H.B. Maynard - HUMAN EFFORT INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERING - Methods Time Measurement (MTM) - Introduction

INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERING is redesign (engineering) of Products, Facilities and Processes for Productivity increase.
Productivity Management Imperative for USA - McKinsey. Returning US productivity to its long-term trend of 2.2 percent annual growth would add $10 trillion in cumulative GDP over the next ten years (2023 - 2030).

INTRODUCTION TO MODERN INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERING. E-Book FREE Download. 

https://academia.edu/103626052/INTRODUCTION_TO_MODERN_INDUSTRIAL_ENGINEERING_Version_3_0

Lesson 34 of Industrial Engineering ONLINE Course 

IE Case Study  34. Operation Improvement:   Rego-Fix ER Collets for Tools - Productivity Improvement Case Study

MAYNARD's MACHINE EFFORT INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERING

MAYNARD's HUMAN EFFORT INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERING

Time and Motion Study and Formulas for Wage Incentives (McGraw-Hill Book Company, Incorporated, 1927) was authored by Stewart McKinley Lowry, Harold Bright Maynard, Gustave James Stegemerten. It is the first contribution of Maynard in the area of human effort industrial engineering.

MTM is another important contribution of H.B. Maynard in human effort industrial engineering.

METHODS PRODUCTIVITY ENGINEERING

Man has been looking for better and easier ways of performing the work that is necessary to support his life and to increase his material well-being. At a group level, if more is to be had by the members of the group, then more must be produced. The factory system of organization has survived  because in the long run it has provided a higher standard of living for less work than any other system yet devised.  It provided the conditions and the incentives that cause large numbers of people to devote their time and their energies to production under the managerial guidance of factory managers. 

INDUSTRY'S SEARCH FOR BETTER MANUFACTURING METHODS

In factories, since beginning, there has been more or less interest in better and more economical manufacturing methods.  Industries are turning  more and more to methods productivity engineering in their search for ever better manufacturing methods. 

HISTORY AND DEVELOPMENT OF METHODS ENGINEERING

The foundations for modern methods productivity engineering were laid by Dr. Frederick W. Taylor, the father of scientific management, productivity improvement, production management and industrial engineering and by Frank B. and Lillian M. Gilbreth, pioneers in the field of productivity science of human effort and the method to implement the science,  motion study.  In 1881 itself,  Taylor was keenly aware of the fact that  men in machine shop were by no means producing as much as they could. They were intentionally producing less, a practice termed soldiering. This appealed to him as being an economic waste, for Taylor saw clearly that production was the foundation for material prosperity. He therein fore set himself the task of developing a system that promotes productivity and cost reduction in shops. He wanted managers to know the maximum speed at which machines can be run to give quality output. Similarly, he wanted to develop understanding of the work of operators, the maximum speed at which they can work and produce quality output without stress and strain that injure them and tire them (produce fatigue).  Taylor evolved a simple principle that forms the basis for the operation of modern industry. It was, "The greatest production results when each worker is given a definite task to be performed in a definite time and in a definite manner with reward associated maximum production possible." The definite was determined by the stop-watch time-study procedure that Taylor developed.  A few years after Taylor began his work on the development of systematic management using science as the foundation, a building contractor named Frank Gilbreth decided to apply Taylor's thinking to  brick- layer's trade. Gilbreth developed science of operator motions and developed the field of motion study. The Gilbreths began making detailed laboratory studies of motions and methods and at length developed the micromotion study procedure that forms the basis for methods time measurement. 

DEFINITION OF METHODS PRODUCTIVITY ENGINEERING

The methods productivity engineering procedure integrates all of the practical devices that have been developed to bring about increased productivity into one unified procedure. It includes several steps.  Methods productivity engineering is the technique that subjects each operation of a given piece of work to close analysis in order to eliminate every unnecessary operation and in order to approach the quickest and best method of performing each necessary operation; it includes the standardization of equipment, methods, and working conditions; it trains the operator to follow the standard method; when all this has been done,  it determines by accurate measurement the number of standard hours in which an operator working with standard performance can do the job.

Methods productivity engineering will be successful, if the new method has sufficient increase in income with which,  a plan for compensating labor which encourages the operator to attain or to surpass standard performance can be devised.

The definition definitely states that the method should be developed, standardized, and taught to the operator before the time for performing the task is measured.

But for doing methods improvements also,  time study is used. A decision as to which is the better of two or more contemplated methods cannot be made in some cases until the methods have been timed. Thus,  methods and time measurement are not separate activities. In reality they are inseparable. The method determines the time, and the time establishes which is the best method. It is felt that the methods-time measurement procedure which considers method and time simultaneously solves the difficulty in cases where it is applicable. 

