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CenterBeam recently completed another phase of an ambitious Six Sigma training plan. The IT outsourcing company is training all of its staff in the fundamentals of lean and Six Sigma. While everyone in the company has received Six Sigma training, about 15 percent of its staff has graduated as lean…
A new Six Sigma book outlines the use of the methodology with an up-to-date approach to enhance the produce development cycle. Graham Wilson’s Six Sigma and the Product Development Cycle (Butterworth-Heinemann, 2005), looks at the common steps companies follow to create the companywide culture that…
I had to catch a 6:10 a.m. flight the other day. The day before, I’d returned from work, done the normal stuff, prepared for the flight and finally had gone to bed so I could get up early the next morning. I got up around 3:00 a.m., got ready and went to the airport. As expected, traffic on road…
Once the transformations described in the first of this two-part series have occurred, all organizations should follow a roadmap to achieve and sustain major, organizationwide and beneficial change. The result is a series of separate, different types of breakthroughs in various functions and…
Smarter Solutions CEO Forrest Breyfogle recently received the Crosby Medal at the American Society for Quality’s World Conference. Breyfogle, a Quality Digest contributor, was honored for his cutting-edge approach to traditional Six Sigma in the second edition of his book, Implementing Six Sigma (…
Few companies have undergone the quality transformation that Hyundai Motor Co. has seen in recent years.The Korean automaker has gone from producing some of the poorest-rated cars in the world to having its popular Sonata model named as one of Consumer Reports’ most reliable cars for 2005—all in…
RABQSA International announced this month the transition of Singapore Accreditation Council-certified personnel to the RABQSA-accredited auditor certification schemes. RABQSA will transition all consenting auditors currently certified in quality management systems, occupational health and safety,…
Statit Software recently released several enhanced versions of its statistical process control software. Statit e-QC R3.3 is a dynamic Web-based application that serves as a quality information portal, while providing a centralized SPC application organizationwide. The release includes an improved…
Project Management Institute and DNV Certification have formed an alliance to market PMI’s Organizational Project Management Maturity Model (OPM3). OPM3 is a new standard developed to determine the maturity of a project management application enterprisewide. Unlike PMI’s…
Pressure decay has been the most widely used method of leak testing in manufacturing production lines for decades. The process is uncomplicated, inexpensive and easily automated. Air is simply injected into a test object and any decrease in air pressure over time signifies a leak. However, the…
Endevco Corp. will offer a comprehensive course on shock and vibration measurement technology in July. The course will be held July 18–20 at Endevco’s facility in San Juan Capistrano, California. It will provide an in-depth look at shock- and vibration-measurement, new research findings,…
PQ Systems Inc. recently released GAGEpack EZ, an easy-to-use gage calibration software program that includes many enhancements. New features in the GAGEpack EZ include a maintenance, calibration and R&R calendar that keep scheduled activities available at a glace. The calendar can be color-…
Hexagon Metrology North America’s division, Sheffield Measurement Inc., recently acquired L.S. Starrett Co.’s coordinate measuring machine product division. The acquisition is limited to Starrett’s CMM product line only. No other products are included in the arrangement. Sheffield Measurement will…
McBain Instruments, a provider of research, inspection and laboratory microscopy systems, recently celebrated its 40th anniversary in business. The company has served the industrial, biomedical and life sciences markets since 1965 from its San Fernando Valley location in Southern California. It was…
The U.S. Navy’s Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) will install a Mitutoyo coordinate measuring machine in its metrology research and development department. Naval officers chose the Mitutoyo Legex 12128, a high-accuracy device that exceeds the manufacturer’s published probing performance…
Nikon Instruments Inc. will accept submissions for its annual International Small World Competition until June 30, the company recently announced. The competition is open to all microscopists and showcases photographic excellence in the art and science of photomicrography. The images depict a…
Troemner’s pressure-calibration laboratory was recently accredited by the National Voluntary Laboratory Accreditation Program. The facility is also ISO/IEC 17025-compliant and provides calibrations with reference standards directly traceable to the National Institute of Standards and Technology. In…
Perhaps one of the hardest persisting sells for the average quality professional is the challenge of effectively communicating the benefits of preventive action to senior management. The sales pitch is twofold: 1) defining the concept and 2) providing concrete examples that are applicable to the…
The American National Standards Institute’s Procedures & Standards Administration recently announced the availability of the 2005 Compliance Form for U.S. Technical Advisory Groups to the International Organization for Standardization. Companies planning to maintain compliance to the revised…
Although there will be no professional hockey season this year, standards-developing organizations are hard at work developing rules that protect hockey players from injury. U.S. hockey rules require players to wear hockey helmets that meet international standards. Three new standards under…
The International Organization for Standardization will publish a new food safety management systems standard in September. ISO 22000 is intended to ensure that there are no weak links in food supply chains. The new standard can be applied to organizations ranging from feed producers, food…
The American National Standards Institute recently submitted an application for accreditation for a proposed U.S. Technical Advisory Group to the International Organization for Standardization’s new technical committee on nanotechnology. The ISO technical committee, TC 229-Nanotechnologies, was…
The International Organization for Standardization and the International Electrotechnical Commission recently published a new version of ISO/IEC 17025, the influential standard for testing and calibration laboratories. ISO/IEC 17025:2005 was released, among other reasons, to ensure compatibility…
The challenges leaders face now are greater, increasingly complex and more difficult than ever before. Their response will decide the success or failure of their organizations in the future. The task is to achieve improved and sustainable results in the face of accelerating and unprecedented…
There will be two conferences in September featuring the 2004 Baldrige Award winners, offering quality professionals an opportunity to learn valuable tips in performance improvement. They will be held Sept. 1 in Orlando, Florida, and Sept. 28 in Minneapolis, respectively. Both conferences will…