter 24 Reporting: Qualitative Assessment

Chapter 25 Follow-Up

Chapter 26 Choosing the Audit Process

Chapter 27 Audit Team Composition

Chapter 28 Using the Plaudit 2 Process

Chapter 29 Using the Plaudit 2 Protocol Software

Chapter 30 Process Safety Audits

Chapter 31 EHS Aspects of Due Diligence Audits

Chapter 32 International EHS Auditing Standards

Glossary

Appendix 1: Auditor Guidance

Appendix 2: Plaudit 2 Audit Protocol

Index/

The ultimate objective of any controls text is to teach students how to achieve the best possible design. In this new text, Wolovich integrates classical and modern techniques, systematically develops all the background material necessary to achieve the best possible design, and stresses flexibility to attain this goal. All the relevant controls topics are presented in a clear pedagogical sequence beginning with the equivalence of system descriptions, followed by coverage of performance goals and tests, and concluding with some new and innovative design methods for achieving the goals independent of the particular system description.

An authoritative guide to the most recent advances in statistical methods for quantifying reliability Statistical Methods for Reliability Data, Second Edition (SMRD2) is an essential guide to the most widely used and recently developed statistical methods for reliability data analysis and reliability test planning. Written by three experts in the area, SMRD2 updates and extends the long- established statistical techniques and shows how to apply powerful graphical, numerical, and simulation-based methods to a range of applications in reliability. SMRD2 is a comprehensive resource that describes maximum likelihood and Bayesian methods for solving practical problems that arise in product reliability and similar areas of application. SMRD2 illustrates methods with numerous applications and all the data sets are available on the book's website. Also, SMRD2 contains an extensive collection of exercises that will enhance its use as a course textbook. The SMRD2's website contains valuable resources, including R packages, Stan model codes, presentation slides, technical notes, information about commercial software for reliability data analysis, and csv files for the 93 data sets used in the book's examples and exercises. The importance of statistical methods in the area of engineering reliability continues to grow and SMRD2 offers an updated guide for, exploring, modeling, and drawing conclusions from reliability data. SMRD2 features: Contains a wealth of information on modern methods and techniques for reliability data analysis Offers discussions on the practical problem-solving power of various Bayesian inference methods Provides examples of Bayesian data analysis performed using the R interface to the Stan system based on Stan models that are available on the book's website Includes helpful technical-problem and data-analysis exercise sets at the end of every chapter Presents illustrative computer graphics that highlight data, results of analyses, and technical concepts Written for engineers and statisticians in industry and academia, Statistical Methods for Reliability Data, Second Edition offers an authoritative guide to this important topic.

Completely revised and updated, A Guide to Human Factors and Ergonomics, Second Edition presents a comprehensive introduction to the field. Building on the foundation of the first edition, titled Guide to Ergonomics of Manufacturing, the new title reflects the expanded range of coverage and applicability of the techniques you will find in the second edition. Each and every chapter contains new material and some have been entirely rewritten. Drawing on the author’s experience in both teaching and industry, the book lays to rest the common myths and misconceptions that surround ergonomics.

Unlike most ergonomics and human factors books that emphasize the physical, this one gives a broad overview of cognitive as well as physical ergonomics. Written in an accessible style, it presents a systems approach to human factors and ergonomics that leads to complete understanding. The author demonstrates how to collect data on users and operators and how to convert the data to good design, and offers a practical guide to the design and analysis of systems. Design oriented, systems oriented, and results oriented, this text provides the tools needed to solve systems problems and develop adequate design solutions.

Table of Contents

Information-Centered

Introduction to Human Factors and Ergonomics

Cost Benefit Analysis of Improvements in the Human Factor Design

Conducting a Human Factor Investigation

Vision and Illumination Design

Human Information Processing

Design of Controls, Displays, and Symbols

Design of Human Computer Interaction

Human-Body-Centered

Anthropometry in Workstation Design

Work Posture

Manual Materials Handling

Repetitive Motion Injury and Design of Hand Tools

Physical Workload and Heat Stress

Noise and Vibration

Organization/Management-Centered

Ergonomics of Computer Workstations

Training, Skills, and Cognitive Task Analysis

Shift Work

Design for Manufacture and Maintenance

Accidents, Human Errors and Safety

References

Appendix: The Use of Human Factors

Ergonomics Checklists

Index

Organizations of all sizes and types are facing a duel threat and opportunity. At the very moment when global markets are becoming available, these organizations are losing valuable people resources due to "boomer" retirements and downsizing strategies. As the technologies arrive to facilitate knowledge sharing across organizational and people boundaries, the desire for job security is causing many employees to hold tightly to "their" business knowledge as a form of job security. When organizational knowledge erodes, organizations lose proven capabilities and eventually customers. This challenge may be one of the most significant facing organizations over the next two decades.

