While driving your child home from practice, you notice his burger just leaked ketchup and mustard onto the soft fabric of your new luxury-car seats. Panicking, you grab a rag to wipe it up and spill your latte on the carpet. No matter, you think. These seats are made to deal with this.
A line of new textiles launched by Milliken at the recent Detroit Auto Show not only saves you in this scenario -- or at least, saves your seats -- it illustrates that even the auto industry's calcified, commodity-oriented supply chain can be profitably transformed by a disruptive innovation.
VALUABLE LESSON. Milliken is one of the world's leading textile companies and a respected major supplier to automotive manufacturers, albeit from the bottom of the supply chain. But with Yes Essentials, as the new line is called, Milliken has transformed itself from the maker of a commodity material to one selling a high-margin, branded product based on proprietary technology.
The story of Milliken's success reveals important lessons for any organization looking to break out of the constraints of its current business model. Here are the key steps:
Inculcate Innovation. Presidents Ken Compton and later Marshall Washburn created an environment in which innovation was possible by laying out a clear roadmap based on a solid vision and strategy. They focused innovation efforts on producing differentiated products based on proprietary technology that would provide some relief from the incredible margin pressure exerted by the automotive purchasing bureaucracy.
"The work done then -- creating the vision and business objectives -- was definitely a key factor of our success," says Barbara Haaksma, director of design & marketing. "It gave the organization permission to do something bold like this." Milliken's internal culture is very competitive and performance-oriented, and once managers got the mandate, the culture's bias for action was able to be demonstrated.
Check Your Market. Next, Milliken began focusing on the needs of consumers rather than their industrial customers. They had already been manufacturing a stain-resistant fabric used in the Honda Element, and even Milliken was surprised by its popularity.
Some shoppers who examined the fabric at the dealerships were motivated enough to track down the manufacturer and e-mail Milliken to express their feelings. One woman even wrote, "I don't like the car, but I really like the fabric." In the past, Milliken hadn't responded seriously to input like this. After all, their customer was the big car manufacturer who knows exactly what it wants. But this time they listened.
Team Play. Mike Guggenheimer, Yes Essentials product manager, and Haaksma were joined by Stacy Walker, marketing communications manager, and Chris Heard, director of development for Milliken Automotive Fabrics, to form an entrepreneurial cross-functional team tasked with developing the performance fabric. It was also a time when technical advances were allowing a wide range of new functional benefits to be engineered. Fortuitously, DaimlerChrysler (DCX) simultaneously asked Milliken to come up with a fabric to help them compete in the market.
Continual Tweaks. What happened next was unusual for Milliken. "We used consumer research differently than we ever had before. In the past we finished a product first before testing it. This time we evolved the product during the research process," noted Walker. They jumped on what was meaningful to the customer and dug in to find out more about quality-of-life issues. This gave them the insights needed to move forward with a platform that could outperform competitive fabrics on a wide range of features, from stain resistance to design, and the confidence to build a 100-page marketing plan around it.
It wasn't all smooth driving, however. Performance product needs to be premium priced to justify manufacturing costs, and there was some internal resistance to the risks of offering a pricey product to Milliken's often commodity-minded buyers. But because the development team was so passionate and could articulate the product's value to consumers, they shifted the conversation from cost equation to value and return on investment.
Milliken's new product line -- which is available in Chrysler, Jeep, and Dodge cars -- has the potential to be highly disruptive. It has moved the company from the bottom end of the supply chain to a higher profile, with its brand identified and promoted in cars and in dealerships. The company accomplished this by focusing on creating a value for both its customers and the end consumer. As Haaksma says, "It's value, not price, that customers really want. And delivering meaningful features like this make happy customers."
_________________________________
Source: http://www.businessweek.com/innovate/content/feb2006/id20060210_209422.htm
_____________________________________
A textile and chemicals concern, Milliken & Co. makes 19,000 products. Among them: fabric for cars interiors, airbags, tennis balls and printer ribbons; and chemicals used to produce colors for marker pens and to give texture to food products. Milliken & Co. traces its roots to the Deering Milliken Co., a woolen fabrics jobbing firm founded in Portland, Maine by Seth Milliken and William Deering in 1865. The company now has 55 factories worldwide.
