All Features
Bill Kalmar
This column normally originates from the hammock in the woods behind our home. With almost a foot of snow on the ground, though, this month’s contribution would better be titled “Thoughts From a Lounge Chair in My Den.” So, while sitting in my favorite chair and listening to the popping of…
Quality Digest
Wilshire Conferences Inc., creators of educational conferences for information technology professionals, honored BMO Financial Group with the fifth annual Wilshire Award for Metadata Best Practices. BMO stood out because of its implementation, architecture and executive support. Eight…
Quality Digest
e-TQM College recently announced its successful implementation of Visionaire’s e-learning suite, which allows the college to conduct live virtual classes by streaming real-time lectures on the Web with high-quality voice, data and video capability.The school’s approach to education uses…
Quality Digest
The first e-sourcing capability model level 4 service provider and Satyam’s business process outsourcing (BPO) subsidiary—Nipuna Services—recently became the first Indian BPO company to win the Rajiv Gandhi National Quality Award. Comparable to the European Quality Award, the Deming…
Bill Kalmar
This column normally originates from the hammock in the woods behind our home. With almost a foot of snow on the ground, though, this month’s contribution would better be titled “Thoughts From a Lounge Chair in My Den.” So, while sitting in my favorite chair and listening to the popping of…
Quality Digest
Harte-Hanks Trillium Software Inc.’s TS Quality Software Version 10.5 was recently certified for integration with SAP Master Data Management (MDM) Enrichment Adapter.The integration allows customers to incorporate data-quality solutions within current implementations of SAP NetWeaver MDM,…
Quality Digest
TAGSYS recently introduced a software suite—e-connectware—to manage global radio frequency identification (RFID) networks. A comprehensive set of administrative and management tools, e-connectware delivers the highest quality of service levels, and ensures data integrity and data…
Quality Digest
Solectron Corp. recently created an alliance for medical device outsourcing companies. The Solectron Medical Alliance Program (S-MAP) includes ATEK Medical, Circle Medical, Proven Process Medical Devices Inc. and SRI Product Development, as well as Solectron. The alliance creates one of…
Quality Digest
Hitachi Medical Corp. (HMC) recently received the 2006 Innovation Award in recognition of its development of new products and processes. Almost 60 North American imaging and 140 Japanese hospitals helped define the critical product capabilities that Hitachi Medical and International…
Research engineer Phil Santangelo works in professor Gang Bao’s cell culture facility in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University in Atlanta. Photo courtesy of: Phil Santangelo…
Quality Digest
Three medical device manufacturers—two in Mexico and one in the United States— recently received Shingo Prizes. Baxter Healthcare Corp.’s North Cove Plant in Marion, North Carolina; Baxter’s Cuernavaca Plant in Morelos, Mexico; and Cordis Corp. of Juarez, Mexico, received the awards,…
Quality Digest
Blue Mountain Quality Resources Inc. and eCalibration.com have collaborated on a spring training schedule. The courses are designed to provide unique and leading-edge training for professionals working in regulated life sciences industries. The courses include: • Facilities and Equipment…
Quality Digest
The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) recently launched a campaign to increase cancer awareness in the United States. Cancer is the second-leading cause of death in the United States, with 1.4 million cases expected to be diagnosed this year, according to PhRMA.…
Quality Digest
QUMAS recently made its QUMAS R&D software suite available to biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies. QUMAS provides regulatory affairs and quality management solutions, and the new research and development suite is the first of a series for the life sciences that will focus on…
Quality Digest
SiberLogic recently introduced SiberSafe Definer (QE Edition), a next-generation quality engineering and requirements management solution for retailers.Quality engineering is an especially critical process for retailers that make products under a private label. Such companies often use…
Quality Digest
FlipChip International LLC recently appointed Marcus Crayon vice president of quality for its semiconductor-wafer scale packaging and bumping business in Phoenix.“We are excited to have Marcus Crayon join FlipChip International as our vice president of quality. His experience in product…
Quality Digest
Pitney Bowes’ Group 1 Software recently announced the availability of Address Quality Hub, an address-cleansing software platform. In August 2007, the U.S. Postal Service will begin enforcing stricter regulations regarding postage discounts created to minimize mail that is undeliverable as…
Quality Digest
Frost & Sullivan’s 2006 Best Practices Awards honored 38 companies that demonstrated outstanding achievement in customer service, technological innovation, strategic product development and leadership. Industry analysts determined best practices by comparing market participants and…
Kevin Meyer
Established in 1903, the Harley-Davidson Motor Company grew rapidly during the two world wars. Foreign competition hit the industry early, and by 1953 Harley-Davidson was the last remaining major motorcycle manufacturer in the United States. Harley was bought by AMF in 1969 and by the late…
Quality Digest
California Manufacturing Technology Consulting, a nonprofit organization dedicated to increasing the competitiveness of the state’s manufacturing base, will offer a Green Belt certification course next month in Southern California. The course will take place over 12 weeks in weekly four-hour…
Quality Digest
WCBF will host its Lean Six Sigma Summit April 24–27 at The Westin Chicago North Shore. At the meeting Edward Hanway, Cigna Corp. CEO, will receive the Lean Six Sigma CEO of the Year award for his leadership with the methodology. Cigna’s lean Six Sigma efforts made a $110 million…
Quality Digest
Hertzler Systems Inc., Minitab Inc., Hyperion Corp., Raptor International and the International Society of Six Sigma Professionals have partnered to offer the Six Sigma Software Showcase Tour. The one-day workshop will kick off in Philadelphia on March 1 and will stop in Chicago; Boston…
Steven Ouellette
We are more than halfway through the countdown of our exploration of the kooky, and expensive, mistakes people make in implementing Six Sigma, and I want to talk about something that’s so fundamental people rarely see it—Stupid Six Sigma Trick #4: Overusing DMAIC.
DMAIC stands for define the…
A certain company has a complaint department that answers calls for three unique products. Because of failure rates inherent to each product type, some products have a higher expected complaint rate than others. Calls are tallied each hour and categorized by product type…
Quality Digest
Metaldyne recently announced the appointment of Steve Dickerson as its vice president for quality, Six Sigma and process. Dickerson will lead the company’s Six Sigma and other quality improvement techniques. He will also work with his counterparts at Metaldyne’s parent company, Asahi…