A salute to success
By Raymond A. Kulwiec -- Modern Materials Handling, 4/1/1998
Productivity is up, and will continue to be up. That is the conclusion that can be drawn from important data released recently by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The BLS report states that productivity rose by 1.6% in the fourth quarter of 1997, and 1.7% overall for the year. But even better news is that manufacturing productivity alone rose by 4.4% in 1997.According to Jerry Jasinowski, president of the National Association of Manufacturers, the main cause of higher productivity is faster technological advance. It's worth adding that sound materials handling practices, which promote the efficient flow of materials throughout manufacturing, warehousing, and distribution, contribute to the cause significantly.
Take a look at the three companies receiving Modern Materials Handling's 1998 awards for productivity achievement, presented during the recent North American Material Handling Show and Forum in Detroit. The criteria on which they were selected, and the techniques and technologies they used to attain their achievements, are spotlighted in this issue.
Needless to say, each employed the best materials handling ideas possible to help them fulfill their missions. But each also moved beyond the traditional envelope in order to realize special gains.
The key word for Hewlett-Packard was simulation-thoroughly understanding their process characteristics before implementing the system. For Revlon, it was continuous improvement- the ability to keep an existing system at leading-edge status. And Walt Disney World's remarkable distribution achievement is grounded on benchmarking-keeping up with 'best practice' thinking.
We salute these winning companies for their contributions to the gratifying productivity story that is being told in U.S. industry today.
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