Cost Reduction Method Research Articles

AN EXPERIMENTAL STUDY ON THE COST REDUCTION METHOD FOR VEGETATION MANAGEMENT IN LANDING STRIPS OF AIRPORTS

AN EXPERIMENTAL STUDY ON THE COST REDUCTION METHOD FOR VEGETATION MANAGEMENT IN LANDING STRIPS OF AIRPORTS

Microwave filters-applications and technology

This paper describes the development of microwave filter technology from an applications perspective. Military applications required wide-band and tunable devices for electronic support measures receivers, which led to the development of highly selective wide-band waveguide filters, coaxial resonator and suspended-substrate multiplexers, and electronically tunable filters. The satellite communications industry created demand for low-mass narrow-band low-loss filters with severe specifications on amplitude selectivity and phase linearity. These requirements resulted in the development of dual-mode waveguide and dielectric-resonator filters, and advances in the design of contiguous multiplexers. Cellular communications base-stations demanded low-loss high power-handling selective filters with small physical size, capable of being manufactured in tens of thousands at a reasonable cost. These demands led to advances in coaxial resonator, dielectric resonator, and superconducting filters, and also to methods of cost-reduction, including computer-aided alignment. Cellular radio handsets have required the manufacture of hundreds of millions of extremely small very low-cost filters, still with reasonably low loss and high selectivity. This has driven significant advances in integrated ceramic, surface, and bulk acoustic-wave active filters and filters using micromachined electromechanical systems.

A calculus of unnecessary echoes: application of management principles to health care.

We studied the clinical utility of echocardiography in children and applied principles of business management to draw conclusions that are applicable to health care in general. A significant number (13% in this series) of expensive medical diagnostic tests could be avoided without harm to patients. Cost reduction in medicine is possible in many situations without compromising quality of care. Care pathways (i.e., practice guidelines or clinical algorithms) provide one useful modality. However, for the safety of patients, all cost reduction methods must start with practicing physicians (or involve them at conceptualization) and an escape clause must be available to the treating physician for the atypical patient. The analytic approach used--concurrent assessment of percentage cost, charge, and payor--is applicable to all components of the health care value chain. The use of "percentage of charges" as an indicator of collection effectiveness is unrealistic and should be changed to "percentage potential reimbursement" because health care is effectively a fixed-reimbursement industry rather than a system subject to standard microeconomic (supply and demand) forces. The current reimbursement structure provides conflicting incentives both to health care institutions and to providers, creating an insurmountable barrier to any effective incentive system. Colloquy between practicing physicians and experts in operations management will stimulate cost reduction and can optimize the delivery of health care.

Design and fabrication methods of FW/blanket, divertor and vacuum vessel for ITER

Design has progressed on the vacuum vessel, FW/blanket and Divertor for the Reduced Technical Objective/Reduced Cost (RTO/RC) ITER. The basic functions and structures are the same as for the 1998 ITER design [K. Ioki et al., J. Nucl. Mater. 258–263 (1998) 74]. Design and fabrication methods of the components have been improved to achieve ∼50% reduction of the construction cost. Detailed blanket module designs with flat separable FW panels have been developed to reduce the fabrication cost and the future radioactive waste. Most of the R&D performed so far during the Engineering Design Activities (EDAs) are still applicable. Further cost reduction methods are also being investigated and additional R&D is being performed.

706 原価要素の統計的関係に基づいた原価低減法に関する研究(FAII)

706 原価要素の統計的関係に基づいた原価低減法に関する研究(FAII)

Statistische Prozeßführung (SPC) und Automatisierung (APC)

Statistical Process Control (SPC) and Automatic Process Control (APC). Statistial Process Control as developed by Shewhart and Deming is being used internationally as a method for continuous improvement and cost reduction. SPC is applied to manufacturing and service industries, and is now being used more and more in Germany. In the chemical industry many processes are equipped with automatic control or advanced control strategies. This article outlines how SPC and APC supplement each other. The first part describes APC methods as a means of achieving constant quality. The second part describes SPC in its original form as a method for continuous quality improvement. After the comparison of SPC and APC an example is presented: automatic rectifying column. The combined application of SPC and APC leds to synergistic results which would have been hard to achieve otherwise.

