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(Marposs: Auburn Hills, MI) -- At IMTS 2018, Sept. 10–15, 2018, in Chicago, in the McCormick Center’s East Building, booth E-5516, Marposs will be demonstrating guided sequence gauging using augmented reality (AR). Visitors to this area of the booth will be provided with AR glasses that guide them…
This story was originally published by Knowable Magazine. Part one looked at the innovative possibilities inherent in 3D printing; here we consider some of its shortcomings and the solutions that companies are finding.
A few years into this century, the industry reached a tipping point, as sales of…
This story was originally published by Knowable Magazine. Part one looked at the innovative possibilities inherent in 3D printing; here we consider some of its shortcomings and the solutions that companies are finding.
A few years into this century, the industry reached a tipping point, as sales of…
Hiring a chief marketing officer (CMO) can be one of the most important decisions you make as a CEO. The right CMO can build a world-class marketing team that will not only help you acquire more customers, but also strongly enhance the perception and brand value of your company.
However, despite…
The Atlantic hurricane season is now upon us, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has just released its 2018 seasonal hurricane outlook which calls for a slightly above average season. The potential range of activity indicates that we could expect 10 to 16 named storms,…
(Sunnen: St. Louis, MO) -- Sonny Leonard and the team from Sonny’s World Class Racing Engines in Lynchburg, Virginia, have volunteered to build a high-performance engine for the Sunnen Engine Charity Sweepstakes at the Performance Racing Industry (PRI) Trade Show in December 2018. This will be the…
This story was originally published by Knowable Magazine.
Since May 2015, in a section of its WorldPort distribution center in Louisville, Kentucky, United Parcel Service (UPS) has been operating a spare parts warehouse with no spare parts. Instead, the facility is stocked with ultrafast 3D…
This story was originally published by Knowable Magazine.
Since May 2015, in a section of its WorldPort distribution center in Louisville, Kentucky, United Parcel Service (UPS) has been operating a spare parts warehouse with no spare parts. Instead, the facility is stocked with ultrafast 3D…
I would like to share with you a tale from the real world. It’s an extract from the book Michael McLean and I wrote, Manufacturing Money (Amazon Digital Services LLC, 2015). It offers an example of the “Five Focusing Steps” to improvement, especially “Step 1: Identify the constraint,” and “Step 2:…
Many consider 2017 the “worst year ever” for data breaches and cyber attacks, largely due to the rise in ransomware, and IT experts predict it’s only going to get worse. According to the Online Trust Alliance (OTA), a nonprofit that works to develop tools and best practices that enhance internet…
Henry Ford is credited with the cheeky quote, “If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said, ‘A faster horse.’” But, people didn’t get a faster horse (which may indeed have been what they wanted). What we did get was a machine that literally—and irrevocably—changed the entire world…
In April, Ford announced that it will be phasing out nearly all of its passenger cars in the United States. If all goes according to plan, 90 percent of Ford’s portfolio in North America will be trucks, SUVs, and commercial vehicles. Its F-150—the most popular vehicle in America—is now poised to…
In case you missed it, Elon Musk recently called BS on the field of nanotechnology. The ensuing Twitter spat was admittedly rather small on the grand scale of things, but it did throw up an important question: Just what is nanotech, and where does the BS end and the science begin?
I suspect that…
We raise the corrective and preventive action (CAPA) topic often because it is still something that companies tend to struggle with and find themselves in hot water over, particularly when it comes to regulatory audits or inspections.
There’s often a sense that CAPA is another inconvenient process…
In ancient times, the story goes, cooks in the city of Sybaris were granted yearlong monopolies for the sale of unique dishes they created. Since then, generations of inventors have relied on patents to discourage copycats from stealing their best ideas. Economists, in turn, have tallied up patents…
In ancient times, the story goes, cooks in the city of Sybaris were granted yearlong monopolies for the sale of unique dishes they created. Since then, generations of inventors have relied on patents to discourage copycats from stealing their best ideas. Economists, in turn, have tallied up patents…
Manufacturing is in the middle of a new industrial revolution that requires skilled laborers. However, by most reports, many manufacturers lack enough of these well-trained employees, creating a worker shortage due to the skills gap—the difference between the skills manufacturers need and the…
Cogeco’s technical distribution center in Burlington, Ontario, is one of Canada’s drop-off points for internet modem and cable device repair. In 2011, the company’s management carried out a kaizen blitz to improve the efficiency of its device repair process. The process was indeed challenging but…
On a recent morning, Rick Lake stopped in the middle of giving a tour of NIST’s machine shop to ponder a part sitting on a shelf. It was about 25 cm long and made of metal coated in a sheen of purple and blue. Along the top, gaskets, nuts, and bolts stuck out like spines on a steampunk caterpillar…
(Standards Stores: Excelsior, MN) -- Standards Stores has simplified the process of finding industry training (like ISO 9001 lead auditor training) with one site that has 1000’s of classes from all the top industry organizations. Much like Travelocity simplified the process of travel reservations,…
In our June 15, 2018, episode of QDL, we get a field report from the HxGN LIVE user conference, examine the “story of quality,” and consider the importance of experience.
HxGN Live recap
Mike Richman went to HxGN LIVE... but I didn’t. I relive it vicariously through Mike’s field report.
“A…
Business partnerships are nothing new. Partnerships that result in leaner manufacturing processes, more consistent quality, and lower manufacturing costs—that is worth talking about.
With global competition so fierce, manufacturers must always be keen to spot areas of muda (waste). Even seemingly…
Making mistakes and learning from them is par for the course for companies. But years of bad decisions could lead to the downfall of conglomerates.
In the case of General Electric, a major engine of America’s economy for more than a century, the firm shook investor confidence when it announced…
In today’s talent market, employees are consumers of the workplace: They are attracted, recruited, and wooed into making employment decisions, similar to how companies market products and services to shoppers.
It’s an emotional journey for both sides, filled with ups, downs, and a variety of…
(Standards Stores: Excelsior, MN) -- The Registration Quote service, launched by Standards Stores, is a free service that simplifies the process of receiving management-system registration services quotations from accredited registrars. An organization only has to complete one application, and it…
