The loss of U.S. manufacturing jobs is a topic that can provoke heated arguments about globalization. But what do the cold, hard numbers reveal? How has the rise in foreign manufacturing competition actually affected the U.S. economy and its workers?

(Zontec: Cincinnati) -- Zontec Inc., the international developer of statistical process control (SPC) software solutions, announced the launch of a new Best Practices Webinar Series. The first webinar will be on “Supplier Management: How to Handle Supplier Relationships.”

(ISO: Geneva) -- The February 2012 issue of ISO Focus+, the magazine of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), will be showing up on people’s desks soon.

(The Conference Board: New York) -- The Conference Board, a membership organization to help businesses improve performance and service, and Nielsen Holdings N.V., an information and measurement company, has announced the launch of The Demand Institute.

(Productivity Press: Boca Raton, FL) -- For visionary leaders, an organizational master plan and associated technologies have become essential components of strategic decision making.

(Minitab: State College, PA) -- Refine your quality improvement skills by attending Minitab’s Manufacturing Quality training series in Chicago, March 27–30, 2012.

Business process management (BPM) delivers significant benefits to organizations, but some have faced many problems due to wrong turns along the way, according to Gartner analysts.

The pile of papers in front of me is sizable. I’m wondering what would be the correct term for the volume of these white sheets of paper.

(General: New York) -- With its exceptionally broad measurement range of –40° to 1,076°F (–40° to 580°C), the new 12:1 Wide-Range Infrared Thermometer (IRT657) from General Tools and Instruments (General) is perfect for testing and troubleshooting a wide variety of systems and components.

Weights and measures are indispensable. From the grocery store to the gas pump, all kinds of consumer products are sold by some measurable quantity, whether it’s length, count, volume, or weight.