All Features
Quality Digest
A new standard provides guidance for identifying and quantifying genetically modified materials in foods. ISO 24276, "Foodstuffs—Methods of analysis for the detection of genetically modified organisms and derived products—General requirements and definitions," lists sample collection…
Denise Robitaille
A few months ago, I wrote about the importance of understanding your customers’ requirements. We looked at requirements that exceed the traditional scope of product specifications such as labeling, packaging and documentation.This month, we’ll take a look at how we communicate our…
Quality Digest
RABQSA International recently released a new certification scheme for auditor certification of information security management systems (ISMS).Many organizations recognize the importance of their information assets, so they’re implementing information security management systems to identify…
Quality Digest
Canada’s National Quality Institute recently launched a new certification program. The Leadership Excellence Program Certified Excellence Professional Program will offer certification to quality professionals who have worked in a quality or healthy workplace position. The program has five…
Quality Digest
Quality Vision International Inc. recently broke ground on a new facility that will house its Kotem Technologies division in Hungary. The headquarters office, which is scheduled to open in 2007, is located in Budaörs, about 10 km southwest of Budapest. The new facility is also part of…
Quality Digest
Rockwell Automation recently received Frost & Sullivan’s 2005 Customer Service Leadership Award.The award recognizes Rockwell Automation’s commitment to understanding customer requirements, and to providing high-quality products and services to customers around the world. In…
Quality Digest
A recently released book is the product of the European Foundation for Quality Management’s comprehensive studies of work and European businesses.Above the Clouds (initiated and edited by Hervé Legenvre, Josephine Woolley and Lorraine Mallinder, Greenleaf Publishing, 2006), aims to…
Quality Digest
Ixperion will host a conference on the use of lean and Six Sigma in the chemical and pharmaceutical sectors.Lean Six Sigma for Chemicals & Pharmaceuticals will be held June 20–21 at the Hotel Mercure in Budapest, Hungary. Preconference workshops will be held on June 19. The…
Esteve Garriga
The 2005+ approach is the system established to characterize and winnow the applicants for the 2006 European Award. Formerly instituted as the European Quality Award, this year it will be designated the 2006 EFQM European Award.The 2005+ approach doesn’t represent a change in the reference and…
Quality Digest
Cellnet Technology Inc. recently named Prasana Venkatesan as vice president of product development and supply chain. Venkatesan is a lean manufacturing and Six Sigma leader with more than 20 years of experience in energy-industry product development and manufacturing. He previously…
Quality Digest
In an effort to improve its services and patron access, the Houston Public Library turned to Xerox Corp. and Six Sigma. The improvement effort began last year, when Xerox was hired to measure and analyze the operations at four branches of the Houston Public Library. Services analyzed…
Quality Digest
Nader Fathi, SigmaQuest Inc. CEO, will deliver a presentation at an upcoming symposium for the medical device industry. “How to Ensure Medical Product Quality in a Zero-Tolerance World” will be delivered at the third-annual Surface Mount Technology Association’s Medical Electronics…
Praveen Gupta
I talk to a lot of people and most of them are stressed at work and carrying it over to their homes. The question then becomes, “What drives performance—fear or fun?”If someone asks employees what it’s like to work at Google, the most likely answer is that it’s exciting to work in a fun,…
Quality Digest
The U.S. Army recently announced that 41 students from its Sustaining Base Leadership Management program successfully completed lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt certification. The program is part of the Army Management Staff College, a 12-week program that focuses on executive-level leadership,…
Quality Digest
The International Society of Six Sigma Professionals will host its 7th Annual Six Sigma Leadership Conference May 16-19 at the Westin Kierland Resort and Spa in Scottsdale, Arizona. The conference will feature a keynote address from Charles O. Holliday Jr., chairman and CEO of DuPont.…
Quality Digest
BSI Americas, a global registrar, recently joined the International Cyber Security Education Coalition. The coalition was formed by the University of Detroit Mercy to help the National Security Agency promote information-assurance education to protect the national information…
Quality Digest
Metrologists and gaging specialists can now enjoy a selection of Modern Machine Shop’s popular "Quality Gaging Tips" columns in book form. The columns, authored by George Schuetz and the late Jim McCusker, both of Mahr Federal Inc., have appeared monthly in the magazine since 1991. Quality…
Quality Digest
National Quality Assurance USA Inc. recently acquired American National Registrars Corp. (AIR).The acquisition of AIR, located in Ventura, California, establishes a presence for NQA in that state, one of the largest certification markets in North America. The new location will allow NQA…
Quality Digest
The Automotive Industry Action Group recently created a guideline to help automotive supply chains gain maximum value from problem-solving processes and improvement opportunities, regardless of what methodology or concept is used. AIAG’s Effective Problem Solving is a consensus of…
Quality Digest
The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index, which had improved in March, further improved in April, bringing it to its highest level since May 2002. The index now stands at 109.6, up from 107.5 in March. Consumers’ overall assessment of current conditions remains favorable, with those…
Thomas R. Cutler
Manufacturing products produces waste that ranges from overproduction, waiting time, and transportation costs to overprocessing, excess inventory, unnecessary motion and scrap. By eliminating these wastes, production time and cost of goods sold (COGS) are reduced, and quality is improved. COGS…
Quality Digest
The Partnership for Prescription Assistance, a national program sponsored by pharmaceutical research companies, recently commemorated its first anniversary by launching the first "Patient Assistance Day" and by enhancing its services. The PPA provided free and reduced-cost prescription…
Quality Digest
TÜV America Healthcare Specialists, TÜV SÜD AG, founded as a joint venture between Healthcare Specialists Inc. and TÜV America Inc., will host a fall seminar in two U.S. cities. “Getting the Most From Your Accreditation Efforts With the Integrated Accreditation Program of the NIAHO and…
Quality Digest
The benefits of implementing good manufacturing practices (GMP) and quality management could be made easier for the pharmaceutical industry with a new standard from the International Organization for Standardization. ISO 15378:2006, "Primary packaging materials for medicinal products—…
According to the Institute of Medicine, there are approximately 100,000 people per year killed in the Unites States because of medical errors. There are 100,000 families in despair because they have lost a loved one too soon. This also means that 100,000 medical professionals are losing…