Written by an expert with more than 30 years of hands-on work as a consultant and educator, Managing Organizational Knowledge: 3rd Generation Knowledge Management and Beyond provides a clear, repeatable strategy for capturing organizational knowledge. It does so by first exploring the fundamental concepts that have emerged from the new discipline of Knowledge Management (KM) over the past ten years. It then provides several breakthroughs including:

A fresh, practical definition of KM

A definition of organizational knowledge based on data, information, and decision making

A proven strategy and templates for creating an inventory of significant organizational knowledge

A new, integrated KIPPAR Model that defines how to create a sustainable KM environment

A strategy where naturally occurring projects are routinely mined for contributions to an organization’s pool of intellectual assets

A series of implementation strategies for launching a KM initiative

So what makes this book different? What makes it worth reading? It provides a new perspective on KM, addressing the discipline from the perspective of a major organization; much of the previous writings in this area confuse individual knowledge with organizational knowledge. The author, Chuck Tryon, has been a consultant for major corporations since the early 1980s and has created tangible, innovative processes to help capture vital organizational knowledge, which has given him insight into the significant management challenges facing 21st century organizations—how to capture, transfer, and share meaningful knowledge that is vital to their survival. Communicating fresh concepts in this emerging field, the book distills this knowledge and helps you see where KM can take you in the future.

Table of Contents

Knowledge as an Asset—Really?

The New Realities of Knowledge Management

The Growing Knowledge Gap

Knowledge Opportunities

Return on Investment

A Call to Action

KM Beliefs

Knowledge Sharing and Reuse

Learning Organization

Best Practices

Communities of Practice

Conclusion

KM Processes

Knowledge Discovery

Knowledge Capture

Knowledge Organization

Knowledge Use

Knowledge Transfer

Knowledge Retention

Conclusion

Defining Organizational Knowledge

Knowledge Categories

Explicit, Tacit, and Implicit Knowledge

Knowledge Characteristics

Why Bother?

Conclusion

Recognizing Organizational Knowledge

Data

Information

Decision Making

Conclusion

The Knowledge Retention Policy—Level One

General Management Statement

Knowledge Asset Inventory

Knowledge Areas

Knowledge Topics

Knowledge Expert

Organizational Importance

Transfer Status

Knowledge Transfer Mechanisms

KTP Activities

Conclusion

The Knowledge Retention Policy—Level Two

Documentation

Training

Apprenticeships

Mentoring/Coaching

Cross-Training

Communications

Conclusion

A Model for Managing Organizational Knowledge

KIPPAR Model

The Knowledge Inventory

The Artifacts Pillar

The Processes Pillar

The Projects Pillar

Repository Products

KM Or ECM

Conclusion

Implementation Strategies

KM Initiation Activities

KM Operational Activities

Conclusion

Knowledge Management Solutions

Functionality

Usability

Personalized Knowledge Apps

Organizational Portals

Project Portals

Conclusion

Appendix A: KM Vision Statement

Appendix B: KRP—General Management Statement

Appendix C: KRP—Intellectual Assets Inventory

Appendix D: KRP—Knowledge Transfer Details

Index

During day-to-day use, thousands of lives are lost each year due to accidents, directly or indirectly, resulting from poor transportation system reliability and safety. In the United States, automobile accidents alone result in around 42,000 deaths per year, costing billions of dollars to the economy each year. A common subject in journal articles and conference proceedings, most of the recent research on transportation systems reliability and safety is scattered in different resources. Until now. Drawing together the latest research spread throughout the literature, Transportation Systems Reliability and Safety eliminates the need to consult many different and diverse sources to obtain up-to-date information and research. It contains a chapter on mathematical concepts and another chapter on reliability and safety basics that form a foundation for understanding the contents of subsequent chapters. The book also presents a chapter devoted to methods for performing transportation system reliability and safety analysis. It includes a reference section at the end of each chapter for readers who wish to delve deeper into a specific area. The author clearly and concisely covers topics in such a manner that readers require no previous knowledge to understand the concepts. He provides examples and their solutions as well as numerous problems at the end of each chapter to test reader comprehension. The presentation of historical information paired with recent research give readers a foundation for understanding where the field is now and snapshot of where it may be going.

