The Six Sigma journey of many organizations has morphed into “lean Six Sigma” during the past couple of years.

(API: Rockvile, MD) -- Automated Precision Inc. recently announced that its pioneering efforts in volumetric accuracy for large machine tools (VALMT) was recognized with a Defense Manufacturing Excellence Award presented by the National Center for Advanced Technologies (NCAT).

(ASTM: West Conshohocken, PA) --  ASTM International Committee E07 on nondestructive testing has recently approved three new standards on phased arrays, polymer matrix composites for aerospace applications, and digital imaging. The committee will be meeting in Plantation, Florida, on Jan.

(Aicon: Braunschweig, Germany) -- A separate measuring system for each measuring task; this philosophy is a thing of the past. Today, due to economic reasons, measurement equipment must be versatile.

(ASQ: Milwaukee) -- An American Society for Quality (ASQ) survey shows a majority of manufacturers are optimistic about a small economic uptick in 2010 at their organizations. However, respondents believe further cost-cutting measures will continue to be implemented.

(KnowWare International: Denver) -- The QI Macros SPC Software for Excel announces the addition of Levene's Test of variance in normal and non-normal data. One of the keys to Six Sigma in manufacturing and service industries is the reduction of variation.

On Dec. 4, a California-based consumer watchdog group announced that testing performed by them on the enormously popular Zhu Zhu Pets showed that levels of the heavy metal antimony were in excess of federal limits.

Story update 11/23/2010: A paragraph was added to the end of this case study to reflect the current state of the company's quality initiatives.

(Sparta Systems: Holmdel, NJ) --  Sparta Systems Inc., the maker of TrackWise software and a provider of enterprise quality and compliance management solutions, is pleased to announce new additions to the