All Features
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…
Daniel Brown
A new white-light 3D scanner using hybrid positioning to scan large objects and output a file with no post processing has recently been released.
The Go!SCAN 3D can scan up to 10 times faster than standard 3D scanners. It also has a large 15 in. by 15 in. scanning field of view and a measurement…
Dr T Burns
W. Edwards Deming spoke at length on the importance of psychology to quality. It’s important because psychology provides a theoretical framework for understanding the differences between people. However, Deming did not consider the Asch Effect—the effect of group pressure on the modification and…
Arbour Group
With state-of-the-art technology emerging in the life sciences industry, regulatory requirements continue to become more strict. It’s vital that companies manage their manufacturing processes in accordance with their surrounding governing agencies. Supplier management is a key factor that will help…
Steve Daum
Papering the walls with printed charts might impress visitors, but anyone who wants to get the most from SPC charting must make the right chart available in the right place at the right time. Consider the weekly or monthly quality review meeting. The right people may be in the room, and the right…
Manjula Bhati
Day in and day out, we talk about quality, whether it’s the quality of production, testing, calibration, or some other company function. Typically, emphasis is on developing and implementing policies and procedures, but what is more important is follow up. It’s a mistake to prepare dozens of…
Alan Nicol
Within the last week I have had two conversations representing two sides of the same challenge. I first conversed with an engineer who recently became a member of his company’s process improvement team. He lamented that he sometimes missed the relative simplicity of engineering challenges compared…
Euromed
Despite pressing economic worries, the environment remains a top concern for consumers the world over. And that means environmentally friendly business practices are as necessary for the bottom line as they are for the planet, says Joe Veilleux, president of Euromed USA.
“Being a producer of…
Greg Fox
I have been riding my bike to work lately instead of taking my car. I figured I could use the exercise. I figured it would be good for my health. I figured it might help stave off global warming. I figured wrong.
I’ve noticed lately that the sky seems to get darker a little earlier every day. I…
Michelle LaBrosse
Imagine yourself at the starting line, stretching and flexing and making sure your shoes are tied tight and your winning bib number is securely fastened. This is you, at the gate, achieving your wildest dreams.
As the starting gun sounds, you sprint into action, with every muscle in your being…
Bruce McDuffee
Quality of compressed air is a broad term. One person may deem his compressed air quality as “poor” if he finds water at the end-use point. Another may tell you that her compressed air is high quality because she is able to maintain a dew point temperature at –40°F or lower. As with any measurement…
NIST
Here’s a question for makers of minuscule moving machines—the kind being eyed for nanomanufacturing and assembly as well as other uses: Do you know where your micro- and nanorobots really are? Care to bet?
A team of researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) would…
NIST
To help manufacturers adhere to new regulations intended to reduce the risk of lead poisoning in children, researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have developed standard test samples of lead paint films of the sort sometimes found on children’s products, as well as…
TÜV Rheinland of North America
The electronics industry, perhaps more than any other, truly demonstrates the axiom that change is the only constant. Whether it's smart phones, medical devices, tablets, computers, or other consumer electronics, the one regular occurrence is change. Features and functions are revised, which alter…
Michael Causey
There are two things right now that get relatively bipartisan support in Washington, D.C. The first is that a major league baseball team in D.C. won a pennant for the first time since we stopped huddling around our radios for entertainment. [Editor’s note: The Nationals lost in the first round of…
Tefen Management Consulting
One of the many hidden challenges in hospital systems is to ensure required supplies are readily available and in the right quantity. Significant manpower is invested in material management so that patients receive care without interruption. An optimized supply system that uses modern technology…
Bruce Hamilton
It’s funny, but when a bunch of lean thinkers gets together, they tend to be on the lookout for small improvements. Cumulatively these little issues give us headaches, and regrettably sometimes have far more serious consequences. Call this mental muri, every bit as stressful as physical muri, the…
Eric Weisbrod
Like many things in the manufacturing world, the definition of “mobile data collection” depends on the company, environment, collection type, required functionality, and myriad variables. The abundance of mobile technology is changing the scope of data collection.
After many discussions with…
Quality Transformation With David Schwinn
It may seem dangerous to ask questions, especially in an environment that is hostile to change. The heart of improvement often lies in listening to many viewpoints in order to involve people affected by the outcome. In an environment of trust, it’s okay to disagree with the boss. W. Edwards Deming…
TÜV Rheinland of North America
The electronics industry, perhaps more than any other, truly demonstrates the axiom that change is the only constant. Whether it’s smart phones, medical devices, tablets, computers, or other consumer electronics, the one regular occurrence is change. Features and functions are revised, which alter…
Ron Kaufman
In a harsh global economy, great service is the price of admission. Companies whose cultures aren’t built around the ability and the willingness—no, the eagerness—to delight the customer won’t survive. You know this. And if you’re a leader at a global enterprise, no doubt you’ve gained more than a…
