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Has this happened to you? You organize a brainstorming session to analyze your process. At the kick-off meeting, several people sit with arms crossed, lips pursed, eyes cast downward. Frequently, they’re the ones who’ve worked at the process for
“Here we go again. Wasting time to prove the…
The leader’s role is to create a smooth operating organization without barriers that may inhibit employees from improving their personal productivity. The presence of harassing behaviors and those who would use them against their co-workers destroys any empowerment and organizational cohesiveness…
Four hours ago, I walked up to a big pad of paper and started mind-mapping the types of interruptions we might face while trying to get our work done. During that time, the following events took place.
While I was working, Tonianne, who was on Skype, wanted to do a microphone test. Then I…
(LVDT: Pennsauken, NJ) -- Now there’s help to quickly identify the right LVDT linear position sensor for an application. Eliminating the need for customers to peruse numerous web pages and review product specifications, Macro Sensors offers an online Position Sensor Guide that quickly identifies…
We created a video honoring the role of the quality manager in today’s organizations, based on Paul Harvey’s timeless tribute to the farmer, which debuted at the 2013 Super Bowl.
Today’s quality professionals hold a special place in the hearts of the Quality Digest team, not only for the support…
The release of Lean In (Knopf, 2013), the new book by Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg, has grabbed the attention of media and people around conference room tables. Sandberg’s assertion that women in business should “lean in” and make more of an effort to lead has garnered both nods of agreement and…
Motivation is a very personal thing, so when you find it alive and well within a co-worker, it’s in your best interest (and theirs) to do everything you can to keep it vibrant. The challenge with those who would be motivators is they easily disconnect themselves from others’ perspectives.
Being…
(Global Monitoring LLC: Springfield, PA) -- Nomadic Safety has installed remote monitors on its safety trailers to track operating parameters. The remote monitors will help reduce maintenance costs and improve customer service related to the performance of safety trailers used on remote works sites…
Q uality management has gone through considerable change in a relatively short period. The transition from paper and manual processes to point solutions was revolutionary in and of itself. Using software to automate processes that were once done by hand has increased efficiency, reduced…
We’ve established that executives who focus on aligning and then optimizing people, processes, and technology in operational excellence models will position their organizations for success. This is true in quality, manufacturing, energy management, and other critical operational focal points.
For…
(DCS: Troy, MI) -- Dimensional Control Systems Inc. (DCS) and InspectionXpert Corp. have announced that \QDM Quality Management System software will deliver extended data integration with InspectionXpert that will streamline first-article inspection report authoring and management. This integration…
The focus for management and support staff when diagnosing problems with customers is squarely on the front line. Many times the failure is diagnosed with the phrase, “If they would just follow the procedure, none of these problems would ever have happened.” If only resolving customer issues were…
Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have developed a new microscope able to view and measure an important but elusive property of the nanoscale magnets used in an advanced, experimental form of digital memory. The new instrument already has demonstrated its…
Throughout history we've seen it: innovation held back by some elemental impediment in the product development pipeline. Computing speed slowed by balky I/O buses or insufficient software. Super-fast trains derailed by tracks that can't handle their speed. Design innovation slowed by red tape and…
(ATC DigiTec: Newell, WV) -- The Automatic Timing Control (ATC) DigiTec Division of Marsh Bellofram Corp. has introduced to the global market its highly compact 758-GF86/XF86 series of industrial open-face AC tachometer generators. These tachometers, part of the WESTCON product line, are designed…
Reis Robotics has established that it is possible to save plenty of energy even in the energy-intensive die-casting industry without negatively affecting the product. The following article describes how this is done at Pierburg, a tier-one supplier for the German automotive industry.
The Blue…
My boyfriend and I were recently discussing why it is that wine on an airplane tastes so terrible. The only perk these days in many first-class cabins is a free glass of gawdawful wine. Just gawdawful. Why?
It turns out that airline food and wine taste terrible because you are consuming them on…
(SICK: Minneapolis) -- SICK, manufacturer of sensors, safety systems, machine vision, and automatic identification products, has launched the WTB4 MultiLine Photoelectric sensor. The WTB4 uses specially designed optics to create two line-shaped light spots to continuously detect objects with large…
Selecting the best electrical connection option for a pressure transducer requires some forethought. Given the increase in third-party agency approvals and expanded use of transducers and transmitters in commercial and industrial applications, the available options have grown and made the process…
Recently, Minitab News featured an article that talked about how to perform a gauge repeatability and reproducibility (R&R) study with multiple operators and only one part. This prompted many users to contact Minitab’s technical support team with questions about next steps, such as: “What can…
As I was waiting to talk to my wife, Carole, about some inconsequential topic a few days ago, I noticed an attractive coffee-table book, titled China: People, Places, and Paradox. It was written and produced by our daughter, Lisa, as a photo journal of a recent trip to China we took together. I…
What is the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the word “change?” For many of us, words like anxious, overwhelmed, or unknown pop into our heads. Why is it that changes and transitions bring on so much negative energy? One hypothesis is that we may be wired to fear change.
Imagine our…
Editor’s note: This article continues the series exploring structured innovation using the TRIZ methodology, a problem-solving, analysis, and forecasting tool derived from studying patterns of invention found in global patent data.
As the executive council got down to business for the day,…
Recent articles in the news have concluded that “72 is the new 30.” Evidently breakthroughs in medicine, better eating habits, regular exercise, refraining from smoking and alcoholic beverages, and adopting a positive attitude have dramatically increased our longevity.
As I turn 70 this month (…
Statistician to the Stars William Briggs deserves credit for his correct prediction of the Best Picture Oscar the day before the ceremonies this year. Although Briggs would never encourage anyone to misuse his model this way, I feel my statistics heartstrings strummed by the desire to remind…