All Features
Dirk Dusharme @ Quality Digest
In part one we saw that China has made great strides in terms of product quality, notably in the tech sector. But it still has a long way to go in other products. Driven by the growing middle class, who like all middle class buyers want value for their money, and by the Chinese government’s desire…
Ken Voytek
Without manufacturing, the room where you make dinner would be rather stark and barren. There’d be no pots, no pans, no stoves, no spatulas, no appliances—big or small. There’d be no way to prepare the meals that give you and your family sustenance. With no counter, there wouldn’t even be a place…
Dirk Dusharme @ Quality Digest
Back in the 1950s and 1960s, Japanese products were synonymous with cheaply made. Anyone over the age of 50 probably remembers cheap Japanese transistor radios when they were a kid. We all believed, in the day, that the more transistors a radio had, the better. That wasn’t necessarily true, but try…
Mike Richman
In June of 1950, W. Edwards Deming began offering training to the Japanese Union of Scientists and Engineers (JUSE) on the precepts of statistical process control.
At almost exactly the same time, Communist North Korea invaded and nearly overwhelmed their southern neighbors, who were immediately…
Laurel Thoennes @ Quality Digest
In May 2015, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and his cabinet issued a strategic industrial plan; its title translates to “Made in China 2025.” The plan took more than two and a half years to draft and included the input of 150 experts from the China Academy of Engineering. Made in China 2025 was…
Jennifer Lauren Lee
Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have been developing a novel way of measuring laser power. Their device, called the Radiation Pressure Power Meter (RPPM), makes its measurements using the force exerted by the laser light itself.
The NIST team has now fully…
William A. Levinson
A job safety analysis (JSA) worksheet is almost identical in organization to a job breakdown sheet and standard work, all of which assess a job (or process) on a step-by-step basis. This suggests combining standard work with job safety analysis to support ISO 45001.
The concept can be carried even…
Steve McKee
Hasbro recently reported a double-digit decline in revenue and a big internal overhaul. That followed Mattel’s news that it will be hiring its fourth CEO in as many years as it also tries to overcome slumping sales. Why are the behemoths of the toy business in such trouble? Because their most…
Beatrice Weder di Mauro
As the 21st century dawned, Germany was known as the “sick man of Europe,” with lower GDP growth and higher unemployment than peer nations such as France, Italy, and the United Kingdom. Today, it is widely admired as one of the world’s strongest economies and the undisputed economic leader of the…
American National Standards Institute ANSI
(ANSI: New York, NY) -- The International Organization for Standardization/ International Electrotechnical Commission (ISO/IEC) Joint Technical Committee (JTC) 1—“Information technology,” Subcommittee (SC) 31—“Automatic identification and data capture techniques” recently announced the formation of…
Tim Lozier
Corrective action is often an effective means of identifying and correcting quality and compliance events within the organization that can arise through the result of complaints, audits, incidents, nonconformances, or any adverse events. Traditionally, the corrective action process is designed to…
Maria Guadalupe
Your competition is no longer what it used to be. In this age of information at our fingertips, same-day delivery, and seamless payment options, customers now expect more from business than ever before. Companies must adapt to thrive.
Agile, the flexible way of working, has spread from software…
Mike Richman
There are many subjects that we cover regularly here at Quality Digest. Chief among these are standards (ISO 9001 or IATF 16949, for example) methodologies (such as lean, Baldrige, or Six Sigma), and test and measurement systems (like laser trackers or micrometers). One topic, however, is…
Mike Figliuolo
You think you’re well on the way toward building and leading a high-performing team. You’ve got a clear vision and mission, and a nice set of prioritized initiatives. You have all the right people. But what starts differentiating a regular team from a high-performing team is chemistry and trust…
Mohammad Jalali
Like any large company, a modern hospital has hundreds, even thousands, of workers using countless computers, smartphones, and other electronic devices that are vulnerable to security breaches, data thefts, and ransomware attacks. But hospitals are unlike other companies in two important ways. They…
Bill Petti
You have plenty of trended data on employee performance. You have a cutting-edge dashboard and seamless reporting capabilities. This makes you data-driven, right?
Not quite.
Optimizing your decision-making requires more than retrospective analyses. It takes shifting from knowing how long employees…
Mike Richman
During the May 18, 2018, episode of QDL, we had a terrific conversation with Gary Confalone of the Coordinate Metrology Society, and also considered the importance of mindfulness and good manners in life and work. Let’s take a look:
CMS Corner interview with Gary Confalone Confalone is the CEO and…
Mike Richman
There are many ways that we lose attention on tasks at hand. From nosy and noisy colleagues to extraneous emails and meetings to burdensome and often pointless short-term projects, even the most dedicated professional can misplace the ability to find meaning and value in the daily routine. And that…
Tom Middleton
Markets and manufacturing practices continue to evolve, and companies now outsource to an increasing number of global manufacturing and supply partners. As companies have pursued this broadened supply chain strategy, the ability to manage both business and quality risks has become more challenging…
Matthew E. May
Process improvers the world over rally around root cause analysis as if it were the holy grail of all things organizational. But is it?
Understanding the root cause of a problem certainly makes sense in the context of a present day situation carrying the potential for a correct answer or solution…
Dirk Dusharme @ Quality Digest
In our May 11, 2018, episode of QDL, we looked at overproducing ideas, bad quotas (aren’t they all), and how anger can help identify core values.
“Questioning Quotas”
When are quotas bad? Most of the time. But here’s a good example.
“How to Find Your Company’s Core Values”
Oddly enough, your…
Mike Richman
One of the foundations of our modern, technology-based society comes from established and commonly agreed-upon measurements. On May 20 each year, we acknowledge this fact by celebrating World Metrology Day, which is the perfect opportunity to consider the central importance of the science of…
InnovMetric Software
(Innovmetric: Quebec, QC) -- InnovMetric Software Inc., the leading provider of universal 3D metrology software solutions, today launched the 2018 release of PolyWorks at the annual PolyWorks Conference USA event. This latest major release of the company’s universal 3D metrology software platform…
Laser trackers are widely used for metrology and precision surveys. Depending on the approach, range, and instrument itself, the measurement accuracy can vary from millimeter to micron. Several applications of laser trackers used in the National Synchrotron Light Source II (NSLS-II) project will be…
Mark H. Stone
Historical dimensions for the cubit are provided by scripture and pyramid documentation. Additional dimensions from the Middle East are found in other early documents. Two major dimensions emerge from a history of the cubit. The first is the anthropological or short cubit, and the second is the…
