All Features
(ASQ: Milwaukee, Wisconsin) -- A rigorous finalist competition for the 23rd International Team Excellence Award Process at the ASQ World Conference recently in Houston, Texas, included 26 teams from around the world. The Boeing Co. won the Gold Award.“Boeing is elated to be awarded this top honor…
(ANSI: New York) -- The Healthcare Information Standards Technology Panel (HITSP) announced today the launch of a new education and outreach campaign that will build awareness of the importance of health care information sharing, the role of the HITSP in enabling health care information technology…
the International Organization for Quality
(ISO: Geneva) -- ISO recently published on its web site a new electronic edition of its advice for managers, “Selection and use of the ISO 9000 family of standards.”The ISO 9000 family consists of 17 international quality management standards and guidelines (plus a corrigendum), and has earned a…
Bill Kalmar
I think most of us would agree that there are a handful of attributes that separate average companies from those that should be held up as role models. Some of those traits would be: a strong and achievable strategic plan, management interaction with staff and customers, well-trained employees, a…
Mike Micklewright
Question: When the first-grade boy asked to use the washroom, the teacher said that he must first say his ABCs aloud. The little boy obediently did so, but he skipped the “P” and the “Y.” The teacher asked, “Why did you skip the ‘P’ and the ‘Y’?” 
Answer: “My Daddy told me to never say ‘Y’ again…
(FDA: Rockville, Maryland) -- The U.S. Food and  Drug Administration is seeking a $2.2 million penalty against a California  hearing device manufacturer, Advanced Bionics LLC and its president and co-CEO,  Jeffrey H. Greiner, for violations of federal law, including manufacturing  standards…
Center for Business Intelligence
(CBI: Woburn, Massachusetts)  -- As the Food and Drug Administration continues to increase their monitoring  of adverse events and product complaints, it’s even more critical for quality  assurance departments to stay current on best practices and benchmark with  peers. CBI’s sixth annual Product…
David Ade
For companies doing business in regulated environments, the benefits of   implementing software systems are abundant. Improved product safety, higher   quality, enhanced efficiency, and increased probability of maintaining   regulatory compliance are just a sample of the numerous benefits…
NSF International
(NSF International: Ann    Arbor, Michigan) – The  2008 version of NSF’s American National Standard for Dietary Supplements now  includes new good manufacturing practices (GMP) requirements to ensure  consistency with the U. S. Food and Drug Administration’s regulations. The new version of NSF/ANSI…
Department of Health and Human Services
(HHS: Washington, D.C.) -- The U. S. Department of Health and Human Services stated  that efforts are underway between the U.S. Food and Drug Administration   and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to improve patient  safety and the quality of medical care.“This initiative will…
Michael Casey
 
Allegra Print and Imaging of Portage, Michigan, was founded in 1988 and has been growing by at least 6 percent annually over the past five years, despite a weak local economy. Allegra Portage is a member of the Allegra Network, a large graphic communications franchise, with more than 600…
Mike Micklewright
Question: When the first-grade boy asked to use the washroom, the teacher said that he must first say his ABCs aloud. The little boy obediently did so, but he skipped the “P” and the “Y.” The teacher asked, “Why did you skip the ‘P’ and the ‘Y’?”
Answer:“My Daddy told me to never say ‘Y’ again and…
 (NIST: Gaithersburg, Maryland) -- Electronics engineer Dennis Camell (foreground) aligns antennas in an old California silica mine for a NIST study identifying optimal frequencies for radio signal transmissions in tunnels. Credit: G. Koepke/NIST   As part of a project to improve wireless…
(ASQ: Milwaukee, Wisconsin) -- The American Society for Quality and the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) have joined forces to promote business excellence and quality to Indian CEOs and other senior-level executives at a conference in New Delhi on November 21.ASQ…
Time is running  out to submit an entry on behalf of your company, individual, or project for  WCBF’s 2008 Global Six Sigma and Business Improvement Awards. The awards will  be presented at WCBF’s Global Lean, Six Sigma, and Business Improvement Summit in Orlando, Florida, October 14–17. Awards to…
Rina Molari-Korgel
The Coordinate  Metrology Society is pleased to post a diverse but technically packed week of  presentations and activities for CMSC 2008. This year’s record number of 46  submitted abstracts has resulted in an exciting lineup for you, our attendees.The technical  agenda commences with Jon Cowart…
CMSC
(Hexagon  Metrology: Miamisburg, Ohio) -- Leica Geosystems, a Hexagon  company, recently unveiled the new face of laser tracking—the Leica Absolute  Tracker. The all-new laser tracker offers scaled-up features in a scaled-down,  sleek housing for ultimate portability, and ease of handling on the…
CMSC
(Geomagic: Research Triangle Park, North Carolina) -- Geomagic will demonstrate  Geomagic Qualify 10, new computer-aided inspection software for users of  multisensor metrology systems, at CMSC 2008 in Charlotte, North Carolina. Geomagic is exhibiting in booth No. 308. Geomagic Qualify  10…
CMSC
(Metrologic  Group: Grenoble, France) -- Metrologic Group has  acquired a majority stake in ATT Metrology Services Inc., a large-scale 3-D  metrology inspection company. The acquisition is part of Metrologic Group’s  growth strategy aimed at adding 3-D industrial inspection services to its…
CMSC
(Creaform: Lévis, Quebec,   Canada) --  After entering Dassault Systèmes’ CAA program and becoming value-added reseller  (VAR) in 2007, Creaform has now been certified for DS’s well-known Education  Partner Program (EPP). Companies with the EPP label can deliver up-to-date and  consistent education…
CMSC
The Car of Tomorrow, a new racecar style for NASCAR’s NEXTEL Cup Series, made its debut in March 2007 with much fanfare. Seven years in the making, NASCAR’s research and development center rolled up its shirtsleeves and conceptualized their dream template. Their ideal racecar would implement the…
CMSC
(Sokkia Corp.: Olathe, Kansas) -- Sokkia is pleased to introduce the release of the Automated 3D Station NET05 offering the industry’s highest accuracy for industrial, construction and deformation monitoring applications.
SOKKIA has been providing NET-series high precision 3D Stations for use in…
CMSC
(Verisurf  Software Inc.: Anaheim, California)  -- Verisurf Software Inc. is maintaining its strong growth strategy to expand  the company’s presence in the United States by appointing Gabriel Draguicevich  as their new regional manager for the South-Central United States. He will be  building upon…
Coordinate measuring machines (CMMs) are a basic requirement for any industrial manufacturing facility conforming to the specifications of drawings and standards.  Accuracy needs to be observed, verified, and certified with respect to a comprehensive set of standardization rules. Highly precise…
Steven Ouellette
I thought this month we would get away from the stats of the last few columns. Hey, quiet down! How can anybody read over all that cheering?
There’s something missing from most Six Sigma implementations—a gap that, if left unattended, leads to wasted time and money, as well as the failure of the…