All Features
Thomas R. Cutler
Kanban, in its most simplifying role, is a visual signal (or cue) that something needs to be replenished. More specifically, lean manufacturers today use kanban to drive a process to make, move or buy the appropriate parts. Thus, kanban has become one of the fundamental building blocks of a pull (…
Quality Digest
Six Sigma Qualtec recently launched a new program for achieving its advanced Master Black Belt certification. The newly revised offering is designed tot meet the evolving needs of today’s businesses, placing a higher emphasis on meeting specific objectives, achieving dramatic improvements in…
Quality Digest
TÜV América de México recently received ISO 9001 registrar accreditation from the entidad mexicana de acreditacíon (EMA). The accreditation will allow TÜV América de México to better meet local market needs and strengthen its customer commitment. It will also allow the registrar to conduct more…
Paul McNamara
Brutally competitive markets are driving companies to design, build and improve their products faster and at lower costs. Faced with this economic climate, companies are understandably intent on freeing up resources—capital, engineering time and even plant space—that can be reallocated to high-…
Quality Digest
In an effort to strengthen local support to its customers, ASI DataMyte Inc. recently opened a new Shanghai office and expanded its distribution network in Poland.TQMsoft, headquartered in Krakow, Poland, specializes in quality systems training and consulting, and produces overall quality solutions…
Quality Digest
Overall company growth and the addition of a new sales and marketing staff have prompted American Systems Registrar to move into new headquarters recently.The registrar’s new address is 5989 Tahoe Drive, Ste. 120, Grand Rapids, Michigan. Richelle Kinzie, ASR president, reports that the company…
Quality Digest
New rules that prohibit the presence of lead and other hazardous substances in electronics and electrical equipment will be outlined in training courses held this summer and early fall in the United States. The new Hazardous Substance Free specification, adopted by the International…
Quality Digest
MetricStream Inc. and Tata Consultancy Services, an Indian IT services firm, recently formed an alliance to help clients decrease the cost of compliance with government regulations and industry mandates. According to the companies, a recent study found that companies will spend nearly $15.5 billion…
Quality Digest
Brookfield Engineering Laboratories was the recipient of the 2005 Northeast Shingo Prize for Excellence in Manufacturing.The award was presented by the University of Massachusetts’ College of Management’s Greater Boston Manufacturing Partnership. The Shingo Prize has been dubbed the “Nobel Prize of…
Quality Digest
Nutek Inc. will offer a seminar entitled “Product and Process Design Improvement Using the Taguchi Approach” in August. The event will be held August 2–5 at the Somerset Inn in Troy, Michigan. The seminar will prepare attendees for immediate application of the Genichi Taguchi technique in their own…
Quality Digest
Pilgrim Software Inc. recently completed its first “Crystal Reports/Data Mapping and Reports” Boot Camp for owners of its software products. Eight customers and one partner attended the three-day session, which offered optional Crystal Reports training. The training provided students with the…
Quality Digest
A newly released pocket-sized book will help automotive suppliers meet an upcoming deadline to comply with the new international technical specification for quality ISO/TS 16949.Robert Peach and James Collins Jr.’s The Memory Jogger for ISO/TS 16949 (QSU Publishing Co., 2005) is intended for every…
Quality Digest
Wilcox Associates recently introduced STI+, an add-on module to its PC-DMIS software that simplifies shop floor measurements. STI+ allows users to check parts without having to become coordinate measuring machine experts. With a few mouse clicks, STI+ guides users through part setup and measurement…
Quality Digest
Quality will need to become more of a focus as service industries realize that competing on price alone isn’t a viable, long-term business strategy, according to authors of the American Society for Quality’s Quality Index.“ISO management systems and Six Sigma have long been a staple of the…
Quality Digest
Chemir Pharma Services recently changed its name to Azopharma in response to its extensive growth and commitment as a contract pharmaceutical services provider. Azopharma is a FDA-registered and cGMP-compliant research and development organization that supports the development and…
Quality Digest
Chemical inventory systems deliver real-time and accurate information about inventory status to ensure greater cost control while supporting validation requirements, according to a recent in-depth white paper from ChemSW Inc.“Chemical Inventory Systems Enable Pharmaceutical Pilot Plants to…
Quality Digest
The recent publication of a magazine article about the growing black market for counterfeit drugs prompted the president and CEO of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America to issue a warning. The article, published in the June 20 issue of Forbes magazine, details the growing…
Quality Digest
Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt recently announced of a national private-public collaboration to advance the use of electronic health records and interoperability through established standards. The American Health Information Community will aid in the nationwide transition to…
Quality Digest
P-Wave Inc. and Promium recently formed an alliance to offer environmental labs a unique document and data management solution. The partnership integrates LabCORE, P-Wave’s laboratory document management system, with Promium’s ELEMENT data system, a laboratory information…
Quality Digest
SAFE-BioPharma Association recently announced that INC Research has become its first contract-research organization member. INC Research will deploy the SAFE infrastructure to equip its internal teams and physician investigators with electronic identity standards. “We adopted the SAFE digital…
Quality Digest
A new survey reveals that past failures and bad habits often get in the way of executing successful strategies. The April Leadership Pulse sampled more than 4,000 executives, focusing on how they execute strategies. In the report, 308 worldwide professionals indicated that the top items mostly…
Quality Digest
The National Committee for Quality Assurance recently released its 2004 annual report, which calls for the expansion of pay-for-performance programs and a more-digitized health care system.“The Future in Focus” includes numerous examples of industry leaders who have successfully adopted leading-…
Quality Digest
Executives who wish they had a more practical and detailed outline for implementing and sustaining their lean management system, may benefit from David Mann’s recently released book. Creating a Lean Culture—Tools to Sustain Lean Conversions (Productivity Press, 2005), provides leaders with a lean…
Quality Digest
The Coordinate Metrology Systems Conference 2005, to be held July 18-22 in Austin, Texas, will present 15 white papers written by metrology experts and scientists from all over the world. The selected white papers cover a wide range of 3-D industrial-measurement applications and topics that cater…
Quality Digest
The National Institute of Standards and Technology, administrator of the Baldrige Award, has released the application summaries of the award’s 2004 winners. The application summaries reveal how: The Bama Co. increased sales by 72 percent while the overall frozen baked goods industry remained…
