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As the following diagram of the Baldrige framework indicates, the basis of the Baldrige Criteria for Performance Excellence is a set of core values and concepts that are embedded in high-performing organizations.
These core values and concepts (listed below) are the foundation for integrating key…
(DE-STA-CO: Auburn Hills, MI) -- With the new 52H-3E series, DE-STA-CO is offering a very individualized, adjustable manual power clamp primarily for prototype fixtures. The manual power clamps are available in two sizes—50 and 63. They have a completely closed aluminum housing that protects the…
The big data revolution is requiring a seismic shift inside organizations, both in the way we build relationships and the way we make decisions. Each is now driven by data rather than intuition.
In general, decision making is accomplished via a thought process of selecting a logical choice from…
Ironically, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is sometimes wary of issuing guidances out of concern it will appear to be imposing new rules that will stifle innovation, according to Ken Skodacek, a policy analyst for the Clinical Trials Program at the Center for Devices and Radiological…
(inTEST Thermal Solutions: Mansfield, MA) -- The integration of rapid temperature cycling with the Keysight B1506A Power Device Analyzer has been introduced by inTEST Thermal Solutions and Keysight. The Temptronic ThermoStream temperature forcing system automates temperature cycling of power…
In my previous article, “Is Poor Quality ISO 9001’s Fault?” I shared the example of the chairman of a large company who ridiculed ISO 9001, saying, “Even the municipal office of this city is ISO 9001-certified. And we all know how bad the municipality is. I don’t believe ISO 9001 can do my…
Awhile ago I discussed the value created by writing by hand. By writing on whiteboards or scribbling in a notebook, ownership, learning, and understanding is created. Similarly, truly understanding numbers creates ownership, learning, and understanding—thereby creating the potential for action.
I’…
(Juran Global: Southington, CT) -- Juran Global, a leading business excellence and quality management consulting firm, has launched a simple and powerful mobile app, Quality Essentials, for professionals tasked with improving business performance and achieving operational excellence. The app…
There are many ways to improve your thinking skills. One way is by practicing critical thinking. Teachers require their students, from elementary school on through college and graduate school, to do research to gather information, analyze the validity of data, determine the strengths and…
How many samples do you need to be 95-percent confident that at least 95 percent—or even 99 percent—of your product is good? The answer depends on the type of response variable you are using—categorical or continuous.
The type of response will dictate whether you’ll use: 1. Attribute sampling:…
The chairman of a large company once ridiculed ISO 9001, saying, “Even the municipal office of this city is ISO 9001-certified, and we all know how bad the municipality is. I don’t believe ISO 9001 can do my business any good.”
The chairman had similar uncharitable things to say about other…
(Renishaw: Gloucestershire, UK) -- Renishaw will be demonstrating its new line of modular metrology fixtures for use on coordinate measuring machines (CMMs), Equator gauging systems, and multisensor inspection systems, at the upcoming Quality Show. Applying its 40 years of industrial metrology…
A favorite Twilight Zone episode that played during Labor Day weekend put me in mind of the stressful “push production” environment that many organizations still endure today.
In a technical sense, push production refers to launching orders into production before customer requirements are known…
The adage “if you aren’t moving forward, you’re falling behind” is true more often than not. Regardless of the type of business, all organizations need to improve to survive. The last words uttered by managers in failing organizations are, “We’ve always done it this way.”
The key to long-term…
The best analysis is the simplest analysis that provides the needed insight. Of course this requires enough knowledge to strike a balance between the needed simplicity and unnecessary complexity. In parts one and two of this series we looked at the properties of Weibull and gamma probability…
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I can tell you all about the California coast, its cultural and economic dynamics, my favorite hideaway beaches and eateries, and I can attest to the wisdom of never turning your back to the surf. I know these things because I've lived in The Golden State most of my life, but I'…
Customer satisfaction with personal computers is down for a third straight year, according to new data from the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI). The ACSI Household Appliance and Electronics Report 2015 includes desktops, laptops, and tablet computers, as well as household appliances,…
So much has been written about the Industrial Internet of Things (IoT) that separating the wheat from the chaff is becoming an ever more gargantuan task. The problem is complicated by the fact that the IoT in consumer markets is hyped beyond comprehension. Although the potential benefits are real…
(Exact Metrology: Brookfield, WI) -- On Sept. 16, 2015, for approximately three hours, Exact Metrology technicians performed a 3D scan of the huge South Lion that guards the entrance to the world-famous Chicago Art Institute. The subsequent STL file is being used by Chicago-based Met-L-Flo to…
Visual management is increasingly common in offices implementing lean. Yet even though signs, large LCD displays, whiteboards, and charts dominate the wall space, these tools often become part of the wallpaper. After just a few months, many offices revert back to meetings and management to provide…
It seemed like a good idea at the time and an incredibly generous act on the part of the company. When Gravity Payments founder and CEO Dan Price announced that he would raise everyone’s minimum wage to $50,000 a year with $10,000 a year increases until everyone’s minimum was at $70K in 2017, it…
(5ME: Cincinnati, OH) -- 5ME’s new dashboards feature allows users to create a one-screen view of machine tool performance data pertinent to their job functions. The program builds on the data-capturing capability of the company’s Freedom eLOG software suite and combines multiple graphics, called…
(NIST: Gaithersburg, MD) -- For the first time in its history, the Baldrige Foundation has been accepted in the Combined Federal Campaign (CFC). The CFC is the official workplace-giving campaign of the federal government. The mission of the CFC is to promote and support philanthropy through a…
Embracing sustainable and green principles is not just a trend. Cultivating such practices helps organizations become more efficient, competitive, and profitable. It’s more than simply a good thing to do. Manufacturers are realizing the many short- and long-term financial benefits from…
I have had friends and relatives who worried all the time. About all sorts of things. Most of which never came to pass. The problem for me was that all the exposure to their negative thinking was contagious. And, then I’d find myself worrying about things, too.
On occasion, I’ve had some serious…
