Learning Curves – OM in the News

Reduced Work Week and Productivity

A recent global study by nonprofit 4 Day Week Global found that participants in a 32-hour reduced work week experiment were very pleased with the results.

Employees were paid their normal 40-hour pay, but they only had to work 32 hours each week. While not all participants responded in the follow-up survey, employees who did rated the experience very highly, as did the companies they worked for.

Video Spotlight:

Should we move to a four-day workweek? (Aug 5, […]

By Lisa M. Spencer|2023-01-04T06:40:05+00:00January 4, 2023|Tags: efficiency, job design, productivity, working conditions|

The Post Office Reinvents Itself with Banking and Alcohol Deliveries

Message in a bottle. Money, it’s a hit. Can they save the Post Office?

Loss of revenue from first class mail, competition, and a mandate to prepay retirement benefits 75 years into the future have created a financial crisis for the US Postal Service. Because Congress has shown little appetite to repeal the mandate, many solutions have been proposed to alleviate the financial woes of a well-liked institution. Recently, two proposals have been gaining traction: allow the USPS to deliver alcohol […]

By CMKaruppan|2021-04-04T20:28:10+00:00April 16, 2021|Tags: cost-benefit analysis, mix flexibility, service design, value, work design|

Design Cycle for GM’s Hummer EV Cut by 3 Years

With its Hummer EV, GM has cut 3 years out of its usual 5-year design time.

GM says that the new development process is saving $1.5 billion annually. GM is using new technologies such as virtual product testing and hardware-in-the-loop testing to cut product development time dramatically. It also helps that the Hummer EV is using a battery that was previously developed and has far fewer parts compared to combustion engine technology.

Testing virtual parts saves money since 3-D printed parts can […]

By David Little, Ph.D.|2021-01-20T04:54:33+00:00January 20, 2021|Tags: 3D printing, facility layout, new product development, virtual reality|

Bionic Boost in the Workplace

Robotic shorts offer relief to fatigued workers.

The latest, exciting quest to improve working conditions has produced robotic shorts. Developed by a team of university researchers, the lightweight exosuit and its power system are designed to detect movements and assist their execution, thereby reducing the stress and injury associated with physical demands. The increased strength is expected to boost workers’ productivity.

Video Spotlight: Walking Faster with Robo Shorts

This post is based on the CNBC article,

By Corinne M. Karuppan, Ph.D.|2019-09-16T06:12:30+00:00September 20, 2019|Tags: ergonomics, product design, productivity, work measurement|