Source: Forbes.com
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Saturday, December 20, 2008
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Quality Function Deployment Tutorial
Please access the tutorial at the following link:
http://www.esnips.com/doc/68834627-789e-4cbb-9aa3-39f1849824eb/QFD-Tutorial
http://www.esnips.com/doc/68834627-789e-4cbb-9aa3-39f1849824eb/QFD-Tutorial
Design and Development of New Products-Part A
Please find the presentation at the following link:
http://docs.google.com/Presentation?id=dghpg2vr_591fjb68rf3
http://docs.google.com/Presentation?id=dghpg2vr_591fjb68rf3
Design & Analysis of Processes
Please view the presentation at the following link:
http://docs.google.com/Presentation?id=dghpg2vr_442fjg6wphs
http://docs.google.com/Presentation?id=dghpg2vr_442fjg6wphs
Operations Strategy
Please view the presentation at the following link:
http://docs.google.com/Presentation?id=dghpg2vr_354c6hmmsgd
http://docs.google.com/Presentation?id=dghpg2vr_354c6hmmsgd
Saturday, December 13, 2008
More Secrets of ZARA's success
Spain's Inditex, whose Zara chain pioneered cheap chic, is a $13.8 billion company, which is closing in on Gap (GPS) for the title of world's biggest clothing retailer, has nearly quadrupled sales, profits, and locations since 2000. This year, Inditex plans to expand by up to 640 stores.
Inditex's secret? Cheap fashion clothes; the company maintains an iron grip on every link in its supply chain which enables it to move designs from sketch pad to store rack in as little as two weeks.
Inditex has spent more than three decades perfecting its strategy. Along the way it has broken almost every rule in retailing. At most clothing companies, the supply chain starts with designers, who plan collections as much as a year in advance. At Inditex, Zara store managers monitor what's selling daily—and with up to 70% of their salaries coming from commission, there's a lot of incentive to get it right. They track everything from current sales trends to merchandise customers want but can't find in stores, then shoot orders to Inditex's 300 designers, who fashion what's needed instantly.
Typically, apparel chains outsource the bulk of production to low-cost countries in Asia. Inditex produces half of its merchandise in factories in Spain, Portugal, and Morocco, keeping the manufacturing of the most fashionable items in-house while buying basics such as T-shirts from shops in Eastern Europe, Africa, and Asia. Wages are higher at Inditex—its factory workers in Spain make an average of $1,650 a month, vs. $206 in China's Guandong Province. But the company saves time and money on shipping. Also, Inditex's plants use just-in-time systems developed in cooperation with logistics experts from Toyota Motor (TM), which gives the company a level of control that would be impossible if it were entirely dependent on outsiders.
In addition, Inditex supplies every market from warehouses in Spain. Even so, it manages to get new merchandise to European stores within 24 hours, and, by flying goods via commercial airliners, to stores in the Americas and Asia in 48 hours or less.
Air shipments cost more than transporting bulk packages on ocean freighters. But Inditex can afford them. The company produces smaller batches of clothing, adding an air of exclusivity that encourages customers to shop often. As a result, the chain doesn't have to slash prices by 50%, as rivals often do, to move mass quantities of out-of-season stock. Since the chain is more attuned to the most current looks, it also can get away with charging more than, say, Gap. "If you produce what the street is already wearing, you minimize fashion risk," notes José Luis Nueno, a marketing professor at IESE Business School in Barcelona.
For rivals hoping to mimic Inditex's results, analyst Luca Solca of Sanford C. Bernstein has a bit of advice: Don't follow the Zara pattern halfheartedly. "The Inditex way is an all-or-nothing proposition that has to be fully embraced to yield results."
Source: http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/08_42/b4104066866245.htm
Inditex's secret? Cheap fashion clothes; the company maintains an iron grip on every link in its supply chain which enables it to move designs from sketch pad to store rack in as little as two weeks.
Inditex has spent more than three decades perfecting its strategy. Along the way it has broken almost every rule in retailing. At most clothing companies, the supply chain starts with designers, who plan collections as much as a year in advance. At Inditex, Zara store managers monitor what's selling daily—and with up to 70% of their salaries coming from commission, there's a lot of incentive to get it right. They track everything from current sales trends to merchandise customers want but can't find in stores, then shoot orders to Inditex's 300 designers, who fashion what's needed instantly.
Typically, apparel chains outsource the bulk of production to low-cost countries in Asia. Inditex produces half of its merchandise in factories in Spain, Portugal, and Morocco, keeping the manufacturing of the most fashionable items in-house while buying basics such as T-shirts from shops in Eastern Europe, Africa, and Asia. Wages are higher at Inditex—its factory workers in Spain make an average of $1,650 a month, vs. $206 in China's Guandong Province. But the company saves time and money on shipping. Also, Inditex's plants use just-in-time systems developed in cooperation with logistics experts from Toyota Motor (TM), which gives the company a level of control that would be impossible if it were entirely dependent on outsiders.
