All Features
Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics
Few areas of research are as dependent on 3D measurement technology in the setup of its major experiments as fusion plasma physics. Highly developed laser trackers, as well as portable scanning and photogrammetry systems, have opened up a world of possibilities for improving fusion research…
Paul S. Banks
Most existing 3D capture technologies can’t be used to record objects in motion, and they usually require a stationary platform for operation. Some technologies can record 3D data at video rates (e.g., flash LADAR), but their spatial and range resolution are severely limited.
TetraVue, a provider…
Kyle Toppazzini
Many people argue that lean Six Sigma projects—particularly Six Sigma—are not sustained within the organization. Because they are not sustained, over time people may go back to their old ways of doing things. This should not happen if the lean Six Sigma initiative is properly embedded into the…
Mark R. Hamel
Labels, lines, and shadows have little personality. Their job is largely about identification, location, and quantity.
Visual performance metrics provide insight into the health of a process or value stream by comparing actual performance vs. target within the context of people, quality, delivery…
Neil McLeod
Speed seems to be part of Brian Coombs’ life. As engineering lead for mechanical design at Bloodhound SSC, the United Kingdom’s project to retain the world land speed record with a jet- and rocket-powered 1,000 mph (1,610 km/h) car, he leads a team of engineers that is responsible for the design of…
Timothy F. Bednarz
Alack of critical thinking within organizations can be severely damaging. Critical thinking is needed for problem solving and for generating innovative ideas and solutions. Without it, new paths and avenues fail to be fully explored and forged.
When organizations lack creative thinkers, their…
Stewart Anderson
When Sean and Jayne Douglas started their winery, they knew that differentiating their product would be critical for success. The wine industry in Canada, as in most other countries, is populated by numerous producers all selling wine but differentiated—perhaps by developing unique blends, altering…
Steve Richerson
Big companies like GE, IBM, Walmart, as well as many smaller companies like Tennant, Centiva, and Stonyfield, have recently locked their GPS coordinates onto a really intriguing destination: market profitability through ecological sustainability.
These companies are heading toward a sustainable…
Anthony Burns’ opinion piece, “Six Sigma Psychology” published in the Oct. 25, 2012, edition of Quality Digest Daily, piqued my interest. I read it in anticipation of discovering a candy house waiting at the end of a long dark path, along with suggestions about how to avoid the oven. Perhaps I’d…
Paul Naysmith
Cheese is by far one of the greatest foods. It is my only ambrosia, wrapping around my taste buds and sending fireworks of pleasure around my brain. In particular, I love the nutty flavor of Switzerland's holiest of cheeses: Emmental. When you meet me, I will happily bore you into a coma when I…
Mike Cudemo
Today's markets are growing globally and moving faster. Supply chains are leaner. Quality interruptions have dramatic financial and brand loyalty impact. To be effective, quality management systems (QMS) must keep pace, but unfortunately, everything is relative.
Figure 1 compares the average days…
Gallup
The rising cost of healthcare in the United States coupled with the absence of return on investment for Americans’ health is an important concern for many leaders across the country. And as many health systems adopt new strategies to reduce patient readmission rates and improve Hospital Consumer…
Arun Hariharan
Years of experience working with businesses—especially in areas related to quality, customers, and continuous improvement—have taught me some lessons. One of the most valuable is knowing the right question to ask.
Although it may seem like common sense, many of us hear wrong questions, and even…
Bruce Hamilton
I attended a very nice presentation recently by a person who has been leading the lean charge for several years at a major medical center. As he reflected on key elements of his organization’s success, however, he made a statement that set off my hooey detector. “It’s most important to start with…
Tammy Serensits
One focus of the regulations implemented by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) during the past several years has been on quality in batch-to-batch production in the pharmaceutical industry. Batch quality not only ensures safe product for consumers, it also has the added benefit of saving…
Josh Cable
Editor’s note: This is part two of a two-part series. To read part one, “Making the Leap from Manufacturing Manager to Consultant,” click here.
Before launching a career in consulting, consider the time away from family and other sacrifices that have to be made, but also consider the potential…
Knowledge at Wharton
The theme of the recent 2012 Wharton Management Conference, “Changing the Game: Leadership in Crisis,” is an apt one for the auto industry. Daniel Ammann, CFO of General Motors Co. (GM), addressed these leadership issues in a keynote presentation at the conference and in a Knowledge@Wharton podcast…
Patrick Stone
Compounding pharmacies, where the creation of a particular pharmaceutical product to fit the unique needs of a patient is done, have enjoyed the protection of their state pharmacy board, or they don’t distribute outside their home state (no interstate sales). This means that compounding pharmacies…
Donald J. Wheeler
While an XmR chart is commonly used as a process behavior chart, it may also be used as a test of homogeneity for a finite number of values. This column explains the difference in these two uses of the XmR chart and compares the homogeneity chart with the W-ratio test, which I presented in my June…
ISO
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, each year one in six people becomes sick, more than 127,000 are hospitalized, and about 3,000 die of foodborne illness. The annual economic cost in the United States alone is about $77 billion.
Adding to the risk, the food supply…
Bob Sproull
Much of my career has been spent helping manufacturing companies improve their profitability. Although most improvement experts in the world use lean Six Sigma to initiate improvements, it’s been my experience that the element of focus is missing.
By focus I simply mean where I focus my improvement…
Matthew E. May
The late, great basketball coach John Wooden maintained that, “When you improve a little bit each day, eventually big things occur. Don’t look for big, quick improvement. Instead, seek small improvement one day at a time. That’s the only way it happens—and when it happens, it lasts.”
Wooden was…
Alan’s Apothegms with Alan L. Austin
Recently I was talking to a friend of mine. He had been treated shabbily by the university for which he worked and was trying to decide what he would do next.
This person is a successful business school dean and a proven developer of talent and programs. Although he had been at this particular…
Arun Hariharan
Company X was a new entrant in its industry. There were quite a few established players that X had to compete against. The current top three companies had each taken between seven and 10 years to reach their current size and position. X’s ambition was to become the industry leader in size during…
Oriel STAT A MATRIX
Auditing is a powerful tool for improving management systems and achieving sustainable results, but many organizations do not maximize the return on their audit program investments. Why? Because many audits fail to uncover information that management can use to achieve performance excellence.
A…