Load-Oriented Manufacturing Control is unique as it gives comprehensive and self-contained principles for the implementation of an appropriate production control technique of general applicability. It is based on the "funnel model," a new approach to scheduling and scheduling control which has an extensive monitoring and diagnosis system. Its most important system components include throughput diagrams, load-oriented order release, schedule-oriented capacity planning and control. The "funnel model" is getting increasing implementation in manufacturing companies. It is available in numerous variants and is especially significant for the job-shop and series production. Load-Oriented Manufacturing Control provides a large number of practical examples and is therefore relatively easy to understand. It offers direct implementation of this new important technique in manufacturing scheduling and control.

A much-awaited guide to real-world problems in modern control and estimation
This combined text and reference deals with the design of modern control systems. It is the first book in this rapidly growing field to approach optimal control and optimal estimation from a strictly pragmatic standpoint. Sidestepping the realm of theoretical mathematics, An Engineering Approach to Optimal Control and Estimation Theory offers realistic and workable solutions that can be put to immediate use by electrical and mechanical engineers in aerospace and in many other applications.
The author draws on his extensive experience in research and development from industry, government, and academia to present systematic, accessible coverage of all important topics, including:
* All basic mathematics needed to apply subsequent information
* A historical perspective on the evolution of modern control and estimation theory
* All major concepts relevant to the design of modern control systems--from the Kalman filter, to linear regulators, to decentralized Kalman filters
* Practical examples useful in applying the principles under discussion
* Problems at the end of each chapter
* Carefully selected references from the vast number of books published on this subject
* Appendixes reviewing matrix algebra that is central to modern control theory, as well as matrix subroutines, useful to both students and practicing engineers

Optimal Control and Estimation Theory
Optimal control and optimal estimation have seen tremendous growth over the past three decades, owing to major advances in aerospace and other types of engineering. Optimal control and estimation theory is crucial to the design of modern control systems; for instance, navigation, mobile robotics, or automated vehicles and aircraft. It ensures that variables such as temperatures or pressure are kept in check, regardless of the disturbance the system undergoes.
Despite the proliferation of books on the subject, most of the material published in this area is highly theoretical, and approaches the subject in a "theorem-proof" fashion, which is more appropriate to mathematics than to an engineering text. As its title suggests, An Engineering Approach to Optimal Control and Estimation Theory provides a practical and accessible guide, focusing on applications and implementation, and answering real-world questions faced by control engineers.
In its highly organized overview of all areas, the book examines the design of modern optimal controllers requiring the selection of a performance criterion, demonstrates optimization of linear systems with bounded controls and limited control effort, and considers nonlinearities and their effect on various types of signals.
Covering all the basics, the book deals with the evolution of optimal control and estimation theory, and presents the necessary mathematical background needed for this study. It also lists references and problems, and supplies appendixes for those wishing to delve into matrix algebra. Throughout, it offers opportunities for experimentation, while discussing analysis, various filtering methods, and many other pertinent topics.
An Engineering Approach to Optimal Control and Estimation Theory is an invaluable, self-contained reference for practicing engineers, a useful text for graduate students and qualified senior undergraduates, and an important resource for anyone interested in the future of modern control technology.

The aim of this book is to provide “human engineering” for workplaces, tools, machinery, computers, shift work, lighting, sound, climate, work demands, offices, vehicles, healthcare, and the home – and everything else that we can produce – to suit the human body and mind. Now being published in its eighth edition, Fitting the Human focuses on the primary ergonomic task of accommodating the human with the appropriate selection of equipment and tools, work requirements and procedures, physical and social conditions at work, and working hours and shift arrangements.

This book provides the ergonomic information needed for the user-friendly design of tasks, equipment, and workplaces. It follows the successful format of previous editions, with updated information and practical guidelines that augment the previous information. It offers refreshed information on ergonomic design for the home and workplace, contemporary ways of working, healthcare and medicine, and artificial intelligence and autonomy. This text also recognizes that cultural differences in living and working vary around the world, so additional insights are offered into ergonomics in global cultures and regions. This title will help the reader understand how to plan and design an overall system and its details to fit the human.

Published under the mantra of “solid information, easy to read, easy to understand, easy to apply,” Fitting the Human is written for students and professionals in ergonomics, human factors, product and work design, safety, architecture, management, and all fields of engineering.

