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NIST
(NIST: Gaithersburg, MD) -- The Baldrige Performance Excellence Program has issued a request for quotes through the GSA Schedule for the “Baldrige Reimagined” external review referenced in its last update. The Baldrige program will award the contract to the best-qualified vendor.
The upcoming…
Gene Kaschak
Many manufacturers that adopted lean principles by applying a “just-in-time” (JIT) mindset to inventory of materials and parts have been burned, sometimes badly, by cascading supply chain disruptions. Broken links in the supply chain have created havoc, especially for smaller manufacturers.
Some…
Ausrine Cebatore
Following the pandemic, the Great Resignation marked a trend with large numbers of people resigning from their jobs. However, quitting isn’t an option for everyone; many people have obligations, such as loans to repay or medical insurance that is linked to their jobs. Serving notice was simply not…
(AS-Schneider Group: Nordheim, Germany) -- A highlight from the AS-Schneider Group at the ADIPEC at Booth 8840 in Hall 8: The new Digital Valve Kit, which helps plant operators get the current health status of their valves. In addition, a specialist for industrial valves will present valves for…
(HEIDENHAIN: Schaumburg, IL) -- A new ACU-RITE adapter to enable a bridge from an ACU-RITE CNC control to a HEIDENHAIN control on the same machine was introduced in September at the IMTS show in Chicago (Sept. 12-17). This new product bridges the gap to bring an ACU-RITE control user to the next…
Dwayne Duncum
The workplace has changed forever, having gone through a revolution similar to the Industrial Revolution. Our workplaces are diverse, complex, and frequently changing. If we take any lesson from the Covid pandemic, it’s that the way we work, where we work, and how we work have fundamentally shifted…
Jason Bradshaw
As a busy leader or business owner, you’re faced with a seemingly endless to-do list to keep your business operating, as well as an ever-increasing list of ideas about how to improve it. However, I suggest you throw out those hundred-plus to-do items and ideas and instead focus on the experience…
(IMEC: Dixon, IL) -- Bonnell Industries has been a family-owned, industry leader in the truck equipment industry in Northern Illinois for decades but struggled to embrace the concept of lean manufacturing. The team mostly operated under “we do it this way because it’s what we know.”
It wasn’t until…
Etienne Nichols
I know what you’re thinking. You’ve got a medical device prototype that the FDA has categorized as Class I. You’re ready to push forward to manufacturing or marketing the device, since there are no formal requirements for design controls. “So why would I waste time on design controls?”
The fact is…
Sam Hunter, Gina Ligon
There’s a well-known aphorism that generals are always fighting the last war. It’s a natural human tendency to focus on the kinds of threats you’re used to while playing down the likelihood or importance of some new sort of attack.
Of course, novel threats can crop up anytime and anywhere. An…
Diana Blazaitiene
Pandemic fatigue, tense geopolitical situations, and increasing professional burnout might all lead to employees ghosting—or completely cutting off all communication without any explanation—their employers. A 2021 study shows that about 28 percent of employees admit to having ghosted their employer…
(Nadcap: Warrendale, PA) -- Modern 3D printing began during the early 1980s as a way to produce rapid prototype parts. According to a new whitepaper from the National Aerospace and Defense Contractors Accreditation Program (Nadcap), additive manufacturing (AM), as it’s now called, is rapidly…
(Flexbar Machine Corp.: Islandia, NY) - - The new LiteSurf system from Flexbar Machine Corp. features integrated Bluetooth and USB connection to Android smartphones, tablets, and PCs, allowing a quick and easy way to transmit surface roughness measurements. Thanks to the Roughness Studio Basic app…
(UpNano: Vienna) -- A novel device allows the compensation of miniscule roughness in two-photon polymerization (2PP) 3D-printing substrates while printing. The so called “Substrate Tilt Frame” has now been introduced internationally by UpNano GmbH.
The newly developed Substrate Tilt Frame helps…
Tom Taormina
Chipmunks live in wooded areas, scurrying around outside and feeding on nature. Mice burrow into walls and attics, looking for nesting material and food. They’re considered pests because they leave their nasty droppings where we live. So for many of us, chipmunks are cute but mice are repulsive. On…
OpusWorks
Over two days, engage in eight unique best practice sessions with 11 process improvement and thought leaders at S.O.A.R. 2022, OpusWorks’ annual virtual conference.
Designed to present highly actionable information and game-changing strategies from highly experienced and inspiring human beings, S.O…
Theodore Kinni
Conventional wisdom holds that disruptive innovation is beyond the ken of large, incumbent companies. But then there are companies like Microsoft, which transformed its ubiquitous Office software suite into the Office 365 subscription service.
“If Microsoft had done that as a startup, it would be…
(StoreConnect: San Francisco) -- One of the biggest news stories of the past several years has been the Great Resignation. Millennials in particular have felt the brunt of workforce changes from the pandemic and have been pushing back. Nearly 60 percent of millennials feel workplace burnout has…
(Gartner: Stamford, CT) -- A recent survey by Gartner Inc. found that 80 percent of executives think automation can be applied to any business decision. As automation becomes embedded in digital business, the survey revealed how organizations are developing their use of artificial intelligence (AI…
Harish Jose
In today’s column, I’m looking at the Ohno Circle in light of German philosopher Martin Heidegger’s ideas. I’ll try to stay away from the neologisms used by Heidegger and will only scratch the surface of his deep insights.
One of the best explanations of the Ohno Circle comes from one of Taiichi…
Melinda Rose
A team of researchers at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst and the Georgia Institute of Technology has 3D-printed a dual-phase, nanostructured, high-entropy alloy that exceeds the strength and ductility of other state-of-the-art additively manufactured materials. The alloy could lead to…
(SME: Southfield, MI) -- Committed to advancing manufacturing professionals, academia, and communities, SME will participate in IMTS 2022 at Chicago’s McCormick Place, Sept. 11–17, 2022, featuring seven focus areas that explore manufacturing education, workforce development, and career advancement…
Rachel Yang
(MIT: Cambridge, MA) -- To help combat climate change, many car manufacturers are racing to add more electric vehicles to their lineups. But to convince prospective buyers, manufacturers need to improve how far these cars can go on a single charge. One of the main challenges is figuring out how to…
Bryan Christiansen
CNC (for computer numerical control) machines have made manufacturing easier, faster, and more precise. Supported by the development of IoT technology, the CNC machine market is set to experience significant growth. With that in mind, this seems like a great time to discuss the intricacies of CNC…
Kate Zabriskie
Despite our best efforts, it’s not as easy as it looks to get the job training equation right.
“I learned so much during orientation. It’s too bad I won’t use most of it for six months. I took some notes, but I’m sure I won’t remember half of what they told me to do.”
“I’m overwhelmed. I learned a…
