All Features
Upland Software
(Upland: Austin, TX): -- Kanbanversation is a new episodic video program sponsored by Ultriva by Upland Software. The program examines all aspects of the demand-driven supply chain. During each episode industry experts and thought leaders are interviewed by manufacturing journalist Thomas R.…
Jason Furness
In part one of this three-part series, we looked at the first two layers of resistance to change. Part two looked at the second two layers. Here we look at the final two layers, obstacles to implementing the proposed solution, and unverbalized fear. We are close to achieving true buy-in, but…
Eston Martz
Not long ago, I couldn’t abide statistics. I respected the field, in much the same way a gazelle respects a lion. Most of my early experiences with statistics indicated that close encounters resulted in pain, so I avoided further contact whenever possible.
So how is it that today I write about…
Quality Digest
(Quality Digest: Chico, CA) -- The IoT just took a giant leap forward. Ford Motor Co. has announced that the first wave of automakers and industry suppliers will adopt SmartDeviceLink (SDL), Ford’s open-source smartphone app interface software that allows smartphone apps like Spotify, Glympse,…
Luk Van Wassenhove
Establishing a clear and consistent focus, and knowing when to change it, is the essence of manufacturing agility. Factories don’t just make things. Viewed properly, they are where the rubber of corporate strategy meets the road of the marketplace.
Ideally, then, a factory should operate in…
Jason Furness
In part one of this three-part series, we moved through the initial and often overlooked layers of resistance: first, why change; and second, how to overcome disagreement on the nature of the problem. Here we move on to the next two layers, namely, disagreeing on the solution and undesirable side…
SAE International
(SAE: Warrendale, PA) -- Effective Training Inc. (ETI), an SAE International company and global leader in standards training, has released its newest reference publication, the ISO Geometrical Product Specifications (GPS) Ultimate Pocket Guide.
The ISO GPS guide is the newest installment in ETI’s…
Lolly Daskal
Leadership may be complex, but it doesn’t have to be complicated. We can always simplify. Often our greatest hardships are those we impose upon ourselves.
There are some who think that in order to be a great leader, we must allow life to teach us the hard way. But in truth, if we are open to…
Donald J. Wheeler
One computation that modern software offers to unsuspecting users is the statistical tolerance interval. Since this sounds very much like limits for individual values, some have been tempted to use them on process behavior charts in place of the traditional three-sigma limits for individual values…
Matthew Littlefield
Although there is no bad time to improve quality management maturity, an optimal time is during fiscal planning for a new year. Executives and quality professionals who are affected by the quality of products or services should ask two questions: “Just how mature is my company’s quality program?”…
Jason Furness
This is the first part of a three-part series on the “six layers of resistance.” It’s based on the work of Eliyahu Goldratt, who has now passed away. Goldratt was the originator of a body of work known as the “theory of constraints.” His bestselling novel, The Goal (North River Press, 2014 reprint…
Michelle LaBrosse
What habits do you need to develop to become a more effective project manager? Maybe you need to get more organized with your paperwork, or change how you spend your time each day to stay on track with your projects, or shift how you respond to stressful situations.
Regardless of the kind of…
Kevin Meyer
“I will take time to be alone today. I will take time to be quiet. In this silence I will listen... and I will hear my answers.” —Ruth Fishel
One of my great pleasures is going for a walk on the beach a couple blocks from my house. Contrary to the popular perception of California as a land of…
Mike Richman
Benjamin Franklin is reputed to have said, in reference to 13 separate American colonies then in rebellion against England, “If we do not hang together, we shall surely hang apart.” After the Revolutionary War, and following the conclusion of the endless debates that eventually lead to the…
(Fives Machining Systems: Hebron, KY) -- On January 4, 2016, Fives Machining Systems, Global Services will open a service center in Seattle, Washington, joining the family of four other North American service centers as Fives expands to meet the needs of its customers nationwide. The Seattle…
Quality Digest
Find the 13 hidden objects in this yule scene. Happy holidays!
Click here for larger image.
Harry Hertz
During my 25 years with the Baldrige program, I have never come across an organization that couldn’t improve its communication, no matter how good it already is. The importance of effective communication is demonstrated by the many articles and books written on the subject; as examples, Inc.,…
Mike Micklewright
To many people, the relationship between daily kaizen and statistical process control (SPC) might seem as remote as the relationship between a kangaroo and the past iconic American TV series Friends. And yet, a kangaroo and Friends have a commonality in that each contains a “Joey.” Daily kaizen…
Quality Digest
Below are three questions that might require some hunting on the Quality Digest website.
Your mission, should you choose to waste time over this, is to answer each of them. Send your answers to us at qdcontest1@qualitydigest.com. Of those submitting correct answers, one name will be…
Bill Kalmar
Lots of discussion this time of the year as to whether we should wish people a Merry Christmas or a Happy Holiday. Evidently there is a cottage industry staffed by people who are offended by anyone uttering the words “Merry Christmas.” Frankly, I think there are people who anxiously wait to be…
DeFelsko
(DeFelsko: Ogdensburg NY) -- DeFelsko is excited to announce the next-generation PosiTest AT-A Automatic Adhesion Tester. The American-made PosiTest AT series measures the adhesion of coatings to metal, wood, concrete and other rigid substrates.
New features include a larger, impact- and scratch-…
TÜV SÜD America
Sponsored Content
Company managers have a lot on their plates. It’s a tall order to handle daily operations, inventory, staffing needs, training, deadline and quota expectations, and a bevy of other duties. The best managers know enough to delegate certain responsibilities which can help maintain…
Jack Dunigan
Whenever I hire a new employee, as part of his orientation I am always careful to emphasize that it would be wrong to mistake my forbearance for indifference, that while I am long-suffering and will give him time to learn the ropes, there are standards to be reached and maintained.
One of the…
NIST
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has been pioneering antenna measurement methods for decades, but a new robot may be the ultimate innovation, extending measurements to higher frequencies while characterizing antennas faster and more easily than previous NIST facilities.…
Gilles Hilary, Arnaud Lagarde
Eric (not his real name) was under pressure from his sales department. He was hesitant to close a large financing deal with a Chinese corporation but had little beyond his intuition to back up his position.
The company’s stock price had gained a whopping 600 percent in one year. Nevertheless,…
