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Hexagon AB recently acquired Mikrofyn A/S, a Danish producer of machine automation and laser-leveling equipment. Mikrofyn is based in Odense, Denmark, and has 65 employees. It has an annual growth rate of about 30 percent. Hexagon reports that it will be consolidated into the parent…
The U.S. Senate recently honored several manufacturing companies in Indiana for their productivity improvements. The winner of the 2005 U.S. Senate Productivity Award is AK Steel-Rockport Works, a Rockport, Indiana, producer of flat-rolled carbon, stainless and electrical steels, and…
Tokyo Metropolitan Police recently arrested the president and CEO of Mitutoyo Corp. on charges that the company illegally exported equipment that can be used in making nuclear weapons. Kazusaku Tezuka and four other Mitutoyo executives were arrested and charged with violating foreign…
Students enrolled in the International Society of Six Sigma Certifications’ Green Belt courses can now simultaneously earn their Green Belts and attain certified manager process improvement status. The dual certification ability also applies to ISSSC’s Black Belt courses. The Harrington…
The American Society for Quality will host a roundtable on Six Sigma next year in Phoenix. The event will be held Feb. 12–13 at the Pointe Hilton Tapatio Cliffs Resort and will feature a large selection of case studies, answers to organizational challenges, applications, results, best…
The incoming associate dean of Central Michigan University’s College of Business Administration plans to expand its Six Sigma offerings to students. Monica Holmes, a Six Sigma Black Belt, is a big believer in Six Sigma for college students and MBA candidates. She reports that she will…
StatSoft Inc. has opened a new office in Oslo, Norway. It’s the third international office the company has opened this year, bringing the number of StatSoft’s international offices to 22. The facilities provide sales, technical support, implementation services, configuration services…
The American National Standards Institute and the National Institute of Standards and Technology, along with the Standardization Administration of China, recently launched a new online portal to simplify trade between the United States and China. Designed primarily for industry…
The e-TQM College, the world’s first online school for the field of total quality management (TQM) recently announced the creation of the Harrington Best TQM Thesis Award, named in honor of renowned quality expert, and Quality Digest columnist, James Harrington. The award was established…
Do you want to use Six Sigma concepts, but you’re frustrated by the complex mathematical equations involved?An upcoming book addresses this issue, outlining nonmathematical presentations of the statistical topics that Green Belts must master. Statistics for Six Sigma Green Belts with…
RABQSA International Inc. recently entered the European personnel training market. The personnel certification organization signed a cooperation agreement with the Society of Trainers, Assessors and Registered Professionals (STAREGISTER) for the delivery of RABQSA’s personnel and training…
Employees of Mercury Marine recently completed their 1,000th lean Six Sigma project. Mercury Marine, a Wisconsin-based manufacturer of marine propulsion systems, began using Six Sigma and lean concepts in its manufacturing processes in 2003. Since then, it has trained almost 700 management…
Despite rising vehicle costs and high gas prices, consumers gave the auto industry its highest perceived quality rating in a decade, according to the Quarterly Quality Report. Compiled by the American Society for Quality, the report measured the auto industry’s perceived quality score…
To demonstrate how manufacturers can comply with the Restrictions on Hazardous Substances directive (RoHS), the California Manufacturing Technology Consulting organization will host two day-long seminars this month. The first will be held Sept. 19 at the Holiday Inn Mission Valley in San…
TÜV SUD AG, the parent company of TÜV SÜD America, recently acquired two German companies, a move that will allow it to extend its services in the chemical, pharmaceutical and process industries. Effective Oct. 1, the materials technology unit of R&M Industrieservice Höchst…
Wayne Caccamo is Instantis’s new vice president of marketing. Caccamo will oversee and execute global plans to promote EnterpriseTrack, the company’s flagship software product. Before joining the company, Caccamo was vice president of worldwide marketing for Pathlore Software Corp. He has…
Professionals in the software and information technology industries will learn to implement Six Sigma at a WCBF Inc. conference Nov. 8 and 9 in San Francisco. The event has been designed to provide attendees with proven approaches to common problems that they can implement immediately. It…
The Michigan Manufacturing Technology Center reports that a pilot lean and Six Sigma program it led in four Michigan hospitals saved up to $4.1 million. Four northern Michigan hospitals took part in the eight-month program. They reported significantly increased surgical capacities,…
Decisioneering Inc. recently released its widely used Crystal Ball software in Spanish, French and German versions. The software was previously translated into Japanese, and Decisioneering reports that its growing worldwide customer base required further translation. The evaluation version…
UGS Corp., a provider of product life-cycle management (PLM) software and services, will soon host its 4th annual Digital Manufacturing Symposium in Dearborn, Michigan. The conference will be held Sept. 13–14 at the Conference & Event Center. Scheduled to present are executives and…
Hexagon Metrology will host an opening celebration of its new North American headquarters in the Quonset Business Park in Kingston, Rhode Island, on Sept. 14. Guests will include Governor Donald L. Carcieri; Saul Kaplan, Rhode Island Economic Development Corp. executive director; Ola…
The Commercial Vehicle Group recently chose Fred Pippen as the new director of quality of its Americas division. Pippen will be responsible for overall quality systems management, directing supplier quality management and development, supporting emerging market supplier identification…
The 22nd Canada Awards for Excellence, equivalent to the Baldrige Awards in the United States, will be announced Oct. 24 at the Performance Excellence Summit in Toronto. The National Quality Institute administers the awards and will host the event at the Toronto Metro Convention Center…
Red River Army Depot recently won the Department of Defense’s highest award for depot-level maintenance, and it credited its lean Six Sigma program for the recognition of its High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle Recapitalization Program, in which depot employees streamlined their…
The Georgia Oglethorpe Annual Conference & Awards Banquet will be held Sept. 27 and 28 at the Loudermilk Center in Atlanta. The Georgia Oglethorpe Awards are Georgia’s state-level Baldrige Awards. The conference is for anyone interested in using the Baldrige criteria, including…