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One of the greatest challenges that I have in discussing standards is trying to put things in a context so that all people affected by them can understand how they matter. So I want to start with a simple picture and a remarkable snapshot in time. It shows how small medical-device companies are…
Industry experts at Guidon Performance Solutions’ Second Annual Virtual Healthcare Summit agreed that health care organizations’ ability to survive their increasingly demanding and changing environment will require a new agility and adaptability. Consensus from the speakers signaled that most…
For 50 years, scientists searched for the secret to making tiny implantable devices that could travel through the bloodstream. Engineers at Stanford University have demonstrated just such a device. Powered without wires or batteries, it can propel itself though the bloodstream and is small enough…
The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) has announced major changes in how the nation’s medical residency programs will be accredited in the years ahead, putting in place an outcomes-based evaluation system where the doctors of tomorrow will be measured for their competency…
For those of us practicing improvement in a medical culture, presenting this “funny new statistical way” of doing things to a physician audience triggers a predictable stated reason: “This isn’t in line with rigorous, double-blind clinical trial research.” And your response should be, “True! Nor…
Deciphering the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is a bit like trying to understand what the old USSR was up to during the days of the Cold War. In those days, it was called Kremlinology, or the study of a complex, secretive organization. We need a catchphrase for those who try to figure out what…
(Indicate Technologies: Santa Clara, CA) -- If you need dimensional measurement, inspection, or surface and form analysis, then you’ll want to attend Metrology Expo 2012, April 10, 11, and 12, presented by Indicate Technologies at the Indicate Technologies Santa Clara, California, showroom.…
(Honeywell: Minneapolis) -- Honeywell, a diversified developer and manufacturer of technologies, has introduced its RTY Series Hall-Effect Rotary Position Sensors that provide a cost-effective rotary position sensor solution with a variety of options (e.g., sensing range, pin-out, voltage) that…
Editor’s note: Umberto Tunesi is a new columnist for Quality Digest. He brings his auditing expertise to bear on a surprising range of subjects, and we’re happy to add his European perspective to our mix. “I realize I’m being tough on the ISO/TS 16949 and AIAG manual writers, as well on performance…
(Wiley: Hoboken, NJ) -- Skillfully redefine problems. Make an immediate connection with anyone. Rapidly determine if a client is ready to buy. Access the deepest dreams of others. The book, Power Questions: Build Relationships, Win New Business, and Influence Others, by Andrew Sobel and Jerold…
(ASQ: Milwaukee) -- The American Society for Quality (ASQ), the world’s largest network of quality resources and experts, has announced that 32 global teams from nine countries have been named finalists in the 27th annual International Team Excellence Awards process.
The teams will be part of the…
(Nikon Metrology: Brighton, MI) -- For more than a decade, Nikon Metrology pioneered laser scanning and gradually sharpened the capabilities of this noncontact measuring technology. Nikon’s optics, combined with innovative 3-D laser scanning technology, has resulted in a new scanner, the LC15Dx.…
In a recent article that shall remain nameless, a statistician carefully worked out the exact answer to the wrong question. Then, based on this exact answer, he made an erroneous recommendation regarding the use of a process behavior chart for individual values. In this column I will explain both…
(Photron: San Diego) -- Photron Inc., a leading manufacturer of high-speed cameras and image analysis software, has launched the new Fastcam SA7 high-speed camera system utilizing a unique 1,280 × 1,024 pixel advanced CMOS (complementary metal oxide semiconductor) imaging sensor. The system…
Randomness and chaos in nature, as it turns out, can be a good thing—especially when trying to harvest energy from the movements of everyday activities. Duke University engineers believe they have come up with the theoretical underpinning that could lead to the development of energy-harvesting…
You glance down at an incoming text message while an employee is talking to you. You bark, “Just get it done!” to your team and then walk away.
According to a recent CareerBuilder poll, 58 percent of managers received no training before starting the job, which often results in avoidable management…
(SAKOR: Okemos, MI) -- SAKOR Technologies, a leader in engine and powertrain testing, has made available its new Hybrid Vehicle Test System, designed for testing a complete hybrid/electric vehicle (HEV) driveline, or any vehicle subsystem, including emissions testing. The system can run a wide…
(Honeywell: Minneapolis) -- Honeywell has added new flow ranges to its Zephyr Analog and Digital Airflow Sensor portfolio to provide high sensitivity at very low flows, making the sensor portfolio ideal for use in a variety of medical equipment and industrial applications.
Four standard flow…
(DeFelsko: Ogdensburg, NY) -- DeFelsko Corp., manufacturer of coating thickness gauges and inspection instruments, is now selling its new PosiTector Inspection Kits. Available with a choice of standard or advanced gauge features, each new PosiTector body accepts the PosiTector 6000, DPM, and SPG…
(Apprion: Orlando, FL) -- Apprion, developer and provider of wireless application network systems and services designed for the process manufacturing industry, has unveiled two new applications, ION Collaboration and ION Mustering, both integrated into the ION system and presented in ION’s unified…
(CRC Press: Boca Raton, FL) -- Superior Customer Value: Strategies for Winning and Retaining Customers, Third Edition, by Art Weinstein (CRC Press, 2012) is highly readable, practical, and action-oriented, giving managers at all levels of experience guidance on how to improve marketing operations…
A new report by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the Department of Justice’s National Institute of Justice (NIJ) has documented 149 potential sources of human error in the analysis of crime scene fingerprints. The study by a working group of 34 experts recommends a…
The loss of U.S. manufacturing jobs is a topic that can provoke heated arguments about globalization. But what do the cold, hard numbers reveal? How has the rise in foreign manufacturing competition actually affected the U.S. economy and its workers?
A new study co-authored by David Autor,…
(Zontec: Cincinnati) -- Zontec Inc., the international developer of statistical process control (SPC) software solutions, announced the launch of a new Best Practices Webinar Series. The first webinar will be on “Supplier Management: How to Handle Supplier Relationships.”
“When it comes to issues…
(ISO: Geneva) -- The February 2012 issue of ISO Focus+, the magazine of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), will be showing up on people’s desks soon. In particular, it will make an appearance at the Fully Networked Car workshop, which is held annually at the Geneva…