THE GROWING EMPHASIS ON BETTER METHODS

As industry matures in any country, the opportunities for obtaining competitive advantage tend to diminish. Competitive advantage may be sought in the area of better manufacturing methods developed internally while adopting all productivity improvement technologies available externally to maintain parity. The methods productivity engineers have demonstrated repeatedly that the method of performing a given operation can be improved again and again,  as fresh study and analysis are applied to it, periodically. Therefore, better methods are an ever-present possibility. They offer an important  source of competitive advantage. 

METHODS CORRECTION OR METHODS ENGINEERING

The method is carefully worked and implemented. It is corrected each time an inefficiency is discovered.  Certainly it would be impractical to expect that every new job could be introduced into the shop in a state of unassailable perfection. The limitations of human beings alone would prevent this happy condition, even if new materials, processes, and tools were not constantly being invented. No doubt, if the method is engineered by the combined efforts of all who contribute to it in advance of the beginning of production and if it is thought through in detail at the start, it is certain that better methods will result at the first implementation. 

METHODS-TIME MEASUREMENT Methods-time measurement is a useful tool for helping to engineer a method before beginning production.  It is a useful tool for certain kinds of methods work and meets a longfelt need. It is a supplement to the other analysis procedures used in the past—process charts, operation analysis, motion study, time study— and increases their objectivity. It is an added tool in the kit of the methods productivity engineer, which will enable him to handle certain types of  work with greater facility than was possible heretofore.

METHODS-TIME MEASUREMENT-AN ADVANCED STEP IN METHODS ENGINEERING

In undertaking to engineer effective methods before beginning production, one is faced with the necessity of choosing among a large number of ways of performing every operation, and even every element of every operation. The machine related activities are tried and whether required quality is being achieved or not is verified. Then the productivity related aspect is experimented by changing various cutting parameters in case of machine tools.

In case operator work, decisions like, "Where should the material be placed in relation to the machine tool spindle?" "What type of container should be used?" "How should material be placed in the container to facilitate grasping?" "Should two-handed operation be employed?" "Should more than one part be grasped at one time?" "Where should the  finished material be placed? has to be taken by the methods engineer and methods efficiency or productivity engineer.  The decisions reached on these and similar points will determine the  motions that will be required to perform the operation. In order to be in a position to decide which set of motions is the best, it is necessary to know with certainty how long it will take to make the motions. The methods-time measurement procedure, which is based upon predetermined methods-time standards, supplies the answer. 

DEFINITION OF METHODS-TIME MEASUREMENT

Methods-time measurement is a procedure which analyzes any manual operation or method into the basic motions required to perform it and assigns to each motion a predetermined time standard which is determined by the nature of the motion and the conditions under which it is made. 

The procedure is called "methods-time measurement" rather than motion-time measurement because  method which includes materials and tools used and their positions definitely enters into the application of the predetermined time standards that have been established. The motions employed in different methods are different. After habits of automaticity have been established by frequent repetition, the operator does not find it necessary to look at the object toward which he is reaching, if tools can be positioned in the same location always. He is so well oriented at his workplace that he does not need to look toward the object to locate it for his hand. If such a work place order is not maintained,  he has to  look toward the group of objects and  make a mental selection of the one that is to be grasped. Thus he employs a set of motions to do the same task,  and the time required is different. So, method has an effect on motions employed and the time taken to do them even though the time for basic elements of motion are the same as determined in predetermined time standard systems.

PRINCIPAL USES OF DEVELOPING EFFECTIVE METHODS IN ADVANCE OF BEGINNING PRODUCTION

1. Developing effective methods in advance of beginning production.
2. Improving existing methods.
3. Establishing time standards.
4. Developing time formulas or standard data.
5. Estimating.
6. Guiding product design.
7. Developing effective tool designs.
8. Selecting effective equipment.
9. Training supervisors to become highly methods conscious.
10. Settling grievances.
11. Research—particularly in connection with methods, learning time, and performance rating.


DEVELOPMENT OF METHODS-TIME DATA BY METHODS ENGINEERING COUNCIL

In 1940, a methods improvement training program was conducted by the Methods Engineering Council for a large group of time-study men.  As the result of a number of discussions in this group, it was decided to develop a set of data, originally called a "methods formula," which would make it possible to arrive more surely at effective methods of performing operations before they were introduced into the shop. This idea eventually led to a research study that was conducted over a period of many months. With the idea in mind of developing a methods formula for a specific line of work, the investigation was limited at first to sensitive drill-press operations. At length, however, it was found that the data which had been compiled for drill-press work applied equally well and with a very satisfactory degree of accuracy to all classes of work involving manual motions. Hence, instead of a methods formula applying merely to sensitive drill-press work, it was recognized that truly basic methods-time data had been developed. 

