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Last year I had the good fortune of doing some consulting with B&C Specialty Products in Hopeulikit, Georgia. B&C does light manufacturing, primarily plastic molding and assembly, and they also distribute imported products produced by companies in the Far East. They have about 150…
Many people know about William Tell shooting the apple on his son’s head. What can this archery event teach us about accuracy and precision? What do these words mean? When are they equal, and when are they not? “Accuracy,” “precision” and “resolution” are sometimes misunderstood or…
B.C. MacDonald & Co., a provider of specialized cutting tools and gaging products, will open a new metrology center in September. The new center will display more than $2 million worth of 3-D metrology and dimensional gaging equipment in Lisle, Illinois. Mahr Federal and Optical Gaging…
Mitutoyo America Corp. recently released the second edition of its metrology handbook, Metrology Handbook—The Science of Measurement. Nobuo Suga, advisor and instructor at the Mitutoyo Institute of Metrology is the author. The book is designed primarily for students enrolled in MIM courses…
Renishaw’s calibration products division recently started offering users of its ML10 laser calibration system complimentary upgrades to the latest version of the company’s Laser 10 software package. The ML10 laser interferometer system is widely used by OEMs and end users in research,…
RNDT Inc., a commercial nondestructive testing (NDT) laboratory, recently received from the Performance Review Institute its ISO/IEC 17025 and National Aerospace and Defense Contractors Accreditation Program accreditation for multiple NDT testing methods. The lab, based in Johnstown,…
Hexagon AB, a Swedish conglomerate, recently acquired a Thai metrology distributor, Thaimach Sales & Service Co. Hexagon reports that its new subsidiary, to be renamed Hexagon Measurement Technologies Thailand, will be its largest distributor of coordinate measuring machines in…
The International Organization for Standardization reports an 18-percent increase in the number of international registrations issued for ISO 9001 in its annual ISO Survey of Certifications. The survey is ISO’s main barometer for measuring international use of and compliance with its…
The National Committee for Quality Assurance recently added new requirements for health plans seeking accreditation to its Quality Plus program. The change becomes effective in 2007.Candidate health plans will have to demonstrate that they provide their members with information to help…
Attendees at the Conference of African Ministers of Industry recently affirmed the role of international standards and conformity assessment in helping to develop commerce in Africa. The conference produced a formal report, in which it “reiterate[s] the commitment of our governments and call[…
The International Organization for Standardization has published a new standard to clarify types of environmental labels used to designate potentially harmful products. ISO 14025:2006, "Environmental labels and declarations—Type III environmental declarations—Principles and procedures"…
The U.S. World Standards Day Planning Committee recently named Constance A. Morella, U.S. ambassador to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, as the recipient of the Ronald H. Brown Standards Leadership Award. Morella received the award as recognition for her role in…
Don’t you love it when you go to the store and they have a “BOGO” sale? BOGO, as in buy one, get one. Who can resist the attraction of being able to get two things for the price of one? I once had a client who was going through the company’s registration assessment for ISO 9001. The client…
Being retired affords one the opportunity to relax periodically in a hammock on a hot summer afternoon, doing a crossword puzzle and contemplating quality and customer service. While trying to think of an eight-letter term for "a person used as cover," my thoughts wandered to several topics:…
The 2006 Safe Quality Food Institute Conference will promote discussions on the learning successes of the SQF Food Safety Certification Program and its global effects. The event will comprise sessions on global food safety certification, becoming an SQF expert or auditor, the value of…
The 2006 Automation Fair will present industry leaders’ success stories Oct. 25–26 in Baltimore. The event focuses on value-added services and solutions, integrated control and information architecture, and advanced automation products. In addition, experts will host forums to provide a…
The July Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index was 106.5, up 1.1 from the assessment performed in June.“Consumer confidence continues to hold steady, with the prognosis little changed from last month,” says Lynn Franco, director of The Conference Board Consumer Research Center. The…
A Team Leader’s Guide to Kaizen Events , a new guide from Breakthrough Management Press serves as an armchair coach for those who are leading lean kaizen events within their organization,” says Neil DeCarlo, Breakthrough Management Group’s vice president of publishing. The guide includes…
Representatives from companies such as The Ritz-Carlton, Accident Fund, Raytheon, Sonoco and DuPont will present winning tactics and case studies to business executives Sept. 20–22 in St. Louis. “Unleashing Business Success Through Breakthroughs in Lean Sigma and Quality” will include…
Leading quality professionals can learn how to achieve management buy-in, bring about organizational harmony, identify best strategies for implementation while maintaining compliance, and integrate benchmarking and metrics into lean Six Sigma initiatives at the International Quality and…
Pentacle Partners and MoreSteam.com recently partnered to offer a training program for lean and Six Sigma. Pentacle Partners is a consulting and training services provider, and MoreSteam.com provides online lean and Six Sigma training.The focus of the training is on immediate workplace…
Reliable Plant magazine will host its Lean Tools for Maintenance and Reliability Conference Sept. 18–20 in Las Vegas. Last year, nearly 150 manufacturing industry leaders gathered in Cleveland to share experiences and learn from major companies how lean tactics and strategies help…
SigmaXL, a provider of Excel add-ins for statistical and graphical analysis, recently released a new version of its flagship software. SigmaXL Version 5 includes multiple dotplots, improved multiple linear regressions, enhanced measurement systems analysis capabilities, process capability…
The U.S. Army recently graduated its first class of lean Six Sigma Black Belts in Korea, and more training is already underway. The U.S. military has made process improvement through lean, Six Sigma and theory of constraints a major focus in recent years. The Navy’s extensive lean Six…
Considering the leadership at Motorola and General Electric provided by stalwarts such as Bob Galvin and Jack Welch, respectively, I believe that two leaders with totally different styles can get similar results using the same tools. When I worked at Motorola in Bob Galvin’s time, there was a rule…
