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Rath & Strong recently released a new pocket guide for practitioners of GE Work-Out, a methodology that helps improve Six Sigma and lean projects. GE Work-Out was developed by General Electric as a companion to already-established quality improvement programs. It creates a method to deal with…
A new study by Best Practices LLC contains performance metrics from which pharmaceutical companies can perform gap analyses to assess manufacturing performance and identify improvement opportunities. “Pharmaceutical Manufacturing: Cost, Staffing & Utilization Metrics,” contains the following…
AMR Research recently released a study that predicts that the cost of compliance for companies will reach $80 billion over the next five years. The firm also estimates that regulated organizations will spend close to $15.5 million on compliance-related activities in 2005. Although an average…
Medidata Solutions Inc., an electronic clinical data management solutions provider, will provide Pro-Pharmaceuticals Inc. with a state-of-the-art electronic data capture technology for an upcoming clinical trial for cancer research. Medidata’s RAVE will allow Pro-Pharmaceuticals to correctly and…
More than 18 companies recently announced support for Microsoft Corp’s new Digital Pharma solution, a framework designed for the pharmaceutical and life sciences industries to improve their performance. The solution is applicable to many areas in the pharmaceutical value chain, from drug…
The International Society for Pharmaceutical Engineering will host a training series for those who are new to the pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical industries next month in Denver. The courses will be held April 4–7. The offered courses include: Biotech Basics Biopharmaceutical Process…
Waters Inform 2005, a symposium for laboratory data management process improvement, will be held May 24–26 in Baltimore. The event will include tutorials covering the range of the Waters Laboratory Informatics suite: Empower, Millennium, MassLynx, NuGenesis SDMS, eLab Notebook, and the Q-DIS family…
In hopes of cutting administrative costs and streamlining the amount of time it takes to get new drugs to consumers, eight global pharmaceutical manufacturers have formed a coalition, SAFE-BioPharma, to support the widespread adoption of the new global digital identity standard, Secure Access for…
Breakthrough Management Group recently launched a publishing initiative to advance its total performance improvement model. The launch coincides with the release of BMG’s vice president of publishing Neil DeCarlo’s book, Six Sigma for Dummies (For Dummies, 2005). The company plans to publish an…
One of the oldest chapters of the Association for Operations Management (APICS) and the Harrington Institute recently made a formal agreement to offer Six Sigma, process improvement and project management certification to APICS members around the world. Founded in 1960, the Golden Gate Chapter of…
The American Society for Quality 12th Annual ISO 9000 Summit will be held in Atlanta April 4–5The event will include three major meetings and conferences. Along with the ISO 9000 conference, it will also feature the U.S. Standards Group Meeting, and Summit course clusters and exams for attendees…
The Associated Press recently reported that a committee in Montana’s state legislature is working toward defining quality in education. The initiative is part of a larger effort to change the state’s school funding process. Following the unanimous vote to begin the process, the measure will next be…
Successful management is analogous to being a fighter pilot in a combat environment, according to Jim Murphy, an F-15 pilot who will deliver a keynote address at Quality Expo.Murphy is the founder and CEO of Afterburner Inc., a consulting company that uses fighter pilots to teach some of the world’…
Leading businesses identify customer satisfaction, cost savings and productivity improvements as the primary drives for their quality improvement initiatives, according to a new study from Best Practices LLC. Based on analyses from 46 major companies, the survey concludes that: There is a…
SigmaXL recently released a new version of its SigmaXL v. 4.0 software. The solution is an add-in for Microsoft Excel.The add-in is designed for statistical and graphical analysis. New features include Recall SigmaXL Dialog, which allows users to recall the last data worksheet they used; run charts…
“When, therefore, a man absorbed in the effect which is seen has not yet learned to discern those which are not seen, he gives way to fatal habits, not only by inclination, but by calculation.”
—Frederic Bastiat”That Which is Seen, and That Which is Not Seen,” 1850
“In the South Seas there is a…
WCBF will host a Design for Six Sigma conference June 9–10 in Las Vegas. The conference will feature workshops and user case studies for beginners and more advanced Six Sigma practitioners; specific tracks focused on design for product development, and design for transactional processes and…
6 Sigma Technology Group recently released GateKeeper 2.0, a software program designed to manage the security of technical, construction and facility projects in secure buildings. The company specializes in software that combines Six Sigma and application development. GateKeeper 2.0 automates end-…
Larry R. Smith has been appointed senior vice president of design and innovation of the Juran Institute.Smith worked for Ford Motor Co. for 27 years. Most recently, he was quality coach for Ford’s Heritage Team, which was responsible for revitalizing one of its manufacturing facilities. He was…
Pelion Systems Inc. and the Lean Learning Center recently formed a partnership to provide lean curriculum and consulting to manufacturing clients that are implementing lean processes. The companies will combine their areas of expertise to provide the services. Pelion Systems will offer the solution…
Northwestern Memorial Hospital, which has implemented an aggressive Six Sigma program, recently received one of the nation’s top awards for quality health care. The hospital, located in Chicago, received the 2005 National Quality Health Care Award from the National Committee for Quality Health Care…
After two years of steady increases, customer satisfaction with goods and services purchased and consumed in the United States has taken a dramatic downturn, according to the latest American Customer Satisfaction Index. The ACSI for the fourth quarter of 2004 was 73.6, down from 74.3, the largest…
Excellus BlueCross BlueShield recently received Case Management Accreditation from URAC, a Washington, D.C.-based health care accreditation agency that establishes quality standards for the health care industry. URAC’s standards require insurers to establish a process to assess, plan and implement…
Eastman Kodak Co. recently acquired OREX, a provider of nondestructive test equipment for specialty medical facilities. OREX has 84 employees, is headquartered in Yokneam, Israel, and is now part of Kodak’s Health Group’s Non-Destructive Testing group, which produces KODAK INDUSTREX digital systems…
The National Committee for Quality Assurance recently released a draft of its new Quality Plus standard. Comments on the draft are due by April 18. The standard, compliance to which is voluntary, identifies organizations that have adopted innovative practices or that promote quality care. It…
