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A plant manager, an ISO auditor, and a soccer mom all walk into a bar. The bartender asks the manager, “What’s your No. 1 priority?” Much to the bartender’s surprise, the manager answers, “The environment.” The bartender turns to the auditor, asks the same question, and gets the same answer. Next…
A national marketing services provider recently used NVision Inc.’s Engineering Service Division to reverse-engineer an essential part in a store display for one of the nation’s largest optical retailers. NVision was able to quickly scan the part and provide the CAD files necessary to mass-…
(Gemba Academy: Mukilteo, WA) -- The development team at Gemba Academy has developed an online training course, Hoshin Planning. Currently the course includes 11 video modules, one quiz, and 11 downloadable files. This brings the total number of continuous improvement videos offered by Gemba…
(Visual Workplace: Byron Center, MI) -- Visual Workplace Inc., which develops and markets high-quality products to help you implement and sustain a lean work environment and 5S programs, has introduced on-demand educational webinars presented by visual workplace expert, Gwendolyn Galsworth, Ph.…
(Konica Minolta Sensing: Ramsey, NJ) -- Konica Minolta Sensing Americas Inc. (KMSA), a global leader in the industrial measurement of color, light, and shape, announces it is discontinuing manufacturing the VIVID 910 and VIVID 9i 3-D laser scanners as of March 31, 2012. After March 2012,…
(INUS Technology: Seoul, Korea) – INUS Technology Inc., a global leader in 3-D scanning software and parent company of Rapidform, has reached new sales agreement with Creaform China, a subsidiary of Canadian Creaform, manufacturer and marketer of portable 3-D optical measurement technologies.…
In a recent blog post, “Assessing Variability for Quality Improvement,” I showed how measuring variability is as important as measuring the mean for a product or service in a quality improvement initiative. The mean, by itself, often tells an incomplete story. Additionally, quality management…
(FABTECH: Chicago) -- FABTECH 2011, held Nov. 14–17, 2011, at McCormick Place in Chicago, shattered all records of its previous shows with the number of buyers walking the floor, the attendance of the educational conference, and the overall square footage of exhibit space. FABTECH is North…
(Taylor Hobson: Leicester, England) -- Taylor Hobson, a global leader in ultraprecision measurement instrumentation, has introduced a metrology instrument that is able to perform three core measurements: roundness, form, and surface finish on a single platform. The all-new Talyrond 500 Series…
As a senior sales officer charged with effecting business turnarounds for bankrupt private and pre-IPO companies, I witnessed firsthand the importance of core values. A strong set of core values is crucial to driving corporate performance, and without them, companies suffer.…
Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology have developed a prototype wireless sensor capable of detecting trace amounts of a key ingredient found in many explosives.
The device, which employs carbon nanotubes and is printed on paper or paper-like material using standard inkjet…
(The Pyzdek Institute: Tucson, AZ) -- Statistics are used to learn things about the world. Sometimes the results of a statistical analysis are a complete surprise. Other times the results are absolutely absurd. The Pyzdek Institute is offering a webinar on Tues., Dec. 6, 2011, that takes a…
(ISO: Geneva) -- The international standard, ISO 26000—“Guidance on social responsibility” from the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), is one of the three documents being recommended by the European Commission for European enterprises to fulfill their commitment to social…
(Konica Minolta: Ramsey, NJ) -- Konica Minolta Sensing Americas Inc. (KMSA), a global leader in the industrial measurement of color, light, and shape, has launched a new corporate website to better serve its customers in the Americas.
KMSA departed from its past web structure and pushed its…
(Qualtrax & FAS: Christianburg, VA, & Addison, TX) -- Qualtrax Inc. and Form Automation Solutions Inc. (FAS) have announced a partnership to offer a comprehensive regulatory compliance solution. Qualtrax, a leading provider of electronic document and process management software for a…
(Midwest Precision LLC: Eastlake, OH) -- Midwest Precision LLC has launched its Lean Manufacturing Methods program to improve the competitiveness of its precision manufacturing and assembly services.
The first step in the lean process starts with a 6S program that consists of six steps:
•…
(Wiley: Hoboken, NJ) -- If a manager wants her staff to perform at its best, then she needs to become the best manager she can be: someone who can ignite employees’ passion for their jobs, enabling them to execute their duties at a high level whether the manager is there or not. Offering a…
Today, solid rockets dominate most military applications because they take up relatively little space, can be launched on a moment’s notice, and offer a high thrust-to-weight ratio. Meanwhile, liquid bipropellant rockets enjoy the lion’s share of orbital launch vehicle and spacecraft propulsion…
A selection of center-page spreads from ISO Focus+, the magazine of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), filled with colorful graphic art conveying the benefits of international standards, provides the theme for the ISO 2012 calendar. Topics covered include motor vehicle…
(Renishaw: New Mills, UK) -- At Autosport 2012, scheduled for Jan. 12–15, 2012, in Birmingham, United Kingdom, Renishaw will be showcasing its latest metrology products that increase inspection throughput, as well as its range of additive manufacturing machines that allow metal parts to be “…
The objective of our improvement project was to contribute to more fuel-efficient air transportation. As explained in this article, transportation by air comes with strong regulatory constraints, and there’s a need for careful stakeholder management. We nearly abandoned the project when the efforts…
Oh no, it’s happened again! Why do I do this to myself time and again? Do I need to seek help, professional assistance of a psychological nature? I must stop doing this; it’s is as if I don’t have control over myself. It’s a habit. No, it’s not that; it’s something different. It’s worse, a…
A team of university researchers, aided by scientists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), have succeeded in integrating a new, highly efficient piezoelectric material into a silicon microelectromechanical system (MEMS). This development could lead to significant…
(Wiley: Hoboken, NJ) -- Globally, there has been a decline in trust during the past few decades, and only one-third of Americans believe they can trust the government, big business, and large institutions. In The Decision to Trust (Wiley, 2011), Robert Hurley explains how this new culture of…
(Gemba Academy: Mukilteo, WA) -- Mark Graban, author of the Shingo Award-winning Lean Hospitals (Productivity Press, 2011), shares his insights about what it takes to make kaizen successful and sustainable in health care in the no-cost, one-hour webinar, “Putting the Continuous Back in…
