All Features
Nick Haase
Imagine this: A production line hums along smoothly. Operators clean and check equipment between cycles to spot problems before they snowball. No scrambling. No surprises. That’s what autonomous maintenance looks like.
It’s a concept born from the principles of total productive maintenance (TPM),…
Global Shop Solutions
Small to midsize manufacturers are facing mounting pressure from unpredictable supply chain disruptions. From fluctuating customer demand to reshoring operations and diversifying suppliers, maintaining efficiency and protecting cash flow have never been more critical.
Global instability, shifting…
Bruce Hamilton
In October 1989, my company hosted Total Improvement Process Week, one of the most productive experiences of my career. Our consultant was Ryuji Fukuda, a Deming Prize winner and author of Managerial Engineering (Productivity Inc., 1983), a book I still value for its emphasis on management’s role…
Mike Figliuolo
It’s called “work” for a reason. Most days we’re able to “work” through it and find enjoyment in what we do. But occasionally we’re faced with a grind that saps our strength and threatens to derail us. Fortunately, there are simple techniques for working through that grind.
I love writing this…
Harish Jose
In this article I’m looking at the notion of organizational purposes in light of cybernetic constructivism. The ideas here are inspired by giants like Stafford Beer, Spencer Brown, Ralph Stacey, Werner Ulrich, Russell Ackoff, and Erik Hollnagel.
The corporate world seems to be obsessed with…
Chris Chuang
The plant manager’s day started perfectly. The production schedule was optimized, the teams were aligned, and the shift was running smoothly. Then, a critical pump on Line 3 failed. The floor supervisor tried to radio for maintenance, but his call dropped in the plant’s notorious dead zone. By the…
Akhilesh Gulati
Quality initiatives rarely fail because of bad tools. They fail because people don’t adopt them.
Organizations spend months mapping processes, running kaizen events, or documenting corrective actions, only to watch the improvements unravel when employees quietly return to the “old way.” Leaders…
Anthony Vianna
There’s a lot of talk about automation these days, not just in manufacturing circles but also the news in general. As the demands of modern manufacturing grow more complex, and manufacturing industries continue their digital transformation—with automation playing an ever-expanding role—where does…
Walter Nowocin
Software selection, implementation, and ongoing maintenance are critical stages in the life cycle of biomedical software systems such as asset and calibration management platforms. Yet few industry resources provide detailed, practical guidance for managing these processes effectively.
One notable…
Mike Figliuolo
It’s hard to balance all the demands that are placed upon you as a leader. Many of us default to dysfunctional ways of spending our time and energy. If you know what the common mistakes are and take a more deliberate approach to investing your time and energy, you’ll get better results from your…
Bruce Hamilton
In my Labor Day article, “Celebrating Our Frontline Scapegoats,” I observed that of the seven wastes, the one most people recognize is defects. This is understandable: Workers are often blamed for defect-causing situations over which they have little or no control. This article continues that Labor…
William A. Levinson
A vital concept from the chemical process industry, management of change (MOC) relates primarily to safety. It means that whenever we change a factor in a cause-and-effect diagram (e.g., machine, material, manpower, method, measurement, environment, or any other factor), we create risks of…
Akhilesh Gulati
Organizations often face a familiar dilemma: It’s not a shortage of good ideas, but a struggle to decide which one to pursue first. During project prioritization meetings, leaders are likely to present a wide range of perspectives. The finance team pushes for hard savings, while operations advocate…
Donald J. Wheeler
Everybody wants to have good measurements. To this end, many recommend a regular schedule of recalibration. While this sounds reasonable, it can actually degrade the quality of the measurements.
The key to getting the most out of a measurement process is to know when to recalibrate and when to…
Global Shop Solutions
Cutting costs is nothing new in manufacturing. What’s new is having to do it while juggling labor shortages, supplier delays, and tighter customer demands. Lean principles such as reducing waste and optimizing workflows still matter, but they’re no longer enough on their own. Staying competitive…
Mike Figliuolo
After a couple of heart attacks, I’ve learned to eat much healthier. But finding snacks can be challenging once you remove Doritos and Cheetos from the equation. A good substitute for me is now Harvest Snaps, which are baked lentil pods. I highly recommend the tomato-basil version.
Anyway, I was…
Bruce Hamilton
Driving home from a customer last week, I caught a glimpse of a digital billboard—the kind that flashes eight different ads per minute. From a cost and aesthetic perspective, these backlit displays are a big step up from the old paperhanger versions. But I wondered: What do drivers actually see and…
Stephen Graham
Uncertainty often pushes manufacturers to slow down. Orders fluctuate, budgets tighten, and “wait and see” becomes the default strategy. But a growing number of companies are taking the opposite approach, using slowdowns as windows to invest in digitalization and automation.
Hexagon’s 2025 “…
CANEA
In several articles about challenges for tomorrow’s quality leaders, we’ve addressed how to plug the knowledge drain and effectively manage your company’s know-how. Your organizational structure and processes can be your worst enemy—or best asset. Organizational silos and roadblocks can impede…
Lexi Sharkov
They may seem simple, but SOPs (standard operating procedures) are surprisingly tricky. On the surface, they describe how a specific process is carried out at your organization. Pretty straightforward, right?
In reality, there are a lot of requirements for writing a good SOP, and auditors have a…
David Isaacson
For today’s manufacturers, quality is no longer just a box to check; it has evolved into a strategic pillar central to company success. Once a tactical process focused on meeting regulatory standards, it now plays a leading role in a company’s profitability, brand reputation, employee safety and…
Bruce Hamilton
With Labor Day coming around, here’s an article to celebrate the folks who usually get blamed for the quality problems.
Not surprisingly, when people first learn about lean’s seven wastes, the one they find most relatable is defects. They might not immediately grasp the concept of overproduction…
Mike Figliuolo
Want to build your team? Get rid of the people who are on it. I don’t mean go about firing people in a flurry. Become what I call a “net exporter of talent.”
You need to develop your people to the point that they’re ready for new challenges. Build their skills. Make them more valuable to the…
Harish Jose
I’m exploring one of the most fascinating aspects of Heinz von Foerster’s work: his complete rejection of philosophical labels and -isms. Von Foerster, the Austrian-American physicist and cybernetician, in his later years didn’t want to be pinned down by any single philosophical position. This wasn…
Stephanie Ojeda
Global-scale events have tested the bounds of supply chain systems. The coronavirus, for example, made it clear how critical an efficient supply chain is for continuity and survival. It’s a real-world example of how important it is to have an enterprisewide system that uses a quality management…