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The Juran Institute and a South African firm have formed a strategic alliance to expand their operations. Together, Juran Institute and Thinking Dimensions Group will focus on pioneering resources in change interventions, business strategies, cost improvements and quality methodologies to a wider…
Well-known consultant Thomas McCarty, author of The Six Sigma Black Belt Handbook has joined Cohesia Corp.’s advisory board. McCarty has worked with more than 50 leadership teams at various companies and governmental organizations. His clients include Agilent, American Electric Power, Microsoft,…
Solectron Corp. recently selected Statit Software Inc. to provide statistical process control and data analysis solutions to its manufacturing facilities all over the world. Solectron, an electronics manufacturer, operates on five continents in more than 20 countries. The implementation of Statit’s…
Michael F. Brennan is the new managing director of the International Automotive Oversight Bureau.The IAOB is the U.S. oversight office of the International Automotive Task Force. Brennan will be responsible for the bureau’s oversight of ISO/TS 16949 compliance. Brennan joined the IAOB in January.…
KB Home Tucson is the first and only builder in Arizona to achieve National Housing Quality certification, according to the National Association of Home Builders Research Center. KB Home Tucson has built nearly 7,000 homes since 1998. In 2004, homebuyers gave the company a 97-percent customer-…
RABQSA has announced the suspension of its Certification Training Plan, requiring auditors to transition to competency-based certification schemes for quality management systems (QMS), environmental management systems (EMS), food safety, and occupational health and safety (OH&S) audits. The…
Quality professionals in Shanghai have a 10-percent higher pass rate on quality-certification exams than quality professionals in other parts of China. The Shanghai Academy of Quality Management reports that the nationwide average pass rate for the exam is 30 percent, while Shanghai’s average pass…
A new survey of 1,200 Six Sigma professionals shows that the more companies invest in their Six Sigma projects, the greater the return. Companies that invested less than $500,000 were most likely to break even, at best, while companies that invested $2,000,000 or more were most likely to see a two…
The American Society for Quality and the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry’s Quality Forum plan to roll out quality management training programs for Indian firms. The program will include discussions around three topics: quality engineering, Six Sigma and plans for a major…
The International Organization for Standardization has published a new edition of ISO 9000, “Quality management systems—Fundamentals and vocabulary.”The updated version introduces no changes to the descriptions of the fundamentals of quality management systems, but instead defines the vocabulary…
Minitab Inc. recently released MINITAB 14.2, a Japanese-language version of its award-winning statistical analysis software. Minitab launched its original Japanese-language version of MINITAB in 2004. The new release improves translation and adds several features developed in response to customer…
Watchfire, a provider of software and services to manage online risk, quality and compliance, has been awarded the prestigious HP/IAPP Privacy Innovation Award. The award is sponsored by Hewlett-Packard and managed exclusively by the International Association of Privacy Professionals.Evaluated by a…
The California Council for Excellence is offering two upcoming events for quality professionals. The organization will host a two-day workshop in Rancho Bernardo, California, entitled, “Applying the Baldrige Criteria in Your Organization.” The event, to be held Dec. 5–6, will feature Karen Trisko,…
The Automotive Industry Action Group has announced that it will cancel next year’s Auto Tech trade show. The next AutoTech won’t be held until May 2007, and the venue has yet to been announced.“To avoid overlap with other automotive events, AIAG has determined that May would be a better month to…
If you’re wondering what the cost of nonconformance to standards and quality firefighting is to your company, Philip Crosby Associates Inc. has a workshop for you. The Price of Nonconformance workshop focuses on cost-of-quality fundamentals such as improving operational performance, sustaining cost…
A recently released study finds that best-in-class manufacturing companies optimize performance through structured outsourcing programs, continuous improvement initiatives and shared customer-focused measurements. The research was performed by Aberdeen Group, a value-chain strategies consultancy,…
Breakthrough Performance Press, a division of Breakthrough Management Group, recently released a book that explores the use of TRIZ to innovate new products and processes—without outsourcing. Insourcing Innovation by David Silverstein, Neil DeCarlo and Michael Slocum, deconstructs TRIZ and profiles…
Excel Partnership Inc. recently became the first U.S. company to achieve RABQSA certification for its environmental management systems course. The certification was awarded after Excel Partnership proved that the course materials adhere to a strict set of requirements. In January, RABQSA introduced…
In a plan to “strengthen American business through the successful use of the Baldrige Criteria for Performance Excellence and its framework,” three major quality trade associations have formed the Malcolm Baldrige Collaborative Project. The alliance was formed by the Baldrige National Quality…
Three new judges were recently elected to the 2005 Minnesota Quality Award Panel of Judges. The new judges are Debra Bowers, Independent School District 283 superintendent; Mary Ann Nelson, Minnesota Department of Education assistant commissioner of academic excellence; and Rachelle Schultz, Winona…
A report recently released by the National Committee for Quality Assurance shows that health care improved significantly, but health-care plans that publicly report their performance have declined. The information was part of NCQA’s annual “The State of Health Care Quality” report, which was…
The ANSI-ASQ National Accreditation Board (ANAB) is developing an accreditation program to support ANSI/AIHA Standard Z10, its new American standard for occupational health and safety systems. Because the new standard is compatible with environmental and quality management standards such as ISO…
The Quest for Excellence Conference XVIII, the official conference of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, will be held next spring in Washington, D.C. The event will be held April 23–26 at the Hilton Washington. It will feature presentations from the 2005 Baldrige Award winners, who will…
ASI DataMyte Inc. recently announced a special incentive offer for new software customers. The special offer allows new customers to purchase ASI DataMyte’s Inspect visual inspection software starter kit at a package price. Inspect is a ready-to-use production and quality system used by…
The American Society for Quality’s Customer-Supplier Division will host an upcoming symposium to discuss improving customer-supplier relationships. The event will be held Feb. 1–Feb. 2 at Disneyland’s Paradise Pier Hotel in Anaheim, California. Its theme is “Catch the Wave of Change,” and it will…
