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A conference focusing on the use of lean and Six Sigma in defense applications will be held next month in Washington, D.C. The Lean and Six Sigma for Defense Conference will be held May 8–10. It will feature case studies that demonstrate how the methodologies have been used for defense…
Reliability Center Inc. will host a series of workshops for lead investigator training that include team leadership and the human side of failure. The schedule of the six workshops will be based upon clients’ requests, starting in the second quarter of 2006. Topics include the PROACT root-…
The International Organization for Standardization recently published a new standard designed for the assessment and reduction of greenhouse gases. ISO 14064 is offered as a solution to the problems posed by governments and businesses, which have used varying approaches to assess…
In today’s competitive marketplace, the flow of goods and services to customers must not be hindered by avoidable obstacles such as downtime. To stay on top, managers must implement strategies that keep operations performing at top condition. These issues are the focus of the second…
A poll performed by the American Society for Quality found that while 96 percent of respondents indicated that their companies’ corporate stance toward social responsibility will greatly affect the United States’ economic future, more than 40 percent of them don’t have a social…
Fabricators & Manufacturers Association International will host a lean seminar in May in Nashville, Tennessee.“Practical Lean: Lean Manufacturing for Smaller and Mid-Sized Operations” will be held May 8–9 at the Sheraton Music City Hotel. It will offer interactive training in lean…
PowerSteering Software Inc. recently released enhanced software that features an advanced reporting module and new demand management functionality driven by an active voice-of-the-customer program. PowerSteering Enterprise 4.7 provides more than 100,000 users with beefed-up strategy…
The official conference of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award will be held April 23–26 at the Hilton Washington in Washington, D.C.Representatives from the 2005 Baldrige Award recipient organizations will attend Quest for Excellence XVIII and share their exceptional performance…
TÜV America recently received accreditation to the SQF Program, a certification program for managing food safety and enhancing food-chain quality systems. The SQF Program is managed by the Safe Quality Food Institute and provides two standards based on the type of supplier. The SQF 1000…
The International Organization for Standardization recently opened a new section on its Web site to help small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) achieve the benefits of standardization. The materials and articles address the benefits of registration to ISO 9001 and ISO 14001, and…
The Medical Device Manufacturers Association (MDMA) recently asked Congress to eliminate allegedly anticompetitive practices in the hospital supply industry. Mark Leahey, MDMA executive director, urged the Senate Judiciary Antitrust Subcommittee to protect patients from exclusionary practices…
Using prescription medicines to treat untreated and undertreated high blood pressure could prevent thousands of heart attacks, strokes and deaths in every U.S. state, according to a recently released study. “Reducing the Human Impact of High Blood Pressure,” examined the annual numbers…
Laser surgeons from around the world will gather April 5–9 for the 26th annual scientific meeting of the American Society for Laser Medicine and Surgery in Boston. Laser 2006 will be held at the Sheraton Boston Hotel and Hynes Convention Center. The event will offer a diverse line up of…
Millstone Medical Outsourcing Inc. recently signed agreements with several medical device companies to provide post-manufacturing solutions to overcome start-up challenges. The company has contracted with Blackstone Medical Inc., Decision Biomarkers Inc., Ingen Orthopedics and Spine Wave…
Topas Advanced Polymers, a producer of polymers for the medical-device and packaging manufacturers industries, recently received the 2005 Frost & Sullivan Award for Technology Leadership. The award is given each year to a company that has demonstrated excellence in technology…
Two recently released books look at the changes and best practices organizations should follow to comply with the 2006 Baldrige criteria.This year’s changes to the Baldrige criteria include a focus on organizations’ business ethics and governance systems, along with their emergency-…
Robert H. McGuckin III, an expert and pioneering researcher in the fields of U.S. job creation and productivity trends, recently died of neuroendocrine cancer at his home in Alexandria, Virginia. He was 63. McGuckin was director of economic research at The Conference Board and former…
The Ice Cream Maker: an Inspiring Tale About Making Quality the Key Ingredient in Everything You Do (Currency, 2005), by Subir Chowdhury, was recently recognized by the U.S. Congress for its groundbreaking approach to quality management.The book has been distributed to all members of…
Ten publications will receive the 2006 Shingo Research Prize, which recognizes researchers throughout the world who promote new knowledge and understanding of manufacturing and business-improvement methods, systems and processes. The research award will be given at the 18thAnnual Shingo…
Mikel J. Harry, co-creator of Six Sigma, recently launched a new computer-based training program for the methodology. Historically, Six Sigma training can take up to 160 hours and can cost up to $12,000 per trainee. These factors have put high-quality Six Sigma training out of reach for…
A conference focusing on the use of lean and Six Sigma in defense applications will be held May 8–10 in Washington, D.C. The Lean and Six Sigma for Defense conference will feature case studies that demonstrate how the methodologies have been used for defense purposes, along with experts to…
Cummins, one of the nation’s largest manufacturers of engines, will host its annual Six Sigma Project Expo in May. The event will showcase 43 winners of the company’s annual Chairman’s Quality Award on May 9 in Columbus, Indiana. It’s open to the public. The projects displayed will…
The winners of the prestigious Six Sigma Excellence Awards were announced recently at the seventh annual Six Sigma Summit in Miami. Rudy Giuliani, former mayor of New York, was the conference’s keynote speaker, and conference organizer IQPC reported a significant increase in the number of…
The Conference Board’s 2006 Six Sigma Leadership Conference—Business Innovation Initiatives for Building Successful Results Through Six Sigma will be held March 28–29 at the Wyndam in Chicago. It’s being presented in collaboration with the Premier Performance Network. James A. Firestone, Xerox…
The National Committee for Quality Assurance has released a draft standard of its 2007 accreditation requirements for public comment. The draft includes increased requirements for managed care organizations and preferred-provider organizations seeking accreditation. They’ll be required…