All Features
Craig Cochran
Last year I had the good fortune of doing some consulting with B&C Specialty Products in Hopeulikit, Georgia. B&C does light manufacturing, primarily plastic molding and assembly, and they also distribute imported products produced by companies in the Far East. They have about…
Quality Digest
The right combination of trees can result in better air, as well as reduce greenhouse gases, according to researchers at the State University of New York’s College of Environmental Science and Forestry. The scientists at SUNY Syracuse report that the ideal mix can reduce the emission of…
Quality Digest
Shanya Salamaca, RABQSA manager of certification services, now represents auditor authentication bodies on the American Aerospace Quality Group Registration Management Committee.“This is a very pleasing recognition of the value and contribution RABQSA is offering the aerospace industry,”…
Lumetrics
Lumetrics Inc., a manufacturer of precision noncontact thickness measurement systems, recently received the CE Mark of technical approval for its OptiGauge system. CE marking is required for most products sold in European countries, and signifies that the product meets European guidelines…
Fred Mason
Usually, when people discuss measurements they speak in absolute terms—degrees of temperature, millimeters of length, ounces of weight, candela of illumination intensity, degrees of angle, etc. For example, when I say the temperature is 56.4° F, the implicit understanding is that there’s direct…
Michael H. Brill
Referring to human relations, my father advised me always to "save the surface," which is something like "don’t burn your bridges," only more subtle. The connection between the homilies becomes literal in the paint industry: You must save the surface of an iron bridge to avoid burning…
Quality Digest
Archtype Joint LLC, a laboratory that designs and tests joints, recently received registration to ISO/IEC 17025 from the American Association for Laboratory Accreditation. The accreditation makes Archtype the only independent certified company in North America specializing in joint design…
Quality Digest
CogniTens will enlarge its customer support staff and move into a larger office in Tokyo, to handle increasing customer demand for its dimensional measurement solutions. The office will be led by Isao Ito, CogniTens’ manager in Japan. “As the headquarters for some of the largest global…
Quality Digest
InterTech Development Co. has released a new self-calibrating leak detection device than can achieve accuracies of 0.02 sccm (standard cubic centimeters per minute). The new CalVal allows manufacturers to achieve high calibration standards without slowing production for time-consuming…
Quality Digest
Lumetrics Inc., a manufacturer of precision noncontact thickness measurement systems, recently received the CE Mark of technical approval for its OptiGauge system. CE marking is required for most products sold in European countries, and signifies that the product meets European guidelines…
Quality Digest
The contents of a premier metrology facility in the United Kingdom recently went on the market following the business’ closure. The South Yorkshire Trading Standards Unit was an internationally recognized metrology facility with state-of-the-art equipment. Some of the equipment listed…
Quality Digest
The American Society of Safety Engineers recently announced the release of a revised standard for construction safety. A10.44-2006, “control of energy sources (lockout/tagout) for construction and demolition operations,” recognizes the need for protection of personnel and property from…
Last month’s SBGi on HSF column, “Now What?,” focused on the emergence of RoHS and WEEE as part of the global hazardous-substance-free (HSF) movement. This month, we’ll look at what has been happening in the electrical and electronics equipment industries and in the European Union…
Denise Robitaille
Blame is one of the most useless, albeit pervasive, reactions that surround problem solving. For many people, the initial reaction when something goes wrong is: “Who did this?” The less-than-subtle implication underlying this question is: “I want to know who screwed up.” Some may even…
Quality Digest
China’s National Development and Reform Commission has adopted EtherNet/IP as a machinery industry standard for that country. EtherNet/IP is one of the network technologies that composes the family of networks built on the Common Industrial Protocol, and extends interoperability among…
Quality Digest
The International Organization for Standardization technical committee that develops standards for the oil and gas industry was recently honored with the Lawrence D. Eicher Leadership Award. The award recognizes outstanding work in international standardization, and is named for Eicher…
Kimberly Kayler
As a major manufacturer and distributor of uncoated free-sheet papers, containerboard and corrugated containers, newsprint and market pulp, Boise Paper Solutions provides products that aid their customers in making their own products. That is why having to go offline for unscheduled lime kiln shut-…
Quality Digest
Stephen Carrier is Debt Shield Inc.’s new president. Debt Shield is a debt settlement company based in Maryland. Carrier is a Six Sigma Black Belt and previously worked with GE Healthcare Financial Services. There, he underwrote more than $1.2 billion in commitments over a nine-month…
Quality Digest
GE Healthcare and Virtua Health will host a Lean Healthcare Workshop, the organizations’ second training collaboration this year.The workshop will be held at Virtua Health’s facility in Voorhees, New Jersey, Oct. 22–27. It follows a similar event that was held in March and received…
Quality Digest
Two divisions of the International Quality and Productivity Center will present a conference on the use of lean in product development. The event will feature experts from organizations such as TRW Automotive, Honeywell International, Hewlett-Packard and Cisco Systems Inc. discussing ways…
Quality Digest
More than 70 million privately insured Americans saw the quality of their health care improve in 2005, and there are still significant gaps in the quality of health care overall. In its annual State of Health Care report, the National Committee for Quality Assurance reports significant…
Quality Digest
A new standard from the International Organization for Standardization and the International Electrotechnical Commission is designed to increase confidence in management system certification. ISO/IEC 17021:2006, "Conformity assessment—Requirements for bodies providing audit and…
Quality Digest
Rear Adm. Walter Skinner, AIRspeed Command Deployment Champion, will deliver the keynote address at WCBF’s 3rd annual Six Sigma in Service & Transactional Environments Conference. Skinner will present a case study entitled “Achieving Transformation in Service and Transactional…
Praveen Gupta
Lean and Six Sigma have been implemented for many years and organizations have benefited from both methodologies. With Six Sigma, corporations have reaped benefits in the billions of dollars. With lean, organizations have reported up to 90-percent reductions in space utilization and cycle-times.…
Quality Digest
SFR, the second-largest telecommunications provider in France, has selected PowerSteering Software to manage its Six Sigma-based quality improvement program. In an effort to finance new investments, innovate and reinforce its competitive position, SFR has already started several projects…
