T he annual IBM survey of the daily commute in a cross-section of some of the most economically important international cities reveals a startling dichotomy: While the commute has become a lot more bearable during the past year, drivers’ complaints have spiked.

(Sokkia: Olathe, KS) -- Sokkia Corp. has released the NET-AX series of automated total stations in North and South America. The series includes NET05AX for 0.5 in. angle accuracy and NET1AX for 1 in. angle accuracy.

(ASQ: Milwaukee) -- The American Society for Quality (ASQ), the nonprofit organization that administers the Baldrige Performance Excellence Program, is disappointed in a U.S. Senate subcommittee vote to withdraw funding for the successful program in the proposed 2012 federal budget.

(AICON: Braunschweig, Germany) -- With the launch of version 4.7 of TubeInspect, an optical tube-measuring system from AICON, a leading provider of optical camera-based 3-D measurement systems, operators will be able to simulate the bending process considering individual correction values, and t

(RadSite: Annapolis, MD) -- RadSite, a national leader in promoting operational excellence in imaging, has expanded its quality benchmarking activities for radiology and imaging practices to offer a formal accreditation program.

(Toyota: Torrance, CA) -- Addressing the Los Angeles Motor Press Guild at the Toyota U.S.A. Automobile Museum, Steve St. Angelo, the executive vice president of Toyota Motor Engineering and Manufacturing, confirmed that Toyota’s North American production has returned to 100 percent.

Six Sigma, a data-driven method for improving business and quality performance, has been published as a two-part standard from the International Organization for Standardization (ISO).

Quality control for the series production of home appliances at Bosch and Siemens Hausgeräte GmbH (BSH) in Traunreut, Germany, used to be based on coordinate measuring machines (CMMs).

What products will be affected by the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) quality by design (QbD) stipulation, as outlined in its report, “Pharmaceutical Quality for the 21st Century: A Risk-Based Approach”?

(InfinityQS: Chantilly, VA) -- InfinityQS International, the leading provider of real-time quality control software solutions, announced that Doug Fair, vice president of technical services, will speak this week at Quality Expo in Chicago.