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The conditions that led to a shortage of baby formula were set in motion long before the February 2022 closure of the Similac factory tipped the U.S. into a crisis.
Retailers nationwide reported supplies of baby formula were out of stock at a rate of 43 percent during the week ended May 8, 2022,…
After wading through airport security and a turbulent trans-Atlantic flight, the last thing I wanted was more friction arriving back in the USA. However, I was looking forward to using Global Entry, a voluntary Department of Homeland Security program that, after a thorough background check, allows…
In an open letter, Bob Fangmeyer, director of the Baldrige Performance Excellence Program, wrote that the Baldridge Award process would be suspended this year. The reasons and future plans are outlined in the letter shown below.
Dear Friend of Baldrige,
I am writing today to provide an important…
The pandemic had many consequences for manufacturing companies, the most prevalent being supply chain disruption. In light of these disruptions, it is paramount that organizations establish robust and reliable operations to ensure productivity targets are met—especially as consumer demands continue…
The pandemic had many consequences for manufacturing companies, the most prevalent being supply chain disruption. In light of these disruptions, it is paramount that organizations establish robust and reliable operations to ensure productivity targets are met—especially as consumer demands continue…
Gemba walks are an essential tool to understand the challenges of your manufacturing frontline. Each manufacturing facility is unique. The best way to solve your unique operational challenges is to perform a gemba walk focused on specific goals.
This article will outline the fundamentals of a…
This morning my favorite local morning news program had an interesting segment on new slang words and what they mean. While the definitions were probably not necessary for millennials or generation Z, but for baby boomers like me, it was an eye-opening vocabulary lesson. I must admit I didn’t know…
(Hexnode: San Francisco) -- Hexnode, an award-winning unified endpoint management solution, has announced a partnership with Keeper Security, a leading provider of zero-trust and zero-knowledge cybersecurity software, to assist businesses in bolstering their password management approach.
Phishing…
(ISO: Geneva) -- Digital technologies such as artificial intelligence, big data, and machine learning are increasingly important to the manufacturing industry. Just imagine the implications on metrology—the science of measurement.
“Metrology in the Digital Era” is the theme of this year’s World…
(Digital Metrology Solutions: Columbus, IN) -- Digital Metrology Solutions, a provider of measurement software, consulting, and training, has announced its new web-based Surface Library, a collection of sample surface texture datasets to help users explore, understand, and explain surface texture…
Imagine that your medical device malfunctioned during patient use. Do you know whether quality assurance or quality control is responsible? When working through remediation efforts, do you know which quality function demands the attention, or should you make improvements to both?
More often than…
We live in an upside-down world where the old rules no longer apply. Many call it a VUCA world—volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous. Mass consumerism is being challenged by a new consumption paradigm as people are driven by new essentialism where things matter less and relationships,…
(Marposs: Bentivoglio, Italy and Auburn Hills, Michigan) -- Marposs, a world leader in measurement, inspection and test technologies, has announced the acquisition of Jenoptik’s (Jena, Germany) non-optical process measuring technology business for grinding machines, formerly known as Movomatic.…
(Singularity Hub: Santa Clara, CA) -- Last week, a few miles off the northern coast of Scotland, a cylinder the size of a shipping container was carefully lowered to the bottom of the ocean floor. Sounds like a clever (if complex) way to bury evidence, or treasure, or something similarly mysterious…
(Ampacet: Tarrytown, NY) -- Ampacet LIAD introduces Spectro 4.0 Smart Technologies™, a lineup of innovative continuous in-line QC solutions for color management. The first of two products in the lineup is Spectro 4.0 Smart™, a color measurement system for extrusion and molding processes that helps…
Many different approaches to process improvement are on offer today. An appreciation of the way each approach works is crucial to selecting an approach that will be effective. Here we look at the problem of production and consider how the different improvement approaches deal with this problem.…
Creativity is among the most in-demand skills in the workplace.
It’s not surprising that top multinational companies are looking to hire inventive thinkers: Research shows that creativity can drive innovation and resilience in organizations.
Tech giant Google has grown by innovating the way we all…
(Emuge-Franken USA: West Boylston, MA) – Emuge-Franken USA, a leading manufacturer of high-performance taps, thread mills, end mills, drills, and other rotary tools, has announced it has expanded its line of Self-Lock thread locking tools to include Emuge High Ramp Precision Thread Gages designed…
(InfinityQS: Fairfax, VA) -- InfinityQS® International, Inc. (InfinityQS), the global authority on data-driven enterprise quality, announces the availability of Dedicated ProFicient™ on Demand (PoD), a private-cloud version of its powerful cloud-based quality management software. As a unique and…
In my work helping to build high-performing teams at a diverse range of organizations, I have found that there is nothing that bonds a team quite like being on an authentic transformational journey. It’s invigorating to experience a continuous improvement journey with others on the same team, and…
In a recent column, I wrote about the power of suggestion. I stated, “When our subconscious mind is exposed to a constantly repeated message, it’s going to penetrate unless we are cognizant of it.” Becoming conscious of indoctrinating media messages is important, but recognizing your own internal…
A vulnerable spot in global commerce is the supply chain: It enables technology developers and vendors to create and deliver innovative products but can leave businesses, their finished wares, and ultimately their consumers open to cyberattacks. A new update to the National Institute of Standards…
(Exact Metrology: Cincinnati) -- Exact Metrology, a division of In-Place Machining Co. and a comprehensive 3D metrology service provider and hardware sales company, attended this year’s CastExpo with a host of innovative solutions from Hexagon and Artec.
The event was held at the Greater Columbus…
(AMT: Orion, MI) -- Applied Manufacturing Technologies (AMT), North America’s largest independent automation engineering company will exhibit robotic depalletizing using artificial intelligence (AI) at Automate 2022 and hosted by the Association for Advancing Automation (A3).
Automate 2022 show…
(SymphonyAI Industrial: Woburn, MA) -- SymphonyAI Industrial has launched an artificial intelligence (AI)-embedded MOM 360 manufacturing operations management with integrated manufacturing execution systems (MES) capabilities, enterprise-level governance, and AI-based process optimization. MOM 360…