Machine Effort Industrial Engineering - Machine Study and Machine Work Study

MACHINE EFFORT INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERING - Neglected Component of Industrial Engineering of F.W. Taylor.

"Through this lowering of the selling price the whole public, the buyer and user, of the joint product of the labor and machinery have profited by getting what they buy cheaper." - Taylor in Testimony.

Note products of industrial establishments are the joint product of the labor and machinery.

Celebrate the birthday of F.W. Taylor in your Industrial Engineering Department and Company. Share what you are implementing in your company from Taylor's Ideas.

Birthday of F.W. Taylor 20th March. Modern Industrial Engineering March  2026 Issue - Taylor Month of IE - Contribution of F.W. Taylor to Industrial Engineering and Productivity Management - Implemented and Neglected

Access Essays on F.W. Taylor's Writing - Belt Drive Design, Productivity System and Section, Shop Management, Productivity Science of Machining, and Scientific Management

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/march-2026-issue-taylor-month-ie-contribution-fw-industrial-kvss-71nlc

I am highlighting in the year 2026, the tasks neglected by industrial engineering profession even though Taylor thought of them. Machine effort industrial engineering got neglected in industrial engineering curriculums. It is a major blunder. IE professors have to correct this deficiency as early as possible to make IE a strong engineering and management discipline that improves engineering processes and systems effectively.

Frederick Taylor's Productivity Improvement System - Element Level Machine/Tool/Work Improvement - Time Calculation and Measurement -  Piece Rate Fixing  -  1895 

 Part 1 -  Part 2   -  Part 3 -  Part 4 - Part 5 - Part 6

Taylor - Productivity Science and Art of Metal Cutting - Important Points

https://nraoiekc.blogspot.com/2019/06/taylor-art-of-metal-cutting-important.html

Productivity Improvement in Machine Shop - F.W. Taylor

https://nraoiekc.blogspot.com/2020/05/productivity-improvement-in-machine.html

Practices of Toyota - Machine Effort Industrial Engineering 

Equipment Acquisition and Improvement 

Toyota plans its production systems with low operating rate for many machines. Hence, Toyota buys less expensive machines. But it improves the machines to suit its requirements continuously. 

Improving Methods of Operation

The operation, which is a man-machine combination can be improved through:

1. Improvements in human motions
2. Improvement in machine movements - increasing machine cutting speeds, reducing time through simultaneous cutting on multiaxis machines, and using multiple turret heads to shorten tool replacements.
3. Mechanizing human motions.

Improving human motions

Motion study can be used to reduce the operation time or the operator time. Motion study improves the movements or motions made by the operator and also improves the arrangement of materials and tools. 5S movement of Japanese industry is basically the offshoot of principles of motion economy.

Items must be arranged neatly, they must be easily accessible and they must be uniformly aligned.

Improvements in Machine Movements

Examples include raising output by increasing machine cutting speeds, reducing time through simultaneous cutting on multi-axis machines, and using multiple turret heads to shorten tool replacement time. This could involve using faster cutting processes like milling in the place of slower process like shaping.

Mechanizing Human Motions

In Toyota, first the human motions are optimized and then mechanization is attempted. Whenever mechanization is thought of its economics are thoroughly investigated. Toyota insists on kaizen - good change.

Seven Steps in Automating Machining Operations (Baudin)

In early days Toyota engineers had a list of tasks to be done in automating machining. Now all their machines are automated to a very large extent. But engineers of companies that are in the process of automating can learn from the Toyota's automation steps list.

1. Adding a power drive:  As we know, most of the machines now provide power to the work piece in case of lathe and to the rotary tool in case of milling machines.

2. Adding power feed: In case of lathe, tool feed is done through power. Still an operator is required to stop the cut.

3. Automatic stopping of the cut:  If the machine can stop the cut automatically as specified, the operator can start the cut and go and attend another machine. If the tool can come to the starting position after completing a cut, it will save some more time of the operator.

4. Automatic unloading: If the operation is completed, the machine can eject the completed part.

5. Automatic loading: If the machine can eject the completed part and pick and load the new blank, it is the next level of automation. The operator's role and required time further gets reduced.

6. Automatic problem detection: If the machine can detect problems in its functioning through sensors, operator is further relieved of some monitoring functions. If a problem is detected, machine will stop and announce the situation through alarms. Operator can come and take care of the problem.

7.Automatic transportation: In this automation step, the completed part of a machining operation is moved to the next machine automatically.

https://nraoiekc.blogspot.com/2021/04/jidoka-automation-and-mechanization.html

https://nraoiekc.blogspot.com/2022/05/the-toyota-production-system-features.html

Ud. 6.3.2026

Pub. 3.7.2025