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Industrial Engineering: University of Pittsburgh Swanson School of Engineering

Faculty Kim LaScola Needy - Associate Professor

  • Education: Ph.D. (Industrial Engineering): Wichita State University
  • Areas of Expertise: Engineering Economic Analysis, Engineering Management, Integrated Resource Management, Sustainable Engineering
Kim LaScola Needy

Dr. Kim LaScola Needy is an Associate Professor of Industrial Engineering at the University of Pittsburgh and serves as Undergraduate Program Director. She received her B.S. and M.S. degrees in Industrial Engineering from the University of Pittsburgh, and her Ph.D. in Industrial Engineering from Wichita State University. She has accumulated nine years of industrial experience while working at PPG Industries and The Boeing Company.

Dr. Kim LaScola Needy is an Associate Professor of Industrial Engineering at the University of Pittsburgh. She received her B.S. and M.S. degrees in Industrial Engineering from the University of Pittsburgh, and her Ph.D. in Industrial Engineering from Wichita State University. She has accumulated nine years of industrial experience while working at PPG Industries and The Boeing Company.

Dr. Needy works in the areas of engineering economic analysis, engineering management, integrated resource management, and sustainable engineering. In the area of engineering economic analysis she studies the development of activity based costing (ABC) systems for small design and manufacturing firms. Extension of this work includes integrating ABC with economic value added and applying fuzzy set theory to improve cost estimation. Within the engineering management field she has studied the critical factors affecting successful enterprise governance. She also works in the area of integrated resource management where she has conducted research on the incorporation of the human element in cellular manufacturing, development of a Lean Activity Based Scorecard, and design for supply chain (DFSC). Within sustainable engineering she has focused on the impact of green building construction and its improvements in worker productivity, health & safety, maintenance costs and energy savings. Results from her research are published in numerous scholarly journals including The Engineering Economist, the Engineering Management Journal, and the International Journal of Production Research.

Dr. Needy teaches a variety of courses at both the undergraduate and graduate level that fall predominantly within the areas of engineering management. She is the recipient of the 2000 Beitle-Veltri Memorial Teaching Award for the School of Engineering.

Dr. Needy is very active in multiple professional societies. She is a member of the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE); the American Society for Engineering Management (ASEM) serving on its Board of Directors; the American Production and Inventory Control Society (APICS) holding a certification at the fellow level in production and inventory management; the Institute of Industrial Engineers (IIE) having previously served on its Board of Trustees; and the Society of Women Engineers (SWE). She is a registered Professional Engineer in Kansas.

Recent Publications

  • Ries, R., Gokhan, N. M., Bilec, M., & Needy, K. L. (2006). The economic benefits of green buildings: A comprehensive case study. The Engineering Economist, 51(3), 259-295.
  • Bidanda, B., Ariyawongrat, P., Needy, K. L., Norman, B. A., & Tharmmaphornphilas, W. (2005). Human related issues in manufacturing cell design, implementation, and operation: A review & survey. Computers & Industrial Engineering, 48(2005), 507-523.
  • Roztocki, N., Porter, J. D., Thomas, R. M., & Needy, K. L. (2004). A procedure for smooth implementation of activity-based costing in small companies. Engineering Management Journal, 16(4), 19-27.
  • Wilson, J. P., Walsh, M. A. T., & Needy, K. L. (2003). An examination of the economic benefits of ISO 9000 and the Baldrige award to manufacturing firms. Engineering Management Journal, 15(4), 3-10. Winner of the Merrit Williamson Best Paper Award at the American Society for Engineering Management 2003 Conference in St. Louis, MO.
  • Needy, K. L., Nachtmann, H., Roztocki, N., Warner, R. C., & Bidanda, B. (2003). Implementing activity based costing systems in small manufacturing firms: A field study. Engineering Management Journal, 15(1), 3-10. Winner of the 2004 Ted Eschenbach Best Engineering Management Journal Paper Award in Volume 15.
  • Nachtmann, H., & Needy, K. L. (2003). Methods for handling uncertainty in activity based costing systems. The Engineering Economist, 48(3), 259-282. Winner of the 2004 Eugene L. Grant Award presented to the best paper published in Volume 48 of The Engineering Economist.
  • Needy, K. L., Norman, B. A., Bidanda, B., Ariyawongrat, P., Tharmmaphornphilas, W., & Warner, R. C. (2002). Assessing human capital: A lean manufacturing example. Engineering Management Journal, 14(3), 35-39.
  • Norman, B. A., Tharmmaphornphilas, W., Needy, K. L., Bidanda, B., & Warner, R. C. (2002). Worker assignment in cellular manufacturing considering technical and human skills. International Journal of Production Research., 40(6), 1479-1492.
  • Nachtmann, H., & Needy, K. L. (2001). Fuzzy activity based costing: A methodology for handling uncertainty in activity based costing systems. The Engineering Economist, 46 (4), 245-273.
  • Sullivan, W. G., & Needy, K. L. (2000). Determination of economic value added for a proposed investment in new manufacturing capacity. The Engineering Economist, 45 (2), 166-181.
  • Needy, K. L., Bidanda, B., & Gulsen, M. (2000). A model to develop, assess, and validate an activity-based costing system for small manufacturers. Engineering Management Journal, 12 (1), 31-38.
  • Roztocki, N., & Needy, K. L. (1999). Integrating activity-based costing and economic value added in manufacturing. Engineering Management Journal, 11(2), 17-22.

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