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This paper examines how 11 part-families were developed and then selected, using discrete event simulation, for cell manufacturing and subsequent exclusion from the current manufacturing system of a value added wood products company. The criteria used to exclude a family were the reduction of current average work-in-process and, secondarily, average lead times. The excluded parts could then be processed through a manufacturing cell. Using simulation and management input, two of 11 part-families, representing 51 different part types, were chosen to be excluded from the traditional job shop floor. Their exclusion resulted in an average total work-in-process reduction of 112 parts which represented a 17% reduction. A second article, in preparation, will compare the processing of the 51 parts through different simulated manufacturing cell designs.

There is increasing interest in medical text messaging interventions being used to achieve positive patient outcomes across a range of clinical research and health practice environments. Short messaging service (SMS) is a low-cost tool that provides an easy communication route to engage potentially broad populations through text messaging, and is part of the growing social trend toward increased adoption of personal communication technologies by patient populations. Testing the effectiveness and impact of various communication strategies requires navigation of a complex web of clinical and research regulations and oversight mechanisms. We describe a case study of the implementation of SMS to provide bidirectional communications between physicians and patients involved in routine care reminders to illustrate the review processes and governance structures needed. By mapping the regulatory and approval processes required to manage and steward a research study across clinical and community boundaries, we provide a guide for other translational health researchers who may utilize similar kinds of personally owned technology interventions as research tools.

Bias ply truck tire resonant vibration and sound fields were evaluated in the laboratory by standard vibration and sound measurement procedures. Four resonances were isolated between 90 and 250 Hz. Analysis of the sound and vibration fields showed that each isolated resonant mode radiates acoustic energy like a simple source. The modes investigated were determined to be acoustically slow with the attendant acoustic radiation emanating from a region within ¼ wavelength of the tire footprint.

Some issues and challenges of the implementation of digital enterprise technology (DET) in the engineering design and manufacturing environment are discussed. The issues and challenges are positioned for the academic environment. Mechanisms for academic participation and contribution to the DET revolution are presented.