Operations Article | Quality Digest

Designing Tiny Filters to Solve Big Problems

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In his lab at MIT, Zachary Smith is designing membranes with tiny pores that can filter tiny molecules based on their size. Here, Smith holds a “membrane coupon,” which is a small piece of polymer that can filter gas molecules selectively.

For many industrial processes, the typical way to separate gases, liquids, or ions is with heat, using slight differences in boiling points to purify mixtures. These thermal processes account for roughly 10% of the energy use in the United States.

AI in Medical Device Manufacturing

In April 2018, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the first artificial intelligence-powered diagnostic system, a software program used to detect diabetes-related vision loss.

Staying True to Your Purpose in Life

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Photo by Heidi Fin on Unsplash

For me, the future is all about learning and teaching. Learning new ideas or disciplines fascinates me. Interconnecting those experiences and disciplines and creating new ideas to share with others through teaching is even more exciting.

Bringing RCA and HOP Together

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Photo by Inspirationfeed on Unsplash

We live in a world where problems aren’t just growing—they’re evolving into ever-more complex challenges. During the 20th century, we pushed the boundaries of innovation, creating complicated systems that demanded structured problem-solving approaches.

Surface-Based Sonar System Rapidly Maps Ocean Floor at High Resolution

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Stephen Murray, Jason Valenzano, David Kindler, Paul Ryu, and Andrew March deploy their 8 m × 8 m sonar-array test bed, held together by a metal frame, in Boston Harbor for sea tests. Photo courtesy of Lincoln Laboratory.

On June 18, 2023, the Titan submersible was about 90 minutes into its two-hour descent to the Titanic wreckage at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean when it lost contact with its support ship.

A to Z of Audits and Inspections

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Photo by Agence Olloweb on Unsplash

Audits and inspections are critical components of industrial safety management. These processes help organizations ensure compliance with legal requirements, identify risks, and improve workplace safety and operational efficiencies.

‘Fire, Ready, Aim!’

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Photo by Chris Chow on Unsplash

In the world of operations and quality management, the pressure to act quickly can feel overwhelming. Senior executives are constantly racing against time to meet customer demands, solve problems, and keep shareholders satisfied.

The Unseen Victims of RTO Policies

In the rapidly evolving business landscape, the momentum toward policies mandating a return to the office (RTO) is gaining traction.

Total Factor Productivity

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Photo by Zohair Mirza on Unsplash

Recent labor relations controversies and ongoing arguments about the minimum wage have raised questions as to how a supply chain should share the utility it produces.

Meeting the Challenge for Data Policies

Data are the fuel of the Information Age, and all organizations acknowledge the value of well-managed corporate data assets. The problems start when we begin to ask just exactly how the data assets are to be well managed.

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