All Features
Elizabeth Weddle
The quality systems most medtech teams are stuck with aren’t built for how they work today. 21 CFR Part 820 was authorized by the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act of 1978, long before the software industry even existed. And while the regulations themselves aren’t going anywhere, the world they…
Adam Zewe
A robot searching for workers trapped in a partially collapsed mine shaft must rapidly generate a map of the scene and identify its location within that scene as it navigates the treacherous terrain.
Researchers have recently started building powerful machine-learning models to perform this…
Blake Griffin
T he year 2025 has been rife with uncertainty for industrial automation OEMs and their customers. A cataclysmic shift in U.S. trade policy led to a marketwide mentality of “wait and see.” For automation OEMs, this has manifested broadly as delayed orders from customers rather than outright…
Manfred Kets de Vries
A young manager told me about the day she nearly quit her job. A major restructuring had left her team reeling. As targets shifted overnight, colleagues departed and rumors spread faster than facts. “I felt like I was living in a storm without a compass,” she said.
What changed her mind wasn’t a…
Adam Zewe
What can we learn about human intelligence by studying how machines “think?” Can we better understand ourselves if we better understand the artificial intelligence systems that are becoming a more significant part of our everyday lives?
These questions may be deeply philosophical, but for Phillip…
Stephanie Ojeda
Implementing a new quality management system (QMS) is no small task, especially for life science companies faced with stringent regulatory requirements and a high validation burden. Entrenched legacy systems compound the problem as organizational inertia and complacency lead companies to make do…
Brian Brooks
The arrival of artificial intelligence (AI) in quality management has been met with a mixture of hype and skepticism. Is it just a faster anomaly detector, or is it truly transformative?
The answer depends on how we frame the problem. If we see AI merely as a way to speed up quality processes we…
David Schwinn
I’ve been in and around the quality profession for decades. When I first started, we were most concerned about products failing in our customers’ hands... too often and too soon. I worked at General Motors in those days, in the Frigidaire division when Frigidaire was part of General Motors. We made…
Mike Figliuolo
Have you ever been in line for a promotion or a transfer to a new role only to find out your boss was quashing your efforts to make that leap? Here are some tips on how to deal with a boss sabotaging your career.
Many of us have been there—you hear about a cool new role somewhere else in the…
Creaform
Your company works hard to bring quality products to market, but your current inefficient development process slows you down. Your engineers rely on traditional tools like measuring tapes, calipers, verniers, or photos to gather dimensions and document how to shorten time to market and lower…
Ken Feinstein
For decades, the one-dimensional (1D) barcode, the familiar pattern of black lines found on virtually every product, has been the universal language of global commerce. Yet, as the supply chain grows more complex, data-driven, and compliance-heavy, the limitations of traditional barcodes are…
James Glover
Your facility has detailed standard operating procedures (SOPs), ISO certifications, and quality management systems that would impress any auditor. But operators still skip calibration checks when production is behind, modify machine settings without authorization during shift changes, and forget…
Nimax
The global coding- and marking-equipment market is on a clear growth path. As shown in a recent Grand View Research report, the market was worth $17,528 million worldwide by the end of 2024.
Furthermore, GVR’s projections estimate the market value will reach $24,927 million by 2030, with a…
David Matalon
The term return to office (RTO) has dominated headlines for the past year. But despite the noise, data tell a different story: Full-time office life isn’t coming back—at least not in the same way.
According to 2025 research, 85% of organizations now stipulate an attendance policy, but only 37%…
Adam Grabowski
To stay profitable as a manufacturer, you have to run a tight ship. I’ve been lucky enough to visit with owners and key people at thousands of manufacturers all over the world. My main goal during these visits is to listen and learn what makes them so good at what they do.
It turns out that the…
Curtis Lynn
I’ve worked in manufacturing procurement for just over 25 years. In that time, I’ve learned one thing above all else—precision is the backbone of quality. Every product we make, every part we produce, and every component we measure relies on measuring tool accuracy. If measurements are off, quality…
Gleb Tsipursky
Reshaping industries, automating routine tasks, and unlocking new realms of creativity—welcome to the world of generative artificial intelligence (gen AI).
However, the technology’s potential can only be fully realized when employees actively engage in learning how to use it effectively.…
Paul Hanaphy
When components leak, sizing them up for repairs can be extremely difficult. This isn’t just due to distance and locale—many are underground or underwater—but also safety issues. If components carry hazardous substances, manual measurement is inherently riskier than noncontact alternatives.…
Akhilesh Gulati
Meritocracy—the idea that individuals should advance based on their talent and hard work—appeals to our sense of fairness. However, despite its noble intentions, meritocracy often fails in practice.
Emilio J. Castilla’s The Meritocracy Paradox (Columbia University Press, 2025) highlights how…
Chip Bell
One hour after takeoff from London’s Heathrow Airport on an intercontinental flight to the U.S., the pilot announced the aircraft was returning, “because my windshield just shattered.” After gasps from passengers, he calmly announced there was no danger, but there would be a long delay to secure…
Jeff Dewar
I’m thrilled to announce something we’ve been working on for a year and a half—a project that took us 30,000 miles across America and into the heart of industries that most people never see. On Nov. 12, 2025, Quality Digest will premiere the first episode of The Quality Digest Roadshow, a 12-…
Kate Zabriskie
When most people think about work, fun probably isn’t the first word that comes to mind. Deadlines, meetings, and spreadsheets? Sure. But laughter, camaraderie, and a little silliness? That often feels like a luxury, not a priority.
Here’s the truth: Fun at work isn’t just about blowing off steam…
Mike King
Change is inevitable in manufacturing. Controlling change effectively distinguishes industry leaders from quality-deficient, recall-plagued, and regulatory-troubled companies. As organizations are increasingly pressured to reduce costs while maintaining high levels of product quality, the drive to…
Dirk Dusharme @ Quality Digest
Literally, everything that surrounds us has been measured—and I do mean literally. Look around you: Your desk, your chair, your pen, your pencil, the lead in the pencil, the paint on the pencil, the gas in your stove, the stove itself—it’s all been measured. The color of your orange juice, the…
Chris Kuntz
What once seemed like the future of work is fast becoming present-time reality on factory floors worldwide as artificial intelligence (AI) evolves from experimental technology to practical tools that directly affect daily operations. While algorithms can predict when a bearing will fail or when a…