All Features
Denise Robitaille
T
was the night before Christmas and all through the plant
Not a technician was stirring, no quality rants.
Performance charts were pinned to the cork board with care,
In hopes that, their progress, people would share.
The micrometers were nestled, all snug and encased
Protected from…
Jay Arthur—The KnowWare Man
After a meal at a local Chinese restaurant, my fortune cookie said, “If you keep too busy learning the tricks of the trade, you may never learn the trade.” When I think about how this applies to Six Sigma, it seems obvious that far too much Six Sigma training is dedicated to the tricks of the…
(Umetrics: Malmö, Sweden) — Umetrics announces the release of version 12 of SIMCA-4000, a state-of-the-art, off-the-shelf, Windows-based software, providing multivariate statistical process control (MSPC) for continuous processes. Whether there are tens, hundreds, or even thousands of incoming…
CMSC
(CMS: Issaquah, WA) -- The Coordinate Metrology Society (CMS) is sponsoring its 26th annual conference in Reno, Nevada, July 12–16. The conference brings together 3-D measurement system users, developers, manufacturers, and researchers to present and discuss innovative applications, research, and…
Dirk Dusharme @ Quality Digest
This shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone who has bought a car from a dealership, but according to the recently released J.D. Power and Associates 2009 Sales Satisfaction Index (SSI) Study, 21 percent of new-car buyers will walk out of dealership because of a negative buying experience at that…
Cathy Sunshine
The only thing worse for companies than making bad decisions is having a deeply flawed decision-making process. Every business leader faces stressful situations that require immediate action, but the final choices can often by tainted by a destructive trio of hubris, arrogance, and denial. …
(CLSI: Wayne, PA) -- Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) recently published new proposed-level guidelines.
“How to Construct and Interpret an Error Grid for Diagnostic Assays”—Proposed Guideline (EP27-P) describes what an error grid is, why it is useful, and how to go about…
Teledyne DALSA
(DALSA, Yokohama, Japan) -- DALSA Corp., a global provider of machine vision technology, recently introduced the Piranha HS 12k 90 kHz camera. This new high-speed model features 12k resolution with a 5.2 µm pixel size, and breakthrough speeds of 90 kHz line rate or 1.2 gigapixels/second. This new…
Eric Clower
The economic downturn has caused heartache, sleepless nights, fatigue, and excessive stress for many people at all levels of most companies this past year. It was no different for me. The company I work for (an aerospace component manufacturing and repair company) started seeing the downturn in…
Michael Raphael
The year 2009 contains two significant anniversaries within the scientific community: the bicentennial of Charles Darwin’s birth and the 150th anniversary of the publication of his groundbreaking book On the Origin of Species. To honor these milestones, the National…
Davis Balestracci
The economy has become a convenient excuse on which to pin the blame for everything—especially job losses. Well, in the case of quality positions, yes… and no.
A sobering thought: Will the Pareto principle (the 80/20 rule) inevitably apply to the quality profession? I think so. It’s time to “…
BSI
With security breaches on the rise, protecting your organization’s confidential and valuable information assets is one of the most important safety measures your organization can take. The issues surrounding information security involve more than just hackers and malicious software; they can…
ISO
(ISO: Geneva) -- Implementation of ISO management system standards for food safety and for information security (with IEC) has sharply increased, as revealed by The ISO Survey of Certifications—2008.
Certification to ISO 22000:2005, which gives the requirements for food safety management…
Pinpoint Laser Systems
(Pinpoint Laser Systems: Peabody, MA) -- Pinpoint Laser Systems is introducing the “Transparent” Receiver to the Microgage 2-D family. This receiver allows a laser beam to pass clearly through it while making a precise position measurement for aligning machinery and equipment. It was introduced…
(LEI: Cambridge, MA) -- Lean manufacturing, or more precisely, lean management began on the shop floor, but a growing number of companies are realizing that its ability to cut costs and lead times while improving productivity and quality has application throughout the business. These companies…
Teledyne DALSA
(DALSA: Billerica, MA) -- DALSA , a global leader in digital imaging technology, announces the introduction of its XRI-1600 digital image processor , which is ideal for X-ray imaging applications. Specifically engineered for demanding X-ray instrumentation and radioscopy, the XRI-1600 is capable…
LeanSSC
(LeanSSC: Seattle) -- The Lean Software and Systems Consortium (LeanSSC) 2010 announces its inaugural U.S. conference to take place in Atlanta, April 21-23, at the JW Marriott - Buckhead. The conference will be the first formal community event tailored specifically to those interested in lean,…
Spectronics Corp.
(Spectronics Corp.: Westbury, NY) -- Spectronics Corp. has introduced the TRITAN 450 blue light (450 nm) LED lamp, a safe and effective alternative to UV-A black light (365 nm) for quick NDT pre-inspection or screening of fluorescent particles.
This powerful, hand-held unit is designed…
Dirk Dusharme @ Quality Digest
In late November management system registrars DNV and Intertek announced that they were in discussions regarding a potential to unite their business assurance activities. According to sources at DNV, Intertek will be purchasing DNV’s business unit DNV Business Assurance. This unit, which works…
Bruce Rosenstein
In a legendary 70-year career, Peter Drucker, “the father of modern management,” revolutionized modern business practices, transforming management theory into a serious discipline. His influence was far-reaching, extending to developments that included decentralization, privatization, and…
Capture 3D
Because of their size, wind turbines are transported in individual parts to their offshore setup destination. Because individual components are manufactured at different sites, they are often put together for the first time at the mounting site on high seas. Therefore, it is necessary to verify…
NIST
(NIST: Washington) -- President Barack Obama and Commerce Secretary Gary Locke recently announced that five organizations are the recipients of the 2009 Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, the nation’s highest presidential honor for innovation and performance excellence.
The 2009 Baldrige…
Rapidform Inc.
(INUS Technology: Seoul, South Korea) -- INUS Technology Inc. is pleased to announce that it has entered into sales agreements to offer its Rapidform software to the buyers of Steinbichler Optotechnik’s 3-D digitizing systems and the buyers of Breuckmann’s 3-D scanners. While INUS and…
Productivity Press
(Productivity Press: New York) -- Lean thinking has been linked to most core business processes, including product development, manufacturing, purchasing, accounting, and the supply chain. Lean Safety: Transforming Your Safety Culture with Lean Management, by Robert Hafey (Productivity Press, 2009…
Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc.
(Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc.: Austin, TX) -- Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. recently announced a new method that enables rapid and accurate identification and quantification of pesticides in rice. The QuEChERS (quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged and safe) extraction method takes advantage of…
