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(Hexagon Metrology: North Kingstown, RI) -- Hexagon Metrology Inc. has launched enhanced releases of PC-DMIS 2012 MR1, the popular metrology software, and DataPage+ 2012 Statistical Process Control (SPC) software. Both programs offer new tools and improved features for inspection and measurement…
To begin, let’s use the right words. Instead of just talking about “exceeding expectations” or “customer satisfaction,” try including these in your customer vernacular: Impress. Surprise. Delight. Enchant. Bewitch. And my favorite… dazzle.
For example, instead of asking the product packaging team…
It’s your first day at the Jedi Temple, working as a lightsaber manufacturer. Your first task on the job is to run a capability analysis on the length of lightsabers being produced. Your main concern is to see if the lightsabers fit within the required length specifications set forth by the Jedi…
High stresses combined with a corrosive environment can cause critical components inside power plants and other systems to crack and fail, sometimes with little warning. MIT researchers now have new insights into how such “stress corrosion cracking” may be affected by nanoscale disruptions in the…
Inexpensive labor has defined the last decade in manufacturing. The future may belong to technology.
When GE expanded manufacturing of home heaters and refrigerators at its facility in Kentucky last year, the reasons included big wage concessions the company had won from local workers and the…
Problems can arise throughout team development and management, but leaders must pay particular attention to the structure and focus of the team. There are many potential pitfalls associated with establishing a team’s mission and focus. These foundational problems can linger and hinder the team’s…
The current focus on improving production efficiency and part quality while meeting stringent production schedules is unrelenting. Measurement and inspection is one vital area that can benefit from advances in laser-scanning technology. Retrofitting coordinate measuring machines (CMMs) or…
Centuries ago, people learned their skills by apprenticing with a master artisan. They started young, doing all the drudgery and repetitive work—sweeping floors, keeping the fires burning. But they didn’t care. They knew that over time they would become highly skilled in a craft and would have a…
Every market has two sides, buyers and sellers. Markets are where the forces of supply and demand operate, and where buyers and sellers interact to trade goods and services, usually for money. If obtaining needed goods and services is the purpose of market activity, information is the glue that…
Every market has two sides, buyers and sellers. Markets are where the forces of supply and demand operate, and where buyers and sellers interact to trade goods and services, usually for money. If obtaining needed goods and services is the purpose of market activity, information is the glue that…
(Watermark Learning: Minneapolis, MN) -- Watermark Learning, a global provider of business analysis, project management, and business process management training, has partnered with masVenta Business GmbH, a leading German-based training, consulting, and software services organization, to offer…
Last month I described what makes the XmR chart work. This month I will describe some common failure modes for the XmR chart and show how they come from a failure to follow the two fundamental principles behind the XmR chart.
When administrative and managerial data are placed on an XmR chart, the…
Editor’s note: This article is the first in a series exploring the TRIZ methodolgy, a problem-solving, analysis, and forecasting tool derived from studying patterns of invention found in global patent data. TRIZ identifies 40 principles, of which segmentation is one.
Faced with increasing…
I love the holiday season, and the ending of 2012 and beginning of 2013 has been no exception. I love the story of Ebenezer Scrooge and his transformation from a miserable old miser into a positive influence in the lives of his employees, his family, and the community.
The story is especially…
Our machine shop was assisted by Toyota Supplier Support Center (now called Toyota Production System Support Center) in 1996 to reduce setups on our CNC lathes. TSSC had already helped us in a downstream final assembly department, and now we were endeavoring to provide just-in-time delivery to that…
(COORD3: Wixom, MI) -- COORD3 Metrology LLC, headquartered in Wixom, Michigan, is introducing the new European-manufactured Universal CMMs to the North American market.
“Since taking the company into private ownership three years ago, we have focused on rebuilding our international distribution…
Many organizations adopt agile software delivery because it reduces cost and risk, improves quality, and helps speed innovations to market with continuous delivery capabilities. Companies use agile methods to deliver simple web applications, enterprise multiplatform applications, and embedded…
Before I begin this column, I want to offer a heads-up to those who believe that Quality Digest Daily should only cover standards, test and measurement equipment, performance excellence methodologies, and the like. This will not be a piece related to any of those topics, unless you believe, as I do…
Allow me to introduce you to FUSE, a value-based lean Six Sigma model that enables organizations to maximize enterprise performance with the least friction. FUSE embodies three core Chinese concepts of trust (shin), relationships (gunaxi), and knowledge (zhi), or more specifically, reflective…
Berner Food and Beverage is a leading private-label and store-brand supplier of food and beverage products such as processed cheese, snack dips, latte, and meal replacement beverages. From merchandising solutions to a full spectrum of value-added services, Berner’s clients experience the same high…
The recent NFL brouhaha over pay for performance (Saints style) has seen a lot of media coverage. An ESPN fan poll finds coaches more to blame (by a large margin) than the players. In the business world, this is the equivalent of workers “accepting” practices put in by management—as if they had a…
Forgive me, but what does it even mean to “take it to the next level?” What is the next level, and is it “better” than the current level? How do we know? Is it higher or lower than where I currently stand? I guess higher is better if I’m on a sinking ship, but if I’m in a building whose upper…
The need for low-cost temperature logging devices in the cold-chain industry has led to the development of silicon-based instruments that do not need calibration. Traditional temperature monitoring devices (using thermistors or thermocouples) must be calibrated during final production and assembly…
Everyone reading this is a capable, smart, and skilled project manager, proud of managing the key stakeholders in each project with professionalism and finesse. Do you bring this same care to managing the stakeholders in your personal life? Can you imagine how much smoother things would be if you…
(Global Monitoring: Springfield, PA) -- Equipment condition monitoring is an essential element of predictive maintenance programs. Rather than randomly maintain equipment whether it needs it or not, predictive maintenance (PdM) implements statistical analysis and real-time equipment monitoring to…
