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(ASTM: West Conshohocken, PA) -- In a 2008 annual report, the Bahrain Directorate for Standards and Metrology (BSMD) outlines the success of the memorandum of understanding (MOU), an ASTM International outreach program, which was signed with ASTM International in 2008.
As the national…
(Brunson: Kansas City, MO) -- Every day, laser tracker operators risk their accuracy by using their SMR (spherically mounted retroreflector) targets with worn and damaged target holders (nests). Over the course of time, wear and tear on a target nest takes its toll, and undetected error creeps…
As moviegoers, we have all seen a wide range of animation—from early Disney features, such as “Snow White,” to Japanese anime, and Pixar’s “Toy Story,” to an assortment of recent blockbusters that seamlessly integrate animation with real actors. With each release, the movie magic gets more amazing…
Following my article on Leptokurtophobics (Do You Have Leptokurtophobia?) it was almost inevitable that we should hear from one. We were fortunate to have someone as articulate as Forrest Breyfogle III to write the response. However, rather than offering a critique of the points raised in my…
(ISO: Geneva) -- The latest edition of ISO 9001, the world’s most widely used quality management standard, is included on a newly launched CD collection of the generic standards in the ISO 9000 family from the International Organization for Standardization (ISO).
The ISO standards collection,…
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n process manufacturing, temperature uniformity is essential. Technicians rely on monitoring of all kinds, from fixed mount sensors to hand-held thermal imagers to track the condition of product and critical equipment. That’s because temperature measurement and control is one of the single…
(ANSI: New York) -- The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) announced the availability of a new resource for its members that will facilitate enhanced U.S. engagement on standards and conformance in China. The resource was developed jointly with the US-China Business Council (USCBC), the…
(PPT Vision: Bloomington, MN) -- PPT VISION Inc. announces the newest addition to the company’s popular series of IMPACT smart cameras, the Right-Angle T-Series intelligent camera. This camera is paired with PPT Vision’s full IMPACT software suite, which solves challenging industrial vision…
(Ultriva: Cupertino, CA) -- Ultriva Inc., the lean leader with an electronic kanban focus, went live in 36 plants last year and is on target to double in 2009.
“Ultriva’s core message of ‘free up the capital tied in the inventory’ resonated very well with our target market. Our ability to…
(CSA Standards: Ontario, Canada) -- CSA Standards, a leading standards-based solutions organization, and The Climate Registry, the leading North American greenhouse gas (GHG) registry, recently announced a memorandum of understanding (MOU) that more closely aligns the two organizations in their…
Five things to lean my company? In two days? That's pretty quick. Why so quickly?
I can think of two reasons. First, people expect things to be done better and faster each day; and it appears we’re getting decent at doing just that. Lean has made huge strides toward contributing to that “…
Rocky Mountain Hydro Electric Plant is a pumped storage facility located in the Appalachian mountains of Northwest Georgia, approximately 62 miles from Chattanooga, Tennessee. The facility is co-owned by Oglethorpe Power Corporation (75%) and Georgia Power (25%), with all operations and…
While other authors have written about Toyota’s manufacturing principles and the company’s approach to efficiency, Mike Rother is the first to devote six years of study to Toyota’s actual management behavior—revealing the essential kata—in his book, Toyota Kata: Managing People for Improvement,…
While other authors have written about Toyota’s manufacturing principles and the company’s approach to efficiency, Mike Rother is the first to devote six years of study to Toyota’s actual management behavior—revealing the essential kata—in his book, Toyota Kata: Managing People for Improvement,…
(Purdue University: West Lafayette, IN) -- Researchers have created the tiniest laser since its invention nearly 50 years ago, paving the way for a host of innovations, including superfast computers that use light instead of electrons to process information, advanced sensors and imaging.…
A couple of Sundays ago, I read this New York Times article about Apple's "App Store" for the iPhone and iPod Touch (I've been a pretty happy iPhone user for the past three months after switching over from BlackBerry).
I'm going to try to use this example to teach about two concepts that can be…
(GE Sensing & Inspection Technologies: Billerica, MA) -- Weighing only 2.2 pounds, the USM Go is the lightest and most portable ultrasonic flaw detector available from GE Sensing & Inspection Technologies. The USM Go is designed for ease of prolonged operation in the harshest inspection…
(Automation Trainer: Westbrook, ME) -- Automated liquid handling equipment is an increasingly essential component of life science laboratories. Used to boost the productivity and repeatability of volume transfers, automated liquid handlers must be optimized to achieve precision and accuracy in…
Gemba is a Japanese term that has been translated as: place, real place, actual place. Westerners have further defined gemba to include: where the action is, the go-and-see place, where the work is done, the place to go for improvement, and the place where value is added, and more.
The environment…
(Fluke Corp.: Everett, WA) -- Fluke Corp., the global leader in hand-held electronic test and measurement technology, has announced a Cash for Clunkers rebate program to encourage thermographers to trade their old infrared cameras for new Fluke instruments.
The Fluke Cash for Clunkers program…
In Miguel de Cervantes' The Ingenious Hidalgo Don Quixote of La Mancha, Don Quixote dreams of being a brave knight who rides a great steed to fight for what is right. That dream turned into a vision where he and his squire, Sancho Panza, were fighting dragons and saving fair damsels in distress.…
(Active Communications International: Chicago) -- Join Active Communications International, November 12–13, 2009, in Boston, Massachusetts, for an interactive, executive symposium of hospitals and health care facilities. Learn from the hospitals and health care facilities that have been profiting…
What seemed to be a lucrative as well as a burgeoning market in the European Union (EU) for textile and apparel manufacturers will not be the same again. This is because of the EU's imposition of tougher laws on chemicals and their safe use, many of which are used in apparel printing and design…
If ever there was an industry in which time compression is the name of the game, it’s Formula 1 Grand Prix motor racing.
Scuderia Toro Rosso, owned by the Red Bull Co., is among the Formula 1 teams looking for new and better ways to compress development and production times, while increasing…
(Norbar Torque Tools Ltd.: Oxfordshire, UK) -- Norbar, a global specialist manufacturer of torque tools, has launched the ultimate torque measurement, calibration, and data archiving system. The T-Box, together with the Torque Data Management System software, allow the simple processing of data…
