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COMPETING IDEAS MMS FEBRUARY 2018 28 mmsonline.com Manufacturing Management and send it to a specific person or a designated "mailbox" in a department. Communication of the received samples is now almost instantaneous, and they no longer sit in the receiving department for very long. Documenting Procedures of All Types Although photos have long been used to document assembly, testing, setup and other operating pro- cedures, camera phones offer the ability to record the live video of these procedures as well as snap a photo during the recording process. On many phones, the photo can be taken during the video recording process, in the event some- thing of importance is noted at that time. Other- wise, a screen shot can be taken during the video playback process. Either way, this capability allows users to capture an entire procedure and select a portion of the procedure for inclusion in a visual work instruction. One company with a multilingual workforce recently committed to modifying all of its existing work instructions by replacing text with photos as much as possible. In some cases, the shop has been able to employ short videos of procedures to fur- ther enhance employee learning, although this has required acquisition of computer tablets to train employees within the work area rather than in a training room, where large computers and video screens can be used. Early results indicate employ- ees are learning new procedures faster and are more comfortable moving to different work areas. In this age of rapid technological advancement, most of us already have smartphones equipped with at least basic camera functionality, so we should find the right applications to put these devices to good use in our workplaces. AUTHOR | Wayne S. Chaneski Executive Director, Center for Manufacturing Systems New Jersey Institute of Technology YOUR CALL We've had some mixed signals about cellphone usage on the shop floor. Various policies are shared here: gbm.media/cellphone . DEBURR ANY CROSSHOLE www.jwdone.com