All Features
Bruce Hamilton
One of the more dubious outcomes of the French Revolution was the standardization of guillotining as the sole (and oft-employed) manner of capital punishment. Prior to the revolution, only the nobility was entitled to such a humane demise. Commoners received their due by more excruciating means,…
MIT News
For discussion: We’re all quality professionals, right? We understand root cause analysis, right? But do we understand it and act on it as well as when we were babies?--Quality Digest editors
If you flip a light switch and nothing happens, there are a couple of possible explanations. One is that…
NIST
Most industry executives, military planners, research managers, or venture capitalists charged with assessing the potential of a research and development project probably are familiar with the wry twist on Arthur C. Clarke's third law: “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable…
Angelo Lyall
In my work with both manufacturing and nonmanufacturing organizations, I have been faced with the challenge of improving quality. Toward that end, I'd like to offer a few simple lessons that I have learned.
• Know the set of attributes that customers in your industry use to measure value, and the…
Donald J. Wheeler
Failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA) is an engineering tool that has been heavily adapted for use in Six Sigma programs where it is commonly used to decide which problem to work on. In this usage a risk priority number (RPN) is computed for each of several problems, and the problem with the…
Tripp Babbitt
If a service company has been around long enough, there will be some story about how someone manipulated the system and embezzled money or committed some type of fraud. The story is often anecdotal, and the longer it has been since the actual criminal event, the bigger the tale becomes. A thousand…
ZEISS Industrial Quality Solutions
Several of the polished gears are still standing on carpeted pedestals shortly after the InnoTrans—the world’s most important railway transport event. They were developed and manufactured by Henschel to help trains deliver their passengers quickly, safely, and reliably. One of the locomotive axle…
Dennis Payton
With the explosive growth in imported goods to the United States, what is the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) doing toward maintaining a level of service inspection that ensures the best protection of the public health? One option is to partner with the countries exporting the supplies. Perhaps…
MIT News
Researchers from MIT and Harvard University crossed the Charles River to speak at a two-day symposium intended to bridge scientific innovation from both campuses with corporate interests from around the world. The symposium was held June 14–15, 2011, at the Hynes Convention Center in Boston as part…
Paul Naysmith
As a quality professional, I am a huge admirer of what the Japanese, and in particular Toyota, have given the business world, and how they have influenced quality improvements like no other in history.
Although in recent years Toyota did have a “blip” in its immaculate history, according to…
Arun Hariharan
Most businesses, government, or even nonprofit organizations have business processes. Generally, processes are documented. Most organizations also have performance measurements. But step back for a moment and ask two fundamental but strategic questions: “What business processes do we need in the…
Rapidform Inc.
Cars scream around the track at speeds approaching 200 mph, yet a 500-mile NASCAR race can be decided by a few tenths of a second. To be a winner, NASCAR teams seek any advantage they can create. However, NASCAR has strict guidelines that specify nearly every aspect of the “stock” car. For BMI Corp…
Mike Richman
Any way you slice it, the Orlando World Center Marriott Resort is one big place. Total number of rooms? More than 2,000. Massive swimming pool? How about two of the biggest ones you’ve ever seen? Fine dining and refreshments? Take your choice of two terrific steakhouses (one American, one Japanese…
NIST
A team of researchers from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), George Mason University, and the University of Maryland has made nano-sized sensors that detect volatile organic compounds—harmful pollutants released from paints, cleaners, pesticides, and other products—that…
The QA Pharm
Just when you think that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has to stick to the script by quoting chapter and verse of current Good Manufacturing Practices (CGMPs), it gets very progressive and offers straight talk about corporate commitment and leadership.
I have reported before that the FDA…
Bill Kalmar
By way of background, I am a senior citizen but not too technically challenged. I know how to operate my HD television and the DVR; I have a cell phone and understand how to use the speaker phone; OnStar is in my car along with a TomTom GPS. As a way to connect to the past, though, I do have a Sony…
Don Sayre
There is a new international standard published June 9, 2011, that might just warrant your attention. This standard’s purpose is help organizations follow a systematic approach to improving energy performance, including energy efficiency, energy use, and consumption. It applies to variables that…
William A. Levinson
In “Why Companies Fail Quality Audits” (Manufacturing Engineering, May 1996), Robert M. Bakker cites control of documents as one of the three major sources of QS-9000—now ISO/TS 16949—nonconformances, and there is indeed plenty that can go wrong, even with an electronic system. Conflicting…
Quality Transformation With David Schwinn
As I was recently going through some old papers, I came across a letter that my good friend and fraternity brother, Ron Sparling, and I had sent to the general manager of a General Motors Corp. (GM) division where another close friend and fraternity brother had worked.
Our fraternity brother, Mark…
Donald Jasurda
Across the life cycle of delivering a product to market, engineers face many obstacles. They often find themselves spending a lot of time reworking or repairing parts that fail inspection but may fit and function properly when assembled; or, they might pass inspection but do not fit with other…
The Un-Comfort Zone With Robert Wilson
“Who wants to be chairperson of the fundraising committee?” asked the company president.
The room became quiet, and as I glanced around the table, I saw a dozen perfect poker faces. No one wanted this responsibility. No one was going to commit.
“This is our most important committee,” the president…
Joelle K. Jay
What if there are things you are doing—or not doing—that are sabotaging your success? What if there are a few key things you’re missing that could help you get even better results? There’s only one way to find out, and that’s by getting feedback.
Unfortunately, feedback is sometimes given a bad…
Angelo Lyall
Clarity is extremely valuable for building profitable strategies and conducting sustainable business. Without clarity many firms refrain from taking strategic steps in fear of the unknown, leaving them stagnant and eventually uncompetitive. Only by understanding the key concepts that underpin…
NIST
A metasurface or metafilm is a 2-D version of a metamaterial, popularized recently in technologies with seemingly unnatural properties, such as the illusion of invisibility. Metamaterials have special properties not found in nature, often because of a novel structure. NIST’s metasurface is a small…
ACLASS
Keith Greenaway, vice president of ACLASS, a brand of ANSI-ASQ National Accreditation
Board that provides accreditation, gave a brief talk titled “Focus on Inspections and Compliance” at the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act public meeting held on June 6, 2011. His prepared remarks follow:
The…
