All Features
Henry Zumbrun
From the tightening of nuts on automobiles and airplanes to the connections on wind generators and other structures, the accurate measurement of torque may be essential for safety and the financial future of many companies in North America. Unfortunately, unlike other countries such as Germany…
Bill Kalmar
For discussion: We were intrigued with the idea that well-meaning parents and kids get so over-involved in sports that they lose site of what most likely was their original goal--family unity. How do you feel this translates to the work/family balance? Click the ADD COMMENT link beneath this…
Ryan E. Day
For those of us frustrated by the prevalence of mediocrity and apathy in the management theater, there may yet be hope. The Avery Point Group’s annual employment study found a sharp increase in demand for lean and Six Sigma skills this year. That would seem to indicate companies and businesses…
Fraunhofer Institute
Is someone sitting upright in the passenger seat of the car or is that passenger bending over? Did someone enter the hazard zone in front of an industrial machine? Stretch and pressure sensors have a wide range of applications. Researchers have now developed sensors capable of expanding, in…
David L. Chandler
It seems like a no-brainer: Remanufacturing products rather than making new ones from scratch—widely done with everything from retread tires to refilled inkjet cartridges to remanufactured engines—should save a lot of energy, right?
Not so fast, says a new study by researchers at the Massachusetts…
The QA Pharm
Can you imagine the stream of firms that venture into their respective FDA district offices to give presentations on their warning letter response and to offer their assurance that they truly “get it?” You can be sure these firms had several dry runs and dress rehearsals to hone their material…
Michelle LaBrosse
Sometimes you have to be completely silent in order to hear opportunity’s knock. Turn off the news reporting the disaster of the moment, quiet your mind from the everyday worries and problems, tune out the negative comments of co-workers and friends, and just… listen. Do you hear the soft knocking…
William A. Levinson
The cause-and-effect diagram is one of the seven basic quality improvement tools, and this article will illustrate its synergy with the affinity diagram. The article will then discuss how modern computer technology can enhance both techniques to create keyword-searchable quality records that…
The Un-Comfort Zone With Robert Wilson
“I hate you! I’m going to kill you tonight after you fall asleep,” screamed 9-year-old Jerry to his foster mother. It was hard to believe such hateful words could come from this adorable child with big blue eyes and an impish face.
Dee loves Jerry (I have changed their names to protect their…
John Flaig
In the article, “Four Control Chart Myths from Foolish Experts,” by Davis Balestracci (Quality Digest Daily, March 30, 2011) the following comments were made regarding what Balestracci considers statistical process control (SPC) myths:
“Myth No. 4: Three standard deviation limits are too…
Association For Manufacturing Technology AMT
March U.S. manufacturing technology consumption totaled $511.15 million, according to the American Machine Tool Distributors’ Association (AMTDA), and the Association for Manufacturing Technology (AMT). This total, as reported by companies participating in the U.S. Manufacturing Technology…
Quality Transformation With David Schwinn
As we continue our sabbatical journey, more opportunities for the improvement of management practices continue to appear. This month, the overriding theme that I have observed is the lack of front-line performance that seems to be a result of the system. I have been reminded of the many times we as…
Denise Robitaille
The headline’s question seemed a bit far-fetched to me when it was originally posed. The answer provided another delightful illustration of the myriad analogies we find in our everyday lives that relate so effortlessly to our work as quality professionals. The comparison demonstrated the complexity…
Mike Micklewright
Editor’s note: This column first ran May 10, 2011, more than five years before Donald Trump was elected president of the United States. We think it's worth reading now not so much for political reasons but rather to emphasize the enduring usefulness of quality management tools. We’re also…
Cor Groenveld
How safe is our food? It is a question asked all over the world on a daily basis as food-scare stories fill the media and governments act to calm consumer fears. There is a real and tangible concern among the public; an IBM consumer confidence survey in 2009 found that 80 percent of those…
Paul Naysmith
If you're reading this article, especially in the United Kingdom, it’s possible that you are a member of the Chartered Quality Institute (CQI). As I currently understand it, the average member is in her mid-50s, and therefore you may be looking not so far into the future to your retirement. You…
Tracker Handbook by Art Kietlinski
During the past 30 years I’ve had the opportunity to measure quite a few manufactured parts, machine tools, fabrications, and large vessels. I’ve also reviewed hundreds of metrology surveys done by technicians. Unfortunately, on more than one occasion I’ve seen data that were scaled incorrectly…
MIT News
When a supply chain is firing on all cylinders—moving products, information, and money on schedule—it goes largely unnoticed, at least to the average consumer. You expect to find the supplies you need at the grocery store, and to receive your latest Amazon order within five business days.
But…
This is one of the first questions that executives always ask me. Because it is a broad question, the answer is often challenging. I usually respond with a few examples that have been gathered in Juran Institute’s 20-year benchmarking practice database, such as Company A is this, and Company B is…
Angelo Lyall
It seems the most popular way to improve a process these days is by applying the glorious "Lean Toolkit." Many companies focus on learning and implementing process improvement practices introduced by Toyota without realizing the same success that Toyota achieved. How can it be that so many firms…
Bruce Hamilton
In my last blog post, “Everybody Everyday” I made the case for regular practice of new perspectives, behaviors, and practices. All new learners begin by just “going through the motions” and gradually become proficient through regular practice. I’ve personally gone to sleep many nights pondering…
Sam Pfeifle
The web is buzzing about Nokia’s Ovi Maps—and rightly so. The new 3-D interface the company has debuted, which allows you to take amazing 3-D fly-throughs of some of the world’s most beautiful cities, is a revelation. If you haven’t played with it yet, do so now by clicking here and wasting a…
Chris Koehn
Air gauging relies on a law of physics that states flow and pressure are directly proportionate to clearance and react inversely to each other. As clearance increases, air flow also increases, and air pressure decreases proportionately. As clearance decreases, air flow also…
Dirk Dusharme @ Quality Digest
Donald J. Wheeler has been awarded the Deming Medal by the American Society for Quality (ASQ) for “the propagation of Dr. Deming’s ideas throughout the world through his numerous books and seminars on quality management and statistical quality improvement.” Here he answers some questions for…
Mark R. Hamel
Every once in awhile people will ask me to (discretely) evaluate a kaizen event team’s effectiveness. I don’t necessarily relish doing that when it is intended for the purpose of team comparisons, but it’s not an unfair request from senior leaders.
Someday, I should probably try to pull the…
