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In the last InsideSixSigma issue, we published a brain teaser by Steve Wise, who proposed a scenario and asked you to pick a chart that best described the situation in a manufacturing operation. Here, Wise gives the correct response and comments on the wrong ones. Correct response The…
According to recent research, lean and Six Sigma are destined for eternal togetherness. The Avery Point Group, a national executive search firm that specializes in lean and Six Sigma, conducted a survey in which the desire for Six Sigma skills outpaced that for lean skills by a wide…
Conversation at a business luncheon tends to be focused on work. The meal and service are secondary concerns. Still, clumsy service or a poorly prepared meal can ruin a productive business meeting, and a delightful meal and impeccable service can make such an experience enjoyable. Recently, I had a…
CogniTens Ltd. recently won the Technology Innovation of the Year award from market and technology research organization Frost & Sullivan. The award recognized CogniTens’ contributions to the dimensional metrology market, specifically for its CoreView and OptiPlan software products, as…
The Juran Institute was recently approved as a vendor for the state of Connecticut’s Aerospace and Defense Initiative. The initiative supports Connecticut’s Next Generation Competitiveness Strategy, and assists the state’s defense and aerospace industry in achieving improved…
A recently released book explores four characteristics of highly successful businesses and finds that a major feature of quality and process improvement is the synergy between them. Hoshin Kanri for the Lean Enterprise—Developing Competitive Capabilities and Managing Profit, (…
GOAL/QPC, a publisher of quality training guides, recently merged with The Center for Quality of Management, a quality-improvement consultancy. GOAL/QPC publishes the Memory Jogger series of pocket-sized training materials. CQM is best known for its education and advisory programs for…
Richard Childress Racing, a nine-time NASCAR champion, has partnered with metrology company Metris USA. Metris will provide RCR with high-technology contact and optical metrology equipment to boost the performance of its engines. “Racing has always been about pushing the limits of…
Kloehn Co. recently selected Infor’s Enterprise Reporting Program (ERP) Visual Enterprise and Visual Quality to help improve the efficiency of its manufacturing processes. Kloehn, a custom designer of fluidic components and assemblies for biomedical manufacturers, reports that its rapid…
A newly developed family of biodegradable polymers has shown potential for use in intracellular delivery and sustained release of therapeutic drugs to the acidic environments of tumors, inflammatory tissues and intracellular vesicles that hold foreign matter. These polymers have several…
An upcoming seminar will introduce basic statistical concepts fundamental to clinical research for professionals who don’t have a lot of statistical experience. “Clinical Statistics for Nonstatisticians” will be held Oct. 16–17 at the Renaissance Prague Hotel in Prague, Czech Republic;…
Kevin Sharer recently became the chairman of the board of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America. Sharer is chairman and CEO of Amgen Inc. He replaces Peter R. Dolan as PhRMA chairman, who recently resigned from the position. Sharer will be responsible for leading and…
National Quality Assurance USA Inc. recently received accreditation to ISO 13485 from ANSI-ASQ National Accreditation Board (ANAB). ISO 13485 relates to requirements for the production of medical devices and related services. It’s based on the more generalized quality management…
Lower premiums, lower out-of-pocket costs and a wider selection of prescription drugs were key features of plans chosen by most Medicare beneficiaries who enrolled in Medicare’s new prescription drug plan in 2006, according to a study released by the Pharmaceutical Research and…
Are you looking to improve the quality of classroom learning?A recently published book demonstrates that quality and continuous improvement systems have a rightful place in K-12 classrooms. Boot Camp for Leaders in K-12 Education: Continuous Improvement (ASQ Quality Press, 2006), by Lee…
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…
Editor’s note: The Bhagavad Gita is a guide for millions of people around the world, particularly in India. Quality Digest is interested in anything that can affect quality in business, and Bhattathiri’s use of the Bhagavad Gita is unique in our experience. See what he has to say and tell us what…
The synergies of lean and quality in improving any type of an organization’s processes and products are the focus of an upcoming conference. Quality Drives Lean, to be held Oct. 30 and 31 at the Crowne Plaza Ravinia Hotel in Atlanta, is designed to demonstrate to attendees how to match…
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…
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…
This month let’s examine another common mistake that some people (not my loyal, intelligent, heretical and, let’s face it, downright attractive readers) make when they use Six Sigma. I expect to seriously annoy some practitioners when I say that Six Sigma isn’t a method of continuous…
In a certain operation, a part is subject to a high-temperature curing cycle. The ideal curing scan is illustrated in the chart below. The oven chamber begins at room temperature, ramps up to a conditioning temperature of about 80 degrees, dwells for four minutes, ramps up again to the curing…