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The MIT Forum for Supply Chain Innovation has released a report, “U.S Reshoring: A Turning Point,” based on the results of its 2012 U.S. reshoring survey.
In total, 340 participants completed the survey, of which 198 were manufacturing-only companies. Out of those 198 companies, 156 were U.S.…
Recently I had a conversation with a friend who was upset about some directional shifts and a looming job shuffle within his company. As I listened to the lament, I recognized that the changes he described focused on the symptoms of the issue. All of his reactions and proposed courses of action…
In an unforgiving and increasingly competitive marketplace, manufacturers struggle to squeeze 5 percent to 7 percent from operational cost reductions. Those who fail often don’t survive, and more than 1,000 North American plants closed last year because continued improvement to the bottom line…
(GTRI: Atlanta, GA) -- A research team at the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI) is developing an airborne testing capability for sensors, communications devices, and other airborne payloads. This aerial test bed, called the GTRI Airborne Unmanned Sensor System (GAUSS), is based on an unmanned…
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are the lifeblood of a country’s economy. They generate jobs that are sorely needed worldwide. Gallup’s World Poll estimates that of 3 billion adults globally who report they want a good job—one that is 30+ hours per week and provides a consistent…
A sophisticated X-ray technology is paving the way to uncover the secrets of a 380-year-old masterpiece by Rembrandt van Rijn, Old Man in Military Costume. Painted by the Dutch artist during 1630–1631, previous investigations spotted another portrait, an underpainting, that was only faintly…
When your process outcomes are not what you expect them to be it is common to adjust the process. This is not always appropriate. To understand when adjustments are appropriate, and when they are inappropriate, we will need to learn how to distinguish between the noise contained within the data…
A considerable number of executives today still struggle to make quality a top priority. Based on a survey of more than 300 executives, barely 50 percent of companies in large and mature industries currently make quality a top priority. In fact, for some industries such as food and…
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is soliciting proposals to support significant research in the field of fundamental measurement or the determination of fundamental constants.
Although the fundamental constants such as the speed of light or electron mass are just that—…
Many organizations have implemented targeted quality management functionalities to address immediate issues. It’s common for these functionalities to be homegrown or bought as off-the-shelf software solutions. As a consequence, however, organizations are now facing the challenge of ensuring that…
On Jan. 4, 2013, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) took the first step in its history to regulate produce farmers. The agency issued a 547-page proposed rule that spends a lot of time reducing everything humanity has learned about plants since agriculture emerged in the Fertile Crescent 10,…
(NMI: Brighton, MI) -- Nikon Metrology Inc. (NMI) announces a software breakthrough with Metrologic Group that provides a complete set of new functionalities and applications for Laser Radar and other NMI products.
Metrologic has combined large-scale capabilities into its popular Metrolog software…
This flu season has been worse than normal. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data show that the flu has struck early and hard. Influenza cases shot up during December rather than the more usual January or February, and 47 states report widespread influenza cases.
I get a flu…
Have you heard the expression “flavor of the month” or the saying “the more things change, the more they stay the same?” I often hear employees use these expressions when faced with a large change initiative. Most executives are aware of these terms, too, although I’m not completely certain they…
“Dad, I'll need a car soon,” came from the lips of my 15-year-old son. A straight-A student, on his way to attaining Eagle Scout rank, and dedicated to the cross-country team, he deserved a hearing. He had been working around the neighborhood doing yard work but had his eyes on the bigger target…
It is a basic principle that muda (waste) often hides in plain view, and it persists because people become used to living with it or working around it. Bricklaying, one of the world’s oldest trades, is a classic example.
Frank Gilbreth, a pioneer of motion study, developed a nonstooping scaffold…
Duke University engineers have developed a novel “sensor” that is more efficient, versatile, and cheaper for potential use in such applications as security scanners and collision avoidance systems for aircraft, automobiles, or maritime vessels.
The researchers fabricated a unique material known…
Some of you will surely think the subject of this column is inconsistent with Quality Digest Daily’s line of interest. But, please, first allow me to remind you that sleep is hardly second to food, as far as human health is concerned. Without the proverbial “good night’s sleep,” we function badly…
(Neometrix) -- STL models are becoming more popular in the world of manufacturing and they come from a variety of sources. Whether they come from scans, CMM, or CAD, STL files can cause headaches to a machinist receiving them. SpaceClaim is a smart 3D software that can make dealing with STL files…
A nanoscale coating that’s at least 95-percent air repels the broadest range of liquids of any material in its class, causing them to bounce off the treated surface, according to the University of Michigan (UM) engineering researchers who developed it.
In addition to super stain-resistant clothes…
During the past few months, sports fans around the world have watched the downfall of Lance Armstrong, the most celebrated cyclist of all time. His televised confession interview with Oprah Winfrey—where he admitted to doping, using blood transfusions, and more—riveted the public. But what…
In industrial manufacturing, using measuring instruments to ensure repeatability, reproducibility, and accuracy is imperative to the production process and to the quality and consistency of finished pieces. Repeatability and reproducibility are tracked and maintained through the ongoing…
In May 2012 the United States Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) released the report, “Inquiry into Counterfeit Electronic Parts in the Department of Defense Supply Chain.” As noted in the first and second pages of the report’s executive summary, the committee’s investigation during 2009–2010…
IBM recently awarded a Smarter Cities Challenge Grant to the city of Tucson, Arizona, and Tucson Water, which will work on technology with the University of Arizona’s (UA) College of Engineering to improve water reliability. Tucson was selected for its proposal to merge two technology improvements…
For centuries inventors have dreamed of a perpetual motion machine, one that will run unattended forever. It doesn’t exist. Leaders have dreamed of a perpetual motion company, too, one that will run without ever needing attention. If there is a common failing in novice leaders, it’s believing the…