Assessment of safety-critical specifications

Formal methods can reduce the ambiguity in specifications and provide a basis for verification later on/spl minus/especially important for safety-critical systems. The author compares specifications in the software cost reduction method and in the Vienna Definition Method for a safety-critical system and identifies several key assessment issues: understandability, assessment criteria, and semantic capabilities.< <ETX xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">&gt;</ETX>

Software cost reduction methods in practice: A post-mortem analysis

Sixty percent of the software costs associated with the design, development, and implementation of computer systems occurs in the maintenance phase. Since change is intrinsic in software, a significant reduction in the maintenance costs can be realized by recognizing the evolutionary aspects of software and integrating a design for change philosophy into the engineering life-cycle. Programs must be designed to be alterable and the resulting change process rigorously planned and controlled. From 1984 to 1987, the government funded a large, computer-based training effort based on these goals. The training system software provided hands-on training for a large collection/processing system by emulating the man-machine interfaces. The fundamental goal of the design and documentation effort was to minimize the impact of implementing expected system changes to the training system. Initial maintenance metrics collected during 1988 and 1989 for the effort suggest that several of the project design/documentation and maintenance goals were realized. The purpose of this paper is to revisit the design methodology and goals of the effort by analyzing change data gathered during the system test and early maintenance phases. This data strongly suggests that integrating a design for change philosophy into the software development practices has the potential to significantly reduce full life-cycle costs.

Practical interface specification

AbstractAlthough software development based on modules is now widely practiced and taught, specification of module interfaces has received far less acceptance. Languages such as Ada and Modula‐2 require an interface specification, but it is syntactic, merely listing the exported procedures and functions and their signatures. No semantic information is given, leaving the effect of each call on the return value of other calls unspecified. Module users must either guess the interface semantics or infer them from the module implementation, seriously compromising the value of the modular approach. Formal methods, such as the algebraic and trace approaches, do specify interface semantics, but have proved difficult to teach and to apply in practice.In this paper we present the software cost reduction (SCR) method for specifying the syntax and semantics of the module interface. We describe the basic approach and illustrate it on simple, but complete examples. We describe and demonstrate the additional features and techniques we have introduced to handle more complex problems. We also show the precise relationship between the SCR and trace techniques by presenting a method for converting any SCR specification to an equivalent trace specification.

Software cost reduction methods in practice

In 1978, a software cost reduction program was initiated with the goal of applying modern design and documentation principles to the development of large systems. The results of this effort have been documented in several research papers published by D. Parnas et al. (1983). The author extends that approach by updating the methodology based on lessons learned during the application of the concepts to the development of a computer-based training system. An engineering life-cycle which provides more visibility to maintenance concerns is described, and the lessons learned during its implementation are discussed. A summary provides the author's impressions of the methodology and its potential to reduce system maintenance costs.< <ETX xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">&gt;</ETX>

INCOME DISTRIBUTIVE CONSEQUENCES OF THE ACCOUNTING FOR THE PRIVATIZATION OF THE NIPPON TELEGRAPH ANDTELEPHONE PUBLIC CORPORATION

Today's accounting for going concern is primarily based on the periodical allocation of acquisition cost. In this system, the periodic income may vary depending on the method of allocating cost. But, the choice of any method is intrinsically neutral as to income distribution to interested parties for all the allocation periods so long as there is no significant changes in constitution of the interested parties or in the coefficient of financial contracts applying profit/loss as a variable. In contrast with this, accounting for business reorganizations such as corporate merger or separation, restructuration, nationalization or privatization, not only marks the new accountability for the proterty concerned but often determines in a dramatic way the manner in which the company's cumulative profit/loss at the reorganizations is distributed among the interested parties. For instance, if the purchase method is applied to corporate merger, unrealized appreciation or depreciation as well as retained earnings of merged company are liquidated at the merger. But, if the pooling of interests method is applied, those appreciation or depreciation are carried over to merging company. Such different distributive result from the alternative accounting methods for corporate reorganizations is due to the fact that reorganization is usually accompanied with recapitalization, and in that event, there is frequently a major change in pro-rata ownership of various kind of equity. In the recent years, we have seen privatization of major public corporations in Japan such as The Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Public Corporation (the former NTT) which became The Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation (the present NTT or the new NTT). In this paper, then, the author attemts to consider the issue regarding treatment of the customers' contribution for construction (CCC) at the time of the privatization of the former NTT in order to demonstrate how the accounting policy for privatization could determine the income/burden distribution among the interested parties through its effects on the amount of the proceeds from the public sale of the new NTT shares and the rate making at the new NTT. In addition, the author proposes to demonstrate how income/burden distribution would change if the deferred revenue approach which the author advocates or the cost reduction method had been consistently adopted for the CCC.