In addition, Inditex supplies every market from warehouses in Spain. Even so, it manages to get new merchandise to European stores within 24 hours, and, by flying goods via commercial airliners, to stores in the Americas and Asia in 48 hours or less.
Air shipments cost more than transporting bulk packages on ocean freighters. But Inditex can afford them. The company produces smaller batches of clothing, adding an air of exclusivity that encourages customers to shop often. As a result, the chain doesn't have to slash prices by 50%, as rivals often do, to move mass quantities of out-of-season stock. Since the chain is more attuned to the most current looks, it also can get away with charging more than, say, Gap. "If you produce what the street is already wearing, you minimize fashion risk," notes José Luis Nueno, a marketing professor at IESE Business School in Barcelona.
For rivals hoping to mimic Inditex's results, analyst Luca Solca of Sanford C. Bernstein has a bit of advice: Don't follow the Zara pattern halfheartedly. "The Inditex way is an all-or-nothing proposition that has to be fully embraced to yield results."
Source: http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/08_42/b4104066866245.htm
Some Secrets of ZARA's success
ZARA is a low cost high fashion retailer. Its founder, Amancio Ortega, is the richest man of Spain. ZARA's business strategy is low-cost high-fashion. "One of the keys to Zara's success was the company's control of every step of production, from design, manufacture and distribution, to sales".
Brief Profile of Indian Textile Industry
Number of Textile companies = 15,000
Total Exports = $20.5 billion (17% of India's total)
Number of employed people = 88 million
Source: Newsweek Nov. 2008
Total Exports = $20.5 billion (17% of India's total)
Number of employed people = 88 million
Source: Newsweek Nov. 2008
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Operations Management - Issues and Trends
Please view this presentation at the following URL:
http://docs.google.com/Presentation?id=dghpg2vr_167c4xf5hf2
http://docs.google.com/Presentation?id=dghpg2vr_167c4xf5hf2
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Defining Students’ Learning Outcomes for Better Education
‘Learning’ in humans can be defined as “a relatively permanent cognitive, behavioural or psychomotor change which is not merely a result of the natural human growth process”. Students’ learning outcomes refer to the change (cognitive, behavioural or psychomotor) that you would like to bring in your students through an appropriate teaching and learning process. In other words, students’ learning outcomes define ‘what you would like your students to become after the learning process?’ or ‘what you would like your students to be able to do or accomplish as a result of the learning process?’.
The importance of defining students’ learning outcomes, before beginning any sort of teaching, cannot be overemphasized. Learning outcomes are the foundation upon which the whole teaching and learning structure should be built. Teaching, without prior definition of students’ learning outcomes, is like starting a journey without knowing the destination. Often, our curricula comprise different topics which the teachers have to ‘cover’ during the course of a term or semester, where the focus primarily lies upon the teacher and the teaching topics rather than the learner and the learning outcomes. Defining students’ learning outcomes shift the focus from the teacher to the learner, from the teaching process to the product of teaching, and from the subject matter to the terminal student behaviour. Furthermore, the selection of the appropriate instructional material, instructional strategy as well as the students’ assessment strategy and examination questions, all, depend upon the envisaged students’ learning outcomes.
Educationists have defined three main domains of students’ learning outcomes, viz. cognitive, behavioural and psychomotor. Cognitive domain is concerned primarily with learning of information and different ways and processes of dealing with, manipulating and using that information. Behavioural (also called Affective) domain is concerned with learning of values, beliefs and attitudes. Psychomotor domain is all about learning of skilful physical movements, tasks or activities.
