Home > Industrial Technology > Glossary > Glossary
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TERM |
EXPLANATION |
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Assembly Line |
Production is organised along a moving line
where each worker performs one process |
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Automation |
The computer control of machine
processes |
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CNC Lathe |
Computer Numerically Controlled
Lathe |
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Compensation |
Money or benefits given to an employee to
replace lost wages or expenses when he or she is injured at
work |
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Computerisation |
Replacing manual processes with computers
and software packages, e.g. Accounting, drawing and designing |
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Conservation |
Maintaining the levels and quality of
natural resources for the future |
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Craftsmanship |
The demonstration of well executed high
order practical skills |
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Delegate |
To pass duties to others, e.g. managers
ask people in their department to perform a task for them |
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Design |
The concept which links human ingenuity to
selected activities in order to meet needs and find solutions. Design is a process that seeks to solve a problem in the best possible way. |
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Designer |
A person engaged in using the design
process in a particular context. As in industrial designer, fashion designer,
engineer, process engineer, architect. |
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Deplete |
Reduce the amount of non-renewable
resources |
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Despatch |
To send out goods for delivery to
customers |
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Diversification |
To produce more than one type of product or
service |
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Downsize |
Reduce the amount of staff but try to
maintain the same level of production and business output |
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Economies of scale |
Savings made by buying or producing goods
in large quantities (bulk) |
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EEO |
Equal Employment
Opportunities |
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Efficiency |
Increasing production levels with lower
costs and faster times |
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Effluent |
Liquid waste from production
processes |
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EIS |
Environmental Impact
Statement |
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Emissions |
Waste fumes or gases from production
processes that are released into the atmosphere |
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EPA |
Environmental Protection
Authority |
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Equity |
Equal treatment of all personnel with no
discrimination |
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Evaluation |
Evaluation is the process of assessment or
appraisal to determine whether a design meets the criteria, or meets the design
brief. |
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Inspection |
Examination of raw material or finished
product to make sure it meets the specification. Inspection is normally a
commercial activity. Depending on the industry, some form of official inspection
of the product may be required by law, for example in the automotive industry
where particular components are required to be inspected due to their critical
nature. The Building and Construction industry is another example of where
inspections are required as an integral part of the QC process. |
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Legislation |
Laws passed by governments |
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Management |
Those in charge of making decisions and
running an organisation. Management is the professional administration of a project. |
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Marketing |
Making a product or service known in the
marketplace |
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Market research |
To gather information about the needs and
wants of customers |
|
Mechanisation |
To replace manual processes with
machines |
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Multiskilling |
Being trained to perform a variety of tasks
rather than specialise in one trade |
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Obsolete |
No longer in 'fashion' or
useful |
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Outsource |
To employ another company to produce a part
or carry out a process |
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Process control |
Is part of QC; it means checking the
process, as distinct from the raw material or finished product, to ensure that
all operations during the manufacture of the product are done correctly and
consistently to a set standard that is usually described in the process
specification. |
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Process specification |
A written description, mainly for the
benefit of the producer, of how the product is to be made. |
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Product specification |
A written description of what the customer
wants. Some aspects of quality are controlled by legislation, for example certain chemical additives or colouring materials may be prohibited in products offered for sale. |
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Productivity |
The amount of goods produced by each person
in a given time |
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Profits |
Total income less business
costs |
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Quality |
Is difficult to define, since it means
different things to different people. One general definition is "degree
of excellence". Another definition may be "fitness for
purpose." In commerce, quality limits are set by what the customer is
prepared to pay for; generally the customer will pay more for a product that is
considered to be of higher quality, and will continue to buy as long as quality
remains constant. |
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Quality assurance |
ISO9000 Standard for quality procedures in
business and production |
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Quality control |
Testing and/or inspection of products for
defects |
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Quality control |
"Maintenance of quality at a level
that satisfies the customer and that is economical to the producer or
seller." This definition could apply to almost any procedure involving the quality control of any product in any industry. The buyer in the retail market selecting a product that meets the unwritten requirements of his customers is operating a simple form of QC, and this informal kind of activity is widespread in all industries; often this is all that is required. However, QC usually means something more formal, based on written agreed procedures or specifications which are designed to reduce mistakes, and the term "QC" is used in this sense in the following. Quality is normally controlled by designated trained staff that have a clear knowledge of what the customer wants. |
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Random |
Not in any specific order |
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Recycling |
Collective term for the reprocessing and
reuse of waste materials |
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Redundancy package |
The amount of money and benefits received
by dismissed employees based on their years of service |
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Redundant |
Employment position no longer
needed |
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Reliability |
Continuous expectation by consumers of
quality and service from a product or organisation |
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Renewable |
Resources that can be regrown or replaced,
e.g. timber |
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Reprocess |
To break down waste materials and reform
into new products |
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Reputation |
An organisation's public image and/or
integrity |
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Research |
Research is the systematic investigation
into the materials, processes and existing concepts, in order to establish facts
and reach conclusions. |
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Restructure |
To change an organisations methods or
management structure to gain savings and improve profitability |
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Retrench |
To dismiss staff to achieve cost
savings. |
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Reuse |
To use items over again in their original
state, e.g. plastic bags |
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Sociological |
Effects on people and their quality of
life |
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Specialisation |
To produce only one type of product or
service |
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Sponsor |
To provide money or support to, e.g. a
sporting team to gain exposure for your product/company name |
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Subcontract |
To hire a skilled worker(s) for certain
processes |
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Sustainable |
Able to be maintained at constant levels
e.g. forests |
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Waste minimisation |
To limit the amount of waste by efficient
use of resources |