Implementation as a means of reducing simulation costs

The high cost of simulation has been well documented, and is a significant problem in many applications. In this paper, several existing methods for cost control and reduction are mentioned, and a modest proposal for drastically reducing simulation cost is presented.

The Structural Foam Process As A Cost Reduction Method

The Structural Foam Process As A Cost Reduction Method

The Economic Use of Precious Metals in the Electronics Industry

SummaryThe paper outlines practical methods of cost reduction in gold plating operations, emphasizing the need for an accurate cost appraisals with specific reference to semi-conductor components. Although some of the material on which the paper is based has appeared in an overseas journal,1 it was felt that the subject is of sufficient importance to justify wider dissemination.

The Dry Floor-- A New Approach to High Rise Apartment Buildings

Tishman Research Corporation has been studying new construction approaches to residential high rise building in connection with the parent companys desire, as owner-builders, to provide more value in what it builds; to help trim costs for other interests whom they serve as a consultant or owners representative; and as part of a team directed by the School of Architecture of Pratt Institute seeking cost reduction methods for low income high rise housing—under HHFA and Ford Foundation grants. Regardless of the auspices, there is a common objective—to decrease costs without sacrificing or by enhancing value. Although the studies and development activity are not quite complete, presented here is a particular approach to the buildings structural system which is believed to have sufficient promise to warrant attention now. It is hoped that it will inspire others and provide a basis to expand thereon. It has already sparked sufficient enthusiasm so that it is planned for use in a high rise project in Philadelphia during 1967.

Evaluation of a High-Efficiency Solids–Solids Blender

Solids–solids blending of pharmaceuticals is a time-consuming batch operation. Modern techniques using high-efficiency mixing devices as a method of process time-saving and cost reduction are becoming of prime concern. The Littleford-Lodige mixer was evaluated as a method of achieving rapid high-efficiency solids-solids blending; its application as a wet granulation device was also briefly investigated. The data obtained using the Littleford-Lodige mixer as a solids-solids blender is presented. Evaluation of the data indicate complete mixing is obtained in approximately 30 sec. Preliminary evaluation of this equipment as a method of wet granulation indicates granulation times in the order of 5 to 10 min. or less, depending on mixing characteristics and ingredients. Based on the results of this work, the Littleford-Lodige mixer appears to be a promising method of achieving rapid dry blending and wet granulation in one piece of equipment. Its use in the field of blending and wet granulation is worthy of further investigation. Solids–solids blending of pharmaceuticals is a time-consuming batch operation. Modern techniques using high-efficiency mixing devices as a method of process time-saving and cost reduction are becoming of prime concern. The Littleford-Lodige mixer was evaluated as a method of achieving rapid high-efficiency solids-solids blending; its application as a wet granulation device was also briefly investigated. The data obtained using the Littleford-Lodige mixer as a solids-solids blender is presented. Evaluation of the data indicate complete mixing is obtained in approximately 30 sec. Preliminary evaluation of this equipment as a method of wet granulation indicates granulation times in the order of 5 to 10 min. or less, depending on mixing characteristics and ingredients. Based on the results of this work, the Littleford-Lodige mixer appears to be a promising method of achieving rapid dry blending and wet granulation in one piece of equipment. Its use in the field of blending and wet granulation is worthy of further investigation.