Do we need to reinvent the wheel?

By James M. Apple, Jr.
July 2002, Modern Materials Handling Magazine

Every time that I move dirt, one wheelbarrow load after another, from my truck to the garden, I never cease to be amazed at the power of that one small wheel. Of course, wheels are not a new thing in the workplace.

Recently, I have been conducting an informal survey to see how many uses of wheels, in the form of carts, that I can see in everyday use. Everyone seems to have a cart especially designed for the job at hand. Have you ever studied the maid’s cart in the hotel? It’s a treasure trove of storage and cleaning functionality. What about the meal carts on the airplane. Or, the janitor’s cart in your office. Each of these seems to be the result of a good industrial engineering methods study, resulting in a tool for the operator that supports all of the tasks that they normally perform.


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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

James M. Apple, Jr. is a Director in The Progress Group. Prior to co-founding The Progress Group in 1991, he was a Partner with Coopers & Lybrand's SysteCon division. During 1992-1995 he served as a Senior Systems Advisor with Vanderlande Industries, a major conveyor and systems provider in Europe.

 

 

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