Constructing an 'industry': the case of industrial gases, 1886–2006

Historically minded social scientists who analyse business and industrial development over time – including business historians – often deploy the term ‘industry’ as if its meaning were both self-evident and unchanging through time. This article uses the case of the international industrial gases industry over the course of 12 decades to demonstrate some ways in which a more critical and dynamic view of ‘industry’ – in combination with recognition of the imperfect overlap between firms on the one hand and industries on the other – enables better understanding and analysis of both

Lean manufacturing in a mass customization plant : improved efficiencies in raw material presentation

Thesis (M. Eng.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, 2011.Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.Includes bibliographical references (p. 70-71).This thesis focuses on the application of the principles of lean manufacturing at Varian Semiconductor Equipment Associates (VSEA). The company faces the challenges of highly customized assembly as well as fluctuating demand, both of which cause lead times that are longer than expected. Value Stream Mapping was used to identify the main sources of waste in the VSEA manufacturing plant. After evaluating all factors contributing to longer cycle times, it was found that one of the main problems encountered by VSEA was unorganized presentation of raw material to the shop floor. Using the 5S methodology, a framework was created to appropriately categorize the raw material into smaller groups, and deliver them to the flow line according to Just-in-Time (JIT) principles. After the new presentation method for raw material is implemented, the cycle time will be reduced by 6% due to the elimination of the non value added activity from the process. In addition, the first steps toward kaizen process improvement will be in place.by Moojan Daneshmand.M.Eng

Enhancing Facility Layout via Ant Colony Technique (Act)

Cellular manufacturing systems optimization is investigated and manipulated using artificial intelligent (AI) approach combining facility layout and group technology scope. This research applied the ANT COLONY technique  (ACT) optimization where this process was inspired by the real ants and how they move and build colonies by avoiding obstacle and simulate the process to get a procedure that can be adopted on this optimization process. In this research the problem goes in two way first the theory that take account the positions of machines inside the plant and its equations of controlling and second is the routing of part during product life cycle then execute results and applying it on factory configuration. The application of Ants system was carried out on industrial factory of electrical motor where all data was taken from the factory depending on the position and sequence of operations took place. Results were carried out in a way that depending on the showing site plan configurations for each stage and studying the iteration curve response to the parameters changes while testing the system during different environments. The results show high flexibility in ACS (Ant colony system) with fast response and high reduction in the distance crossed by the product part that reached 500m. The ratio of the reduction is 0.625. Keyword: Artificial intelligent (AI), Ant colony (AC), pheromone, genetic algorithm, facility layout, cell manufacturing (CM)

Routines and representations at work - observing the architecture of conceptual design

routines, representations, artifacts, product development, workplace observation, evolutionary economics, chip manufacturing

The Commercial Application of Missile/Space Technology, Parts 1 and 2

This report is concerned with the transfer of technology from missile and space programs to non-missile/space applications in the United States. It presents the findings of a University of Denver Research Institute study sponsored by a National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) grant awarded in November 1961. Initial stimulation for the unsolicited proposal leading to this study came from a 1960 Brookings Institution report to NASA, Proposed Studies on the Implications of Peaceful Space Activities for Human Affairs

Evaluating end-of-life strategies for decommissioned semiconductor facilities

Thesis (M.B.A.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sloan School of Management; and, (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering; in conjunction with the Leaders for Manufacturing Program at MIT, 1997.Includes bibliographical references (p. 117-118).This thesis studies the life-cycle of semiconductor facilities and the potential roles that they may play once they reach the end of their life. Specifically, the author's findings are based on studies associated with the decommissioning of a semiconductor manufacturing facility ("fab") at the Intel Corporation's Aloha Campus in Portland, Oregon. With increasing demarids for its products, Intel is constructing newer and more modern facilities to support large-scale manufacturing efforts. As newer product lines and facilities come on line, older product lines are being eliminated and older semiconductor facilities that produced them are consequently being shut down largely without regard for what their use will be afterwards. As such, this study starts by first looking at the concept of facility life-cycle with respect to semiconductor manufacturing facilities. After discussing potential pre-shutdown planning requirements, the author presents an empirical framework for evaluating possible roles that these fabrication facilities could play after they are taken out of service. In brief, the framework consists of five general steps - (1) establish reference state; (2) develop list of alternatives; (3) establish decision factors; (4) generate measures for comparison; and (5) compare and contrast to draw conclusions -and is based upon a thorough consideration of all relevant technical, strategic, and financial issues. The paper then applies the framework to a current semiconductor manufacturing facility that was the focus of this research. The example developed for Intel's Fab 4 demonstrates that a combination of a short-term role (utilizing the building as a manufacturing support platform) and a long-term strategy (combining the resources of Fab 4 and Fab 5) appears to be the "most feasible" set of alternatives. In addition, the methodology is then applied to other examples of past and potential future wafer fabrication facility decommissioning projects. Conclusions from this research indicate that a process-oriented (rather than outcome-oriented) framework best captures the iterative and dynamic nature of the problem. As such, the major contribution of this methodology is that it presents a framework for how to think about the problem rather than how to immediately solve it. As such, the author believes that the research results presented herein are not intended to be a panacea for what remains to be a difficult problem. However, since companies will no longer be able to walk away from existing facilities, the author concludes that incremental investment and planning for adaptive re-use during the facility's lifetime would appear to offer numerous advantages over waiting until after it is shut down.by Kevin Michael Stewart.S.M.M.B.A