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Healthcare reform has undoubtedly created more integrated delivery and payment models based on a culture of quality-focused and cost-efficient clinical management. In one example, many healthcare systems have begun implementing clinical co-management arrangements (“CCMAs”) to accomplish the…
(Zygo: Middlefield, CT) -- Zygo Corp. has introduce the Nomad portable optical profiler. The Nomad system employs advanced optical technology and advanced 3D noncontact metrology in a lightweight, compact, and portable package, enabling metrology on samples that were previously impossible or…
Job candidates are familiar with being tested during the interview process. True, some interview processes are simply a series of meetings with company personnel, but in all honesty, that type of candidate screening is largely subjective.
Some organizations, or departments within organizations,…
I read trade publications that cover everything from banking to biotech, looking for interesting perspectives on data analysis and statistics, especially where they pertain to quality improvement.
Recently I read a great blog post by Tony Taylor, an analytical chemist with a background in…
The business proposal is an essential document not only for sales people but also for anyone who wants to submit a serious proposition for internal or external approval.
The process starts with a thorough understanding of the stakeholder’s needs, problems, and priorities. If a request for…
Recently we were drawn to a new book titled Do What You Love: And Other Lies About Success and Happiness (Regan Arts, 2015) in which the author, art historian Miya Tokumitsu, iterates the ways in which the widespread message to “do what you love” (DWYL) actually exploits those it is meant to…
(Eckel: Cambridge, MA) -- Microsoft now holds the Guinness World Record for Quietest Place on Earth, and Eckel Noise Control Technologies helped the tech giant get there.
Microsoft is known as a leader in computer and electronics research and development, and continually invests in upholding that…
Finally... the new version of ISO 9001:2015 has been released. I can hear many of you screaming, “Hurray!” Or not. More realistically, I’m sure many of you living in the kaizen world are thinking, “Yeah, so what? This stuff has nothing to do with real kaizen, and in fact, it often creates…
I noticed the shift in vocabulary during a general meeting of department heads. The substitution of just two words signaled to me that a long-term employee was on her way out. In less than 30 days, she was gone.
There are often lots of signs that an employee or associate is leaving. Most people…
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Ihave watched my grandmother cook since I was very young, and she’s tried to teach me her ways. So far I’ve learned that when she tells you all you need is “a little of this, a little of that, and a pinch of this,” it’s definitely not going to come out as if she made it. That’s…
Born in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, and raised in Cape Town, South Africa, Wayne Visser, Ph.D. is, as CSRWire USA says, “. . . one of the most prolific, creative, and original thought leaders on corporate social responsibility.” That begs a question, however—should we use the term “social” or “sustainable…
In the early years of running my advertising business, I had my own clients, but I also freelanced for advertising agencies. This was before email, so I delivered my work in person. During those visits I ran into agency copywriters whom I knew, and usually one of them would say, “I wish I could be…
(IBM: Armonk, NY) -- IBM has launched the industry’s first consulting organization dedicated to helping clients realize the transformative value of cognitive business.
IBM Cognitive Business Solutions extends the exclusive cognitive leadership of IBM Watson and the company’s established market…
I came across a couple of interesting articles related to the Airbus plant that recently opened in Mobile, Alabama. The first, by Justin Fox, is found in BloombergView, and the second was written by Jon Talton from The Seattle Times. Both pieces sought to explain why Airbus would build an assembly…
The outward focus of an organization comes from defining the context, mission, vision, policies, and interested-party expectations. A company’s goals and objectives provide the lens through which this outward focus can be seen (figure 1).
Setting the strategic direction
An organization uses its…
Big news in the business world: Walmart is famous for keeping costs down, including employee-related costs. In Joplin, Missouri, the company is testing a new approach: investing in workers through higher wages and training, on the theory that this will pay off all around—for customers, the company…
During the early days, late 1970s to late 1980s, there existed just a few small organizations to help people learn about and implement Toyota’s production system (TPS). They were led by people with decades of hand-on practice at Toyota and its affiliated companies. Some organizations, however,…
As a sort of character-building exercise, I recently opened an unsolicited email from my health insurance provider. I was intent on doing a quick purge of sham, spam, and flimflam, and I figured this one would be no different. But I also know I’m biased against health insurers, so I decided to set…
Learning to effectively use and troubleshoot geometric dimensioning and tolerancing (GD&T) analysis can be a saving grace when you’re faced with the question, “Why did my check fail?”
This article will explain the fundamental principles of GD&T evaluation and provide practices to…
(SME: Dearborn, MI) -- Author and manufacturing improvement expert Gary Conner has been recognized with the Shingo Research and Professional Publication Award for his book, Lean Epiphanies: Catapult the Cow and Other Inspirational Continuous Improvement Stories (Society of Manufacturing Engineers…
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‘My small business has landed a few very lucrative contracts and we’re growing. Honestly, we’re now struggling with quality control. We have management systems in place, and that’s helping, but we’re still having issues. I don’t know where to begin to get a handle on this.” —…
Keeping every healthcare employee focused on continuous improvement, every day, is a huge challenge. It’s natural for people to lose sight of long-term goals and objectives due to the pressures of daily responsibilities. One powerful tool executives can use to keep continuous improvement at the…
(Mencom Corp: Oakwood, GA) -- Automation is a key part of almost all manufacturing today. Why? The many benefits include reduced costs, increased productivity, improved quality, and greater efficiency.
Reduced costs. What once took one or more people to do can now be accomplished with one robot,…
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The CMM, or coordinate measuring machine, has long been the standard for dimensional inspection of complex parts across a variety of industries. But has the CMM outlived its usefulness? Is this technology now obsolete in the face of new technologies such as 3D scanning?
The …
(Frost & Sullivan: San Antonio, TX) -- Various industries, including food and beverage, environmental, biopharmaceuticals, clinical research and diagnostics have been driving the global laboratory analytical instrumentation market. The food industry has been a particularly prominent end user…
