All Features
James Bossert
When we talk about measurement system analysis (MSA), people tend to focus on attribute agreement analysis because it is usually quicker and easier to do than a gauge repeatability and reproducibility (gauge R&R) study. This article is a review of the fundamentals for gauge R&R to remind us…
Iffet Turken
We need instant adaptability to the new skill sets in the unknown future of work. The Covid-19 pandemic is a prime example of how change is accelerating and requiring us to adapt quickly. We often hear about the skill sets we will need but not enough about how executives will adapt to them. A “…
Manuel Müller
(Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence: North Kingstown, RI) -- Probe-based machine tool inspection has a well-deserved reputation for delivering clear productivity gains. But when it comes to capturing a full digital image of a clamped freeform workpiece, it can fall short.
A probe only records a…
William A. Levinson
Measurement systems analysis (MSA) for attributes, or attribute agreement analysis, is a lot like eating broccoli or Brussels sprouts. We must often do things we don't like because they are necessary or good for us. While IATF 16949:2016, Clause 7.1.5.1.1—“Measurement systems analysis,” does not…
Peter Dizikes
When bringing technologies into the workplace, it pays to be realistic. Often, for instance, bringing new digital technology into an organization does not radically improve a firm’s operations. Despite high-level planning, a more frequent result is the messy process of frontline employees figuring…
Duke University
Price discounts and other promotions on consumer goods can boost a product’s sales in the short term, but that same strategy may destroy a brand’s equity, according to research from Carl Mela, a marketing professor at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business.
Brands often focus on the short-term…
(Harrington Management Systems: Los Gatos, CA) -- Harrington Management Systems has announced the webinar entitled “Using the ISO 56002 Innovation Management System.” The webinar will run three times on July 8, 2021, to accommodate worldwide interest in the topic:
Americas: 12:01 p.m Pacific…
Jim Hardeman
Customer complaints about service or food safety, and general quality incidents for delivered products, are bound to happen. It’s how brands use these incidents to further enhance product quality and the customer experience that matters.
Restaurant and grocery customers will—and should—report…
Kate Zabriskie
Regardless of their intentions, people who micromanage often create an environment of fear, mistrust, and disengagement. The constant oversight, checking in, and nitpicking wears down even the strongest employee. Turnover goes up, engagement goes down, and all the while, the managers who…
Quality Digest
(Detection Technology Inc.: Billerica, MA) -- Detection Technology, a global leader in X-ray detector solutions, has unveiled the Aurora XS to address the cost efficiency and reliability requirements of the urban security screening market. The Aurora XS adapts to versatile X-ray imaging systems,…
Steve McKee
Have you noticed gas prices going up? Is your company having a hard time finding new employees? Are you paying more (and waiting longer) for parts? The experts say inflation may be upon us. If it isn’t yet, it soon will be, given all the funny money the federal government has pumped into the…
Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence
A 3D-printed replica of Michelangelo’s famous David sculpture, reproduced with the use of scanning technology by Hexagon, was unveiled during a ceremony at the Italy Pavilion at Expo 2020 in Dubai.
The event was attended by the Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation,…
Eliot Dratch
Owning and operating a top-quality manufacturing business comes with a multitude of challenges. To help outline points of improvement and give your business a road map to success, California Manufacturing Technology Consulting (CMTC) offers these quality strategies to help you achieve premium…
Dawn Bailey
In 2020, MESA, a small business in Oklahoma, became to date the first and only three-time Baldrige Award recipient.
From a one-person consulting firm founded in 1979, MESA has grown to support a workforce of more than 250 people. The largest privately owned company in its market, it is a…
MIT News
First published June 7, 2021, on MIT News.
It’s no secret that a manufacturer’s ability to maintain and, ideally, increase production capability is the basis for long-run competitive success. But discovering a way to significantly increase production without buying a single piece of new equipment—…
Kimberly Merriman, David Greenway, Tamara Montag-Smit
As vaccinations and relaxed health guidelines make returning to the office a reality for more companies, there seems to be a disconnect between managers and their workers about remote work.
A good example of this is a recent op-ed written by the CEO of a Washington, D.C., magazine that suggested…
Anne Trafton
First published June 7, 2021, on MIT News.
MIT engineers have discovered a new way of generating electricity using tiny carbon particles that can create a current simply by interacting with liquid surrounding them.
The liquid, an organic solvent, draws electrons out of the particles, generating a…
Michael Lee Stallard
Astronaut crews living and working in space experience as a matter of course what many of us experienced unexpectedly during the coronavirus pandemic. Consider these similarities.
Astronauts are physically isolated for a long period of time from family, friends, and the majority of their work…
Carlos Valdes-Dapena
In my work in collaboration and team effectiveness, I am sometimes approached about helping with a “dysfunctional team.” People use the word “dysfunction” liberally and can mean various things by it. I’ve learned some lessons about team dysfunction, and the most important one is that it isn’t what…
Karla Raines
Total quality management (TQM) was in vogue during my undergraduate years and early career in industrial engineering. The United States was catching up to the Japanese in manufacturing production as their Toyota vehicles outperformed our Fords. A company couldn’t deliver a competitive product…
Wayland Additive
Metal additive manufacturing (AM) is a process with demanding requirements for in-process material management, specifically with regard to the use of powdered metals. The Calibur3 system from Wayland Additive, enabled by the NeuBeam process, not only redefines how the electron beam (eBeam) process…
(Volume Graphics: Charlotte, NC) -- The latest version of Volume Graphics’ high-end computed tomography (CT) data analysis software suite, v. 3.5, brings enhanced capabilities to manufacturers looking for better ways to inspect parts and improve designs—however they are made.
Particularly in the…
Del Williams
To enable raw water for use as cooling water, industrial facilities such as power, processing, and manufacturing plants prefilter raw water from rivers, lakes, gulfs, and coastlines to remove organic, aquatic, and other solids. It’s not as simple as it sounds.
The cooling water is typically used…
Clare Naden
We all know that like attracts like, but when it comes to the workplace, differences can be a very good thing. Numerous studies have shown that workplace diversity and inclusion can drive innovation and lead to new markets and financial benefits.
There is also evidence that when employees feel…
(Exact Metrology: Cincinnati) -- Exact Metrology, a comprehensive 3D metrology service provider and hardware sales company, has recently installed a ZEISS METROTOM 6 scout, formally known as a GOM CT, scanner at their facility in Brookfield, Wisconsin.
Considered the powerhouse of resolution for…