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(Keyence: Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey) -- The new Keyence VW-6000 Series motion analysis microscope is the world’s first microscope with high-speed magnified video capture capabilities. High-speed motion recording of up to 24,000 fps enables accurate filming of failures in moving targets that…
(MoreSteam: Lewis Center, Ohio) -- MoreSteam.com announce the release of French and German versions of its Lean Six Sigma Green Belt course. These newest additions to MoreSteam’s e-Learning catalog are the first complete Lean Six Sigma Green Belt courses presented in French and German by any…
The innovative voice of the customer (VOC) data approach that HD Supply Facilities Maintenance uses to drive customer loyalty, continuous improvement, and operational excellence earned the company the top award at the American Society for Quality’s (ASQ) 24th International Team Excellence Awards…
(MFGWatch: Atlanta) -- Results of a survey recently conducted by MFGWatch give a snapshot on the state of sourcing, sourcing preferences, company growth projections, and reactions to economic conditions. More than 200 purchasing professionals and engineers from the manufacturing industry…
A kaizen event is a cost-effective method for creating dramatic improvements in processes. Kaizen is a Japanese word that means “to make people’s jobs easier by taking them apart, studying them, and making improvements.”
The intent of a kaizen event is to make people more productive by improving…
The moment for action in the United States on climate change has arrived in earnest. With the election of President Obama and increased majorities of Democrats in Congress, there is unprecedented momentum to pass comprehensive climate legislation that caps the aggregate amount of greenhouse gases…
During the 1980s using flowcharts was the “in thing” to do. Today, technology has provided us with a much more effective and useful tool: simulation modeling. If a picture is worth a thousand words, then one that logically simulates tasks and collects data has to be worth a million. Simulation…
(Mahr Federal: Providence, Rhode Island) -- Tapers play an important role in orthopaedic devices. Most hip and knee implants use tapers because they provide good alignment and can be "locked" into position. In manufacturing these devices, the control of taper and size determines how well an…
(FDA: Silver Spring, Maryland) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently announced the formation of a task force to develop recommendations for enhancing the transparency of the agency’s operations and decision-making process.
To support the efforts of the task force, the FDA…
(ANSI: New York) -- June 9 marked the worldwide celebration of International Accreditation Day (IAD), an event launched in 2008 by the International Accreditation Forum (IAF) and the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC).
Each year on June 9, IAF and ILAC invite their national…
(Werth Messtechnik: Old Saybrook, Connecticut) -- The Werth Inspector FQ is an extremely fast measuring machine with linear drives. Positioning speed is up to 1,000 meters/second with acceleration speed of 10 meters/second2. It comes standard with zoom optics and can be outfitted with additional…
(LRQA: Houston) -- A leading online source of information, resources, and opinion on the specific issues that organizations are facing, www.businessassurance.com, has launched a 10-part audio and video podcast series, "Trust and Transparency." The series is a result of the launch event for the…
The European Union is working to make products safer for consumers and manufacturers alike. Its new regulations concerning chemicals used in product makeup, REACH, will extend across the pond to affect chemical standards in the United States. The new legislation will make everything from the…
(Cargill: Washington, D.C.) -- U.S. Secretary of Commerce, Gary Locke, has named Cargill corporate vice president, Jerry Rose, to chair the Board of Overseers of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award. The board advises the Commerce Department on all aspects of the Baldrige National Quality…
Whenever the economic climate freezes assets and sends investors scurrying for cover, businesses must find new ways to grow and stand out from the competition. Cost-cutting is the obvious, and usual, course of action. But in troubled times, isn’t it better to do something proactive and positive,…
(Quality Digest: Chico, California) -- Nikon Corp. has announced an offer to purchase Belgium-based metrology company, Metris N.V., for €5.50 per share. This represents an 107-percent premium to Metris's closing price on NYSE Euronext Brussels as of May 26, 2009, according to Metris. The buyout…
(Sensor Products: Madison, New Jersey) -- Sensor Products Inc. announces Pressurex Extreme Low, the newest addition to its tactile pressure-indicating sensor films. Pressurex Extreme Low characterizes contact surface pressure down to an extremely low 7.2 PSI (0.5 kg/cm2). The range is 7.2 – 28 PSI…
Recently a strategy consultant was overheard saying she writes romantic novels. Look into many organizations and, although said in jest, it has more than a modicum of truth to it.
Don’t get me wrong. The high-level strategic plans are important and necessary. But, the devil is in the details,…
(ACSI: Ann Arbor, Michigan) -- The American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) continues to climb, registering a second straight quarterly improvement after a period of decline preceding the recession. For the first quarter of 2009, the Index jumped 0.4 percent to 76.0 on ACSI’s 100-point…
(Hexagon Metrology: North Kingstown, Rhode Island) -- Wilcox Associates, a Hexagon Metrology company, announces the immediate availability of PC-DMIS Reshaper software as a standlone application. PC-DMIS Reshaper is a comprehensive 3-D point-cloud processing program that can be used to…
These days blogs and newspapers seem to make a daily reference to climate change, resource scarcity and security, the environment and the economy. It's overwhelming … and with the legions of experts in each of these fields, hard to see where one organization, let alone an individual, can make a…
(WCBF: Chicago) -- The Global Six Sigma and Business Improvement Awards are given to the most outstanding organizational achievements through the deployment of business improvement programs. The final deadline for entry is near.
The Global Six Sigma Awards Ceremony will be held on October 14th…
(Minitab: State College, Pennsylvania) -- Statistics can be complicated and daunting, but the statistical analysis of data is at the heart of proven business improvement methods such as lean and Six Sigma.
As more businesses search for ways to boost efficiency—and profits—in the current…
(NIST: Gaithersburg, Maryland) -- By combining the best of two different distance measurement approaches with a super-accurate technology called an optical frequency comb, researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have built a laser-ranging system that can pinpoint…
At the beginning of this year, the International Aerospace Quality Group (IAQG) released revision C to AS9100, the quality management system (QMS) standard for the aviation, space, and defense industries. Unlike the recent release of ISO 9001:2008 (which was more of an amended version), AS9100:…