Table of Contents

Foreword

About the Author

The First Page

SECTION I: The Human Body

CHAPTER ONE: Body Sizes

CHAPTER TWO: Body Mobility

CHAPTER THREE: Muscular Work

CHAPTER FOUR: Body Strength

SECTION II: The Human Mind

CHAPTER FIVE: How We See

CHAPTER SIX: How We Hear

CHAPTER SEVEN: How We Sense Objects and Energy

CHAPTER EIGHT: How We Experience Indoor and Outside Climates

CHAPTER NINE: How We Think

SECTION III: Body and Mind Working Together

CHAPTER TEN: Hard Physical Work

CHAPTER ELEVEN: Light and Moderate Work

CHAPTER TWELVE: Task Load and Stress

SECTION IV: Organizing and Managing Work

CHAPTER THIRTEEN: Working with Others

CHAPTER FOURTEEN: Working in an Organization

CHAPTER FIFTEEN: Working Hours and Sleep

CHAPTER SIXTEEN: Working in Shifts

SECTION V: Applied Human Engineering

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN: Design of the Home

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN: Design of the Office and Office Furnishings

CHAPTER NINETEEN: Design and Use of Computers

CHAPTER TWENTY: Design of the Workplace

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE: Load Handling

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO: Healthcare for Patients and Providers

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE: Emerging Ergonomic Issues with Artificial Intelligence

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR: Designing Work to be Efficient and Pleasant

The Last Page

References

Index

/

As optimization techniques have developed, a gap has arisen between the people devising the methods and the people who actually need to use them. Research into methods is necessarily long-term and located usually in academic establishments; whereas the application of an optimization technique, normally in an industrial environment, has to be justified financially in the short term. The gap is probably inevitable; but there is no need for textbooks to reflect it. Teaching of optimization techniques separately from their connection with applications is pointless. This book gives a detailed exposition of the techniques.

In this first volume, T. A. J. Nicholson demonstrates the full range of techniques available to the practitioner for the solution of varying problems. For each technique, the background reasoning behind its development is explained in simple terms; where helpful it is supported by a geometrical argument; and the iterative algorithm for finding the optimum is defined clearly. These steps enable the reader not only to see plainly what is happening in the method but also to reach a level of understanding necessary to write computer programs for optimization techniques.

Problems are tackled in the same way--by searching a feasible region for an optimum. This approach helps the reader to develop the most essential of all skills--selecting appropriate techniques for different circumstances. The numerous worked examples in the text, supported by worked solutions, and the exercises at the end of the chapters are important aids to learning and to teachers. This book serves as an introduction to optimization techniques for students as well as a reference work for the practitioner in business and industry.

"T. A. J. Nicholson" is Senior Lecturer at the London Business School with research and consulting interests in industrial control systems.

Presenting: Problem Solving Sans Statistics Enhance your problem-solving skills, and improve your company's profitability using the methods outlined in Solving Complex Industrial Problems without Statistics. Introducing a process that involves working through problems and solutions without relying on complicated statistical design or analysis, this book pulls away from data-driven thinking and provides the problem solver with a new way of solving problems. Utilizing techniques that have been applied in facilities throughout the U.S., Canada, Italy, China, and Hong Kong, it demonstrates the use of process and problem differences and similarities, and provides a better understanding of analogous comparisons. The book incorporates visual analysis tools and problem examples in a format that facilitates comprehension and learning, presents novel concepts that do not require numbers or statistics, and provides a better understanding of the solution system/process overall. Each chapter presents new information, as well as case studies that include: Different problem situations Short histories detailing the operation, condition, and circumstances that were present at the time of each study Photographs, sketches, or tables with simple explanations to describe the circumstances, conditions, and the actions taken Methods of solution in rudimentary form Chapter summaries to review important mechanisms and workings Final summaries to tie together the important methods and techniques that facilitate easy problem solutions Solving Complex Industrial Problems without Statistics provides valuable insight into the solution of complex quality and manufacturing problems, without the use of statistics, and is essential to anyone involved in quality, control, problem-solving activities, or total quality management.

The manufacturing and service sector needs to resolve a lot of issues relating to products, process and service in everyday operation. Successful resolution depends on the methodology, rigor and systematic implementation techniques. The essential purpose of this book is to impart the necessary knowledge to the reader about concepts in six sigma problem-solving providing sufficient knowledge of problem lifecycle and ways to address the various issues arising therein. The 7 QC tools and A3 strategy are described and analyzed in detail with various examples encompassing a step by step approach a professional must know to address a problem in an industrial engineering set up. Key Features Conceptualizes six sigmas problem-solving providing sufficient knowledge of problem lifecycle and ways to address the various issues for manufacturing industry professionals Enables effective use of 7 QC tools for solving problems Addresses the problem- solving part very specifically in all the contexts of PDCA cycle of improvement, DMAIC methodology of organizational transformation, and TPM & TQM culture of productivity and quality improvement Written with A3 theme throughout enabling each problem-solving tool to follow a structured approach Includes relevant and practical examples and applications