All Features
Peter Marks
Part of the vision of the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER) is to strengthen the center as the preeminent regulatory organization for biologics. One way CBER is achieving this is through the work of the Office of Compliance and Biologics Quality (OCBQ) and the Office of Vaccines…
Exact Metrology
EVCO Plastics is an injection molding company that produces parts for myriad industries, including powered sports equipment, lawn and garden devices, agricultural and construction machinery, and medical and packaging machinery. Owing to the volume of work, coupled with the challenges of collecting…
Timothy Lozier
There’s been a shift in how companies view quality and compliance, and as a result, businesses are looking for a more comprehensive method for measuring operational efficiency. Risk management processes are proving to be an effective option for this. ISO 9001:2015 now promotes risk-based thinking…
Arun Hariharan
A horrific accident on Dec. 16, 2015, claimed the life of an airline service engineer: He was sucked into the live engine of an aircraft. The engineer had been standing on the ground supervising the aircraft being pushed in reverse from its parking bay.
“No one knew what happened,” said an Air…
MSI-Viking Gage
(MSI-Viking Gage: Duncan, SC) -- The first Metrology Solutions Expo is the show metrology professionals have been waiting for. Presented by Mahr Federal, Mitutoyo America, and The L.S. Starrett Co., and hosted by MSI-Viking Gage, the Metrology Solutions Expo will take place May 4–5, 2016, at the…
Michigan Metrology
(Michigan Metrology: Livonia, MI) -- Michigan Metrology, experts in solving problems related to surface roughness, wear, texture and finish, will be hosting a metrology and tribology short course on May 4–5, 2016, in Livonia, Michigan.
Leading the two-day course will be Michigan Metrology’s Don…
PQ Systems
(PQ Systems: Dayton, OH) -- A powerful dashboard feature that provides a high-level overview for managers, technicians, and auditors is the crown jewel in the newest release of GAGEpack from PQ Systems. Its improved user experience streamlines the gauge management process.
GAGEpack is a powerful…
American Customer Satisfaction Index ACSI
Two years removed from its all-time high, customer satisfaction with the retail trade sector fell for a second consecutive year, sliding 2.6 percent to an ACSI score of 74.8. Despite the decline for 2015, the overall score for retail stands almost exactly at its long-term average (74.6).
A closer…
Martin Roll
Sustainability is the new mantra for strategic differentiation. Becoming recognized as a “sustainable” organization can enhance brand equity, as well as unlock opportunities to create new markets and launch sub-brands, line extensions, and packaging innovations. But it requires organizations to…
Harry Hertz
Even before the landmark publication of In Search of Excellence in 1982, bosses realized that operational excellence gets accomplished through dedicated employees. Yet, to this day, many organizations stifle high performance through the annual performance evaluation process for each employee. This…
Ryan E. Day
Sponsored Content
As global competition stiffens, manufacturing sectors of all stripes are embracing emerging technologies in order to meet customer demands. In the realm of metal casting, Pennsylvania-based Effort Foundry is leading the charge by investing in new technology as part of a…
Dawn Bailey
Dorothy: Now which way do we go? Scarecrow: Pardon me, this way is a very nice way. Dorothy: Who said that? Toto barks at the scarecrow. Dorothy: Don’t be silly, Toto. Scarecrows don’t talk. Scarecrow: [points other way] It’s pleasant down that way, too. Dorothy: That’s funny. Wasn’t he pointing…
RC Imaging
(RC Imaging: Hilton, NY) -- RC Imaging, first known as “Rochester Cassette Sales and Service,” was established in 1991 by Harry Bostley, a former sales representative from Eastman Kodak Company. Bostley recognized the need in the imaging industry for cassette repair. He established a small family…
William A. Levinson
ISO 9001:2015 has created a new focus on risk with regard to context of the organization and the needs and expectations of interested parties.
The Army Techniques Publication ATP 5-19 Risk Management, by the United States Government, U.S. Army (CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2014)…
Mark Esser
The nefarious Major Uncertainty has kidnapped Monsieur Kilogram, putting the world’s measurements of mass in jeopardy. As the world spirals into “Mass Hysteria,” the remaining SI Superheroes, champions of the metric system, leap into action to save the day, and hopefully Monsieur Kilogram as well…
The Un-Comfort Zone With Robert Wilson
A few months ago I attended a business networking event where everyone had a chance to talk about their business. I noted three people I wanted to talk with further. After the meeting, I made it my mission to connect with each of them. I saw one heading for the door, so I caught up with her before…
Scott Berkun
Many of our most popular stories of discovery are portrayed as accidents or matters of luck. We love these stories because they make creativity seem easy and fun. Nevertheless, they are misleading.
In a recent New York Times opinion piece titled “How to Cultivate The Art of Serendipity,” author…
Mettler-Toledo
(METTLER-TOLEDO: Columbus, Ohio) -- Health Specialties Manufacturing (HSM) could borrow the tagline Ford used in the 80s and 90s: “Quality Is Job 1.” To protect product quality, the company installed a standalone Safeline SideChek x-ray inspection system from Mettler-Toledo Safeline in January…
Eston Martz
If you want to convince someone that at least a basic understanding of statistics is an essential life skill, bring up the case of Lucia de Berk. Hers is a story that’s too awful to be true—except that it’s completely true.
A flawed analysis irrevocably altered de Berk’s life and kept her behind…
Annette Franz
The perils of focusing on customer acquisition and sales over customer experience and retention can be summed up nicely with this: “As fast as you’re bringing customers in the front door, they’re running out the back door.” Some refer to it as the leaky bucket syndrome.
If only companies knew…
American Quality Institute AQI
(American Quality Institute: Orlando, FL) -- Provision 6.1 of ISO 9001:2015, “Actions to address risks and opportunities,” is perhaps the biggest change in the standard. The purpose of the Risk-Based Thinking Handbook, by William A. Levinson (American Quality Institute, 2016), is to equip readers…
OEO Energy Solutions
(OEO: Lake Zurich, IL) -- When home-demonstration merchandiser Princess House wanted to improve lighting and decrease energy usage in its 200,000 sq ft warehouse, it turned to OEO Energy Solutions. The solution was to replace the existing 278 360W metal halides with 278 OEO EZ LED 230s. LED…
Bob Emiliani
Nearly 30 years after the start of the lean movement, there is widespread agreement that things have not gone according to plan. Of course, there have been some notable successes (particularly from those who worked with Shingijutsu), yet they are far fewer in number than anyone expected, given the…
NIST
(NIST: Gaitherburg, MD) -- Medical devices such as the infusion pumps that deliver medication intravenously were once standalone instruments that interacted only with the patient. Today, they have operating systems and communications hardware that allow them to connect to other devices and…
Michelle LaBrosse
When you run a small business (perhaps as small as just you), does failure ever really occur? I hear often in the media about this or that business being “too big to fail,” but in reality isn't it more like “too small to fail?”
I ask myself this question, more rhetorically than anything. I’ve…
