Content by William A. Levinson
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…
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…
Use the Violin Plot to Visualize DataHelps assess a data set, compare multiple data sets, while displaying shape of underlying distribution
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…
Tariffs: The Die Has Been CastBut we’ve been here before
Mon, 05/05/2025 - 12:18
The Chinese character for crisis means “danger” and “opportunity,” and tariffs have created a supply chain crisis throughout the United States. Paul Roberts of the Seattle Times reports that fewer ships are arriving in Seattle: “Fewer ships coming…