Engineering solutions

[YNOT]

This was sent to me today and it was too good not to pass on.

Tony


Engineering solution


(You don’t have to be an engineer to appreciate this story but it helps !!!! )

A toothpaste factory had a problem: they sometimes shipped empty boxes, without the tube inside. This was due to the way the production line was set up, and people with experience in designing production lines will tell you how difficult it is to have everything happen with timing so precise that every single unit coming out of it is perfect 100% of the time. Small variations in the environment (which can’t be controlled in a cost-effective fashion) mean you must have quality assurance checks smartly distributed across the line so that customers all the way down to the supermarket don’t get ticked-off and buy another product instead.

Understanding how important that was, the CEO of the toothpaste factory got the top people in the company together and they decided to start a new project, in which they would hire an external engineering company to solve their empty boxes problem, as their engineering department was already too stretched to take on any extra effort.

The project followed the usual process: budget and project sponsor allocated, RFP, third-parties selected, and six months (and $8 million) later they had a fantastic solution — on time, on budget, high quality and everyone in the project had a great time. They solved the problem by using high-tech precision scales that would sound a bell and flash lights whenever a toothpaste box would weigh less than it should. The line would stop, and someone had to walk over and yank the defective box out of it, pressing another button when done to re-start the line.

A while later, the CEO decides to have a look at the ROI of the project: amazing results! No empty boxes ever shipped out of the factory after the scales were put in place. Very few customer complaints, and they were gaining market share. “That’s some money well spent!” – he says, before looking closely at the other statistics in the report.

It turns out, the number of defects picked up by the scales was 0, after three weeks of production use. It should’ve been picking up at least a dozen a day, so maybe there was something wrong with the report. He launched an investigation, and after some work, the engineers come back saying the report was actually correct. The scales really weren't picking up any defects, because all boxes that got to that point in the conveyor belt were good.

Puzzled, the CEO traveled down to the factory, and walked up to the part of the line where the precision scales were installed.

A few feet before the scale, there was a $20 desk fan, blowing any empty boxes off of the belt and into a bin.

“Oh, that,” says one of the workers — “one of the guys put it there ’cause he was tired of walking over every time the bell rang”.

[Bigrig]

Classic!!! And oh how so true in our modern world ... logic and acknowledgement of the obvious seem to be disappearing ...

[Warnie]

I love it, only the upper management knew what the scales were actually put in place for. And the $20 desk fan instead of an $8 million dollar project, classic. Alot of engineers always want the most technical solution to fix a simple problem.

[timbar]

Money well spent hahaha good work and a good read mate hahahahhahah!!!!

[Maxhead]

Classic example how management assumes the workers are all dumb arses, instead of seeking feedback from them
Great story Tony

[MudRunnerTD]

Very good read Tony, thank mate.

Amusing.

What is interesting though is the worker only got the fan (Great idea) once the $8mill project installed a Bell that gave him the shyts and forced him to act and do a task. The task was to walk over and remove what was identified by the bell as an empty box. He could not be fagged doing that so he got the fan...

Flame Suit on!!

At the end of the day, the unidentified empty boxes where of no consequence to the worker until the bell told him to do a task and where to go to do that task. Up until that point in time he did not give a crap and once the fan went in went back to Not giving a crap.

I bet that same worker would have given the manager a blank look if asked "How do we Identify empty boxes on this line? There are too many going out, you guys watch this line all day every day, what can we do?" Ol' Mate would have been thinking " Your an idiot Boss, all the boxes are closed up, how the hell am i supposed to figure that out" "They all look the same to me" "Ask the Production Line Engineers"

Ironic all the same!

[Maxhead]

Hahah, you must be in management.

I still reckon most managers underestimate in their workers ability and often treat most like damb arses.
Most workers will only do what they get paid to do and in this scenario they are not paid to think and develop ideas.
Talking to your staff and seeking feedback will get you amazing results. I see this in my workplace everyday.

Anyway, this is a classic example of workers using initiative when something directly affects them. He might have also thought of this idea if he was asked and propositioned a $500 bonus.
Would have saved the company a motza...LOL

[AB]

Whilst we're on the subject of toothpaste....lol

I remember an old story about an another simple solution that increased the business of a major toothpaste company by 40%.....True story!

Back in the 1950s, this guy approached one of the large toothpaste manufacturers and said that he had an innovation which would cost them almost nothing to implement, but would yield an immediate 40% increase in business. He offered to sell them the exclusive rights to the idea for $100,000. This was a huge sum at the time, but, given the high volume of toothpaste sales, it would be recouped rapidly. However, the executives of the company were greedy and would not spend such money if it could be avoided. They thanked the guy and said they would get back to him. A big meeting of the company’s marketing and technical staff was called and they were tasked with proposing ideas for increasing business by 40% for little cost.


Two weeks later and no useful ideas had emerged. So, they called back the guy and said he had got a deal. After the legal niceties were completed and the money handed over, he gave them a brown envelope containing a small slip of paper. On this slip were the words: “Make the hole bigger.”


If you increase the diameter of the hole from 5mm to 6mm, the volume of paste squeezed out for a given length of squirt along the brush is increased by 40%. So, most users will consume the tube that much faster and need to buy more …


Now, I have this idea for a revolutionary toothbrush design, but I will save that for another day

[MudRunnerTD]

Whilst we're on the subject of toothpaste....lol

I remember an old story about an another simple solution that increased the business of a major toothpaste company by 40%.....True story!

