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If you are a proficient Six Sigma Master Black Belt or Black Belt, you are almost guaranteed lifetime employment. Most enterprises continue to create new quality problems that somebody will need to fix. Or as Joseph M. Juran characterized it, almost every product development process is a hatchery…
What exactly is “culture?” As Jim Clemmer puts it, “Culture is ‘the way we do things around here’… especially when the boss isn’t looking.”
As I asked in my January 2013 column: Do cultures’ (unwritten) expectations unwittingly create the leaders they have? Are various guises of “traditional…
(Leica: Norcross, GA) -- The new Leica DISTO E7500i laser distance meter stands for easy and effortless outdoor distance measurement. The unique combination of digital Pointfinder and 360° tilt sensor allows measurements that are not possible with conventional distance meters. In addition, with…
Turns out that some paranoid people have a reason to, well, be paranoid. Researchers from the London Business School issued a report last year finding that many people at work who thought they were being talked about were probably right.
Maybe some in the medical device industry can be forgiven…
Delta Sigma Co. (DSC) specializes in developing systems, software, and tools to automate large, complex assembly tasks and manufacturing processes. The company is involved in the design, development, production, and deployment of systems used for the research and development, production, quality…
Seven Quality Tools of an Improvement Ninja, Part 1 The cause and effect diagram
Seven Quality Tools of an Improvement Ninja, Part 2 The check sheet
Seven Quality Tools of an Improvement Ninja, Part 3 The control chart
(CMSC: San Diego CA) -- The Coordinate Metrology Society (CMS), the eminent membership association for measurement professionals, is hosting the 29th annual Coordinate Metrology Systems Conference (CMSC) on July 22–26, 2013 at the Sheraton San Diego Hotel and Marina.
This event caters to users of…
(Lean Math: Hartford, CT) -- We would like to announce a new entrant into the lean blogosphere, it’s called Lean Math (leanmath.com).
We know what you’re thinking: “Lean Math?!” Now, that’s a subject that evokes passion in the heart of every lean practitioner… right?
But, the truth is effective…
I was reminded this week how problematic the conceptual blind spots in our management systems can be. An otherwise insightful and passionate-to-improve organization that I was visiting was caught in a vicious production cycle that I’ll refer to ineloquently as “piling on.”
That is, each…
Being that this is Valentine’s Day, I can think of no better time and place to express my undying love—for the technical presentations that are offered each year at the Coordinate Metrology Systems Conference.
CMSC 2013, which is being held at the Sheraton San Diego Hotel and Marina July 22–26,…
When customer experience is your product, how do you deliver the highest quality and differentiate your business? That was the question facing Robin Gomez, the director of consumer insights at GSI Commerce, as he and his team embarked on a mission to deliver far greater value to their clients.…
The day I wrote this column, Jan. 21, 2013, the second presidential inauguration of Barack Obama took place. A presidential inauguration is a celebration of America and what it stands for. In the news coverage, someone quoted American author Alex Haley as saying, “Find the good and praise it.” It…
(BYK-Gardner: Columbia, MD) -- BYK-Gardner, worldwide partner of the automotive, paint, and plastic industries for quality control of color, appearance, and physical properties, is offering two free posters for technical use: the Color Theory poster and the Viscosity Conversion Chart.
The Color…
(IAC: Brea, CA) -- IAC Industries, best known for its Dimension 4 Series premium workstations and Workmaster industrial workbenches, introduces Smart Mobile Stations. Smart Mobile Stations are mobile utility carts that enable users to take computers, printers, scanners, files, tools, and other…
In 2013, machine shops are focused more than ever on finding ways to improve their business. From implementing new processes and adapting to new materials to major investments in new equipment, manufacturers across the supply chain must drive improvements that translate to bottom-line results.…
If you haven't read part one of my Improvement Ninja series, don't worry. Unlike The Godfather Part II, you don't need to see the preceding installment to make sense of this article. I continue my journey to enlighten newly initiated quality colleagues by discussing the check sheet, which is the…
To demonstrate that a typical spacecraft reflector is designed and manufactured according to specifications and caters to postulated performances, a detailed testing and verification campaign must be conducted. 3D metrology plays an important role in this process.
Conventional coordinate measuring…
Quality is a journey. This journey is about continuous improvement and, ultimately, transformation. As with any journey, you need to decide where you are going and how you are going to get there.
At Ford Motor Co., we have a clear destination for our quality journey: to be the best-in-class in…
Editor’s note: This is part one of a four-part series about the history of quality. For a description of the later years of the quality movement, see part two, part three, and part four.
Joseph Juran’s A History of Managing for Quality (ASQ Quality Press, 1995) traced the history of quality…
At a sporting event, cheerleaders are present for the single purpose of providing support for their team. The same applies to the manager in the workplace. Once plans and programs are in place, it becomes the manager’s responsibility to provide the support his employees need to achieve maximum…
(Mettler-Toledo: Oakland, CA) -- After nearly a year on the market, the Rainin E4 XLS family of flexible electronic pipettes from Mettler-Toledo continues to prove its worth by helping users master a wide range of life-science applications. The Rainin E4 XLS also helps manufacturers preserve…
(SAKOR: Okemos, MI) -- SAKOR Technologies, a recognized leader in the implementation of instrumentation products for dynamometer testing, announces the availability of its complete AccuDyne AC Dynamometer system for wind-power testing applications. The system can be used by multiple engineering…
A lmost 10 years ago, I started working in a regulated industry, one that follows current good manufacturing practices. I was attracted to its logical and straightforward manner right away. Coming from a background in molecular biology, it made perfect sense for me to build a quality system as a…
The percentage of companies reporting a profit from their sustainability efforts rose 23 percent last year, to 37 percent, according to the most recent global study by the MIT Sloan Management Review (MIT SMR) and the Boston Consulting Group (BCG). The study, “The Innovation Bottom Line,” was…
We’re all familiar with the Toyota Production System “house.” You know, the structure schematic with, among other things, the just-in-time and jidoka pillars. Well, sometimes I think it would be more appropriate to refer to the house, any lean house, as a house of pain.
What?! Not great for lean…
