All Features
Thomas R. Cutler
Story update 6/03/2011: The first two paragraphs following the subhead "ISO 22000 users" were changed.
Regulatory and standards compliance is a requirement that meets with regular resistance from CFOs and CEOs who must justify the expense. Brand protection from recalls and costly litigation is…
ISO
(ISO: Geneva) -- For any person who is relatively new to the world of standardization and consumer policy, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) has implemented a user-friendly, interactive tutorial, explaining what consumers can gain from international standards and how…
(IBM: Washington, D.C. and ARMONK, New York) -- IBM designed a consulting service that will help governments better understand their overall performance on environmental issues, identify improvements that can increase energy efficiency, reduce environmental impact including greenhouse gas…
Criteria changes and lean Six Sigma
In these difficult economic times, organizations are looking at all possible means to operate profitably. As demand for products and services drops and customers expect the lowest possible price, organizations are feeling urgent pressure to cut costs as a…
(New Hampshire Manufacturing Extension Partnership: Concord, New Hampshire) -- The New Hampshire Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP), in collaboration with MEPs in Maine and Massachusetts, have implemented a pilot program to integrate government conservation guidelines into its training…
Steven Ouellette
Many people go through a point in their lives where they question the beliefs they hold most dear. Then there are those who question the entire basis for statistical process control (SPC) once they have learned the statistical basis for them. I can’t help you with the former, but I have something…
Applications are now available for the 15th Annual Connecticut Quality Improvement Award (CQIA) Innovation Prize. Eligible organizations include Connecticut manufacturers, service companies, educational and health care organizations, and state, local, and federal government agencies.
CQIA…
Peter J. Sherman
For the record, I’m a registered Independent voter. With that said… Recently, President Obama’s nominee for commerce secretary, Sen. Judd Gregg, unexpectedly withdrew from the position. Was it because of skeletons in his closet: unreported nanny taxes, inappropriate personal lifestyle,…
Bill Kalmar
To be a quality professional means that you must have a trained eye and a sensitive ear for the delivery of exceptional service. We appear to be a group of people who have set the bar so high that at times it may be difficult or almost impossible for service personnel to meet our expectations. As…
(ISO: Geneva) -- By establishing a common vocabulary, the newly revised International Organization of Standardization (ISO) 14000 series on environmental management standard will facilitate the effectiveness of communication, which is key for the implementation and operation of environmental…
(InfinityQS International: Chantilly, Virginia) -- Saving the lives of children who have suffer from pediatric cancer and other catastrophic childhood diseases was the goal for InfinityQS when the company committed to donate $1 million to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
“We chose to…
Lysosomal storage disorders may not sound as dire as diseases such as cancer or Alzheimer’s, but to the people that suffer from them, life can be a nightmare. In fact, three of the primary disorders in this category—Gaucher’s Disease, Fabry Disease, and Pompe Disease—aren’t only characterized by a…
(Project on Emerging Technologies and Food and Drug Law Institute: Washington) -- In 2007, the global market for goods incorporating nanotechnology totaled $147 billion. Lux Research projects that figure will grow to $3.1 trillion by 2015.
Is the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) equipped to…
(Food and Drug Law Institute: Washington) -- To help organizations stay in compliance with Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulations, the Food and Drug Law Institute is hosting the “Introduction to Drug Law and Regulation: A Program on Understanding How the Government Regulates the Drug…
(FDA: Rockville, Maryland) – In light of recent peanut butter and peanut products recalls, and to help ensure the safety of regulated products in the supply chain, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued three guidances that include the following:
Final guidance for industry on "…
Cognex Corp.
(Cognex: Natick, MA) -- Cognex Corp. has enhanced its VisionView operator interface with new features that enable more detailed visualization of parts, easier storage of failed images, and a PC display option. VisionView is a touch screen display interface for Cognex In-Sight vision systems that…
(ATS: Peoria, Illinois) – For manufacturing leaders and plant managers to be progressive, it’s important to extend the performance of production assets. According to a survey by Advanced Technology Services Inc. (ATS) conducted with Nielsen Research, a majority say they would outsource noncore…
(TÜV Rheinland: Newtown, Connecticut) -- On Feb. 1, a new version of the electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) compliance standard EN 61326-1:2006 became mandatory. With the new mandate, laboratory device manufacturers may need to retest some of their products to satisfy certain technical revisions…
Today’s manufacturers must develop products quickly and inexpensively to meet the demands of a competitive marketplace. Rigorous testing to meet North American product certification requirements may prove to be a time-intensive process. If not properly planned, third-party approvals can…
Kurt Boveington
With all of the quality lingo over the years, “right-the-first-time,” “prevention vs. detection,” “total quality,” “Six Sigma,” “ kaizen, ” and “continuous improvement,” Intermec Media, a label converter in Fairfield, Ohio, has taken this to another level and applied these concepts to their own…
Mike Micklewright
In part 1 of this series, I blamed myself for the recession. Actually, I blamed all quality professionals but I was trying to be polite. I also explained what one of our challenges is, if we hope to have a hand in turning the economy around.
I asked, “Why don’t we have more quality-type people…
The Infrared GPS system (iGPS) from Metris Inc. can be used to locate and track any point in a rugged indoor environment precisely and accurately. It was used by the Systems, Controls, and Components Research division at Caterpillar Inc., to calibrate the various sensors on a 420 E-series backhoe…
Robert Clem
Hello readers! 2009 brings CMSC into its 25th year. CMSC has grown from a small gathering of users and developers who had a common problem to solve—the standardization of theodolite targets. Today, CMSC has morphed from a conference-based organization into a society whose focus is on the promotion…
Olkiluoto, the world’s largest and most modern nuclear power station, with an output of 1.600 Mwatts, relies on German technology. During the final assembly of turbine manufacturing at Siemens, blades are installed to the rotor and measured in the housing. This is a balancing act between optimal…
Steven Ouellette
As you read this you will, no doubt, have already made (and perhaps broken) your New Year’s resolutions. I’d like to propose one that we, as business leaders, have a special responsibility to follow and whose failure we hear about in the news almost every day.
Of course, I’m talking about…
