RodMacbeth.com » box http://rodmacbeth.com Where Your Glass Is Always Half Full Mon, 31 Jan 2011 20:47:50 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.3 Focus on the Solution not the Problem http://rodmacbeth.com/inspiration/focus-on-the-solution-not-the-problem.htm http://rodmacbeth.com/inspiration/focus-on-the-solution-not-the-problem.htm#comments Wed, 03 Feb 2010 17:10:55 +0000 Rod Macbeth http://rodmacbeth.com/?p=273 When NASA began the launch of astronauts into space, they found out that the pens wouldn’t work due to the zero gravity and ink not being able to flow to the writing surface. They proceeded to develop a pen, at the cost of $12 million, that worked anywhere. Underwater, upside down and, of course, at zero gravity.

The Russians encountered the same problem…what was their solution?

They used a pencil.

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A Japanese company received a complaint that a consumer had bought a soap box that was empty. The problem was isolated to the assembly line, which transported all the packaged boxes of soap to the delivery department. For reasons unknown, one soap box went through the assembly line empty. Engineers were brought in  to solve the problem, which they did by devising  an X-ray machine with high-resolution monitors manned by two people to watch all the soap boxes that passed down the line to making sure they were full.

When a production worker in smaller company was faced with the same problem he didn’t get into expensive X-rays manned by personnel.

His solution?

He set up a strong industrial electric fan and pointed it at the assembly line. As each soap box passed the fan, it simply blew the empty boxes out of the line.

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So don’t over-think the problem as the solution may be a lot simpler then you realize.

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