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Richard Harpster's op-ed is in response to a recent Quality Digest article and webinar discussing the benefits of the draft AIAG-VDA FMEA Handbook. As he points out at the end of this article, the AIAG has provided a means to solicit comments, pro or con, on the handbook. We encourage interested…
Some journalists and other social commentators have in recent years called for the abolition of restaurant tipping, primarily because they argue that it hurts workers. Several restaurateurs have even replaced tipping at their restaurants with automatic service charges or inclusive pricing.…
(L.S. Starrett: Athol, MA) -- The L.S. Starrett Co. has introduced a comprehensive line of innovative, entry-level computer-based force testing solutions for applications ranging from load limit and distance testing to break limit, time average, cyclic count and duration testing, constant hold,…
When you set goals, there’s commonly two types: quantitative and qualitative. By setting both types of goals for your organization, you can achieve a balance of results driven by people focusing on the behaviors that matter.
Quantitative goals and driver metrics
When you set quantitative goals,…
Complaint handling continues to be one of the biggest reasons medical device companies receive 438s and warning letters from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Companies have a lot going on once a medical device has reached the market, and it can be challenging to keep up with…
National discussions of crucial importance to ordinary citizens—such as funding for scientific and medical research, bailouts of financial institutions, and revised tax laws—inevitably involve dollar figures in the millions, billions, and trillions. Unfortunately, math anxiety is widespread even…
With only a handful of aerospace original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) as potential customers, aerospace suppliers have to hustle to make sure they’re selected. Stand out for the right reasons, and you could solidify 20 years worth of business. Make the wrong impression, and you could miss out…
After an initial phase of euphoria about how the digital world improves our daily life with virtual assistants, among other gadgets and services, slowly but surely, we're coming firmly back to earth. Post-honeymoon, the breakneck speed of digital development has created an increasing number of…
Ageing wastewater systems are under threat from growing populations, urbanization, pollution. and climate change, not to mention human behavior. However, despite these challenges and fears for health and safety, the new ISO 24516 series is playing a key role in turning what many consider a burden…
You’re in the market to build a new house. Would you tell the builder what you’re looking for, or would you just tell him to build “something?” If the latter, what’s the likelihood that the house you end up with is going to be what you want? Documenting your requirements should be obvious, right…
HighlightsThe New Focus on People Overview of ISO 9001:2015 Standards and the ISO 10018 Certification How This Microsite Helps Quality Management, Auditors, and Solution Providers Articles ResourcesOther Articles In This Series
This Month's Featured ArticleAccumold Starts With the Why
Can the…
Ever since I visited Italy more than a decade ago my inner geek has had a fascination with traffic engineering. If you’ve visited Italy, or many similar places, you probably know why. Traffic appears chaotic, thanks in part to what appears at first glance to be a lack of signals and other controls…
Every day about 100 people die in car crashes on U.S. roads. That death toll is a major reason why both Congress and the Trump administration are backing automotive efforts to develop and deploy self-driving cars as quickly as possible.
However, officials’ eagerness far exceeds the degree to…
Manufacturing is an industry in flux. Characterized by increasing pressure from global competitors, the impact of new technologies, Industry 4.0, and the “smart factory,” the face of manufacturing is changing drastically for the better. In a recent manufacturing outlook survey from the National…
A sale, like a great magic trick, occurs inside the customer’s mind. And it is there where it is replayed, remembered, and redefined continually afterward. Because magicians are masters of perception, they understand how to get into the heads of their prospects better than anyone else. That’s why…
Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have invented a new approach to testing multilayered, 3D computer chips that are now appearing in some of the latest consumer devices. The method may be the answer the semiconductor industry needs to quickly assess the…
When your public motto is “staying on the cutting edge of technology,” you’ve set a bar for yourself. Thomas Paquin set that bar when he founded Laser Specialists Inc. (LSI) in 1986. Paquin’s untimely death in 1993 left the company with questionable leadership and direction. In 2004, Nick and Jon…
The global aerospace and defense (A&D) industry grew by 2.4 percent and generated about $674 billion in 2016, according to a Deloitte 2017 study. California alone was responsible for generating $62 billion a year in revenue in 2014, according to a 2014 California Aerospace Industry Economic…
Perhaps you are sitting at home now reading this, and at your elbow is a beer glass resting on a coaster. As you watch the logs in your fireplace shift and spark, and smell the distinct smokiness that comes when seasoned wood burns slowly, you take a sip of that local beer, with notes of orange…
(IVT Network: Burlington, MA) -- The Institute of Validation Technology (IVT) Network, a part of UBM plc, announces the launch of its hands-on, interactive “Quality Risk Management and Change Control” training, taking place Feb. 27—March 1, 2018, in San Diego.
The event is focused on providing…
During last Friday’s episode of Quality Digest Live, we looked at the far-reaching implications of a prospective merger, previewed our latest webinar with DNV, considered the importance of fun at work, and inspected some interesting stereo microscopes from Vision Engineering. Here’s a closer look…
If you are a manufacturing company or a service provider, there is a good chance that you have heard about standards such as ISO 9001. In fact, you may already be certified. But whether you are certified or not, read on for some of the expected trends in the world of standards and certification…
Competitive forces are intensifying in the B2B supply chain, increasing customer expectations for service and pricing, and creating more pressure for businesses to maintain an edge. Instead of being reactive to today’s increasingly low margins, decision makers should take advantage of the risks…
Iver Anderson and Emma White, metallurgists at Ames Laboratory, like to show off two samples of metal powders encapsulated in custom-made hourglasses to visitors. Dull gray, the powders are barely remarkable in and of themselves, let alone in comparison to each other—until the hourglasses are…
(Hexagon: North Kingstown, RI) -- Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence announced it is seeking high-level industry experts and thought leaders to speak at HxGN LIVE 2018, Hexagon’s premier cross-industry technology conference hosted at The Venetian in Las Vegas, June 12–15, 2018.
Speakers will have…
