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Quality Digest
(Beamex: Marietta, Georgia ) -- Computer-aided calibration management is becoming more and more common for managing calibration information and calibration assets in the process industry. Tough requirements set by regulatory authorities and quality systems, the need for improving calibration-…
Quality Digest
The new European chemicals legislation—registration, evaluation, authorization, and restrictions of chemicals (REACH)—has started and with it the new European Chemicals Agency has begun operations in Helsinki. The REACH regulation will significantly improve protection of human health and the…
Quality Digest
NIST experiment to replicate an office fire in the World Trade Center. Tests such as this helped validate computer models of the spread rate and intensity of the fires initiated by jet fuel and fed by the office furnishings and other combustibles. NIST (…
Last month, I shared some perspectives about the current state of the hazardous-substance-free movement and trends that are propelling its influence. This month I’d like to discuss what I think these trends mean to industry and the potential usefulness of QC 080000 IECQ HSPM.The European RoHS and…
Denise Robitaille
What data are the best to gather? What processes should you be tracking? What are your metrics telling you? In observing various organizations’ attempts to fulfill ISO 9001 requirements around subclause 8.4—“Analysis of data,”–I’ve noticed a recurring problem. Companies allow the requirements of…
Quality Digest
(IEC: Geneva) – The International Electrotechnical Commission, the global body for electrical energy standards, is recruiting experts from around the world to develop international standards for wave and tidal energy technology that will help establish this promising source of renewable energy…
Quality Digest
(Logitech: Fremont, California) -- Carl Zeiss, an optics company, and Logitech, a manufacturer of webcams, recently announced an exclusive collaboration to deliver unparalleled image quality for video calling and sharing.Carl Zeiss has been driving optical innovation since the earliest days of…
Quality Digest
(CyberShift: Parsippany, New Jersey) -- CyberShift, a provider of workforce- and expense-management software and services, recently announced that their enterprise-class Workforce Management 3G solutions are now integrated with the BlackBerry wireless platform. Used by thousands of…
Quality Digest
(Georgia-Pacific: Atlanta) -- Forty market-selected corrugated box manufacturing operations in Georgia-Pacific’s packaging business have earned Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) certification and are authorized to use the SFI Certified Sourcing product label. Based in Atlanta, Georgia-…
For nearly 20 years, the Baldrige Criteria for Performance Excellence have proven themselves time and again to be a path to exceptional organizational performance. Used in more than 70 countries around the world, the seven categories of the criteria are often seen as essential for excellence.
What’…
Quality Digest
The Global Six Sigma Awards, organized by WCBF, recently announced that Tim Solso, chairman and CEO of Cummins Inc., has been named 2007 Six Sigma CEO of the Year. Solso will be presented with the award at The Global Six Sigma Awards & Summit Gala Dinner on October 24 in Las Vegas, where he…
Quality Digest
(Lean Enterprise Institute: Cambridge, Massachusetts) -- The classic management book The Machine That Changed the World (Free Press, 2007), which was recently reissued in paperback, has been named to an executive reading list compiled by The New York Times.The newspaper described the “…
Quality Digest
(CoorsTek: Grand Junction, Colorado) -- CoorsTek Inc., a technical ceramics manufacturer and a long-time supplier to the electronics industry, has received an Outstanding Supplier Award for the second consecutive year from global sensor components manufacturer Kavlico Corp.Every Kavlico…
Praveen Gupta
I’m surprised how quickly we blame a methodology for a business’s lack of performance. We’re always looking for some silver bullet to cure all ills. In contrast, Six Sigma integrates many methodologies to achieve sustained profitable results. When Motorola practiced Six Sigma under the leadership…
Quality Digest
(National Starch & Chemical Co.: Bridgewater, New Jersey) -- National Adhesives, a business unit of National Starch and Chemical Co., has formed a partnership with SigmaFlow to provide Lean Six Sigma consulting services and integrated software to National Adhesives customers.“Our ability to…
Bill Kalmar
Whenever I enter a Ritz-Carlton hotel, I know “I’m not in Mediocreville anymore!” Walking through those doors transports me to a world unparalleled in service, with guest amenities and services consistently beyond my expectations. Unlike the Wizard of Oz, the hotel is everything it purports to be…
Quality Digest
(AIAG: Detroit) -- The only automotive industry event showcasing collaboration among trading partners, Automotive Industry Action Group’s AutoTech conference and exhibition returns this year with keynote and educational sessions, technical demonstrations, and an expansive exhibit floor…
Quality Digest
(CFI Group: Ann Arbor, Michigan) -- The first Call Center Satisfaction Index from CFI Group indicates that the two issues having the biggest effect on customer satisfaction with a contact center were first-call resolution and offshoring. Issue resolution is the key driver of customers’…
Quality Digest
(ISO: Geneva) -- The International Organization for Standardization recently issued an updated CD-ROM collection of its ISO 14000 family of environmental management standards. The disc includes new or updated standards for use in climate-change programs, environmental labeling, life-…
Quality Digest
(TÜV SÜD: Danvers, Massachusetts) -- TÜV SÜD America Inc., a testing and certification services firm, has been approved by the Radio Research Laboratory (RRL) in Korea to test and apply the Korean Ministry of Information and Communications Mark for various standards related to emissions and…
Quality Digest
(ClearCount Medical Solutions: Pittsburgh) -- The patented SmartSponge System, built by ClearCount Medical Solutions of Pittsburgh and based on radio frequency identification (RFID) has received Food and Drug Administration 510(k) clearance.“We are optimistic the SmartSponge System will…
Quality Digest
(A2LA: Frederick, Maryland) -- The American Association for Laboratory Accreditation began adding medical laboratories to its accreditation offerings on June 1, 2007. “We see strong demand for an internationally recognized accreditation program in the medical laboratory industry,” says…
Georgia Tech student Ashley Palmer, Ph.D., conducted experiments to validate a new cartilage-imaging technique developed by associate professors Marc Levenston and Robert Guldberg in the Georgia Tech School of Mechanical Engineering. On the computer…
Quality Digest
(DHHS: Washington) -- Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt recently announced that the United States will participate in an international effort to encourage more rapid development and worldwide adoption of standard clinical terminology for electronic health records. The…
Quality Digest
(NCQA: Washington) -- Women are significantly less likely than men to have their LDL cholesterol controlled to recommended levels, according to a new study by the National Committee for Quality Assurance. The study, published in the May/June edition of Women’s Health Issues,…