The primary concern in higher education is the cognitive domain, although the behavioural domain is not any less important. Bloom (1956) has defined six different levels of learning outcomes within the cognitive domain. ‘Basic knowledge’ is the lowest level of learning outcomes where student is merely able to remember and re-call facts or identity and repeat the information provided, without necessarily understanding or comprehending the information. This is what we call ‘rote learning’. The verbs associated with this level of learning include: define, spell, list down, name, state, etc. ‘Comprehension’ is the next level where the student, because of having understood a learning material, is able to restate the material in his/her own words, summarize, explain, discuss, re-order or extrapolate ideas. The verbs associated with this level include: explain (in your own word), summarize, interpret, paraphrase, re-state, discuss, review, extrapolate, abstract, etc. The next is the ‘Application’ level where the student is able to apply his/her knowledge to solve a problem, or execute a proper procedure in a unique situation (i.e. not identical to that encountered in the classroom instructions). The verbs associated with this level include: apply, operate, calculate, solve, repair, prepare, carry out, demonstrate, sketch, draw, employ, etc. The next learning outcome level is ‘Analysis’ where the student is able to examine a concept/ problem/ situation (similar but not identical to that discussed in the class), break it down into its parts and discuss the relationships among the parts. The verbs associated with this level include: analyze, classify, distinguish, compare, breakdown, discriminate, contrast, etc. The ‘Analysis’ level outcomes hone the students’ analytical skills which help him/her sort out causes of real-world problems. The next level is ‘Synthesis’ where the student is able to put information/ ideas/ things/ items etc. together in a unique or novel way. This level of outcomes sharpens the students’ creative abilities. The verbs associated with this level include: compose, build, construct, propose, plan, organize, design, produce, create, formulate, theorize, systematize, manage, etc. The next level is ‘Evaluation’ where the student is able to make quantitative or qualitative judgments, critique or justify a solution to a problem or evaluate more than one solutions to a problem and justify the preference of one over the other. This level of outcomes helps students to make better, thoughtful and more educated choices in real life. The verbs associated with this level include: evaluate, assess, appraise, test, judge, select, choose, critique, justify, etc.
While ‘training’ makes humans able to do well mostly in technical situations, ‘education’ enables them to successfully encounter non-technical and social-life situations as well. This is where the ‘behavioral’ or ‘affective’ domain of students’ learning outcomes comes in. This domain has been further divided into five levels (Krathwohl, Bloom & Masia, 1964). The first level is called receiving (i.e. ‘awareness & tolerance’) whereby the student becomes aware of or sensitive to the existence of certain ideas, beliefs, values or phenomena and becomes willing to tolerate them. The second level is called responding (i.e. commitment & compliance) whereby the student becomes committed to some extent to the ideas, beliefs, values or phenomena by actively responding to them. The third level is known as valuing whereby the student becomes willing to be perceived as valuing certain ideas, beliefs, values or phenomena. The fourth level is known as organization (i.e. integration and internalization) whereby the student becomes able to relate the value of new ideas, beliefs and values to those already held by him/her and bring these into a harmonious and internally consistent philosophy. The fifth level is known as characterization by value-set as a result of which the student begins to act consistently in accordance with the values he or she has internalized.
The third domain of learning outcomes is the ‘psychomotor’ domain which is further divided into six levels. The lowest level is that of reflex movements including involuntary flexion, extension, stretching, postural adjustments, etc. The next level is that of learning basic physical abilities including walking, running, pushing, twisting, gripping, grasping, and manipulation. The third level is about basic perceptual abilities and involves learning to use senses such as hearing, seeing or touching to guide skill efforts. The fourth level is about developing advanced physical abilities involving endurance, strength, vigor or agility. The fifth level is about developing complex or skillful physical activities such as drawing, painting, dancing, etc. The sixth level is about learning non-discursive communication whereby the student is able to communicate emotions and feelings through skillful bodily postures, facial expressions or choreography.
For the natural sciences, engineering and technology subjects, it is mainly the cognitive learning outcomes which are more important. In case of humanities and social science subjects, it is primarily the behavioral learning outcomes which are of more importance and in case of arts, crafts and sports, it’s the psychomotor learning outcomes which are the primary consideration. Cognitive learning outcomes aim mainly at producing better scientists, engineers and technologists; psychomotor learning outcomes aim at making better artists, sportsmen and craftsmen while behavioral learning outcomes aim at making humans better human beings and more civilized members of a society.
Defining appropriate students’ learning outcomes is a sine qua non for better education. Without well-defined learning outcomes, all teaching and learning efforts will be like the journey of a vagrant with no destination in mind.
Common problems in singeing & their countermeasures
Please view my article on this topic at the following link:
Important considerations in dyeing with vat dyes
Please view my article on this topic at the following link:
Using cause & effect diagram for identifying causes of shade variation in textile dyeing
Please view my article on this topic at the following link:
Identification of Type of Size in Woven Fabrics
Please view my article on this topic at the following link:
Sunday, November 9, 2008
Dyeing Expert System
Please go to the following page and download Dexpert.zip
http://www.esnips.com/web/DyeingExpertSystem
Unzip Dexpert.zip
Install the .exe file
After installation, locate the wxCLIPS program among the installed programs
After opening the wxCLIPS, go to FILE menu and click on "Load Definitions".
Browse to find the file named "Dexpert" from the unzipped folder.
After loading definitions, go to "Application Menu" and click "start
application".
The expert system will run.
Explore options. Go to help menu for any further help.
