FEATURES
A clean power grid in which all electricity is generated from renewable sources is a dream for environmental activists, politicians, mass consumers and industrial and systems engineers in the energy sector. This dream entails harnessing solar and wind energy mainly to offset fossil fuels in production of electricity. These renewable
resources are fairly new in the electricity generation fuel mix and have been developed enough to compete with coal and natural gas-fired plants and even nuclear power, since their cost dropped dramatically over the last two decades. The hurdle, however, is integration with the grid due to the intermittency from a dependence on weather
conditions.
By Alaa Kafafi
Industrial and systems engineering and supply chain management focus on overall efficiency improvements and cost reduction. This focus has significantly benefited all parties in society. However, sometimes the focus does not best serve the ultimate user of the supply chain – humans.
By Chen Zhou
In conducting process improvement using Lean Six Sigma principles, a key performance metric is identified, data are collected and a baseline is established. After instituting improvements, new data on the metric are collected to validate that improvement did indeed occur.
By Merwan Mehta
Specialization is dead. Or, rather, its long-term value is rapidly diminishing as artificial intelligence (AI) tools grow more powerful.
By Joseph Byrum