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The U.S. Army recently graduated its first class of lean Six Sigma Black Belts in Korea, and more training is already underway. The U.S. military has made process improvement through lean, Six Sigma and theory of constraints a major focus in recent years. The Navy’s extensive lean Six…
The Automotive Industry Action Group and Odette International Ltd. have updated their joint global Materials Management Operations Guideline/Logistics Evaluation based on feedback from users. The guide is a continuous improvement and self-assessment tool. It’s aligned with ISO/TS 16949 to…
In recent meetings with legislators in Washington, D.C., representatives of the American Society for Quality offered quality expertise in support of President Bush’s American Competitiveness Initiative and health care issues that are currently before Congress. The meetings have focused…
Delcam, a supplier of machining software, recently acquired International Manufacturing Computer Services Inc., the developer of the PartMaker suite of computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) software. The IMCS catalog includes PartMaker SwissCAM and PartMaker Turn-Mill for the programming…
Olympus Micro-Imaging’s LEXT OLS3000-IR microscope was recently named the top quality assurance tool at the sixth annual Advanced Packaging Awards ceremony in San Francisco. The ceremony was part of SEMICON West 2006, a semiconductor industry trade show. The LEXT-IR offers near-infrared…
RABQSA recently achieved a presence in Mexico through the offices of Perry Johnson Registers Inc. RABQSA reports that PJR’s existing client base and connections offer both companies opportunities for expansion in Mexico. Located in Mexico City, PJR will provide direct support and access…
Lean Six Sigma Summit West 2006 will be held Sept. 26-29 at The Venetian in Las Vegas. The event, hosted by Six Sigma IQ, will feature nine detailed tracks and presentations from leading organizations using lean Six Sigma, such as Bank of America, DuPont and GE Plastics. Track topics…
The increasing use of radio-frequency identification (RFID) in clinical processes such as admissions and discharge, drug administration, surgical procedure control, and patient monitoring is the focus of a new ChainLink Research study. Clinical settings are a high-payback opportunity for…
WellPoint Inc., one of the nation’s largest health benefits provider, recently launched "360 Health," a public outreach program that addresses preventive care, health improvement and care coordination. "360 Health" is the industry’s first program to integrate all care-management…
In an effort to help Americans in the fight against heart disease, the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America recently launched a multimedia national health education campaign. The effort stresses the importance of Americans consulting with their health care providers, as…
The Confederation of Indian Industry estimates that the Tamil Nadu region of India—that country’s automotive manufacturing hub—will generate as many as 500,000 new jobs in the next decade. This can’t be good news for the U.S.-based automotive manufacturing industry, which is forecast to…
A new book takes issue with the Sloan management model, arguing that its widespread use in American industry is a major reason why U.S. manufacturers are struggling in the leaner global economy. Rebirth of American Industry, by William H. Waddell and Norman Bodek, outlines the core…
In his new book Sales and Marketing the Six Sigma Way (Kaplan Publishing, 2006), author Michael J. Webb takes readers into companies like Standard Register, ServiceMaster, Hong Kong Shanghai Bank, Motorola and others to show how they doubled revenues and cut sales costs by rethinking…
Authorized generic drugs can lead to lower medicine prices and overall savings to the health care system, according to a new study commissioned by the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America and prepared by IMS Consulting. An authorized generic is a drug that is distributed by…
The American Society for Quality will host its Six Sigma Forum Roundtable Sept. 14–15 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. To maximize one-on-one discussion time with other attendees and presenters, and for more networking opportunities, registration is limited to 150 people. The event will feature in-…
A new partnership between two software organizations highlights Six Sigma’s use in the mining industry.An Aug. 9 webinar will introduce the partnership between OSIsoft and BESTECH, and explain the use of their software by BHP Billiton, one of the world’s largest mining companies. The…
The use of Six Sigma in sales and marketing applications will be the focus of an upcoming WCBF conference. The 3rd annual Six Sigma in Sales and Marketing conference will be held Aug. 23–24 in Chicago. It will include a keynote address entitled “Applying Six Sigma to Sales and Marketing…
CIGNA HealthCare Corp. recently launched a lab that will develop integrated Six Sigma-level end-to-end service for its medical, dental, pharmaceutical and behavioral health plan participants. The "Innovation Lab" will be staffed with 100 specially trained consumer advisers representing…
A Canadian bread company used Six Sigma to determine how to maximize efficiencies on its delivery operations. Before it selected CHEP to provide delivery pallets, Canada Bread Frozen Bakery had experienced costly delays and occasional difficulties with the inbound flow of pallets,…
Boston Centerless Inc. has been named a 2006 Silver Medal recipient in the Northeast Shingo Prize for Excellence in Manufacturing contest.Referred to as the “Nobel Prize of Manufacturing” by Business Week magazine, the Shingo Prize is recognized as a premier manufacturing award and…
An International Organization for Standardization subcommittee has called for the development of a standard that would identify, assess, eliminate or reduce the risks associated with consumer products in the supply chain. According to the Consumer Policy Committee (COPOLCO), rapid changes…
The National Committee for Quality Assurance recently called for better public information about consumer-directed health plans (CDHPs) and other forms of insurance. The white paper "Protecting Consumers in an Evolving Health Insurance Market" also examines the rapid growth in enrollment…
If you’re an upwardly mobile professional male, you probably know more about ISO 9001 registration than your female, blue-collar peers. Such were the findings of a study performed in the United Kingdom. Study authors James Tannock, of Nottingham University Business School, and Henry Brown…
The number of applications to the 2006 Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award significantly increased, with 86 applicants compared to 64 from last year’s event.A major gain in the number of health care organizations applying for the award, along with the addition of a new nonprofit award…
The Asia Pacific Quality Organization and the Australian Organisation for Quality will host an upcoming conference. QUALCON-APQO 2006 will feature sessions for many industries as they relate to quality, including occupational health and safety management, environmental management systems…