All Features
Laurel Thoennes @ QD
The term, poka-yoke (pronounced poh-kah-yoh-keh), may sound vaguely familiar and kind of fun, and even conjure up images of a dance at wedding receptions; however, poka-yoke is a quality tool that has prevented incalculable waste in the manufacturing industry for more than 40 years. Poka-yoke, a…
Geoff Bilau
Geoff Bilau, senior writer for the International Association for Plumbing and Mechanical Officials (IAPMO) Group, was awarded first place for his paper by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) for describing the importants of quality standards and accreditation.
--Editor
I
t was…
Scott Alamanach
This is the second report from the author, who is currently working in Afghanistan. Don’t miss his first article, “Ensuring Quality in a War Zone.”
--Editor
They told us the road was clear. They didn’t say it was safe; it was a dirt road that ran seven kilometers through the district of Shah…
Steve Daum
With several generations of statistical process control (SPC) technology under our belts, it may be time to rethink how we apply SPC in the 21st century. Basic techniques have been practiced since the 1930s. Some companies will soon be able to say, “we’ve been practicing SPC for 100 years.”…
Raissa Carey
Do no harm. Do good. With these two basic concepts, socially responsible organizations (SRO) are able to achieve positive bottom-line results while supporting the environment and society.
“Organizations have to know where they’re potentially putting the public at risk,” says Roberto Saco,…
James Odom
Charles Kettering, the famous inventor, once said: “A problem well stated is a problem half solved.” This implies that a good portion of problem solving should be devoted to a thorough understanding of what’s going on before any corrective action steps are taken.
In many cases, too much time is…
InnovMetric
(Innovmetric: Québec, Canada) -- The growing popularity of 3-D digitizers, such as laser scanners, white-light digitizers, portable CMMs, and laser trackers, has opened the door to a wide array of new applications in the manufacturing world. These new tools have helped thousands of companies to…
Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence
(Hexagon Metrology Inc.: North Kingstown, RI) -- Hexagon Metrology Inc. recently announced special pricing on its combination laser scanning metrology package that combines a Brown & Sharpe Global Performance bridge CMM or ROMER INFINITE 2.0 7-axis portable arm with a ScanShark V4ix laser…
Laurel Thoennes @ QD
Q
uestion: What’s the difference between a satisfied customer and a devoted follower?
Answer: Seventy-five percent of satisfied customers abandon a company for its competitor. A devoted follower is a customer who takes your brand to heart. Authors Chip Bell and John Patterson give you the…
(Apriso Inc.: Long Beach, CA) --Manufacturers embracing lean as a corporate philosophy understand that business processes must be steadily improved to gain efficiency, improve quality, cut waste, and enhance your value stream. However, achieving visibility and control to evaluate, measure, and…
MAMTC
The 5S System is one of the most powerful activities of lean manufacturing. The 5S philosophy focuses on simplifying the work environment, reducing waste, and improving quality and safety.
It's the natural place to start your lean effort because lean is all about eliminating nonvalue-added…
CMSC
(CMS: Issaquah, WA) -- The Coordinate Metrology Society (CMS) announced today it is conducting an online industry survey for experts and novices working in the field of metrology. The CMS ( www.cmsc.org ) is currently working to establish a 3-D Coordinate Metrology Certification Program, and seeks…
Scott Alamanach
Don’t miss the author’s follow-up to this article, “Going Low Profile in Afghanistan.”
--Editor
Profitable manufacturing requires efficiency, and this principle guides most (if not all) of our quality management systems (QMS). We’ve learned there’s little gain in correcting a production error…
FARO
Laser line scanning is ideal for non-contact measurement applications - including inspection, cloud- to-CAD comparison, rapid prototyping, reverse engineering, and 3-D modeling. Laser line probes use a triangulation process to find the position of objects in space. A high performance laser diode…
(UL: Northbrook, Illinois) -- Underwriters Laboratories (UL), a provider of product safety testing and certification, recently launched its new Power Quality Study service offering. This new service, available to customers of data acceptance programs (DAP) and manufacturer test laboratories (MTLs…
(EtQ: Farmingdale, New York) -- The EtQ decision tree allows users to create a web-based list of related questions that are dependant on each other, so that the results of the questions will impact the business process and produce quantitative results such as a risk ranking, subsequent questions,…
(Keyence: Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey) -- The new Keyence VW-6000 Series motion analysis microscope is the world’s first microscope with high-speed magnified video capture capabilities. High-speed motion recording of up to 24,000 fps enables accurate filming of failures in moving targets that…
(Keyence: Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey) -- The new Keyence VW-6000 Series motion analysis microscope is the world’s first microscope with high-speed magnified video capture capabilities. High-speed motion recording of up to 24,000 fps enables accurate filming of failures in moving targets that…
(MoreSteam: Lewis Center, Ohio) -- MoreSteam.com announce the release of French and German versions of its Lean Six Sigma Green Belt course. These newest additions to MoreSteam’s e-Learning catalog are the first complete Lean Six Sigma Green Belt courses presented in French and German by any…
Raissa Carey
The innovative voice of the customer (VOC) data approach that HD Supply Facilities Maintenance uses to drive customer loyalty, continuous improvement, and operational excellence earned the company the top award at the American Society for Quality’s (ASQ) 24th International Team Excellence Awards…
(MFGWatch: Atlanta) -- Results of a survey recently conducted by MFGWatch give a snapshot on the state of sourcing, sourcing preferences, company growth projections, and reactions to economic conditions. More than 200 purchasing professionals and engineers from the manufacturing industry…
MAMTC
A kaizen event is a cost-effective method for creating dramatic improvements in processes. Kaizen is a Japanese word that means “to make people’s jobs easier by taking them apart, studying them, and making improvements.”
The intent of a kaizen event is to make people more productive by improving…
David Millar
The moment for action in the United States on climate change has arrived in earnest. With the election of President Obama and increased majorities of Democrats in Congress, there is unprecedented momentum to pass comprehensive climate legislation that caps the aggregate amount of greenhouse gases…
H. James Harrington
During the 1980s using flowcharts was the “in thing” to do. Today, technology has provided us with a much more effective and useful tool: simulation modeling. If a picture is worth a thousand words, then one that logically simulates tasks and collects data has to be worth a million. Simulation…
(Mahr Federal: Providence, Rhode Island) -- Tapers play an important role in orthopaedic devices. Most hip and knee implants use tapers because they provide good alignment and can be "locked" into position. In manufacturing these devices, the control of taper and size determines how well an…