Back in the 1950s, this guy approached one of the large toothpaste manufacturers and said that he had an innovation which would cost them almost nothing to implement, but would yield an immediate 40% increase in business. He offered to sell them the exclusive rights to the idea for $100,000. This was a huge sum at the time, but, given the high volume of toothpaste sales, it would be recouped rapidly. However, the executives of the company were greedy and would not spend such money if it could be avoided. They thanked the guy and said they would get back to him. A big meeting of the company’s marketing and technical staff was called and they were tasked with proposing ideas for increasing business by 40% for little cost.


Two weeks later and no useful ideas had emerged. So, they called back the guy and said he had got a deal. After the legal niceties were completed and the money handed over, he gave them a brown envelope containing a small slip of paper. On this slip were the words: “Make the hole bigger.”


If you increase the diameter of the hole from 5mm to 6mm, the volume of paste squeezed out for a given length of squirt along the brush is increased by 40%. So, most users will consume the tube that much faster and need to buy more …


Now, I have this idea for a revolutionary toothbrush design, but I will save that for another day


Gold!!! And that is brilliant. because we all use the same length of toothpaste. Very smart

[mikewrigley]

That is a classic! Great stuff. Always love hearing new ones like this...anyone else have any other similar stories of solutions? Would be great to hear them!

[AB]

I have one that I use regularly on the property and is simple....Hijack time Tony!!!

Transfering water, siphoning fuel, etc...

Rather then try and suck it through and get a mouth of fuel just simply put a hose into the tank that you want to transfer from and add another 2-4 feet into the tank as well.

The liquid will come up the hose and stop at level with the liquid that is in the tank.

Put your thumb over the end of the hose and quickly pull out the hose downhill into the other tank and release thumb just as get to the lower tank.

You have now kept the liquid at the same level as it was in the tank and no air can get in from the top side. The bottom side has sucked up more liquid too and the gravity takes over....

That's my claim to fame anyway and I use it all the time. Patent number 47569-A AB PTY LTD, fines up to 1 million dollars for use of this idea and possible gaol time!!!

[mikewrigley]

Definetely a handy one! I'll be using that in future and making sure I have extra length of hose just in case!

[Bigrig]

I have one that I use regularly on the property and is simple....Hijack time Tony!!!

Transfering water, siphoning fuel, etc...

Rather then try and suck it through and get a mouth of fuel just simply put a hose into the tank that you want to transfer from and add another 2-4 feet into the tank as well.

The liquid will come up the hose and stop at level with the liquid that is in the tank.

Put your thumb over the end of the hose and quickly pull out the hose downhill into the other tank and release thumb just as get to the lower tank.

You have now kept the liquid at the same level as it was in the tank and no air can get in from the top side. The bottom side has sucked up more liquid too and the gravity takes over....

That's my claim to fame anyway and I use it all the time. Patent number 47569-A AB PTY LTD, fines up to 1 million dollars for use of this idea and possible gaol time!!!

Best you get onto my father the plumber and let him know that he owes you royalties for the last 45 years!!!!!! lmao

[stock patrol]

This was sent to me today and it was too good not to pass on.

Tony


Engineering solution


(You don’t have to be an engineer to appreciate this story but it helps !!!! )

A toothpaste factory had a problem: they sometimes shipped empty boxes, without the tube inside. This was due to the way the production line was set up, and people with experience in designing production lines will tell you how difficult it is to have everything happen with timing so precise that every single unit coming out of it is perfect 100% of the time. Small variations in the environment (which can’t be controlled in a cost-effective fashion) mean you must have quality assurance checks smartly distributed across the line so that customers all the way down to the supermarket don’t get ticked-off and buy another product instead.

Understanding how important that was, the CEO of the toothpaste factory got the top people in the company together and they decided to start a new project, in which they would hire an external engineering company to solve their empty boxes problem, as their engineering department was already too stretched to take on any extra effort.

The project followed the usual process: budget and project sponsor allocated, RFP, third-parties selected, and six months (and $8 million) later they had a fantastic solution — on time, on budget, high quality and everyone in the project had a great time. They solved the problem by using high-tech precision scales that would sound a bell and flash lights whenever a toothpaste box would weigh less than it should. The line would stop, and someone had to walk over and yank the defective box out of it, pressing another button when done to re-start the line.

A while later, the CEO decides to have a look at the ROI of the project: amazing results! No empty boxes ever shipped out of the factory after the scales were put in place. Very few customer complaints, and they were gaining market share. “That’s some money well spent!” – he says, before looking closely at the other statistics in the report.

It turns out, the number of defects picked up by the scales was 0, after three weeks of production use. It should’ve been picking up at least a dozen a day, so maybe there was something wrong with the report. He launched an investigation, and after some work, the engineers come back saying the report was actually correct. The scales really weren't picking up any defects, because all boxes that got to that point in the conveyor belt were good.

Puzzled, the CEO traveled down to the factory, and walked up to the part of the line where the precision scales were installed.

A few feet before the scale, there was a $20 desk fan, blowing any empty boxes off of the belt and into a bin.

“Oh, that,” says one of the workers — “one of the guys put it there ’cause he was tired of walking over every time the bell rang”.

had a good chuckle when i got to the end. LOL! BUT! so true how good is technology?