Austin Weber

Occupational ergonomics is not a new field. In fact, people have been studying the topic for more than 100 years. This brief timeline tracks some significant milestones.

The field of ergonomics is full of various terms, such as "carpal tunnel syndrome" and "cumulative trauma disorder." Here's a short guide to everything from "accommodation" to "work reach envelope."

Today, ergonomics is better understood than it was 10 years ago. In recent years, it has become less of a standalone discipline and more of a lean manufacturing initiative.

Batteries contain a wide vaerity of volatile chemicals and inherently unstable materials that can potentially create toxic gases. If a leak occurs, electrolyte can be harmful to body tissue and electronic circuitry.

Ergonomics is a subject that hasn't received much attention in the manufacturing community lately. But, that may change under president-elect Barack Obama’s new administration.

By applying lean manufacturing principles and supply chain efficiency, the 2008 Assembly Plant of the Year has been able to minimize product complexity. Design for supply chain techniques have been used at IBM Poughkeepsie to create more common parts, resulting in cycle time improvements and cost reduction.

The 2008 Assembly Plant of the Year is a leader in green manufacturing. In fact, the IBM High-End Server Plant in Poughkeepsie, NY, is a pilot site for IBM’s new Green Sigma consulting initiative, which was launched in August.

The men and women who work at the 2008 Assembly Plant of the Year in Poughkeepsie, NY, are proud of their local community. For instance, more than 2,500 IBMers in the mid-Hudson Valley region have volunteered more than 260,000 hours to help out schools and not-for-profits through the company’s On Demand Community efforts.

For many years, International Business Machines Corp. (IBM) has been synonymous with the word “innovation.” In fact, the streets within IBM’s 500-acre campus in Poughkeepsie, NY, home of the 2008 Assembly Plant of the Year, feature names such as Assembly Ave. and Innovation Way.