All Features
Grant Ramaley
The European Cooperation for Accreditation (EA), an association of national accreditation bodies in Europe, has implemented the accreditation requirements of the International Accreditation Forum (IAF) and has signed up for the IAF Multilateral Recognition Arrangement (MLA) extension to cover ISO…
Marposs
(Marposs: Auburn Hills, MI) -- Marposs Corp. will introduce its new iWave2 wireless manual gauge at the Quality Show, in booth No. 619.
The innovative iWave2 gauge features a durable, ergonomically designed handle with a rechargeable Li-ion battery that incorporates a computer with a 1.8-in. TFT…
The Un-Comfort Zone With Robert Wilson
A few years ago, a friend of mine returned from visiting her family in Greece. Knowing that I loved to try new wines, she brought me a bottle that she said was her parents’ favorite. She told me it was called retsina.
It was a white wine and I was anxious to try it. After letting it chill, I…
inTEST Thermal Solutions
(inTEST Thermal Solutions: Mansfield, MA) -- An environmentally friendly series of Temptronic ThermoStream temperature forcing systems that use one-third less energy with very low audible noise has been introduced by inTEST Thermal Solutions. The ECO Series temperature test systems operate on a…
Alex Lucas
Sponsored Content
Has your business ever dealt with a bottleneck caused by your inability to check parts quickly? Have you ever missed a shipment deadline because your coordinate measuring machine (CMM) couldn’t measure a production batch in a timely manner? Could you manufacture more parts if you…
Mike Micklewright
You’ve heard of Bam Bam, Duran Duran, Zsa Zsa, so-so, tutu, and Reverend Tutu. And now we have... Gemba Gemba! But what is Gemba Gemba?
Quite simply, Gemba Gemba means going to the gemba for the purpose of observing others going to the gemba to ask, teach, learn, coach, and challenge. In this way…
Fowler High Precision
(Fowler: Newton, MA) --Fowler High Precision, a leading supplier of high-quality inspection, leveling, control, and calibration equipment, has introduced the zCAT, the world’s first truly portable direct computer control coordinate measuring machine (DCC CMM). Weighing only 30 lbs., the zCAT is…
Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence
(Hexagon Metrology: North Kingstown, RI) -- Hexagon Metrology has announced that registration is now open at hxgnlive.com for the Metrology/Manufacturing track at the forthcoming HxGN LIVE event being held at the Asia World Expo, Nov. 18–20, 2015, in Hong Kong. HxGN LIVE is Hexagon’s international…
Jason Furness
Customers want more value from you as a supplier. They want it with shorter lead times. They want your innovation in the product, and they don’t want to pay for any of it.
I often hear the declaration, “We can’t reduce costs anymore!” from manufacturers (similar statements come from other…
Arun Hariharan
My last article took a look at the new Clause 7.1.6 in ISO 9001:2015, which concerns organizational knowledge and its management. The article also introduced the strategic knowledge management framework. A detailed explanation of each of the framework’s eight elements is given here.
Element 1:…
NIST
A newly released study comparing 34 U.S. healthcare organizations that received the Baldrige National Quality Award with their 153 geographically closest competitors found that the Baldrige Award recipients matched or exceeded their competitors’ measures of healthcare quality and outperformed them…
Bob Emiliani
As both a participant and witness to the practice of lean management in higher education, I’d like to point out methodological errors in relation to how lean is practiced in industry.
People in industry who practice lean management correctly provide us with a standard to which we can compare the…
Denise Robitaille
OK, so “cool” probably isn't the precise term—unless you happen to be a standards uber-geek. But there are definitely some enhancements to the 2015 revision of ISO 9001 that are worth getting a little excited about.
The final draft international standard (FDIS) is finally out for ballot, so most…
Ryan E. Day
Sponsored Content
With the ISO 9001:2015 revision currently dominating standards conversations, it's easy to pass over the humble energy standard from Geneva—ISO 50001. You might not even know what it is, let alone the benefits of implementing it. On the other hand, the rising price of energy and…
Carrie Van Daele
Suppliers, before you read any further, I need you to do some self-introspection by answering yes or no to this question: Are you paying attention?
Now let me clarify. Often, I present a topic called “Demand” at ASQ and APICS meetings. At one of those meetings, a member said to me that he is “…
Russ King
The FDA just issued a Safety Communication on the cybersecurity vulnerabilities of the Hospira Symbiq Infusion System, which is a computerized pump designed for the continuous delivery of general infusion therapy for a broad patient population. The pump is mostly used in hospitals or other acute…
William A. Levinson
The requirement for risk-based thinking is among the most significant changes in ISO 9001:2015. Army Techniques Publication (ATP) 5-19, Risk Management is a public domain reference that supports this requirement.
ATP 5-19 includes a risk assessment approach that is similar to failure mode and…
Chad Kymal, R. Dan Reid
Sponsored Content
Risk is not a straightforward concept. Definitions of risk vary, even within documents published by the International Organizations for Standardization (ISO). One ISO definition indicates that risk is the “effect of uncertainty on an expected result.” Risk is now addressed by…
ISO
(ISO: Geneva) -- Pounds or sterling, dollars or bucks? Our globalized world would feel a lot less global if it we didn't have agreed codes for money. ISO's newly revised standard for currency codes has just been published, ensuring it is fit for the challenges of a fast changing, ever diminishing…
AICON 3D Systems
(AICON: Plymouth, MI) -- AICON Americas will host its annual Technology Fair on Sept. 9, 2015, at its offices in Plymouth, Michigan. The event features educational technical sessions and product demonstrations that illustrate how manufacturers and engineering test centers are using optical…
Jeffrey Phillips
Did the headline of this article grab your attention? Did you think I was going to assert that dumb people are better innovators? Nothing of the sort. However, I think I can positively assert that bringing all of your knowledge to bear on a problem that needs an innovative solution is often…
Mark Rosenthal
I’ve run into a couple of cases where a corporate continuous improvement team orders an initiative to “implement Toyota kata.”
Aside from trying to prescribe each and every step of the process (which runs counter to the entire point of discovering the solution—“you omitted step 7b”), they also…
Yo Delmar
In June 2015, it was initially reported that the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) experienced a massive data breach, potentially affecting as many as 4 million current and former federal employees. Updated reports indicate that the actual number of people compromised is more than five…
CMSC
(CMSC: Weatherford, TX) -- This year’s Coordinate Metrology Systems Conference (CMSC), which was held July 20–24, 2015, in Hollywood, Florida, attracted metrologists from 13 countries, all of whom are involved in the field of 3D portable metrology. Sponsored by the Coordinate Metrology Society (…
Michelle LaBrosse
Here at Cheetah Learning, excitement and energy abound because we’ve wrapped up the development efforts for our new program, The Happy Aging Project. With a 10-hour online class followed by a two-day yoga retreat, this program is unlike anything we’ve offered before.
Our next step is to channel…