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One of the positive peripheral results from the flurry of reactions to the movie The Interview, was a media focus on cyber-terrorism. The recognition of cyber-attacks has been slow to evolve but is gaining traction.
In the United States’ last major threat-assessment document, prepared during the…
At the Center for Devices and Radiological Health (CDRH), clinical trials are the foundation for our decisions to approve the most important medical devices—products that have the potential to save or sustain life, but also present the greatest risk to patients.
During the past year, we saw…
At the Center for Devices and Radiological Health (CDRH), clinical trials are the foundation for our decisions to approve the most important medical devices—products that have the potential to save or sustain life, but also present the greatest risk to patients.
During the past year, we saw…
(Zeiss Industrial Metrology: Maple Grove, MN) -- The extended version of PiWeb sbs quality data management software, tailored for small and medium-sized businesses, was recently by ZEISS Industrial Metrology. ZEISS PiWeb sbs makes it possible to connect all gauging and inspection devices into one…
The upcoming 2015 Coordinate Metrology Systems Conference (CMSC) will be held “beachside” this year in Hollywood, Florida, from July 20–24. Not only will you be able to swim in the beautiful Atlantic Ocean just steps away from the hotel, you will also be able to “swim” your way through the vast,…
For a few years—back in the early ‘80s—I fell prey to information automation fascination. I managed an IT department transitioning from a basic accounting system managed by an external service bureau to a batch inventory-control system to an order-processing and manufacturing-control system running…
ISO 9001 continues to wend its way through the revision process, and as it does so there have been lots of discussions and prognostications over the impending changes. All the wringing of hands and ongoing debate will not hurry the process or change the outcome.
The standard is still on track to…
(Marsh Bellofram: Newell, WV) -- The compact, rugged and reliable Type 5000 is a two-wire pressure transmitter, expressly designed for industrial field service.
This precision unit converts a signal pressure input into a precise 4-20 mA or 10-50 mA output. The lightweight housing includes a 1/4…
(Wiley: Hoboken, NJ) -- Decisions focuses on how organizations can improve decision-making processes to improve organizational performance in a global economy. This book considers what it takes to convert the macro decision into a positive outcome; to resolve the gap that exists between the macro…
Ultrasonic thickness gauging is a widely used nondestructive test technique for measuring the thickness of a material from one side. It's fast, reliable, and versatile, and unlike a micrometer or a caliper it requires access to only one side of the test piece. The first commercial ultrasonic gauges…
Disclaimer: I love John Coltrane, Billie Holliday, and Count Basie. Great jazz, to me, ranks right up there with Einstein’s theory of relativity and Newton’s laws of motion in terms of insightful genius. Smooth jazz with a glass of wine and a roaring fire can be the catalyst for a special evening…
What relationship do the various functions and personnel in your organization have with your quality group? Is it collaborative, adversarial, or one of total domination? It can be a slippery slope that runs from successful to disastrous. Is your organization climbing or slipping?
Each time we make…
(Wiley: Hoboken, NJ) -- Make the move up to senior management with lessons from world-renowned business school experts.
Based on themes from INSEAD’s popular Transition to General Management program, authors Kevin Kaiser, Michael Pich, and I. J. Schecter offer sound advice and practical insights…
Scholars still debate how long it took to build the Great Wall of China, but it’s generally agreed it was built in stages between the 5th century B.C. and the 16th century A.D. The Great Pyramid of Giza took about 20 years to construct, according to ancient historians, but it must be remembered…
If you’re not a statistician, looking through statistical output can sometimes make you feel a like you’ve wandered into Alice in Wonderland. Suddenly, you find yourself in a fantastical world where strange and mysterious phantasms appear out of nowhere. For example, consider the T and P in your t…
Recently, I paid for a magazine subscription with a check. A few days later, a person from the magazine’s office phoned me to say that my check had been returned unpaid by my bank. I wondered what the reason could be, as I had enough money in my account.
When I phoned my bank, the bank rep…
(The Quality Group: Atlanta) --The Quality Group (TQG), a leader in blended learning solutions and process improvement, has introduced Lean for Education, a lean training series for the education sector. The curriculum includes 12 newly developed e-learning modules, designed to help academic…
Whenever the original data pile up against a barrier or a boundary value, the histogram tends to be skewed and non-normal in shape. Last month in part one we found that this doesn’t appreciably affect the performance of process behavior charts for location. This month we look at how skewed data…
(PQ Systems: Dayton, OH) -- Predicting potential failure of calibration equipment is possible with the latest release of GAGEpack from PQ Systems, allowing users to stay one step ahead of their work and preventing costly failures.
A Global Wear Trend Analysis tool in the application quickly…
Does your vision sound something like this? “Our vision is to provide aggressive strategic marketing with quality products and services at competitive prices to provide the best value for consumers.”
Bad news. You have a blah, blah, blah vision. Do yourself and everyone on your team a favor: Take…
There was a time when connectivity was oriented to location, with stationary computers communicating with one another across the Internet. With the advent of smart phones, the Internet tied people, not places, together as users accessed the Internet on the move. Now, the next great shift is…
At roughly 7 a.m. every Monday through Friday, I fire up my Lenovo T520 laptop and wait for email, chat, Google Drive, Google Hangout, Skype, remote desktop, an FTP program, two different browsers, and depending where I’m at, my voice over IP applications to load. It may have an Intel 2.5 GHz…
(Danatronics: Danvers, MA) -- Danatronics Corp. has introduced the ECHO 9 Series of ultrasonic thickness gauges. The series combines more than 50 years of ultrasonic know-how into an extremely versatile and easy-to-use ultrasonic thickness gauge.
Packaged in a custom-designed, IP67-rated case, the…
This is the last in a series about how lean manufacturing has affected the people and the companywide culture at Hytrol Conveyors, a designer and manufacturer of advanced conveyor systems. As described in part 1 and part 2, dozens of interviews were conducted with a wide range of employees at the…
When my mother looked at the prices of new hats, studied their features, and then went home and tried to remodel her old hat with feathers or lace to look like those fancier models, I saw the value of doing things yourself—for my mother, an attitude perhaps shaped by her own parents and their…
