All Features
(Yorkshire Publishing: Tulsa, OK) -- This winter, our view of Japanese automakers as the pinnacle of quality was shattered by the Toyota recall fiasco. For the last 50 years, the Japanese have continuously garnered more and more market share by using a continuous improvement manufacturing…
Chip Bell
Early one morning I was in my side yard and walked up on a huge elaborate spider web complete with its designer-tenant. As I approached the artwork, the spider began to vibrate the web sending glistening dewdrops everywhere. The next morning the web was gone without a trace. However, spread…
Eric Clower
In July of 2008, I stepped out of an engineering leadership role and into an operational role. The transition was exciting and overwhelming. While I had been in and around manufacturing for a little more than a decade, I had never operated as a part of supply chain or production management. The…
Creaform Inc.
When a luxury yacht is ordered by someone high on the world’s who’s-who list, shipbuilders pay special attention. Outfitting the craft with the latest appointments to attend to expensive epicurean tastes is certainly an important issue, but before the crystal can be heard tinkling in varnished…
CSCMP
(CSCMP: Lombard, IL) -- The Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP) has released its new online Resource Directory which includes a comprehensive section on global supply chain management consultants and a listing of their services.
The directory is available on CSCMP’s web…
E Instruments
(E Instruments: Langhorne, PA) -- The MicroCal P100 is a compact, rugged, reliable, and very accurate pressure calibrator making it a great choice for industrial applications. It is now available with the new CalpMan software designed to create and automatically run calibration procedures from a…
Dimensional Metrology Standards Consortium DMSC
(DMSC Inc.: Arlington, TX) -- To introduce the new Dimensional Measuring Inspection Standard (DMIS 5.2) to the world’s metrology community, the Dimensional Metrology Standards Consortium (DMSC) is offering a special discount of 30 percent off for both CDs and downloads of the standard. This 30-…
AME
(AME: Arlington Heights, IL) -- From the combined efforts of the members of the Association for Manufacturing Excellence (AME) comes the “Visual Workplace - Visual Thinking” seminar on March 22 in Tucson, Arizona, at the Hilton Tucson East hotel, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Learn principles, concepts,…
The Un-Comfort Zone With Robert Wilson
I was leaving my last class for the day when I saw my friend, Ken Frankel, working out in the hallway with one of those pistol-grip label makers. I stopped and asked what he was doing.
“The dean asked me to put the room numbers up in Braille so the blind students can find their classrooms…
Capture 3D
Today’s challenges in the turbine industry to meet the ever growing requirement to manufacture parts faster, on schedule, and at reduced costs, have made it apparent to industry experts that traditional inspection methods are too slow and inadequate to achieve the required results. With the…
ASQ
(ASQ: Milwaukee) -- In 1982, W. Edwards Deming wrote Out of the Crisis (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1982). At that time, the United States was enduring a crisis of low quality and high costs. Its previous dominance in the provision of goods and services was being challenged primarily by…
Michelle LaBrosse
When there’s a lot going on, we often push the fundamentals aside and forget the basic skills that have been part of our success. Project management has been a central part of my own success from the beginning of my career. So, when I’m faced with new challenges or when I’m wondering why a project…
(TIA: Arlington, VA) -- Everyone involved in electronics and information communications technology (ICT) can benefit from this half-day ICT Green Boot Camp being held on March 18, at the Holiday Inn, in San Jose, California. Attend this workshop of the Telecommunications Industry Association…
Veeco Instruments Inc.
(Veeco, Plainview, NY) -- Veeco Instruments Inc., a provider of atomic force microscopy (AFM) technology to the nanoscience community, recently announced the Dimension Edge Atomic Force Microscope System for physical and life sciences investigation. This latest offering follows five major AFM…
DNV
(DNV: Houston) -- A study being conducted by Michigan State University (MSU) on behalf of DNV finds that U.S. consumers are highly aware of food safety issues and they have high recognition of third-party certification as an effective signal of food safety assurance. The consumers strongly prefer…
Sparta Systems Inc.
(Sparta Systems: Holmdel, NJ) -- Sparta Systems Inc., the maker of TrackWise software and a provider of enterprise quality and compliance management solutions, has announced that a significant percentage of medical device companies currently submitting “high-volume” reports, leverage its TrackWise…
Mike Micklewright
Nearly 30 years ago, W. Edwards Deming gave us his 14 Points for Management regarding how Western management must change. His 11th point was actually two points:
11a) Eliminate work standards (quotas) on the factory floor. Substitute leadership.
11b) Eliminate management by objective.…
Akhilesh Gulati
Toyota’s name has been plastered in the headlines providing it the publicity no organization would wish for.
Historically, Toyota had achieved a global reputation for the production of very high quality vehicles. The Toyota Production System, or the Toyota Way, is being taught, learned, and…
ASQ
(ASQ: Milwaukee) — The American Society for Quality (ASQ) will present three Distinguished Service Medals and 10 Society Medals and Awards during its annual World Conference on Quality and Improvement in St. Louis, Missouri. The recipients are recognized for their innovative contributions and…
ISO
(ISO: Geneva) -- Any organization may claim to have developed a standard, but “not all standards are created equal,” according to the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) in a new brochure clarifying the distinctions between international standards of the type developed by the ISO…
Bill Kalmar
One of the elements of a successful community is a strong school system. Real estate brokers will always discuss the educational resources in a community when showing homes to prospective buyers. There should be no argument that schools are the lifeblood of any community.
During the last…
(Luxo: Elmsford, NY) -- Luxo announces their new Microscope Inspection Digital Application System (MIDAS), a universally-positionable digital hand-held inspection system that provides a versatile way of viewing, capturing, and documenting images from any direction or angle.
MIDAS features a…
Flow Dynamics Inc.
(Flow Dynamics: Scottsdale, AZ) — Flow Dynamics Inc., a provider of primary standard, NIST-traceable calibrations for all types of flowmeters, has expanded its Scottsdale, Arizona, flow laboratory to ensure high quality calibration services with the industry’s quickest turnaround time.
The…
Cognex Corp.
(Cognex: Natick, MA) -- Images are created when light reflects into the camera; therefore, lighting is an important step to a good image. High-quality images are paramount when using machine vision for your automation and inspection needs.
If you need to learn more about how to get started…
(Sensor Products: Madison, NJ) -- Interactive exhibits make learning science fun. One such exhibit, “Under Pressure,” demonstrates how pressure between the body and a contacting object—such as a chair—can create pressure points and strain. Sensor Products Inc., an innovator in the field, donated…
