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In an effort to strengthen the automotive supply chain, the Automotive Industry Action Group will offer crisis management and business recovery training. The emergency response training is the first of its kind in the automotive industry, says Andrew J. Cummins, executive director and CEO of…
The American Society for Quality has announced it’s seeking applicants to serve on its board of directors for 2005-06. The ASQ nominating committee will accept applications from senior, fellow and honorary members for the following positions: president, vice president, treasurer and…
Original equipment manufacturers and end users think similarly about how to improve their relationships, according to a new study conducted by Rockwell Automation and Penton Media Inc. The study, based on interviews with 582 OEMs and end users, compared the two groups’ views on important…
The American Productivity & Quality Center and Fusion Productions recently announced a collaboration to strengthen organizations’ virtual communities and communities of practice (CoPs). Through the joint offering, organizations and associations can enrich the value they provide their…
National Technical Systems Corp. recently purchased a world-class telecommunications product testing laboratory in Calgary, Canada. It’s the company’s third testing facility abroad. The 14,000 sq. ft. lab includes state-of-the-art chambers, test equipment and instrumentation, and is equipped…
My first experience with the word “culture” comes from my high school science class. We grew a living organism on a nutrient base, which the teacher called a culture. The girls in class described it using the medical term, “Eeewwwww!” Years later, in the business world, I find top…
Many organizations need answers to some key questions about lean and quality management: Is there a difference between quality and value? Should we have two teams, one for continuous improvement and one for lean? What roles would each have? What are the differences? The source for this…
Six Sigma, the statistical approach focused on increasing profitability by improving efficiency, has been part of the engineering world since the 1980s. Now, new innovative online and on-campus programs at Arizona State University are shaking up the way people all over the globe are…
Hexagon AB added to its market share recently by acquiring ROMER CimCore Inc., a consolidation that is already underway. ROMER CimCore Inc., which has operations in Carlsbad, California, and Farmington Hills, Michigan, manufactures and markets metrology equipment used widely in the…
Carl Zeiss SMT Inc. recently opened a new applications and demonstration lab in Redwood City, California. The company plans to use the new Electron Microscopy Applications Lab to serve West Coast customers with better applications, sales and service support. Customers can bring samples in…
National Quality Assurance USA recently announced its accreditation through the ElectroStatic Discharge Association to provide auditing services against ANSI/ESD S20.20:1999. The accreditation will allow NQA USA to help organizations develop electrostatic discharge control programs. The ANSI…
Pilgrim Software recently announced the availability of its SmartAudit Offline solution. The suite is based on Microsoft Office InfoPath 2003, though it’s a new and separately licensed add-on to Pilgrim’s SmartAudit version 7.03.5 internal and external audit management system. It allows…
As organizations pursue quality and value, many find that Six Sigma alone isn’t enough to compete in the global marketplace. The addition of quality function deployment, however, often translates into increased functionality, quality and profitability. International TechneGroup Inc. will host…
Vought Aircraft Industries Inc. recently signed a contract with Leica Geosystems to buy six laser tracking systems for its manufacturing operations in Dallas. Vought reports it will extend the contract over a span of four years to replace its existing measurement systems with approximately 24…
DVT Corp. recently announced the availability of a new PC-based object linking and embedding for process control server designed to work with the company’s Legend series of smart camera-based machine vision systems. OPC technology can eliminate expensive custom interfaces and drivers normally…
SigmaXL recently released an enhanced version of its eponymous software suite. SigmaXL 3.0 features failure mode effects analysis; cause-and-effect matrix templates; gage repeatability and reliability templates with multivariable, X-bar and R-charts; as well as; multiple regression with…
Top executives from Bank of America will host a Six Sigma symposium in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Oct. 25-27. Bank Chairman and CEO Kenneth D. Lewis will deliver the keynote address, and the company’s Six Sigma Leadership Team will lead a moderated panel discussion about using Six Sigma…
Quest Diagnostics recently announced the selection of Instantis’ EnterpriseTrack tracking and management solution for its Six Sigma effort. EnterpriseTrack will be in use by Quest Six Sigma teams spread across its business units. “Information tracking and reporting needs for Six Sigma are…
ISO 10006:2003, guidelines for quality management projects, was released in the fall of 2003. This standard is creating the next wave in our understanding of project managing processes. But how does ISO 10006 compare to the Project Management Institute’s Project Management Body of…
The presidents of the International Organization for Standardization and the International Electrotechnical Commission and the secretary-general of the International Telecommunications Union recently highlighted the importance of international standards in a joint address. The annual message…
Randy Dougherty, the Registrar Accreditation Board’s director of registrar accreditation, was recently named chair of the technical committee of the International Accreditation Forum. The appointment was made at a meeting held in Bern, Switzerland. Dougherty’s three-year term began on July 1…
A new standard developed by the International Organization for Standardization and international maritime organizations aims at making ports around the world more secure. ISO/PAS 20858 was adopted by more than 100 member countries of the International Maritime Organization. It contains…
National Quality Assurance announced it was accredited by the American National Standards Institute-Registrar Accreditation Board to register companies to AS9003. NQA representatives report the approval demonstrates that its assessors meet the exacting standards and expertise required in the…
July marked the 20th anniversary of the Coordinate Measurement Systems Conference, the only conference solely devoted to the users, services and OEM manufacturers of close-tolerance coordinate measurement systems, software and peripherals. This year’s conference and exhibition was held in San…
The National Committee for Quality Assurance recently released the newest version of its comprehensive Quality Compass database. For the first time, the database includes a measure of flu shots given to adults aged 50-64 last year. The metric is important, reports the NCQA, because influenza…
