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The meeting had been going so well until Josh brought up the org chart—again. The firm had made some changes recently, and he didn’t like the new structure. The room went still. Kate, the most senior leader in the room, spoke up. “Josh, let’s finish our planning and we can talk about structure…
The phrase, “Are we there yet?” has long been associated with boring summer road trips. However, a new study shatters that myth, as it shows that 69 percent of people say traveling to their destination is often as fun as the actual vacation destination. The Summer Drive Study by the NACS, a trade…
I have written about sample size calculations many times before. One of the most common questions a statistician is asked is, “How many samples do I need—is a sample size of 30 appropriate?” The appropriate answer to such a question is always, “It depends!”
In today’s column, I have attached a…
On June 12, 2018, the American Medical Association announced that drug shortages pose an urgent public health crisis. This crisis should be of concern to all Americans.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) defines a drug shortage as a “period of time when the demand or projected demand for a…
Project managers—and all professionals, really—pursue credentials in their field for a variety of reasons: to advance their knowledge and skills, to build their reputation, to earn a promotion, or to get a pay raise. All of these are perfectly valid reasons for seeking a credential. Project…
(Visual Workplace: Byron Center, MI) -- Visual Workplace Inc. has introduced “Floor-Mark High Performance” floor marking tape. Marking floors is an easy and efficient way to direct behavior, promote safety, and reinforce workplace standards, but industrial work environments create challenges for…
I recently got hold of the set of data shown in figure 1. What can be done to analyze and make sense of these 65 data values is the theme of this article. Read on to see what is exceptional about these data, not only statistically speaking.
Figure 1: Example data set.
A good start?
While…
David Petraeus is arguably the best known U.S. general of the post-Vietnam era. He gained fame after leading the surge in Iraq, a controversial buildup of U.S. forces that was credited with a sharp reduction of violence during the U.S. occupation. After retiring from the Army, he headed the CIA…
Schools are always trying to get their kids interested in pursuing careers in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). But that’s hard to do when the students don’t have a solid idea of what having a STEM-related job really means.
“I don’t think there’s a good connection between the…
It’s now officially summertime here in northern California, which means we can expect temps in the 100s for the next few months. Fortunately, we also look forward to the cooling calm of quality to carry us through to fall. Here are some of the chill stories we brought you on the June 22 episode of…
The medical marijuana industry is being heralded as the new frontier in the life sciences, thanks to the potential of cannabis-derived products in treating ailments that range from chemotherapy-induced nausea to epilepsy and neuropathic pain. If you’re a startup in the industry, what does this mean…
Manufacturing is an eternally forward-looking sector. From the First Industrial Revolution about 250 years ago right up until the remarkable advances in connectivity and information analysis that form the heart of Industry 4.0, scientists, engineers, managers, marketers, and quality professionals…
If you have a smart phone, and most people do these days, you realize just how much our lives are controlled by that electronic item we travel everywhere with. There are apps on our phones that allow us to find our car, find our keys, find our friends, or my favorite, find my phone. That is all…
(Marposs: Auburn Hills, MI) -- At IMTS 2018, Sept. 10–15, 2018, in Chicago, in the McCormick Center’s East Building, booth E-5516, Marposs will be demonstrating guided sequence gauging using augmented reality (AR). Visitors to this area of the booth will be provided with AR glasses that guide them…
This story was originally published by Knowable Magazine. Part one looked at the innovative possibilities inherent in 3D printing; here we consider some of its shortcomings and the solutions that companies are finding.
A few years into this century, the industry reached a tipping point, as sales of…
This story was originally published by Knowable Magazine. Part one looked at the innovative possibilities inherent in 3D printing; here we consider some of its shortcomings and the solutions that companies are finding.
A few years into this century, the industry reached a tipping point, as sales of…
Hiring a chief marketing officer (CMO) can be one of the most important decisions you make as a CEO. The right CMO can build a world-class marketing team that will not only help you acquire more customers, but also strongly enhance the perception and brand value of your company.
However, despite…
The Atlantic hurricane season is now upon us, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has just released its 2018 seasonal hurricane outlook which calls for a slightly above average season. The potential range of activity indicates that we could expect 10 to 16 named storms,…
(Sunnen: St. Louis, MO) -- Sonny Leonard and the team from Sonny’s World Class Racing Engines in Lynchburg, Virginia, have volunteered to build a high-performance engine for the Sunnen Engine Charity Sweepstakes at the Performance Racing Industry (PRI) Trade Show in December 2018. This will be the…
This story was originally published by Knowable Magazine.
Since May 2015, in a section of its WorldPort distribution center in Louisville, Kentucky, United Parcel Service (UPS) has been operating a spare parts warehouse with no spare parts. Instead, the facility is stocked with ultrafast 3D…
This story was originally published by Knowable Magazine.
Since May 2015, in a section of its WorldPort distribution center in Louisville, Kentucky, United Parcel Service (UPS) has been operating a spare parts warehouse with no spare parts. Instead, the facility is stocked with ultrafast 3D…
I would like to share with you a tale from the real world. It’s an extract from the book Michael McLean and I wrote, Manufacturing Money (Amazon Digital Services LLC, 2015). It offers an example of the “Five Focusing Steps” to improvement, especially “Step 1: Identify the constraint,” and “Step 2:…
Many consider 2017 the “worst year ever” for data breaches and cyber attacks, largely due to the rise in ransomware, and IT experts predict it’s only going to get worse. According to the Online Trust Alliance (OTA), a nonprofit that works to develop tools and best practices that enhance internet…
Henry Ford is credited with the cheeky quote, “If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said, ‘A faster horse.’” But, people didn’t get a faster horse (which may indeed have been what they wanted). What we did get was a machine that literally—and irrevocably—changed the entire world…
In April, Ford announced that it will be phasing out nearly all of its passenger cars in the United States. If all goes according to plan, 90 percent of Ford’s portfolio in North America will be trucks, SUVs, and commercial vehicles. Its F-150—the most popular vehicle in America—is now poised to…
