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(Geomagic: Research Triangle Park, North Carolina) -- Geomagic announces a new version of Geomagic Studio software that adds powerful new surface manipulation capabilities to its award-winning Fashion module while improving performance for point- and polygon-processing tools. Geomagic Studio is…
(Geodetic Systems Inc.: Melbourne, Florida) -- GSI will host its 2009 user group meeting from January 21–23, 2009 at the completely refurbished Crowne Plaza Oceanfront Resort and Spa Hotel in Melbourne, Florida. This customer-only event will feature user and GSI presentations, along with the very…
(Delcam International Inc.: Windsor, Ontario, Canada) -- Inspection with PowerINSPECT is helping J.P. Pattern, a machining and pattern-making shop, with its contribution towards building machines that the contractor, the Auburn University Engineering Department Fusion Laboratory, hope will…
Scanning the Mona Lisa with the NRC-IIT 3-D scanner
For 500 years, she’s been the source of endless real and fictional mysteries, from the magic of her eyes—always seeming to follow the viewer—and the enigma of her smile, to The Da Vinci Code.
Now, using…
Greetings from your new Chairperson! It’s my pleasure to lead the Coordinate Metrology Society (CMS) into a new year. 2009 is an exciting time for CMS, as this year marks the 25th anniversary of our annual conference, the Coordinate Metrology Society Conference, better known as CMSC. This…
In just the past two years, the functionality of portable computer-aided metrology system (CAMS) in harsh factory environments has improved a great deal. A few examples of today’s improved instrumentation/measurement technology are laser trackers, digital photogrammetry systems, laser radars,…
As the world leader in armored prestige vehicles, CARAT-Duchatelet counts sheiks, kings, presidents, CEOs, and other wealthy VIPs among its customers. Before stretching and armoring luxury vehicles, CARAT-Duchatelet engineers remove seats and trim, and scan the entire vehicle body using Metris K-…
Do you know what’s really going on in your overseas partners’ and suppliers’ plants? Are you sure? Many companies are unable to answer with a confident yes. That’s bad news. In a time when companies are focused on getting more for less, it’s time to remember your Ps and Qs—“P” is for product, and “…
(NIST: Gaithersburg, Maryland) -- The lack of common measurement methods among light-emitting diode (LED) and lighting manufacturers has affected the commercialization of solid-state lighting products. In a recent paper, “New Practical Method for Measurement of High-Power LEDs,” Proc. CIE…
(NIST: Gaithersburg, Maryland) -- Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have demonstrated their ability to measure relatively low levels of stress or strain in regions of a semiconductor device as small as 10 nanometers across. The results will influence the…
Poor quality products, an unsafe work environment, or failure to comply with regulations ranging from product safety to social responsibility, can cause business disruption, financial loss, costly lawsuits, and long-lasting damage to the brand and corporate image of organizations that are…
When regulatory compliance and risk management come to mind, they usually evoke feelings of fear, uncertainty, and doubt as to how well an organization is prepared for government scrutiny or any worst-case business scenario. Questions arise, such as: Have we developed the proper procedures to…
Many companies include a variation of the goal “Provide world-class service” in their mission statements. These same companies have well-planned business strategies and comprehensive marketing strategies. But ask them about their customer-service strategy and you’ll find it’s often nothing more…
The results of a recent Aberdeen outsourcing survey of more than 300 organizations of all revenue classes launched during December 2007 shows that small businesses (with annual revenues of up to $50 million U.S. dollars) are reporting a major uptick in demand for supply chain management (SCM)…
Failing to manage your company’s talent needs is the equivalent of failing to manage your supply chain. Supply chain managers ask questions like ”Do we have the right parts in stock?“ “Do we know where to get these parts when we need them?” and “Does it cost a lot of money to carry inventory?”…
Alan Kent, president and CEO of Meadows Regional Medical Center in Vidalia, Ga., was a champion for implementing lean principles in the hospital’s emergency department. Photo by Gary Meek Emergency rooms in the United States aren’t known for their…
A few months ago, I received training on ISO 9001 process auditing. It was very thorough and put on by a very enthusiastic man. I was really enjoying the training, and I planned to take my newfound knowledge and begin to process audit my division.
One of the last things the trainer said to me…
Elevated systemic anxiety can have severe effects, and most organizations are at risk. The good news is that it takes only one person to break the cycle and turn the company around.
If you’re a leader, you feel it in your gut: Stress is at an all-time high, and no wonder. The uncertain economy…
Who does your company exist to please? In your daily business operations, who ultimately determines whether you and your people get paychecks or pink slips? Who do the mission and vision statements place at the center of your employees’ universe? If your answer to all three questions is the…
Tune into “The Apprentice” television show, and you get an all-too-common view of business. Every week, all of the wannabe moguls try to impress Donald Trump by preening, cajoling, and conniving. In this world, toughness is the measure of every CEO, and the boss glories in firing people and…
Donnelly Custom Manufacturing of Alexandria, Minnesota, a short-run injection molding company, knows that proper training is vital to productivity and quality. Still, training at Donnelly was taking longer than desired and employees often weren’t retaining enough of what had been learned with…
Organizations embarking on the journey to process excellence have much to gain if appropriate actions are taken in the early stages of deployment. A key principle of Six Sigma is that defects identified and fixed upstream will result in significant leverage and benefits downstream. Similarly, the…
Isn’t it annoying when you call a company to complain about a problem and they won’t even give you the chance to describe what’s wrong? They take down the information that they think is important or whatever the generic form directs them to record. You hang up thinking, “They couldn’t even give me…
War heroes are a special category of leaders. They embody bravery, resoluteness, and strength—quintessential attributes of good leaders. This is exactly the sort of leader Shakespeare gives us at the beginning of Macbeth.
At the start of Act 1, Macbeth, a Scottish nobleman and field general, has…
(HHS: Washington) -- Designed to advance collaboration within the quality measurement community and to synchronize measurement, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has developed an inventory of quality measures that are used for reporting, payment, or quality improvement by its…
