The best analysis is the simplest analysis that provides the needed insight. Of course this requires enough knowledge to strike a balance between the needed simplicity and unnecessary complexity. In parts one and two of this series we looked at the properties of Weibull and gamma probability…

Sponsored Content I can tell you all about the California coast, its cultural and economic dynamics, my favorite hideaway beaches and eateries, and I can attest to the wisdom of never turning your back to the surf. I know these things because I've lived in The Golden State most of my life, but I'…

Customer satisfaction with personal computers is down for a third straight year, according to new data from the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI). The ACSI Household Appliance and Electronics Report 2015 includes desktops, laptops, and tablet computers, as well as household appliances,…

So much has been written about the Industrial Internet of Things (IoT) that separating the wheat from the chaff is becoming an ever more gargantuan task. The problem is complicated by the fact that the IoT in consumer markets is hyped beyond comprehension. Although the potential benefits are real…

(Exact Metrology: Brookfield, WI) -- On Sept. 16, 2015, for approximately three hours, Exact Metrology technicians performed a 3D scan of the huge South Lion that guards the entrance to the world-famous Chicago Art Institute. The subsequent STL file is being used by Chicago-based Met-L-Flo to…

Visual management is increasingly common in offices implementing lean. Yet even though signs, large LCD displays, whiteboards, and charts dominate the wall space, these tools often become part of the wallpaper. After just a few months, many offices revert back to meetings and management to provide…

It seemed like a good idea at the time and an incredibly generous act on the part of the company. When Gravity Payments founder and CEO Dan Price announced that he would raise everyone’s minimum wage to $50,000 a year with $10,000 a year increases until everyone’s minimum was at $70K in 2017, it…

(5ME: Cincinnati, OH) -- 5ME’s new dashboards feature allows users to create a one-screen view of machine tool performance data pertinent to their job functions. The program builds on the data-capturing capability of the company’s Freedom eLOG software suite and combines multiple graphics, called…

(NIST: Gaithersburg, MD) -- For the first time in its history, the Baldrige Foundation has been accepted in the Combined Federal Campaign (CFC). The CFC is the official workplace-giving campaign of the federal government. The mission of the CFC is to promote and support philanthropy through a…

Embracing sustainable and green principles is not just a trend. Cultivating such practices helps organizations become more efficient, competitive, and profitable. It’s more than simply a good thing to do. Manufacturers are realizing the many short- and long-term financial benefits from…

I have had friends and relatives who worried all the time. About all sorts of things. Most of which never came to pass. The problem for me was that all the exposure to their negative thinking was contagious. And, then I’d find myself worrying about things, too. On occasion, I’ve had some serious…

Whatever industry you’re in, you’re going to need to buy supplies. If you’re a printer, you’ll need to purchase inks, various types of printing equipment, and paper. If you’re in manufacturing, you’ll need to obtain parts that you don’t make yourself. But how do you know you’re making the right…

Three months ago I sat in a meeting with seven talented executives whom I’ve worked with on and off for five years. For the past two, there have been major undercurrents of friction between them during executive meetings. After attending a few of these, I noticed people were on their best “fake…

(CMS: Weatherford, TX) -- The Executive Board of the Coordinate Metrology Society (CMS), the eminent membership association for measurement professionals, has changed the name of its Coordinate Metrology Systems Conference (CMSC). The new name of the event is the Coordinate Metrology Society…

(U.S. Dept. of Commerce: Washington, D.C.) -- During the recent White House Apprenticeship Summit, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker announced the first-ever effort to document the return on investment for U.S. employers using registered apprenticeships. The Joyce Foundation, JPMorgan…

Established in 1982, the Automotive Industry Action Group (AIAG) is a nonprofit association with a diverse group of stakeholders—including retailers, suppliers of all sizes, automakers, manufacturers, service providers, academia, and the government—working collaboratively to streamline industry…

Double-digit productivity improvements resulting from workflow redesigns and new-capital equipment investments always get a lot of attention. But over time the returns from many smaller, more methodical changes and investments can rival more highly visible projects. Total productivity maintenance…

Last year’s Gallup poll of worker satisfaction revealed that almost 90 percent of workers were either “not engaged” with or “actively disengaged” from the work at their jobs—a shocking revelation that has apparently been repeated in many polls. Barry Schwarz, a professor of psychology at…

Think about the things that you’re doing to transform your organization and your customer experience. Are you doing busywork, or are you doing real work? Today’s article is inspired by this quote from Thomas Edison: “Being busy does not always mean real work. The object of all work is production…

The path to medical device commercialization requires FDA approval, which most often means filing a premarketing notification, also known as a 510(k). The FDA has specific criteria for accepting a 510(k), and it just released its new acceptance policy. This new standard, which will be effective…

My client, a leader in innovative rail-friction management, was recently preparing for an integrated ISO 14001/OHSAS 18001 audit, and I was asked to provide on-site training to help prepare their employees. The company and its staff are well-versed in audits, having been registered under ISO 9001…

(FDA: Silver Spring, MD) -- openFDA is releasing information on medical devices that could spur innovation and advance scientific research. openFDA’s application program interface expands on the previous openFDA resources concerning medical device-related adverse events and recalls by…

I mean it! If your company can’t master 5S, try “1S” and stop! Stop the entire lean transformation until 5S is mastered in at least one process-focused area of the facility. It’s a tremendous waste for a company to spend thousands, if not millions, of dollars on a “lean transformation” only to…

On the morning of Thursday, Aug. 13, 2015, I woke to find dozens of posts from netizens clamoring about events that had occurred late the night before. There had been two massive explosions reported from a warehouse in Tianjin, a prominent port city in northern China. Shockwaves were felt several…

Sponsored Content We’ve all heard it before: Change is the only constant. This isn’t just cliché but a truth that all companies will come to recognize. Change is the driving force behind improvement. And all of the changes that take place within an organization, whether to products, processes, or…