All Features
Rashan Dixon
The ability of flawed and inherently limited humans to lead others like them toward a common goal takes a special skill set. Even if a leader has the talents required to lead a business, that doesn’t mean they’ll immediately see positive results. Good leaders know that they need to find ways to…
Bryan Christiansen
Every day, manufacturers rely on a large number of tools, machinery, and infrastructure to produce their goods. And while all of those assets help you generate profit, they are a significant expenditure—both in terms of the purchase cost and ongoing maintenance costs.
When deciding which…
Oak Ridge National Laboratory
(Oak Ridge National Laboratory: Oak Ridge, TN) -- The U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory has exclusively licensed battery electrolyte technology to Safire Technology Group. The collection of five patented technologies is designed for a drop-in additive for lithium-ion…
Gleb Tsipursky
After firing half its workforce, Twitter is already asking many to come back. Indeed, research from McKinsey finds that even as recession fears grow, 40 percent of workers plan to quit their jobs. And a survey from Greenhouse, a New York-based hiring software provider, finds that 57 percent of 1,…
Doug Folsom
Unpatched vulnerabilities remain a target of cyberattacks, and an ever-present risk for healthcare organizations. Medical devices pose an additional burden because patches are frequently unavailable for medical devices. So, dealing with the potential threat isn’t usually straightforward. The stakes…
Peter Dizikes
(MIT: Cambridge, Massachusetts) -- When you use self-checkout machines in supermarkets and drugstores, you’re probably not doing a better job of bagging your purchases than checkout clerks once did. Automation just makes bagging less expensive for large retail chains.
“If you introduce self-…
(Evident: Waltham, MA) -- Wind turbine gearbox inspections take place in cramped quarters, so inspection tools must be both compact and effective. Designed specifically for these challenges, the IPLEX G Lite-W videoscope from Evident combines portability with powerful imaging features packed into a…
Donald J. Wheeler
There are four major questions in statistics. These can be listed under the headings of description, probability, inference, and homogeneity. An appreciation of the relationships between these four areas is essential for successful data analysis. This column outlines these relationships and…
Lee Seok Hwai
Think innovation, and what comes to mind? For many, it invariably evokes big names like Apple and Tesla, their epoch-defining products ranging from the smartphone to electric vehicles, and genius leaders like Elon Musk and Steve Jobs. But is innovation only for the select few?
Not at all,…
NIST
(NIST: Gaithersburg, MD) -- Inspectors in every U.S. state inspect and test scales at grocery stores and food manufacturing plants by using standard weights and rigorous procedures to help ensure the measurements are done correctly and fairly. Weights and measures make it possible for businesses to…
(Omnex: Ann Arbor, MI) -- Omnex has announced it’s latest webinar, “Assessing your Cybersecurity Maturity Level: A Government and Industry Priority.”
Date and time: Dec. 13, 2022, at 11 a.m. Speakers: Marc Atayi, Martin Hettwer
Register here.
While security ratings are a great way to demonstrate…
Harry Hertz
The saying is nothing new: The customer is always right. Customers come first. We’ve heard these adages for a long time. And we’ve questioned them for almost as long. Those of you who know me know that I’ve certainly been doing that for a long time!
Two recent experiences brought this topic back…
Hanen Khemakhem, Mahbub Zaman, Nadia Smaili, Richard Fontaine
Whistleblowing is a cornerstone of corporate governance. It allows employees to anonymously disclose questionable financial matters about their companies to help prevent fraud, which is a pressing issue in Canada. It’s also incredibly effective, with 42 percent of occupational fraud being reported…
(ETQ: Burlington, MA) -- ETQ, part of Hexagon, has launched a new release of its award-winning, cloud-native QMS, Reliance NXG, providing an updated version of its popular training management application to enable better visibility and tracking of training activity. The Training Management…
NIST
(NIST: Gaithersburg, MD) -- The Baldrige Performance Excellence Program (BPEP) has announced that a firm has been selected and will soon begin the planned comprehensive, independent review of the program, with the aim of helping BPEP increase its reach and impact.
Rios Partners was selected…
Gleb Tsipursky
Why do companies bury their heads in the sand instead of facing dangerous facts, whether about quality problems or other issues? It happens more often than you might think—most recently with Adidas. It usually boils down to companies falling for three cognitive biases.
“Adidas does not tolerate…
Bryan Christiansen
An important part of production is to carefully monitor and control temperature, speed, volume, weight, or mass. To ensure these measurements are always accurate, manufacturers need to calibrate their equipment and instruments regularly.
Devising a proper equipment calibration schedule can be a…
David L. Chandler
Terahertz radiation, with wavelengths that lie between those of microwaves and visible light, can penetrate many nonmetallic materials and detect signatures of certain molecules.
These handy qualities could lend themselves to a wide array of applications, including airport security scanning,…
(LMA Consulting Group: Claremont, CA) -- As supply chains grapple with demand fluctuation, supplier challenges, stagflation, and volatility in the economy, Lisa Anderson—manufacturing and supply chain expert—sees inventory tightening.
Also the president of LMA Consulting Group, Anderson says, “The…
(Cubicure: Vienna, Austria) -- A new high-performance polymer with exceptional heat resistance is ideally suited for ultra-precise 2-photon polymerization (2PP) 3D printing. This will enable micro-3D printing to meet the specific requirements of the electrical industry for the first time. This…
(L.S. Starrett: Athol, MA) – The L.S. Starrett Co., a leading global manufacturer of precision measuring tools, gages, and metrology systems, has introduced a new line of full-featured electronic digital indicators, an enhanced version of its 2900 series.
The new indicators, including 2900…
Del Williams
With the threat of contamination from harmful pathogens such as salmonella, listeria, and e. coli a continual concern, food processors are seeking to protect not only the public but also their companies’ bottom lines from the massive costs, reputational damage, and greater regulatory scrutiny…
Anton Ovchinnikov
In the age of mass production, the demand for customization is increasing. Customers prefer products catered to their individual needs and preferences over standard items—albeit at a cost.
Fortunately, recent advances in information technology, logistics, and advanced manufacturing processes such…
(Advanced Photonix: Camarillo, CA) -- Advanced Photonix, a division of OSI Optoelectronics, designs and manufactures Silicon (Si) and Indium Gallium Arsenide (InGaAs) surface-mount technology (SMT) photodetectors for high-speed response applications.
The family of Surface-Mount Devices (SMDs) are…
Jennifer Chu
(MIT: Cambridge, Massachusetts) -- A new MIT-developed heat treatment transforms the microscopic structure of 3D-printed metals, making the materials stronger and more resilient in extreme thermal environments. The technique could make it possible to 3D-print high-performance blades and vanes for…
