This, I swear, is a true story... mostly. We own a washer and dryer combo unit made by a large home appliance manufacturer--let’s call them “Maytag.” The washer and dryer are in the company’s Neptune series. We’ve had them for about seven years and they’ve worked flawlessly, until recently. About four months ago the washer started making an awful squealing noise when it ... [Read More]

Better Than 5 Whys I liked the way Craig Cochran discounted or lessened the credibility of the 5 Whys (“Don’t Fail Your Customers With the 5 Whys,” February 2009). He provided excellent rationale for its limitations. His alternatives were good; however, I do not believe they can replace Ishikawa’s use of the fishbone technique. While with IBM, I had a class in defect prevention using ... [Read More]

HEADLINES E-Waste and the Standard That Loves It Do the Math Internal Auditing Improves Risk Management Quality Health Care Conference Why New Systems Fail: Theory and Practice Collide U.S.-India Form Alliance on Standards   E-Waste and the Standard That Loves It Electronic waste, or e-waste, is considered the fastest-growing component of the municipal waste ... [Read More]

As Davis Balestracci frequently emphasized in his column, “RealWorldSPC,” published in Quality Digest for four years, it is fundamental to understand the context of the data before you begin to do any computations. It is the background for your data that determines how you should organize the data, how you should analyze the data, and how you should interpret the results of your analysis. ... [Read More]

Soft Air USA Inc. of Grapevine, Texas, is a subsidiary of Cybergun S.A., the world’s leading manufacturer of replica airsoft guns. Airsoft guns fire 6 mm plastic balls using a low-power spring, CO 2, gas, or electric force designed to avoid the potential for injury. Many Soft Air USA products are used by the military and law enforcement agencies for training exercises. Soft Air USA has ... [Read More]