Industrial Technology
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GLOSSARY OF TERMS
| TERM | EXPLANATION |
|---|---|
| Assembly Line | Production is organised along a moving line where each worker performs one process |
| Automation | The computer control of machine processes |
| CNC Lathe | Computer Numerically Controlled Lathe |
| Compensation | Money or benefits given to an employee to replace lost wages or expenses when he or she is injured at work |
| Computerisation | Replacing manual processes with computers and software packages, e.g. Accounting, drawing and designing |
| Conservation | Maintaining the levels and quality of natural resources for the future |
| Craftsmanship | The demonstration of well executed high order practical skills |
| Delegate | To pass duties to others, e.g. managers ask people in their department to perform a task for them |
| 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. |
| Designer | A person engaged in using the design process in a particular context. As in industrial designer, fashion designer, engineer, process engineer, architect. |
| Deplete | Reduce the amount of non-renewable resources |
| Despatch | To send out goods for delivery to customers |
| Diversification | To produce more than one type of product or service |
| Downsize | Reduce the amount of staff but try to maintain the same level of production and business output |
| Economies of scale | Savings made by buying or producing goods in large quantities (bulk) |
| EEO | Equal Employment Opportunities |
| Efficiency | Increasing production levels with lower costs and faster times |
| Effluent | Liquid waste from production processes |
| EIS | Environmental Impact Statement |
| Emissions | Waste fumes or gases from production processes that are released into the atmosphere |
| EPA | Environmental Protection Authority |
| Equity | Equal treatment of all personnel with no discrimination |
| Evaluation | Evaluation is the process of assessment or appraisal to determine whether a design meets the criteria, or meets the design brief. |
| 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. |
| Legislation | Laws passed by governments |
| Management | Those in charge of making decisions and running an organisation. Management is the professional administration of a project. |
| Marketing | Making a product or service known in the marketplace |
| Market research | To gather information about the needs and wants of customers |
| Mechanisation | To replace manual processes with machines |
| Multiskilling | Being trained to perform a variety of tasks rather than specialise in one trade |
| Obsolete | No longer in 'fashion' or useful |
| Outsource | To employ another company to produce a part or carry out a process |
| 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. |
| Process specification | A written description, mainly for the benefit of the producer, of how the product is to be made. |
| 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. |
| Productivity | The amount of goods produced by each person in a given time |
| Profits | Total income less business costs |
| 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. |
| Quality assurance | ISO9000 Standard for quality procedures in business and production |
| Quality control | Testing and/or inspection of products for defects |
| 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. |
| Random | Not in any specific order |
| Recycling | Collective term for the reprocessing and reuse of waste materials |
| Redundancy package | The amount of money and benefits received by dismissed employees based on their years of service |
| Redundant | Employment position no longer needed |
| Reliability | Continuous expectation by consumers of quality and service from a product or organisation |
| Renewable | Resources that can be regrown or replaced, e.g. timber |
| Reprocess | To break down waste materials and reform into new products |
| Reputation | An organisation's public image and/or integrity |
| Research | Research is the systematic investigation into the materials, processes and existing concepts, in order to establish facts and reach conclusions. |
| Restructure | To change an organisations methods or management structure to gain savings and improve profitability |
| Retrench | To dismiss staff to achieve cost savings. |
| Reuse | To use items over again in their original state, e.g. plastic bags |
| Sociological | Effects on people and their quality of life |
| Specialisation | To produce only one type of product or service |
| Sponsor | To provide money or support to, e.g. a sporting team to gain exposure for your product/company name |
| Subcontract | To hire a skilled worker(s) for certain processes |
| Sustainable | Able to be maintained at constant levels e.g. forests |
| Waste minimisation | To limit the amount of waste by efficient use of resources |
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