All Features
Steven Ouellette
So far, we’ve discussed Stupid Six Sigma Tricks #10: Conflating systems, methods and tools and #9: Confusing breakthrough with continuous improvement. This month, I’ll spend some time on a more subtle, and no less costly mistake that, in its extreme form, we’ll call Stupid Six Sigma Trick #8:…
Quality Digest
While more than 50 percent of respondents in a new report indicated that they had implemented Six Sigma programs, only 16 percent of the programs meet the methodology’s core requirements. The survey, performed by the Aberdeen Group, also found that the 16 percent of programs that…
Quality Digest
Conference organizer WCBF will host a conference for Six Sigma professionals in the software and information technology industries Nov. 7–9 in San Francisco. The event will be held at the Holiday Inn Gateway Hotel. The conference is designed to blend real-world examples with practical advice,…
Quality Digest
Valley Baptist Health System recently selected Six Sigma software from Streamline Health Solutions Inc. to manage its document management and workflow solutions. Hospital representatives report that they expect better operational efficiencies that will result in higher-quality care for…
Quality Digest
The Society of Women Engineers announced on Oct. 11 that Siddika Demir is the recipient of its 2006 Emerging Leaders Award for her leadership in quality assurance. Demir is the manager of corporate services and Six Sigma for Bechtel Corp. She is charged with setting Six Sigma strategy for…
Quality Digest
Vice presidents, directors and managers from leading companies convened at The Ritz-Carlton Hotel in St. Louis for the Global Benchmarking Council’s third-quarter conference last month. “Unleashing Success through Breakthroughs in Lean Sigma and Quality” was attended by hundreds of Six…
Quality Digest
The right combination of trees can result in better air, as well as reduce greenhouse gases, according to researchers at the State University of New York’s College of Environmental Science and Forestry. The scientists at SUNY Syracuse report that the ideal mix can reduce the emission of…
Quality Digest
Shanya Salamaca, RABQSA manager of certification services, now represents auditor authentication bodies on the American Aerospace Quality Group Registration Management Committee.“This is a very pleasing recognition of the value and contribution RABQSA is offering the aerospace industry,”…
Quality Digest
Focusing on ways end users can use RFID technology, the RFID Summit will take place in Novi, Michigan, on Nov. 2. The morning session will deal with other industries’ uses. The afternoon will feature automotive applications and case studies. As part of this event, an exhibit floor will…
Quality Digest
Reynolds and Reynolds Company recently received the Association for Services Management International’s (AFSM) Service Quality Award for the fourth consecutive year. ServicePartners, the research division of The Gasparovic Group Inc. presented the award.“As a dealer services company, our…
Quality Digest
The principal IEC and ISO standards for information technology security were recently released as a collection on a CD–ROM.The IT Security Standards Collection provides the most important IT security standards, from evaluating and implementing to maintaining and managing information…
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
Lumetrics Inc., a manufacturer of precision noncontact thickness measurement systems, recently received the CE Mark of technical approval for its OptiGauge system. CE marking is required for most products sold in European countries, and signifies that the product meets European guidelines…
Quality Digest
The contents of a premier metrology facility in the United Kingdom recently went on the market following the business’ closure. The South Yorkshire Trading Standards Unit was an internationally recognized metrology facility with state-of-the-art equipment. Some of the equipment listed…
Lumetrics
Lumetrics Inc., a manufacturer of precision noncontact thickness measurement systems, recently received the CE Mark of technical approval for its OptiGauge system. CE marking is required for most products sold in European countries, and signifies that the product meets European guidelines…
Fred Mason
Usually, when people discuss measurements they speak in absolute terms—degrees of temperature, millimeters of length, ounces of weight, candela of illumination intensity, degrees of angle, etc. For example, when I say the temperature is 56.4° F, the implicit understanding is that there’s direct…
Michael H. Brill
Referring to human relations, my father advised me always to "save the surface," which is something like "don’t burn your bridges," only more subtle. The connection between the homilies becomes literal in the paint industry: You must save the surface of an iron bridge to avoid burning…
Quality Digest
Archtype Joint LLC, a laboratory that designs and tests joints, recently received registration to ISO/IEC 17025 from the American Association for Laboratory Accreditation. The accreditation makes Archtype the only independent certified company in North America specializing in joint design…
Quality Digest
CogniTens will enlarge its customer support staff and move into a larger office in Tokyo, to handle increasing customer demand for its dimensional measurement solutions. The office will be led by Isao Ito, CogniTens’ manager in Japan. “As the headquarters for some of the largest global…
Quality Digest
InterTech Development Co. has released a new self-calibrating leak detection device than can achieve accuracies of 0.02 sccm (standard cubic centimeters per minute). The new CalVal allows manufacturers to achieve high calibration standards without slowing production for time-consuming…
Quality Digest
The International Organization for Standardization technical committee that develops standards for the oil and gas industry was recently honored with the Lawrence D. Eicher Leadership Award. The award recognizes outstanding work in international standardization, and is named for Eicher…
Quality Digest
The American Society of Safety Engineers recently announced the release of a revised standard for construction safety. A10.44-2006, “control of energy sources (lockout/tagout) for construction and demolition operations,” recognizes the need for protection of personnel and property from…
Last month’s SBGi on HSF column, “Now What?,” focused on the emergence of RoHS and WEEE as part of the global hazardous-substance-free (HSF) movement. This month, we’ll look at what has been happening in the electrical and electronics equipment industries and in the European Union…
Denise Robitaille
Blame is one of the most useless, albeit pervasive, reactions that surround problem solving. For many people, the initial reaction when something goes wrong is: “Who did this?” The less-than-subtle implication underlying this question is: “I want to know who screwed up.” Some may even…
Quality Digest
China’s National Development and Reform Commission has adopted EtherNet/IP as a machinery industry standard for that country. EtherNet/IP is one of the network technologies that composes the family of networks built on the Common Industrial Protocol, and extends interoperability among…