All Features
FDA
(FDA: Silver Spring, Maryland) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently announced the formation of a task force to develop recommendations for enhancing the transparency of the agency’s operations and decision-making process.
To support the efforts of the task force, the FDA…
American National Standards Institute ANSI
(ANSI: New York) -- June 9 marked the worldwide celebration of International Accreditation Day (IAD), an event launched in 2008 by the International Accreditation Forum (IAF) and the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC).
Each year on June 9, IAF and ILAC invite their national…
Jeff Bibee
(Werth Messtechnik: Old Saybrook, Connecticut) -- The Werth Inspector FQ is an extremely fast measuring machine with linear drives. Positioning speed is up to 1,000 meters/second with acceleration speed of 10 meters/second2. It comes standard with zoom optics and can be outfitted with additional…
(LRQA: Houston) -- A leading online source of information, resources, and opinion on the specific issues that organizations are facing, www.businessassurance.com, has launched a 10-part audio and video podcast series, "Trust and Transparency." The series is a result of the launch event for the…
Brittany Vogel
The European Union is working to make products safer for consumers and manufacturers alike. Its new regulations concerning chemicals used in product makeup, REACH, will extend across the pond to affect chemical standards in the United States. The new legislation will make everything from the…
(Cargill: Washington, D.C.) -- U.S. Secretary of Commerce, Gary Locke, has named Cargill corporate vice president, Jerry Rose, to chair the Board of Overseers of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award. The board advises the Commerce Department on all aspects of the Baldrige National Quality…
Arshad Hafeez
Whenever the economic climate freezes assets and sends investors scurrying for cover, businesses must find new ways to grow and stand out from the competition. Cost-cutting is the obvious, and usual, course of action. But in troubled times, isn’t it better to do something proactive and positive,…
Dirk Dusharme @ Quality Digest
(Quality Digest: Chico, California) -- Nikon Corp. has announced an offer to purchase Belgium-based metrology company, Metris N.V., for €5.50 per share. This represents an 107-percent premium to Metris's closing price on NYSE Euronext Brussels as of May 26, 2009, according to Metris. The buyout…
(Sensor Products: Madison, New Jersey) -- Sensor Products Inc. announces Pressurex Extreme Low, the newest addition to its tactile pressure-indicating sensor films. Pressurex Extreme Low characterizes contact surface pressure down to an extremely low 7.2 PSI (0.5 kg/cm2). The range is 7.2 – 28 PSI…
Akhilesh Gulati
Recently a strategy consultant was overheard saying she writes romantic novels. Look into many organizations and, although said in jest, it has more than a modicum of truth to it.
Don’t get me wrong. The high-level strategic plans are important and necessary. But, the devil is in the details,…
(ACSI: Ann Arbor, Michigan) -- The American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) continues to climb, registering a second straight quarterly improvement after a period of decline preceding the recession. For the first quarter of 2009, the Index jumped 0.4 percent to 76.0 on ACSI’s 100-point…
(Hexagon Metrology: North Kingstown, Rhode Island) -- Wilcox Associates, a Hexagon Metrology company, announces the immediate availability of PC-DMIS Reshaper software as a standlone application. PC-DMIS Reshaper is a comprehensive 3-D point-cloud processing program that can be used to…
Gretchen Hancock
These days blogs and newspapers seem to make a daily reference to climate change, resource scarcity and security, the environment and the economy. It's overwhelming … and with the legions of experts in each of these fields, hard to see where one organization, let alone an individual, can make a…
WCBF
(WCBF: Chicago) -- The Global Six Sigma and Business Improvement Awards are given to the most outstanding organizational achievements through the deployment of business improvement programs. The final deadline for entry is near.
The Global Six Sigma Awards Ceremony will be held on October 14th…
(Minitab: State College, Pennsylvania) -- Statistics can be complicated and daunting, but the statistical analysis of data is at the heart of proven business improvement methods such as lean and Six Sigma.
As more businesses search for ways to boost efficiency—and profits—in the current…
NIST
(NIST: Gaithersburg, Maryland) -- By combining the best of two different distance measurement approaches with a super-accurate technology called an optical frequency comb, researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have built a laser-ranging system that can pinpoint…
John Bruman
Editors note: The author submitted this just days before he lost his job. What is ironic about this "rant," as Bruman puts it, is that it was written seven years ago. Do we never learn?
Recent months have brought disturbing news about the U.S. economy, the stock market, and business leadership…
Stanley Cherkasky
At the beginning of this year, the International Aerospace Quality Group (IAQG) released revision C to AS9100, the quality management system (QMS) standard for the aviation, space, and defense industries. Unlike the recent release of ISO 9001:2008 (which was more of an amended version), AS9100:…
(Georgia Institute of Technology: Atlanta) -- A product recall can significantly affect a company’s bottom line and its reputation, but a swift recall and restitution to purchasers can minimize harm to the company—and even improve customer satisfaction, according to a study by Georgia Institute of…
General Electric GE
(GE: Billerica, Massachusetts) -- GE Sensing & Inspection Technologies announces the release of XL Vu, a portable VideoProbe designed for basic inspection where operators need a quick view of hard to access areas. XL Vu provides operators with the basic elements needed for accurate inspection…
ASQ
(ASQ: Milwaukee) -- The American Society for Quality (ASQ) recently announced the new Spencer Hutchens Jr. medal for social responsibility. The medal recognizes the achievements of an individual who demonstrates outstanding leadership as an individual, business leader, and cause advocate for…
Laurel Thoennes @ Quality Digest
You've probably felt their positive energy as it lights up a room. From teammates to colleagues, direct supervisors to CEOs, these people radiate enthusiasm, positive energy, and inspiration. In her new book Glow: How you can radiate energy, innovation, and success (Berrett-Koehler Publishers,…
(Heidenhain: Schaumburg, Illinois) -- Combining a highly accurate CERTO length gauge with an ND 287 digital readout (DRO) equipped with statistical process control ( SPC) enables Heidenhain Corp. to offer a powerful new inspection system. The new universal HEIDENHAIN ND 287 has an interface card…
Russ Russo
The original title for this article was “How to Win the Baldrige.” But of course, no one can give you some secret on how to win the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality award. Instead, this article sets a less daunting objective: to identify the practical steps in writing a Baldrige application. Your…
(Laser Design: Minneapolis, Minnesota) -- Laser Design Inc., the leading supplier of 3-D laser scanners for more than 20 years, announced that its next generation of 3-D laser scanning probes has a new member, the SLP-500. The company's new and improved Surveyor Laser Probes (SLP) are faster and…
