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Quality Digest
This year’s winners of the Shingo Prize for Excellence in Manufacturing are: Autoliv Querétaro CMX Facility, Querétaro, Mexico Baxter Healthcare Corp., North Cove Plant; Marion, North Carolina Baxter S.A. de C.V., Cuernavaca Plant; Morelos, Mexico Cordis de Mexico; Juarez, Mexico…
Quality Digest
The National Biodiesel Accreditation Commission recently announced the registration of six more companies to BQ-9000, a voluntary program for quality control of this alternative to petroleum-based diesel fuel. Biodiesel producers Stepan Co. of Northfield, Illinois; Western Iowa Energy…
Quality Digest
CogniTens, a provider of dimensional measurement solutions, was included on a list of the fastest-growing technology companies of 2006. This is the second consecutive year that CogniTens was included on the list. The 2006 Deloitte Technology Fast 500 EMEA was compiled by Deloitte Touche…
Quality Digest
At next month’s WESTEC conference, Verisurf Software Inc. will demonstrate how the company has combined first-article inspection with metrology solutions to allow quick model-based definition (MBD) inspection. Verisurf MBD uses the company’s CAD/CAM-based inspection software with…
Quality Digest
Hexagon Metrology recently acquired Svensk ByggnadsGeodesi AB (SBG), a Swedish manufacturer of measuring systems for construction industry and surveying applications. The measuring systems SBG develops are multidimensional and are based on a common software structure, allowing information…
Quality Digest
RAND Worldwide recently announced its upcoming purchase of CADVisions Inc., a consultancy and business software provider. RAND provides technology solutions for information systems and engineering design, and reports that the transaction is part of its overall growth strategy. The…
Fred Mason
Using the eye is visual. The use of magnified imaging by eye or with a camera is a common part of manufacturing. Some of that use is for inspection. Some is for measurement. Some is online. Some is offline. There are vision-inspection systems. There are video-inspection systems. There…
Quality Digest
Standardization was presented as a way of minimizing threats from global challenges such as climate change at the World Economic Forum, held Jan. 24–28 in Davos, Switzerland. More than 1,000 economic and industry leaders attended the event, at which a “shifting power equation” was noted…
Quality Digest
The Independent Association of Accredited Registrars recently approved RABQSA International Inc.—an accredited personnel and training certification body—as its newest member. The IAAR is an association of accredited management system registrars that operate in North America to promote the…
Quality Digest
The American National Standards Institute’s Homeland Security Standards Panel met recently to discuss ways in which standards could help boost emergency preparedness in the public and private sectors. The meeting was the final in a series that examined standards suggestions based on…
Quality Digest
San Francisco will be the site of a week-long meeting of the International Accreditation Forum’s technical and executive committees. Held at the Hilton San Francisco, March 24–30, the event will be hosted by the ANSI-RAB National Accreditation Board (ANAB). The IAF’s technical…
Quality Digest
The International Organization for Standardization recently selected the members of a jury that will choose winners of a new award for the teaching of standardization in higher education. The ISO Award for Higher Education in Standardization selection committee is: George Arnold, ISO…
Denise Robitaille
Auditing clause 7.3 of the design and development section of ISO 9001 can be a challenge for the auditor and the auditee. Unlike purchasing, manufacturing, shipping or order processing, it’s rarely carried out on a regular or consistent schedule. The level of activity ranges from the…
Dennis Bradley
Previous columns have addressed some of the topics that provide a foundation for understanding the scope and complexity of the worldwide movement to achieve hazardous-substance free (HSF) products and production processes. This month, let’s take a look at how people have been behaving and why they’…
Quality Digest
Hyperion Solutions Corp., which makes business performance management (BPM) software, has agreed to buy Decisioneering Inc., a provider of decision analysis software.Business performance management entails predictive analytic applications that enable organizations to maximize success,…
Craig Cochran
Last year I had the good fortune of doing some consulting with B&C Specialty Products in Hopeulikit, Georgia. B&C does light manufacturing, primarily plastic molding and assembly, and they also distribute imported products produced by companies in the Far East. They have about…
Quality Digest
A new partnership will make Muddy Boots Software’s Quickfire mobile auditing and quality assurance solution available as part of Agentrics’ GenNovation management suite. “By offering Muddy Boots Quickfire as part of our private-label solution, retailers can now incorporate a higher…
Quality Digest
AppSense Ltd. recently announced its participation in Citrix Systems Inc.’s Citrix Ready and the latest release of Management Suite software. Citrix Ready allows Citrix channels and customers to determine the best third-party solutions and products for use in Citrix environments. “Citrix…
Quality Digest
The American Society for Quality will sponsor its annual Quality Institute for Healthcare conference April 30 to May 2 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida.Designed for all quality practitioners and health care leaders interested in developing the quality…
Quality Digest
The International School of Management Excellence is partnering with the Indian Statistical Institute to award Six Sigma Black Belts to students in ISME’s Post Graduate Programme in Management course.ISME says it is the only school training students to solve problems on a scientific…
Praveen Gupta
A few years ago, lean thinking came to light. It sounded similar to what I had learned about the “pull” system. I wondered why we renamed cycle time reduction, or just in time (JIT), “lean.” Cycle time reduction was easy to understand and related to responsiveness to customer demands and waste…
Quality Digest
The American Society for Quality will host its seventh-annual Six Sigma Conference Feb. 12 and 13 in Phoenix, Arizona. The event will be held at the Pointe Hilton Tapatio Cliffs Resort. Featured speakers include David C. Everitt, John Deere & Co. agricultural division president;…
Quality Digest
The SGS Group recently published a standard for Six Sigma that requires third-party auditing. The Six Sigma Standard consists of 65 program indicators and incorporates formal program audits done by SGS. Programs that score high enough on the audit qualify for Six Sigma Program…
Quality Digest
Hyperion Solutions Corp., a provider of business performance management software, reports that its acquisition of Decisioneering Inc. will allow it to integrate risk management principles more deeply into its software products. Hyperion will operate Decisioneering as a stand-alone business…
Since “Sick Sigma” was published in April 2006, the public has become much more aware of Six Sigma’s failings. There is little risk today of being burnt at the stake for pointing out Six Sigma’s many faults. Last fall, even Dilbert discredited Six Sigma, pointing out that Six Sigma…
