By the Numbers – 2005-07-01

7 Lessons on Working with Asia is the name of the article (April 2005 Control Engineering) ranking first in the top 10 articles read at www.controleng.com (as of June 15). Lesson 7, "Promises are sacred," explains how it is a mistake to treat Chinese colleagues as casually as those in the West. Profits suffer "when trust is lost due to excuses, delays, and lack of follow through," the article a...

By Staff July 1, 2005

7 Lessons on Working with Asia is the name of the article (April 2005 Control Engineering ) ranking first in the top 10 articles read at www.controleng.com (as of June 15). Lesson 7, “Promises are sacred,” explains how it is a mistake to treat Chinese colleagues as casually as those in the West. Profits suffer “when trust is lost due to excuses, delays, and lack of follow through,” the article advises. Control Engineering www.controleng.com

20% of jobs in Indiana are in manufacturing; the state had its first Manufacturing Appreciation Week in May, to “inspire manufacturing executives, shop floor workers, unions, the public, and policymakers to achieve manufacturing excellence.” indianamanufacturing.com

1942 is the year the classic PID loop-tuning paper by John G. Ziegler and Nathaniel B. Nichols was published. That paper and a much-later Control Engineering interview with Ziegler, looking back on what that effort has meant for the industry, are both in the Resource Center Training Library. resource.controleng.com

21 Steps to Cybersecurity is a government publication from the President’s Critical Infrastructure Board and the Department of Energy. U.S. Department of Energy www.ea.doe.gov/pdfs/21stepsbooklet.pdf

2,000 person net gain in U.S. employment in six major engineering and computer job classifications in first-quarter 2005 vs. the 2004 average, according to data compiled by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Jobs for computer scientists and systems increased by 54,000, while five others fell. Those showing declines were computer hardware engineers down 18,000; computer software engineering jobs 13,000, computer programmers 8,000, electrical and electronics engineers 8,000, and computer and information systems managers 5,000. IEEE-USA www.ieeeusa.org

2 dispute resolution methods, the “Referee Method” and “Universal Standard Method,” are outlined for suppliers and users of gauges and instruments in a recent one-page AMTMA white paper. American Measuring Tool Manufacturers Association www.amtma.com

31 teams participated in the RoboCup competition in May, at George Institute of Technology. The joint international project aims to promote research in artificial intelligence, robotics, computational perception, and related fields. Various games, including robotic soccer, require integration of perception, planning, cooperation, and action. Simulation, machine vision, wireless communication among robots, and lots of programming were involved. Robocup U.S. Open www.robocup-us.org

6 Good Automated Manufacturing Practice (GAMP) Guide topics cover validation of automated systems in pharmaceutical manufacture, calibration management, validation of process control systems (VPCS), legacy systems, electronic records and signatures, and validation of laboratory computerized systems. International Society for Pharmaceutical Engineering www.ispe.org

2,400 is about how many high school and middle school students competed in the 21st annual National Science Olympiad, May 20-21, at the University of Illinois, Champaign, IL. The students, representing more than 120 teams of U.S. champions, competed in more than three-dozen events, including computing, chemistry, bridge building, and astronomy. National Science Olympiad www.nso.uiuc.edu

$15.5 billion is what AMR Research estimates companies are spending in 2005 on compliance with laws, regulations, and other requirements, with an average company spending $500,000, according to a survey of more than 225 companies. More than 80% of companies expect to have an executive-level compliance officer this year. Compliance spending could reach $80 billion in five years, the firm says. AMR Research www.amrresearch.com

10,000 manufacturing facilities, approximately, are located in Georgia, providing roughly 450,000 jobs; manufacturing accounts for nearly 10% of that state’s employment, including transportation equipment, aerospace, computers and electronics, food, paper, metal fabrication, textiles, and plastics. Georgia celebrated Manufacturing Appreciation Week this spring. www.georgiamaw.org

67% is how much LCD panel manufacturing costs are expected to fall over the next five years, according to Japanese economic expert Naoki Tanaka. Tanaka’s observation from the “Nikkei Microdevices’ Flat Panel Display 2005 Yearbook,” is cited in the June 9, 2005, Control Engineering Information Control Monthly e-mail newsletter. (Sign up free atop www.controleng.com.) Nikkei Microdevices’ Flat Panel Display 2005 Yearbook www.fpdonline.com


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