All News
Let’s get rid of value stream maps. I can hear it now: “Why would you say such a thing? Value stream maps are great. We can’t see waste without them.”
Precisely.
Value stream maps have developed an outsized importance in relation to other types of basic information that one gathers when trying to…
We all know that just as every person is different, so too is every disease and every drug. And so we weren’t surprised by the results of a new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
The study found that the FDA used a range of clinical trial evidence when approving…
Large corporations, as a general rule, have significant budgets available for their quality departments. Therefore, the decision to implement a quality management system (QMS) is usually a sure one—it’s available, it’s effective, so it’s done. These corporations use QMS tools to properly reap the…
Every year, we hear scattered stories of inaccurate measures. Gas pumps, grocery scales, grocery scanners, incorrectly labeled products. Considering the many thousands of devices in the average inspector's jurisdiction, it's a testament to the tenacity of the weights and measures officials that we…
On June 23, 2013, Simon Feary, executive director of the Chartered Quality Institute, delivered the welcome speech at the International Register of Certificated Auditors’ (IRCA) 12th annual forum held in Japan. Feary made several bold statements, including, “Something isn’t working when auditors…
(Hexagon Metrology: North Kingstown, RI) -- Hexagon Metrology has released the m&h IRP40.50 infrared touch probe for the North American market. The IRP40.50 is ideal for inspection in tight spaces and was designed to address the needs of miniature machining centers. The m&h IRP40.50 is the…
I didn’t expect that our family trip to Florida would end with me driving a plane load of passengers nearly 200 miles to their homes, but it did.
Yes, it was a long and strange journey home. A journey that started in the tropical warmth of southern Florida and ended the next morning in central…
From the surface of the sun to the depths of the ocean floor, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), part of the U.S. Department of Commerce, works to keep citizens informed about the changing environment around them. Its vast network of radars, satellites, buoys, ships,…
During the early 2000s, Allan Goldman, M.D., a chief physician at the Great Ormond Street Hospital, a children’s hospital in London, observed that too many mistakes were being made when patients were transferred from surgery to ICU. It seemed that no one person was specifically in charge of a…
As we settle into a new year, it’s a good time to take stock of last year and look on the horizon at what’s ahead. I want to focus on what’s really important: U.S. manufacturing.
It’s shaping up to be an exciting year for U.S. manufacturers so far. We hit some great momentum in 2013, and we…
Editor’s note: Mike Micklewright will be a guest on Quality Digest Live, on Feb. 28, 2014, at 11 a.m. Pacific/2 p.m. Eastern. Micklewright will also present a webinar, “Sustaining Lean Improvements While Adding Spark to Your QMS,” on March 6, 2014, at 11 a.m. Pacific/2 p.m. Eastern.
Many years ago…
Engineers have used safety margins for centuries to protect their companies and customers from the consequences of product degradation and failure. Sometimes the safety margins are fairly obvious (e.g., maximum-load limits posted in elevators), and other times they’re not.
Design margins are…
(BI: Louisville, CO) -- Boulder Imaging (BI) has released a transformational surface detection product, the SCG series grind gauge. The fully automated SCG Series inspection System provides accurate, repeatable, and retrievable grind analyses.
A full analysis of pigment distribution and a final…
At Modus we now have a posted, dominant project at all times. We post it as a large sticky note on the wall. This is the banner saying, “If you pull something and have any choice whatsoever, pull it from this backlog.”
This giant kanban token conveys our current organizational focus and promotes…
Over the years, I’ve observed a number of efforts at various companies to implement A3 problem solving, an approach based on the plan-do-check-act (PDCA) cycle that summarizes the problem and solution on a folded form, usually 11 in. × 17 in. I worked for some of those companies; I’ve observed…
Analytics, business intelligence, and key performance indicators (KPIs) are common phrases we hear just about everywhere in the workplace. The top focus for chief information officers has been on business intelligence and analytics and will likely continue through 2017 according to Gartner Inc.…
This article estimates the uncertainty for measuring a tool tip using dual Leica T-Mac sensors set up on opposite sides of an NC machine head and measured with tracking interferometers at opposite ends of a machine bed. Performance testing compares the estimated and measured uncertainties and…
President Obama’s State of the Union address called for an increase in the federally mandated minimum wage from $7.25 to $10.10 an hour. $7.25 an hour, or even $10.10 an hour, is an appallingly low wage for anybody in a modern industrialized country, but we can’t get a higher minimum wage through…
(Breuckmann: Meersburg, Germany) -- The range of scanning products offered by Breuckmann now includes the precise stereoSCAN-R16. Three-dimensional metrology at the highest level can be accomplished using this two-camera system, which is usable in almost any situation, thanks to its excellent…
You shouldn’t need Barney the giant purple dinosaur to remind you of the playground mantra “sharing is caring,” but maybe the medical device industry needs to do some quick Netflix streaming of back episodes.
The Institute of Medicine (IOM), already working with more than a dozen drug makers, the…
In part one, we looked at the importance of understanding findings in order to make better decisions. To do this we and our decision-making leaders must become adept at data investigation and analysis so we can ask critical questions.
In part two I want to emphasize another truth that will prevent…
The Boy Scouts of America have a timeless motto: “Be prepared.” These are words to live by. In the wilderness, if an individual has a pocket knife, a length of string, and some matches, he can deal with most emergencies that may arise. In business, however, a Swiss Army knife is going to do little…
(Delcam: Birmingham, UK) -- Autodesk Inc., developer of 3-D design, engineering, and entertainment software, has completed the acquisition of Delcam, supplier of advanced computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) software.
Autodesk announced its intent to acquire Delcam on Nov. 7, 2013, for £20.75 per…
(Hexagon Metrology: North Kingstown, RI) -- Hexagon Metrology introduces the new TESA MH3D-DUAL coordinate measuring machine (CMM) in booth 702 at the Aerodef Manufacturing Expo, Feb. 25–27, 2014, in Long Beach, California.
The MH3D-DUAL CMM offers a unique-to-the-market combination of manual and…
Customer satisfaction improves for a third consecutive year for retail, according to a report released today by the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI). The retail sector overall gains 1.7 percent to an ACSI benchmark of 77.9, boosted by higher customer satisfaction with specialty retail…
