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The Canadian Parliament will provide nearly $1 million to train companies in the rural Northumberland region in quality improvement skills. The skills development support will be funded by the Eastern Ontario Development Fund, a $10 million initiative designed to support economic renewal in eastern…
Corporation Bank of India recently completed a Six Sigma project to make its business processes and operations more efficient. Wipro Infotech facilitated the project, which started in June 2004. Along with improving its internal processes, the project installed a culture of continual improvement at…
The U.S. Navy plans to expand training of its Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) sector in Six Sigma, kaizen, lean and theory of constraints. The training program will take place at Depot North Island, in California. NAVAIR has already trained 18 teams in more than two years and now plans to train…
IQS Inc. recently released a new JAVA-based supplier managed capability that gives suppliers direct access to the corrective action requests they have been assigned. The new capability is designed to enhance collaboration, communication and accuracy. It allows users to login to specified portions…
Metris USA recently opened its new Michigan Technology Center, the latest phase in the metrology company’s $2 million expansion. The new center houses two coordinate measuring machines and other items for customer demonstrations. The company plans to use the facility for training and education for…
The increased adoption of wireless technology in routine business operations has driven down costs and increased customer satisfaction, according to a new opinion poll of manufacturing companies.The phenomenon is being fueled by the availability of push-to-talk service, wireless local area networks…
A recently published survey shows that quality has a high profile in the Chinese population. The survey, conducted by the Shanghai Association for Quality and the Shanghai Academy of Quality Management, found that the Public Quality Awareness Index in China is 3.7, which means most people believe…
A new study shows that most health care providers support the idea of improving the quality of their services, but few have adopted initiatives to do it. The study, performed by health care quality organization URAC, sought to discover how medical management organizations have responded to a 2001…
More than 20,000 people are expected to attend the WESTEC 2005 exposition and conference, which will be held April 4–7 at the Los Angeles Convention Center. The event is one of the 200 largest trade shows in North America, attracting large numbers of domestic and international manufacturers…
Former U.S. Secretary of Commerce Donald Evans recently appointed four prominent industry leaders to the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award panel of judges.The new judges are Lloyd Barker, Alcoa Inc. director of corporate quality; David C. Branch, Branch-Smith Resources Ltd. chairman and CEO;…
Leica Geosystems, an advanced metrology supplier, recently received the prestigious Imaging Solution of the Year award from Advanced Imaging magazine. The award was in recognition of Leica’s innovative LR200 noncontact scanner, which was used by Leica, MAGLEV Inc. and MetricVision to produce a…
The American Society for Quality has teamed with two health care quality organizations to sponsor a conference examining the role of quality in health care. ASQ has joined with the American Hospital Association and the American Society for Healthcare Risk Management to develop the conference, which…
FeinFocus recently opened a new office in Shanghai to provide sales and technical support to the growing Asian market. The new office will operate as part of the newly expanded COMET China office, to offer a complete X-ray solution combining the conventional X-ray expertise of COMET with the…
SAI Global recently announced the acquisition of Ohio-based CRS Registrars Inc. for an undisclosed sum of money. SAI Global, which is based in Australia, reports that the transaction will add $5 million in revenue to its U.S. customer base. Additionally, the combination of CRS’s and SAI’s North…
Pharmaceutical companies are strengthening their quality assurance programs to comply with government regulations and customer expectations, according to a new survey published by Best Practices LLCThe research firm surveyed seven major pharmaceutical companies and found that they’re striving to:…
A survey conducted by Xerox Corp. found that 83 percent of manufacturing and engineering professionals say they spend too much time looking for information. The results underscore the importance of an effective document management strategy, the company reports. Nearly 90 percent of the respondents…
Imaging Sciences International Inc. recently announced its registration to ISO 9001 and ISO 13485.The developer and manufacturer of dental and maxillofacial radiography products, reports that the registration process is part of its expansion into the global marketplace, as it now is eligible to do…
Frost & Sullivan recently awarded Puritan Bennett, a provider of respiratory products, its 2004 Product Quality Leadership Award. The award was in recognition for Puritan Bennett’s innovative HELiOS Personal Oxygen System, which makes it possible for people requiring supplemental oxygen to “…
Mercury Interactive Corp. recently released a Chinese language version of its popular Quality Center software.The Chinese Mercury Quality Center is an integrated set of application delivery software, services and best practices that allow IT professionals to optimize the quality of business…
Online training company MoreSteam.com recently developed a Chinese language Yellow Belt course for its international customers. The new course uses a commonly used, simplified Chinese character set and features the company’s popular interactive features. Like all MoreSteam.com online training, the…
CVI Laser Inc., an Albuquerque-based designer, supplier and manufacturer of precision optics, recently received registration to ISO 9001 and now plans to further improve by implementing lean and Six Sigma principles. “We have been streamlining our manufacturing workflows, improved processes and…
Sigma Breakthrough Technologies Inc. recently formed a strategic partnership with Inogen Environmental Alliance to expand both companies’ Six Sigma knowledge and service globally. SBTI, which specializes in teaching companies to implement Six Sigma, will use the partnership to expand its client…
Information Resources Inc., a provider of enterprise market information, recently announced that its Six Sigma implementation has significantly improved the data quality it supplies to customers.Launched a year ago, the company’s Six Sigma program focused on improving the currency, completeness and…
The Strategic Research Institute is planning a summit designed for Six Sigma professionals in the financial services sector. The event will be held Feb. 24–25 at the New York Marriott East Side Hotel in New York City. The summit will be presented mostly in a round-table format, with discussions on…
The National Committee for Quality Assurance has announced that 39 health plans have committed to participate in NCQA’s Quality Plus program.Collectively, the plans cover 11.5 million Americans. Quality Plus standards focus on the depth, accuracy and interactivity of the information health plans…