METHODS-TIME DATA TABLES

Tables of time data have been compiled for the following motions: 1. Reach 2. Move 3. Turn (including Apply Pressure) 4. Grasp 5. Position 6. Disengage 7. Release

The seven tables cover all types of manual motions that have thus far been observed by the authors in their studies of a wide variety of industrial operations. They do not cover body and leg motions or eye time which occurs as a separate element in certain types of inspection work. Walking time is discussed separately  because it appears to be sufficiently different in nature from hand and arm motions to justify individual treatment. Some body and leg motions are described in a separate chapter. When the tables are applied with an understanding of the characteristics of the motions covered, as discussed in the next several chapters, it will be found that they make it possible to establish with remarkable accuracy the time required to perform the vast majority of industrial manual operations.

More detailed treatment of the topic will be part of IE Measurements Module of the course.

Source: Methods Time Measurement (MTM) Book, 1948

CONTENTS OF THE BOOK

Preface ........... . v 

PART I: INTRODUCTION " 

1. Methods Engineering. ._...................... __ 3 

Industry's Search for Better Manufacturing Methods —History and Development of Methods Engineering - Definition of Methods Engineering — The Growing Emphasis on Better Methods —Prolems Arising from Methods Changes — Methods Correction or Methods Engineering—Methods-Time Measurement. 

2. Methods- Time Measurement — An Advanced Step in Methods Engineering. ..... ............. 12 

Definition of Methods-Time Measurement — Principal Uses 0f Methods-Time Measurement— Developing Effective Methods In Advance of Beginning Production — Improving Existing Methods — 

Establishing Time Standards — Developing Time Formulas — Estimating — Guiding Product Design — Developing Effective Tool Designs — Selecting Effective Equipment — Training Supervisors 

to Become Methods-conscious — Settling Grievances-—Research — Limitations of Methods-Time Measurement. 

3. Development of Methods-Time Data... 25 

Origin of Methods-Time Data — Procedure for Collecting Data-— Analysis Procedure — Conclusion. 

PART II: BASIC INFORMATION ; 

4. Methods-Time Data............. 41 

Methods-Time Data Tables--Unit of Time —Conventions for Recording Methods-Time Data. 

5. Reach ........  46 

Definition of Reach — Starting and Stopping Points — Determining Length of Motion — Reach Motions Involving Body Movements — Classifications of Reach. 

6. Move ...... .59 

Definition of Move — Starting and Stopping Points — Classifications of Move —Other Cases of Move — Weight Factors. 

7. Turn........ 67 

Definition of Turn — Starting and Stopping Points — Length of Turn Motion — Combination Motions — Classifications of Turn Influence of Weight of Object on Turn — Special Cases of Turn — Apply Pressure. 

8. Grasp ...... 73 

Definition of Grasp — Starting and Stopping Points — Classifications of Grasp — Synthesizing Time Values for Complex Grasps — Grasp at High Performance Levels — Two-handed Operations, 

9. Position .... 83 

Importance of Position — Starting and Stopping Points — Variables Affecting Position — Class of Fit — Symmetry — Ease of Handling — Special Cases of Position — Theory of Positioning Motions. 

10. Release Load.. •••••• 98 

Definition of Release Load — Starting and Stopping Points — Classifications of Release Load. 

11. Disengage ........... 100 

Definition of Disengage — Starting and Stopping Points — Variables . Affecting Disengage — Class of Fit — Ease of Handling — Careful Handling. 

12. Walking ... 105 

Study Procedure — Characteristics of Walking — Determination of Walking Time — Accuracy of Walking-Time Data. 

13. Other Motions. ...................  

Measurement Procedure — Foot Motions — Leg Motions — Side Step — Turn Body — Bend, Stoop, and Kneel on One Knee — Kneel on Both Knees — Sit and Stand from a Sitting Position — Accuracy of Body, Foot^ and Leg Methods-Time Standards. 

14. Principle of the Limiting Motion... 121 

Combined Motions — Simultaneous Motions — Simultaneous Grasps — Simultaneous Positions — Simultaneous Arm and Stepping Motions— Simultaneous Foot or Leg and Arm Motions — Complex 

Simultaneous Motions of the Body. 

15. Accuracy of Methods-Time Standards........ 129 

Preliminary Tests of Accuracy with Motion-picture Films — Tests of Accuracy Against Time-study Data — Study of Gaiize-folding Film — Additional Tests. 

