All Features
Mike Figliuolo
You can’t get big without thinking big right from the start. As an entrepreneur starting a business, it’s easy to see yourself as “the little guy.” If you do, you’ll forever stay the little guy.
Too many times I’ve seen entrepreneurs name their companies after themselves (e.g., Tom Jones, LLC).…
Matt McFarlane
One of the key findings in Greenlight Guru’s 2025 Medical Device Industry Report was that economic uncertainty is playing a large role in the decisions medical device companies make this year.
The report surveyed more than 500 medical device professionals across quality, regulatory, product…
Jones Loflin
In a professional kitchen, no chef prepares a steak, a cake, and a casserole simultaneously with all the ingredients scattered across the counter. There’s a method: one recipe at a time, with only the ingredients needed for that specific dish.
The same principle applies to how we work, especially…
Bruce Hamilton
A few months ago I visited a potential customer, a high-tech startup, which like many Boston-area tech companies is developing astounding products that would have been considered science fiction only 10 years ago. The parking lot was half full at 8 a.m., but the entrance was locked to visitors, and…
Chris Chuang
As a technology leader, I must admit that making the right investment in new innovations has its challenges. It’s easy to get caught up in the grandiose potential solutions offer, become overwhelmed by the setup, and struggle with employee adoption.
For the last decade, I’ve worked with human-…
Stephanie Ojeda
Every day, quality leaders face a variety of production and process issues. Although some problems are easy to fix, others require deeper investigation, such as using a 5 Whys analysis or fishbone diagram. But then there are the stubborn, recurring issues that can lead to quality issues, increased…
William A. Levinson
The Chinese character for crisis means “danger” and “opportunity,” and tariffs have created a supply chain crisis throughout the United States. Paul Roberts of the Seattle Times reports that fewer ships are arriving in Seattle: “Fewer ships coming into the U.S. means companies can’t get components…
Akhilesh Gulati
When we step into a complex organization—whether in manufacturing, healthcare, or finance—we often find ourselves navigating a sea of competing truths. Everyone seems certain they see the problem clearly. Yet somehow, solving it feels harder than it should.
Why?
Often, it’s not the facts that…
ISO
Occupational health and safety (OHS) is often brushed aside as a checkbox exercise—something assigned to compliance officers or forgotten in day-to-day operations. But this mindset comes at a cost. Every year, millions of people suffer injuries, illnesses, or worse, simply because their workplace…
Harry Hertz
A little enjoyment is always important. I recently read a blog post titled 15 Facts That Will Make You Laugh.
A few of those facts were:• There is a Welsh town with a 58-letter name:Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch.• You used to be able to send children by mail in the U.S…
Troy Harrison
Salespeople are getting older. Buyers are getting younger. You have a disconnect.
In raw terms, the average age of a professional business-to-business (B2B) salesperson in the United States is 47.1 years old. Fifteen years ago that number was 42. So, the sales profession is graying. Meanwhile, the…
Mike Figliuolo
We humans love to complicate things. The more crap we hang off of a product, the better we think it is. The more engineering that goes into it, the more we can sell, right?
Wrong.
Simplicity wins. Every time. (iPod, anyone?)
As an entrepreneur, I get to hang out with other entrepreneurs (and we…
Colin Strachan
Most industrial leaders strive to be more proactive and data-driven. But getting there can feel overwhelming, especially if your teams spend much of the day firefighting.
Maintenance maturity depends on the quality of your data, how effectively you use them, and the processes and culture that…
Donald J. Wheeler
Define, measure, analyze, improve, control, goes the mantra used to carry out improvement projects in many companies. In various books, these steps get slightly different interpretations. But the overall outline is still characterized by DMAIC. This article will show a proven way to simplify and…
Harry Hertz
In an earlier blog, I introduced you to Arnie Weimerskirch, a former vice president of corporate quality at Honeywell and the former chair of the Baldrige Judges Panel. I recently had lunch with him and learned how he got involved with the Baldrige Program and how it influenced his career. I think…
Gleb Tsipursky
In a rapidly evolving technological landscape, generative artificial intelligence (gen AI) has emerged as a transformative force, reshaping industries and redefining operational paradigms. It offers unprecedented opportunities for organizations to enhance efficiency, innovation, and competitiveness…
Mike Figliuolo
Nobody likes change. I know if you do anything that changes my routine in the morning, my whole day is whacked. We all hate change. Heck, most of us hate getting change at the grocery store because of all those coins.
As a leader, though, your job is to get others to want to change.
Getting other…
Jones Loflin
A question I’m getting asked a lot these days is, “What’s a quick way for me to improve my ability to focus?” I have several suggestions. One of the new ones I’m working on is connected to a principle from lean management. It’s called the 3S’s—Sweep, Sort, Standardize. See if it doesn’t have…
CIH Equipment
Industrial hygiene equipment plays a critical role in ensuring workplace safety by monitoring airborne contaminants, noise levels, and other hazardous conditions. However, accurate readings depend on regular industrial hygiene equipment calibration to maintain precision and compliance with…
Cadrex
The semiconductor manufacturing industry is undergoing rapid transformation driven by technological advancements, increased demand for AI and electric vehicle (EV) chips, and geopolitical shifts. Needless to say, the semiconductor industry and the companies that fabricate the equipment used in the…
Creaform
For more than 90 years, EKATO Rühr- und Mischtechnik GmbH has specialized in process analysis, engineering, scale-up manufacturing, and assembly of agitator technologies, continually developing solutions to meet the needs of process-oriented industries. Supporting procedures such as homogenizing,…
Adam Grant
Nano Tools for Leaders—a collaboration between Wharton Executive Education and Wharton’s Center for Leadership and Change Management—are fast, effective tools that you can learn and start using in less than 15 minutes, with the potential to significantly improve your success and the engagement and…
Christine Schaefer
‘Every organization has countless opportunities for improvement, but only a few points—what we call constraints or bottlenecks—govern the pace and performance of the entire system,” says Rami Goldratt, who gave the closing keynote presentation at the Baldrige Performance Excellence Program’s 36th…
Silke von Gemmingen
In areas such as high-precision metalworking, accuracy is nonnegotiable. This includes the automotive industry and its suppliers, which are in crisis in Germany for several reasons. The industry is under enormous pressure to deliver products of impeccable quality while reducing operating costs (for…
Creaform
Hawthorne High School of Manufacturing & Engineering in Los Angeles is not your typical high school program. Led by program coordinator Lucas Pacheco, it’s a hub where young minds are immersed in advanced manufacturing and engineering design courses. With a hands-on curriculum covering multi-…
