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A new agreement between the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and health care quality improvement organizations focuses on reducing nursing assistant turnover rates in more than 2,000 nursing homes. Nurse aide turnover averages 71 percent per year, according to the American Health…
Caterpillar Inc. and StatSoft Inc. have joined forces to release PROCEED, a turnkey software solution designed for manufacturing companies’ efforts to model, optimize and simulate complex processes. PROCEED is based on the integration of Caterpillar’s patent-pending…
Several Baldrige Award winners and award supporters met with key Congress members last month at the annual Quest for Excellence conference. The conference was hosted by the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award program and gives award winners an opportunity to share their successful quality…
The Baldrige National Quality Program is seeking comments for discussion during Improvement Day 2005. Multiple comments on a given theme will be added to the agenda for the event, which will be held July 27. Topics might include but aren’t limited to: The award’s Criteria for Performance…
ANSI-RAB National Accreditation Board (ANAB) and QSU Publishing Co. will conduct a detailed survey that will examine the costs, benefits and savings associated with registration to ISO 14001. The fourth in a series of surveys conducted by QSUP and Quality Systems Update since 1993, the survey will…
Kelly Services, a Fortune 500 employment service, recently had 1,200 of its offices registered to ISO 9001. he registrations were awarded by DNV Certification. Kelly Services offers staffing solutions including temporary placements, staff leasing, outsourcing, vendor on-site and full-time…
The National Committee for Quality Assurance will release Quality Compass 2005 this summer. The online tool is described as indispensable for selecting a health plan, conducting competitor analysis, quality improvement, benchmarking and health care research. It will be released to the public on…
ASI DataMyte Inc. recently acquired Universal Elektronik GmbH.Universal Elektronik is a German manufacturer and reseller of products for torque and gap and flush applications, primarily in the automotive markets. It’s been a distributor of ASI DataMyte’s products since 1986 and is the European…
A network of state-sponsored Baldrige Award programs has formed an alliance in an effort to bring added recognition—and possibly added funding—to their programs. The Alliance for Performance Excellence was formed about 18 months ago. Operated by an almost all volunteer board of directors, it serves…
Hexagon Metrology released its new TesaStar M motorized probe head at a recent exposition held in Germany. The TesaStar M is a shank-mounted, motorized articulating probe head for CMMs. It’s capable of indexing in 5-degree increments, ±180 degrees in revolutions, and +90 to -115 degrees in pitch.…
A new book helps budding project managers pass the test that allows them to become certified project management professionals. Michael W. Newell’s Preparing For The Project Management Professional (PMP) Certification Exam: Third Edition (AMACOM, 2005) reflects the most current version of the test.…
Specialized Technology Resources Inc., a quality assurance testing and compliance monitoring company, recently acquired the textiles testing business of Precision Processes Textiles Ltd. “PPT is a very strong brand within the UK textiles testing market and will further strengthen our offering in…
Cognex Corp., a leading supplier of machine vision systems, has announced its acquisition of DVT Corp., effective May 9. Under the terms of the agreement, Cognex purchased all the outstanding shares of DVT for approximately $115 million. Cognex will maintain operations at DVT’s facility in Georgia…
The American Society for Quality will host the 20th International Team Excellence Awards May 16–18 in Seattle. The event, which will be part of the World Conference on Quality and Improvement, is the only worldwide team-based improvement and performance excellence competition in the United States.…
The Society of Manufacturing Engineers, the Association for Manufacturing Excellence and The Shingo Prize for Excellence in Manufacturing are working together to develop a new standard for lean certification. The organizations are collaborating with industry and academia in the initiative, which…
A new game from Ryan Systems Inc. is designed to teach quality tools and techniques while entertaining the players. The Quality Game includes more than 1,000 problems common to manufacturing quality for players to solve. As problems are solved, players advance on the game board. The game can be…
Supply chain executives are increasingly focusing on their suppliers’ quality management processes, according to a new benchmarking report from Best Practices LLC. Now more than ever, leading organizations see tactics such as supplier certification as ways to achieve key performance results and key…
RABQSA International recently began offering training designed to bridge the knowledge gap between its current training course certification (TCC) and the recently introduced Training Provider and Examiner Certification Scheme. The current TCC doesn’t satisfy the knowledge-based competency…
Attendance at Quality Expo 2005 increased 11 percent from 2003’s show, and organizers are calling the event a huge success. More than 5,800 industry professionals attended the show, which was held April 19–21 at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, Illinois. The program featured…
Kaikaku The Power and Magic of Lean, was recently awarded a Shingo Prize at the 17th annual Shingo Prize Conference in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The book, by PCS Inc. President and Quality Digest contributor Norman Bodek, follows his travels and discoveries in Japanese and U.S. manufacturing from…
DALSA Corp. has completed the acquisition of Coreco Inc.DALSA paid approximately $73.4 million for Coreco, a provider of performance improvement hardware and software for manufacturing processes. Of that sum, $35 million was paid in cash and the balance was paid by the issuance of 1.9 million DALSA…
With U.S. legislation on hazardous substances in electronics already in place and similar laws set to take effect in China and Europe shortly, how can electrical and electronic manufacturers be sure that their products comply? A new specification adopted by the International Electrotechnical…
A new study reveals that, despite their best efforts, many organizations still struggle to effectively address application quality. The findings are included in Compuware Corp.’s study, “Today’s Quality Assurance Practices: How Can We Continue to Improve?” The report surveyed 305 U.S. and European…
Intercim Inc., a provider of process and quality management solutions to the defense and aerospace industries, has partnered with Operations Technologies, a provider of inventory chain management solutions, to enhance both companies’ software products. The partnership will allow Intercim to include…
QMI recently opened two new U.S. offices and appointed a new business development manager in its Guangzhou, China, office. The management systems registration company opened new offices in Ypsilanti, Michigan and in Houston. Demo Stavros is the new business development manager at the Michigan…
