All News
One week in May, I spoke on “Risk in the Supply Chain and Other Changes” at the World Conference on Quality and Improvement (WCQI), the Macon, Georgia, ASQ section, and the Atlanta, Georgia, ASQ section.
My message was that many business rules and assumptions have changed radically since…
(Advanced Test Equipment Corp.: San Diego, CA) -- The state-of-the-art mass spectrometer leak detector and vacuum system by Varian provides powerful capability, enabling a broad range of test methods for specific applications, including industrial process, power generation, high energy physics…
(Dalsa: Billerica, MA) - DALSA Corp., a global leader in machine vision technology, announces the availability of the BOA vision system, a highly integrated smart camera that comprises all of the elements of an industrial machine vision system. Powerful and quick to deploy, the BOA is ideal for…
(Hexagon: London) -- Hexagon Metrology announced today that it has acquired all the outstanding assets and technical intellectual property of Mahr Multisensor GmbH. Hexagon Metrology will reorganize the business and has agreed to employ certain technical service, development, and application…
(Newman Communications: Allston, MA) -- The myth of “a happy employee is a motivated employee” is exploded by the research outlined in the new book Hundred Percenters: Challenge Your Employees to Give It Their All, and They’ll Give You Even More (McGraw-Hill, 2009), which will be released in…
If you have ever found equipment that is out of calibration, then you know it is not something to take lightly. Whether you manufacture children’s toys or automobile tires, you know that the implications and ramifications of the decisions you make can be devastating for your company. Although the…
(NDI: Waterloo, Canada) -- NDI announced the first in a series of live, interactive webinars showcasing their 3-D measurement solutions. This is the introductory session for the fall season of educational webinars.
The webinar will take place on Tuesday, Oct. 6, at 2 p.m. EDT. During this 30-…
(Fluke Corp.: Everett, WA) -- Fluke Corp., a global provider of electronic test and measurement technology, has introduced new, more accurate electrical power standards designed to deliver stable, precise reference power and energy for use in calibrating electrical measurement equipment.
The…
(PQ Systems: Dayton, OH) -- An option for concurrent-use licensing ushers in a new approach to the use of CHARTrunner from PQ Systems Inc., in its latest release. This “floating license” allows installation on multiple computers, with use limited only by the license itself.
CHARTrunner,…
(Mod Tech Industries: Shawano, WI) -- Mod Tech Industries Inc. announces the release of a new and innovative product for market known as the Air Assist Movement System or AAM System. The AAM System is designed to substantially increase the productivity and throughput of a coordinate measuring…
Do you know if your customers are writing blogs, networking on LinkedIn, “tweeting” on Twitter, or commenting in forums and discussion groups? In the Forbes Insights “Rise of the Digital C-Suite” report by Bill Millar, data revealed that more than half of executives under the age of 40 are…
The story of how one Michigan-based automotive supplier, GHSP, embraced the quality circle process and very quickly earned a spot as a leader from one of the most demanding customers in the business
There’s still a little surprise in Beth Koch’s voice when she talks about the Honda of America…
(University of Michigan: Ann Harbor, MI) -- Consumer spending will lag rather than lead the recovery from the current recession, according to University of Michigan economist Richard Curtin.
“In the coming years, U.S. consumers will save more and spend less,” says Curtin, director of the…
(Honeywell: Helsinki) -- Honeywell has released Precision FotoFiber, a fiber orientation-angle sensor that helps paper and board makers improve overall product quality, while reducing waste and lowering production costs. The sensor—ideal for manufacturing large product runs of newsprint, fine…
(Olympus: Waltham, MA) -- Olympus introduces the new IPLEX LX and IPLEX LT industrial videoscopes. These small and lightweight videoscopes, which are used for a wide range of remote visual inspections of parts or structures where access is limited, offer portability, ease of use, durability, and a…
(IQPC: New York) -- Pfizer, Genentech, AstraZeneca, and Elan are just a few of the companies who will be coming together to share operational excellence best practices and work together to find the optimum way to run their operational excellence programs.
From project valuation for operational…
(Mnitab: State College, PA)-- Minitab Inc. has released Quality Companion 3.2, an update to its software for managing and executing quality improvement projects.
This update introduces new functionality, including a powerful tool for value stream mapping (VSM), a primary technique used in lean…
All the talk of health care reform has resulted in many hospitals turning to lean Six Sigma to help improve efficiency and aid in cost cutting. However, health care efficiency expert Ron Wince contends that many of these facilities are not applying the tools properly and therefore will not reap…
Two months ago my column “Are Quality Methodologies All Smoke and Mirrors? Part One” was a review of my interview in 1988 with F. James Mc Donald, the CEO of General Motors Corp. at that time. The interview focused on what GM was doing to bring about a radical change in the quality of all of their…
(Citrix Systems: Fort Lauderdale, FL) -- In a harshly competitive environment with rising consumer expectations, customer satisfaction surveys are an essential tool for listening to customers and developing strategies for improvement. Successful surveys maximize the retention of current clients…
For some time, auto experts have reported that objective quality differences have all but disappeared across most automotive brands. Indeed, the Detroit Three automakers have eliminated or substantially reduced large differences in defect rates after 90 days of ownership—no small achievement.…
(NIST: Gaithersburg, MD) -- Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), in collaboration with private industry and other government agencies, have produced a new reference material for beryllium. Beryllium, an exotic metal used as a hardener in high-performance alloys…
(MAPI: Arlingon, VA) -- “The disappointing report on August durable goods activity supports the belief that the emerging U.S. and global economic recovery will be weak and laced with uncertainty at least for the first year or two,” says Cliff Waldman, economist for the Manufacturers Alliance/MAPI…
(Coherent Inc.: Santa Clara, CA) -- The new MATRIX 532-8-100 is a Q-switched, diode pumped, solid state laser designed to deliver the best cost-to-performance ratio for demanding micromachining tasks in solar, semiconductor, and medical device manufacturing.
Specifically, it provides 8 W of…
If your team members (or you) hear “Meeting at 3:00” and think, “Here comes another waste of my time,” then it’s time for a meeting overhaul at your organization. While meetings can be important team-building and idea-generating opportunities for your employees, the key is knowing how to do them…