I shall be waiting for your feedback.
http://www.esnips.com/web/
Unzip Dexpert.zip
Install the .exe file
After installation, locate the wxCLIPS program among the installed programs
After opening the wxCLIPS, go to FILE menu and click on "Load Definitions".
Browse to find the file named "Dexpert" from the unzipped folder.
After loading definitions, go to "Application Menu" and click "start
application".
The expert system will run.
Explore options. Go to help menu for any further help.
I shall be waiting for your feedback.
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Role of Schools and Colleges-I
A good school or college provides education and oppurtunity to practice how to deal with technical as well as social situations in life.
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Conviction without conduct is lame
Conviction without conduct is lame as is education without action.
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Two Keys to Time Management
1. Setting Priorities.
2. Singlemindedness to completely concentrate on one thing at a time.
2. Singlemindedness to completely concentrate on one thing at a time.
Monday, June 16, 2008
Doing One Thing at a Time
"Remember, the pyramids were built one block at a time. A great life and a great career is built one task, and often, one part of a task, at a time. Your job in time management is to deliberately and creatively organize the concentrated time periods you need to get your key jobs done well, and on schedule." Brian Tracy
Saturday, June 7, 2008
Teaching 'Learning' & 'Thinking'
We want students to learn but seldom teach them how to learn.
We want students to think but seldom teach them how to think.
We want students to think but seldom teach them how to think.
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Science, Engineering, and Technology
Science is all about expanding our understanding of nature. Discovering of new knowledge. Understanding of various phenomena.
Engineering is about applying scientific knowledge to wisely utilize nature for the benefit of mankind, by developing new methods and tools to solve problems, control our surroundings, and improve our lives.
Technology is about skillfully applying existing methods and tools to particular needs and wants.
A Scientist expands our understanding of nature. He uses scientific method and discovers new knowledge.
Using knowledge discovered by Scientists, an Engineer employs engineering design process to develop new methods, techniques, technologies and tools.
A Technologist is skilled in the application of the methods, techniques, technologies and tools developed by the Engineers.
Scientists need to know little about engineering or technology, except that they require technology to construct their experiments.
Engineers need to know something of science and technology.
Technologists need to know something of engineering but little of science.
Science is characterized by a relative unconcern for application (although scientists generally hope their work has some ultimate application).
Engineering is distinguished from technology by the design of new technologies.
Technology is distinguished from engineering by the expectation of skill in existing technologies.
The Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology describes the difference between engineering and engineering technology as: "Engineering and technology are separate but intimately related professions. Here are some of the ways they differ:
· Engineering undergraduate programs include more mathematics work and higher level mathematics than technology programs.
· Engineering undergraduate programs often focus on theory, while technology programs usually focus on application.
· At ABET, engineering and engineering technology programs are evaluated and accredited by two separate accreditation commissions using two separate sets of accreditation criteria.
· Graduates from engineering programs are called engineers, while graduates of technology programs are sometimes called technologists, but are often hired as engineers.
· Some U.S. state boards of professional engineering licensure will allow only graduates of engineering programs—not engineering technology programs—to become licensed engineers."
Engineering is about applying scientific knowledge to wisely utilize nature for the benefit of mankind, by developing new methods and tools to solve problems, control our surroundings, and improve our lives.
Technology is about skillfully applying existing methods and tools to particular needs and wants.
A Scientist expands our understanding of nature. He uses scientific method and discovers new knowledge.
Using knowledge discovered by Scientists, an Engineer employs engineering design process to develop new methods, techniques, technologies and tools.
A Technologist is skilled in the application of the methods, techniques, technologies and tools developed by the Engineers.
Scientists need to know little about engineering or technology, except that they require technology to construct their experiments.
Engineers need to know something of science and technology.
Technologists need to know something of engineering but little of science.
Science is characterized by a relative unconcern for application (although scientists generally hope their work has some ultimate application).
Engineering is distinguished from technology by the design of new technologies.
Technology is distinguished from engineering by the expectation of skill in existing technologies.
The Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology describes the difference between engineering and engineering technology as: "Engineering and technology are separate but intimately related professions. Here are some of the ways they differ:
· Engineering undergraduate programs include more mathematics work and higher level mathematics than technology programs.
· Engineering undergraduate programs often focus on theory, while technology programs usually focus on application.
· At ABET, engineering and engineering technology programs are evaluated and accredited by two separate accreditation commissions using two separate sets of accreditation criteria.
· Graduates from engineering programs are called engineers, while graduates of technology programs are sometimes called technologists, but are often hired as engineers.
· Some U.S. state boards of professional engineering licensure will allow only graduates of engineering programs—not engineering technology programs—to become licensed engineers."
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