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Cognex Corp., a leading supplier of machine vision systems, has announced its acquisition of DVT Corp., effective May 9. Under the terms of the agreement, Cognex purchased all the outstanding shares of DVT for approximately $115 million. Cognex will maintain operations at DVT’s facility in Georgia…
I often get asked: “What’s the best software package?” Individuals are usually looking for guidance in selecting a program to manage corrective actions, facilitate document revisions, track equipment maintenance or handle transfer of information about some other processes. With our increased…
ASTM International recently established the Interlaboratory Studies program, an effort to remove administrative burdens from its technical committees. ASTM earmarked $4 million over five years for the initiative. The ILS program will help in the development of useful precision and bias statements…
The International Organization for Standardization recently published ISO CataloguePlus 2005, a listing of its published standards on one CD-ROM. The CD-ROM also includes a list of ISO members and their addresses, the titles of technical committees, a list of withdrawn standards, a full test of…
RABQSA International recently released AS9110, a new aerospace auditor certification scheme, in agreement with ANSI-ASQ National Accreditation Board (ANAB) and the Americas Aerospace Quality Group. According to the agreement, RABQSA will establish and maintain the approval and/or certification of…
The International Organization for Standardization recently welcomed its 150th member, FASONORM, the national standards body of the West African nation of Burkina Faso. Founded in 1946 by 25 countries, ISO’s steady progression in membership accelerated in the 1990s, when geopolitical changes…
Rockwell Automation recently began offering regulatory compliance services (RCS), a resource for life sciences original equipment manufacturers seeking to minimize project risk, accelerate system development and gain a competitive advantage. The service addresses a broad range of compliance issues…
The American Society for Quality will host the 20th International Team Excellence Awards May 16–18 in Seattle. The event, which will be part of the World Conference on Quality and Improvement, is the only worldwide team-based improvement and performance excellence competition in the United States.…
The Society of Manufacturing Engineers, the Association for Manufacturing Excellence and The Shingo Prize for Excellence in Manufacturing are working together to develop a new standard for lean certification. The organizations are collaborating with industry and academia in the initiative, which…
A new game from Ryan Systems Inc. is designed to teach quality tools and techniques while entertaining the players. The Quality Game includes more than 1,000 problems common to manufacturing quality for players to solve. As problems are solved, players advance on the game board. The game can be…
Supply chain executives are increasingly focusing on their suppliers’ quality management processes, according to a new benchmarking report from Best Practices LLC. Now more than ever, leading organizations see tactics such as supplier certification as ways to achieve key performance results and key…
RABQSA International recently began offering training designed to bridge the knowledge gap between its current training course certification (TCC) and the recently introduced Training Provider and Examiner Certification Scheme. The current TCC doesn’t satisfy the knowledge-based competency…
Attendance at Quality Expo 2005 increased 11 percent from 2003’s show, and organizers are calling the event a huge success. More than 5,800 industry professionals attended the show, which was held April 19–21 at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, Illinois. The program featured…
Companies often have numerous Six Sigma projects in the pipeline, and Six Sigma belts are busy working on projects. However, statistical thinking suggests that not all projects will be equally successful. In fact, the amount of improvement could vary significantly from one project to another. In an…
Scott Paton’s "The Chinese are Coming! The Chinese are Coming!" (Quality Digest, February 2005) describes how China’s Chery Automobile Co. plans to undercut American automakers’ prices by up to 30 percent. The article professes that neither tariffs nor layoffs are the solution to the hemorrhage of…
An upcoming conference will focus on the use of design for Six Sigma in product development, services and transactional processes. The conference, hosted by WCBF Inc., will be held June 8–10 at The Venetian Resort Hotel Casino in Las Vegas. It will feature several levels of information from those…
Ixperion will present two conferences on Six Sigma and lean this summer. Lean Six Sigma 2005 will be held July 12–13 at the Allerton Crowne Plaza in Chicago. The event will feature presentations from: GE Healthcare Performance Solutions, on how it applied lean Six Sigma to common health care…
Executives from two major health care providers and an insurer will detail their lean initiatives at an upcoming conference. ThedaCare, the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield will present the information at the Business Process Summit conference, held…
Pelion Systems and ICM America, two providers of technology solutions for manufacturers, will combine their services to help manufacturing clients implement initiatives such as lean, Six Sigma and flow manufacturing. ICM America will incorporate Pelion MPO software into its preferred technology…
Six Sigma Academy has begun offering Gold Belt training for advanced Black Belts. Each participant’s program is tailored in collaboration with corporate sponsors and designed to fit with the strategic goals of his or her organization. By the end of the training, SSA Gold Belts will have completed…
The Sheraton Miramar Resort, which recently implemented Six Sigma, was chosen by its parent company as the chain’s Hotel of the Year. The Sheraton Miramar Resort had the highest overall performance in 2004 of all of Starwood Resorts’ hotels in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Its financial…
Kaikaku The Power and Magic of Lean, was recently awarded a Shingo Prize at the 17th annual Shingo Prize Conference in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The book, by PCS Inc. President and Quality Digest contributor Norman Bodek, follows his travels and discoveries in Japanese and U.S. manufacturing from…
DALSA Corp. has completed the acquisition of Coreco Inc.DALSA paid approximately $73.4 million for Coreco, a provider of performance improvement hardware and software for manufacturing processes. Of that sum, $35 million was paid in cash and the balance was paid by the issuance of 1.9 million DALSA…
With U.S. legislation on hazardous substances in electronics already in place and similar laws set to take effect in China and Europe shortly, how can electrical and electronic manufacturers be sure that their products comply? A new specification adopted by the International Electrotechnical…
A new study reveals that, despite their best efforts, many organizations still struggle to effectively address application quality. The findings are included in Compuware Corp.’s study, “Today’s Quality Assurance Practices: How Can We Continue to Improve?” The report surveyed 305 U.S. and European…