PART III: APPUCATION PROCESS 

16. Elements of Methods-Time Measurement.-- Elements of Metliods-Time Measurement —Choice of Operator.:— Approach to Operator— Sketch of Workplace — Identification of Parts —Preliminary Motion Study — Division into Elements-— Methods Analysis of Elements — Foreign Elements — Performatice Rating — Methods-Time Standards Application—Elemental Tijne Determination — Allowances — Allowed Time ■— Checking —■ Records and Filing. 139 

17. Information and Observations. .................... >. .149 

Information — Operation — Location — Operator — Part — Mate¬ rial— Equipment — Quality Requirements — Tool and Part Sketches — Workplace Layouts — Conditions Observations— 

General Observation Procedure — Position of the Observer — Dividing the Operation into Elements — Recording Motions — Foreign Elements. 

18. Computations and Summary. . ...... 160 

Applying Methods-Time Data—Allowances — Occurrences per Piece and Allowed Time. 

19. Estimating from Drawings and Samples...... 163 

Estimating Procedure — Sequence of Operations — Subdiyisipn in|p Elements — Methods Analysis — Avoiding Inaccuracies in Estimating. 

PART IV; METHODS DEVELOPMENT  PROCESS  

20. Principles OF Motion Economy. ................,..... 173 

Gilbreth Basic Elements — Guide to Methods Improvement — Principles of Motion Economy — Gonclusion. 

21. Methods Analysts and Development. ...•••  194 

Methods Analysis and Development Procedure — Establishing Economic Justification for Study — Operation Analysis — Methods Development Procedure. 

22. Principle of the Most Economical Method....... 201 

Principle of Most Economical Method — Formula for Determining the Most Economical Method — Machine Cost — Tool Cost — Labor Cost. 

23. Installation of Improved Method. ... .... 205 

Practicability of Method — Installing -the Method — Instruction Sheet. 

PART V: APPLICATION OF METHQDS-TIME MEASUREMENT 

24. Simplified Methods-Time Data —Use AND Limitations. ... 215 

Reach and Move — Turn — Grasp — Position — Disengage — Release — Table of Simplified Methods-Time Data — Application Procedure for Simplified Methods-Time Data Use and Limitations 

of Simplified Methods-Time Standards. 

25. Application OF Methods-Time Standards TO Tool Design. . 222 

Holding Device for Drill Jig — Designing an Effective Drill Jig — Summary of Findings — Selection of Method — Application of the Principle of the Most Economical Method. 

26. Application of Methods-Time Standards to Office 

Methods ..... 240 

Office and Desk Arrangements — Comparing Dial and Manually Operated Interplant Telephone Systems — Cost Comparison of Filing Systems. 

27. Time Formula Derivation from Methods-Time Standards . 246 

Advantages of Time-Formula Derivation from Methods-Time Standards— Time-Formula Derivation Procedure Using Methods-Time Data — Small Punch-press Formula Report. 

28. Problem Solving with Methods-Time Measurement — Assembly Procedures...* • • •• • 258 

Reasons for Study — Description of Methods Investigated — Findings— Material-handling Cost — Direct Labor Cost — Setup Cost — Quality -— Degree of Control of Material — Operator Satisfaction 

— Learning Time — Departmental Cleanliness — Control of Piece Count — Possibilities for Special Tooling — Effect of Absenteeism on Production — Floor Space Required — Summary of Findings — 

Conclusion. 

29. Problem Solving with Methods-Time Measurement—Performance Rating................ 272 

History of the Development of the Leveling Procedure — The Pit- falls of Terminology — Applicability of Leveling Factors to Basic Elements — The Importance of Method in Performance Rating — 

Some Tentative Conclusions — A Look Ahead. 

Index 

Time And Motion Study And Formulas For Wage Incentives

BY  STEWART M. LOWRY, B.S. in I.E., M.E 

Director of Industrial Relations, Procter and 

Gamble Company, Cincinnati 

HAROLD B. MAYNARD, M.E.

President , Methods Engineering Council , Pittsburgh 

G. J. STEGEMERTEN 

Staff Supervisor, Time Study and Methods, 

Westinghouse Electric & Manufacturing 

Company, East Pittsburgh 

Third Edition, McGRAW-HILL BOOK COMPANY

NEW YORK AND LONDON, 1940 

https://archive.org/stream/in.ernet.dli.2015.509490/2015.509490.Time-And_djvu.txt

Update 5.8.2023,  5.7.2023,  5 Nov 2021,  4 July 2021

Pub 14 June 2020