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In an effort to improve its services and patron access, the Houston Public Library turned to Xerox Corp. and Six Sigma. The improvement effort began last year, when Xerox was hired to measure and analyze the operations at four branches of the Houston Public Library. Services analyzed…
Nader Fathi, SigmaQuest Inc. CEO, will deliver a presentation at an upcoming symposium for the medical device industry. “How to Ensure Medical Product Quality in a Zero-Tolerance World” will be delivered at the third-annual Surface Mount Technology Association’s Medical Electronics…
I talk to a lot of people and most of them are stressed at work and carrying it over to their homes. The question then becomes, “What drives performance—fear or fun?”If someone asks employees what it’s like to work at Google, the most likely answer is that it’s exciting to work in a fun,…
BSI Americas, a global registrar, recently joined the International Cyber Security Education Coalition. The coalition was formed by the University of Detroit Mercy to help the National Security Agency promote information-assurance education to protect the national information…
Metrologists and gaging specialists can now enjoy a selection of Modern Machine Shop’s popular "Quality Gaging Tips" columns in book form. The columns, authored by George Schuetz and the late Jim McCusker, both of Mahr Federal Inc., have appeared monthly in the magazine since 1991. Quality…
National Quality Assurance USA Inc. recently acquired American National Registrars Corp. (AIR).The acquisition of AIR, located in Ventura, California, establishes a presence for NQA in that state, one of the largest certification markets in North America. The new location will allow NQA…
The Automotive Industry Action Group recently created a guideline to help automotive supply chains gain maximum value from problem-solving processes and improvement opportunities, regardless of what methodology or concept is used. AIAG’s Effective Problem Solving is a consensus of…
The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index, which had improved in March, further improved in April, bringing it to its highest level since May 2002. The index now stands at 109.6, up from 107.5 in March. Consumers’ overall assessment of current conditions remains favorable, with those…
Manufacturing products produces waste that ranges from overproduction, waiting time, and transportation costs to overprocessing, excess inventory, unnecessary motion and scrap. By eliminating these wastes, production time and cost of goods sold (COGS) are reduced, and quality is improved. COGS…
According to the Institute of Medicine, there are approximately 100,000 people per year killed in the Unites States because of medical errors. There are 100,000 families in despair because they have lost a loved one too soon. This also means that 100,000 medical professionals are losing…
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently issued an updated list of agency-approved consensus standards for the evaluation of medical devices. "Modifications to the List of Recognized Standards, Recognition List Number: 014" includes more than 50 changes to the FDA’s roster of…
Peter R. Dolan, chief executive officer of Bristol-Myers Squibb, was recently elected chairman of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America. Also elected were Kevin Sharer, Amgen president and CEO, as PhRMA board’s chairman-elect; and Karen Katen, Pfizer vice chairman, as…
The Partnership for Prescription Assistance, a national program sponsored by pharmaceutical research companies, recently commemorated its first anniversary by launching the first "Patient Assistance Day" and by enhancing its services. The PPA provided free and reduced-cost prescription…
TÜV America Healthcare Specialists, TÜV SÜD AG, founded as a joint venture between Healthcare Specialists Inc. and TÜV America Inc., will host a fall seminar in two U.S. cities. “Getting the Most From Your Accreditation Efforts With the Integrated Accreditation Program of the NIAHO and…
The benefits of implementing good manufacturing practices (GMP) and quality management could be made easier for the pharmaceutical industry with a new standard from the International Organization for Standardization. ISO 15378:2006, "Primary packaging materials for medicinal products—…
The challenge of responding to the threat of cheap offshore labor isn’t new to North American businesses. Nearly a hundred years ago, Henry Towne wrote about the need for increased efficiency and productivity in a foreword to Frederick Winslow Taylor’s 1911 paper, “Shop Management”:
"We are justly…
GE Healthcare and Virtua Health recently announced dramatic results from the first-ever hands-on Lean Healthcare Seminar held at three Virtua sites in New Jersey. Attendees at the seminars represented hospitals from the United States, Scotland, Canada and England. By combining lean tools…
Metris, a provider of 3-D inspection systems, recently received the 2006 Frost & Sullivan Growth Strategy Leadership of the Year Award. The award recognizes outstanding contributions to the dimensional metrology industry, and is given every year by Frost & Sullivan, a growth consulting…
Improvement teams from Merck & Co. Inc., Pfizer Inc. and Wyeth Pharmaceuticals have been named finalists in the 2006 Team of the Year awards. Now in its second year, the competition is sponsored by Putnam Media and Pharmaceutical Manufacturing magazine, and recognizes manufacturing…
The Massachusetts Port Authority (Massport) recently received ISO 14001 registration of its Tobin Memorial Bridge, the first bridge in the United States to receive the designation. Massport, which also operates Logan International Airport, the Port of Boston, L.G. Hanscom Field and…
The American Society for Quality’s World Conference on Quality and Improvement will be held May 1–3 at the Midwest Airlines Center in Milwaukee. Thousands of quality professionals from all over the world are expected to attend. The conference will feature addresses from David Kohler of…
In 1633, opposition to the common viewpoint could mean death. This was the case with Galileo when he proposed that the Earth revolved around the sun. He was tried for heresy. Of course things are different today. People who question dogma are no longer burnt at the stake. Instead, they’re branded…
Zero defects is an idea that was discovered in the early 1960s. It was articulated by Phil Crosby and first implemented at the Martin company in Orlando, Florida. Zero defects enjoyed widespread popularity until the mid 1970s, and almost every major company and their suppliers had a zero-defects…
The Society of Manufacturing Engineers will host the Productivity & Lean Integration for Plastics Manufacturing conference June 20–21 in Chicago. The conference will be part of the National Plastics Exposition 2006 show, which will be held June 19–23 at McCormick Place. A new educational…
American Express executives head up the speaker roster at the third annual Six Sigma in Financial Services Conference. The conference will be held May 10–12 at the New York Marriott Eastside. Karim Houry and Rick Irving, American Express vice presidents of global reengineering, will…
