All Features
Bill Kalmar
Have you noticed that the airwaves no longer carry informative, unadulterated news anymore? “Breaking News” has become the standard, thus all news is presented in an excited, almost breathless, tone. We at home now question the urgency of any segment, particularly when we discover that a cat…
Quality Digest
TUV SUD America Inc. recently awarded AS9100 certification to Symetrics Industries LLC. The global standard defines quality systems requirements for suppliers to the aerospace industry.AS9100 includes many requirements of the ISO 9001 standard, along with 80 additional requirements and 18…
Quality Digest
SteelCloud Inc. and GoAhead Software recently formed a strategic alliance. SteelCloud offers standards-based, application-ready platforms for developing mission-critical applications for the U.S. Department of Defense or any environment that requires 99.999-percent availability. It…
Quality Digest
Trillium Software recently began offering TS Insight, a data quality dashboard with scorecards and trending presented in a Web-based application for global and domestic enterprises.TS Insight offers data-quality metrics in graphical forms that are intuitive, thereby allowing the data…
Thomas R. Cutler
The hiring practices of manufacturing companies have become increasingly lean. The old processes of advertising, screening, interviewing, hiring and training are riddled with waste; it’s both too expensive and extremely time-consuming. The hiring shift to staffing companies has become increasingly…
Quality Digest
Sparta Systems Inc.’s newly certified channel partners may now sell, implement and support its TrackWise software in market segments outside of the life-sciences industry.TrackWise is enterprise process management software that allows businesses to ensure compliance, lower costs, reduce…
Quality Digest
Online registration has opened for the 2007 Quality New Mexico Conference, which will be held March 8 and 9 in Albuquerque, New Mexico.Quality New Mexico’s seminars and workshops inform nonprofit, health care, education, government, and large and small business organizations of best…
Quality Digest
Problem-solver Adam Kahane will deliver the keynote speech at the American Society for Quality’s 2007 World Conference on Quality and Improvement.The conference will be held April 30–May 2 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida. Kahane will present his perspective on…
Thomas R. Cutler
The hiring practices of manufacturing companies have become increasingly lean. The old processes of advertising, screening, interviewing, hiring and training are riddled with waste; it’s both too expensive and extremely time-consuming. The hiring shift to staffing companies has become increasingly…
Quality Digest
The Food and Drug Administration recently proposed recommendations to Congress that would broaden and upgrade the agency’s drug safety plan, increase resources for television advertising review and improve drug development processes. The recommendations are part of the reauthorization…
Quality Digest
A Food and Drug Administration senior scientist will be the next chairman for the agency’s Global Harmonization Task Force, which was established as an international effort to improve the quality of medical devices and regulatory systems. Dr. Larry Kessler is director of the office of…
Quality Digest
Pharmatech Associates Inc. has established a Regulatory Compliance Group that’s designed to help the consultancy’s clients ensure long-term drug development compliance with Food and Drug Administration regulations. The RCG’s team members include former FDA employees who have extensive…
Quality Digest
Solectron Corp. will host an upcoming seminar on the effect of the restriction of hazardous substances (RoHS) directive on American medical device makers. RoHS is a European requirement that prohibits the marketing of electronic and electrical equipment that contains hazardous substances—…
John Toon
Georgia Tech professor Zhong Lin Wang holds a sample nanowire array that can be used to power nanometer scale devices. Georgia Tech Photo: Gary Meek Researchers have developed a new technique for powering nanometer-scale devices…
Quality Digest
Siemens VDO Automotive and Wacker Chemical Corp. recently won the first SAP Industry Leadership Awards. The awards were handed out at SAP Americas’ annual field sales kick-off meeting in Las Vegas.The new awards program honors SAP customers that show business process excellence through…
Quality Digest
Wal-Mart’s bid to install solar energy systems in its stores in five states could boost the solar industry as a sign of corporate interest in sustainable technologies and practices.Photovoltaic cells—solar cells—change sunlight into electricity directly via semiconductor materials such…
Quality Digest
InfoWorld’s 2007 Technology of Year Award has gone to Zimbra, a provider of open-source, next-generation collaboration and messaging software.The Application Innovator Award went to Zimbra Collaboration Suite, an open-source messaging and collaboration solution for service provider,…
Rick Ringlespaugh
A tier-two automotive supplier faces the challenge of interacting with customers and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) on many different programs. For each of more than 100 programs the company is involved in, it must submit a detailed quality plan and then be prepared to change the plan as…
Quality Digest
ContingenZ Corp. recently introduced IMCD Small Business. Using the General Cost Consequence model, the new version of the software includes a database designed for small businesses. IMCD Small Business Edition has the same functionality as IMCD Professional, which was formerly called…
Quality Digest
As the American Society for Quality’s managing director, Michelle Mason will be a member of the group’s management committee, which leads in the implementation of its business plan and the achievement of its strategic objectives and vision.Mason was formerly vice president of research…
An introduction to Six Sigma for direct marketing Six Sigma methods, used correctly and thoroughly for continuous improvement of direct marketing sales, can produce remarkable results:1. At a university work-force education program, total registrations doubled in three years through…
Steven Ouellette
Today marks a milestone in our countdown of the Top Ten Stupid Six Sigma Tricks. A subjective and unimportant milestone to be sure, but a milestone nonetheless—we have now reached the halfway point. Forget the New Year, this is cause for celebration.
To commemorate this trivial event, let us turn…
Quality Digest
A new audiocast reveals six “Rules of Innovation” for lean organizations. The rules are included in a new book, The Rules of Innovation: A Guide to Systematic Innovation Management, by Bart Huthwaite, founder of the Institute for Lean Innovation. An accompanying audiocast focuses on giving…
Quality Digest
Quality Trainer is a new, Web-based learning service devised by Minitab Inc. With a focus on statistical education, Quality Trainer is a useful resource for busy quality professionals.The service is available via subscription at the company’s Web site and uses narration, animation, and other…
Quality Digest
PACCAR Inc., U.S. commercial vehicles maker, recently unveiled plans for a new $400 million powertrain manufacturing and assembly facility in the Southeast United States, saying its comprehensive Six Sigma program helped the company attain the goal. “PACCAR’s outstanding profits,…
