Content by William A. Levinson
Six Sigma SoupSix Sigma works best when it works synergistically
Wed, 01/26/2011 - 07:55
Six Sigma has been credited with six- or even seven-figure returns in single projects, but it has not kept the manufacturing jobs of its principal exponents—Motorola, General Electric, and Maytag—in the United States. Henry Ford, on the other hand,…Airline Companies Are Driving Customers AwayWhen quality is poor, we should take flight and find another way.
Wed, 05/05/2010 - 07:30
The airline industry’s complete disregard for service quality and total contempt for its customers has changed little since Quality Digest columnist H. James Harrington called out American Airlines for diverting his luggage on an international…Treat Carbon as the Symptom, not the DiseaseReducing greenhouse gas emissions can be misleading.
Mon, 02/09/2009 - 14:02
Carbon dioxide emissions are symptomatic of energy consumption in manufacturing, especially in transportation. Therefore initiatives to reduce them often cut supply chain costs as well. However, the exaggerated focus on carbon emissions is…American Airlines’ FiascoAn inevitable result of its attitude toward quality
Mon, 03/19/2007 - 22:00
On December 29, 2006, passengers of American Airlines’ Flight 1348 were confined in a parked aircraft for eight hours. By this time, “The toilets on the American Airlines jet were overflowing. There was no water to be found and no food…Thinking Lean in 17th Century PolandCompetitive lessons from Poland’s renowned cavalry
Tue, 01/04/2005 - 22:00
“Then the Husaria broke into a wild g allop and the heavy mass of men and horses cascaded over the Turkish ranks, bowling over the first, slicing through the second… The Grand Vizir leapt onto a horse and made his own escape moments before the…Wed, 05/01/2024 - 12:03
The current alleged quality problems with the Boeing 737 underscore the importance of zero tolerance for poor quality. No manufacturing or quality professional should ever compromise on this issue. Most importantly, the potential consequences to…When and How to Use Zero Acceptance Number SamplingZero acceptance sampling plans are viable when suppliers are confident in their quality level
Thu, 04/11/2019 - 09:06
Inspection is a mandatory but nonvalue-adding activity, and our objective is to do as little as possible, provided that we continue to fulfill the customer’s requirements. The zero acceptance number (c = 0) sampling plan requires far less inspection…Mon, 04/22/2024 - 12:03
The famous football coach Vince Lombardi purportedly said that “Winning isn’t everything, it’s the only thing.” The actual quote might have been, “Winning isn’t everything, but wanting (or playing) to win is.”
In light of numerous corporate…Thu, 02/18/2021 - 15:12
The violin plot is a valuable addition to the box and whisker plot that, while not a true histogram, performs the histogram’s function of showing the shape of the underlying probability distribution. This will reveal issues such as non-normality and…When and How to Use Zero Acceptance Number SamplingZero acceptance sampling plans are viable when suppliers are confident in their quality level
Thu, 04/11/2019 - 09:14
Inspection is a mandatory but nonvalue-adding activity, and our objective is to do as little as possible, provided that we continue to fulfill the customer’s requirements. The zero acceptance number (c = 0) sampling plan requires far less inspection…