ISO 9001: Conspicuous by Its AbsenceYou know a quality standard is effective when it’s invisible
Fri, 06/08/2012 - 12:33
People often ask for examples of benefits from implementing ISO 9001-compliant quality management systems (QMS). Such examples are often difficult to provide, at least in terms of immediate results. The reason is that the effects of ISO 9001 and its… Combine ISO 50001 with ISO 14001 and Drop the GHG Provision Green manufacturing delivers bottom-line results
Tue, 05/08/2012 - 10:30
The ISO 14001 environmental management systems (EMS) standard and the new ISO 50001 energy management systems (EnMS) standard are complementary, synergistic, and mutually supporting systems for improving stakeholder value. ISO 50001’s proposed… P-TECH: An Old but Good IdeaThere’s already a solution for matching high-school education to the needs of high-tech manufacturing
Wed, 04/18/2012 - 10:46
Loss of American manufacturing capability to low-wage countries is but one part of the overall problem with the U.S. economy. The other part consists of a shortage of skilled workers, given that a high school diploma is no longer adequate for many… Does Industry Need a Social Responsibility Standard? A social responsibility (SR) standard can fit in an SR policy
Tue, 03/13/2012 - 11:49
Bowers and West, authors of the article, “Getting on Track,” in the May 2011 issue of Quality Progress, describe ISO 26000 as a guidance standard “that can help manage social responsibility (SR) issues at your organization.” The reference adds that… Treat Standards as Servants, Not MastersMake them work for you, and they won’t be costly, time-consuming annoyances
Tue, 02/14/2012 - 11:23
Compliance is an unfortunate word in connection with standards because it suggests something arduous, unpleasant, costly, and annoying that one must do to “get the certificate.”
It’s true that organizations must meet certain requirements to… Don’t Confuse Brand Names with Quality Quality professionals can help retailers learn how to use high-wage U.S. labor effectively
Fri, 01/13/2012 - 13:20
I recently returned a pair of $28 (suggested retail price) Chinese-made gloves I bought for $7.97 the day after Christmas, which is when I do all my Christmas shopping. The reason I returned the gloves was because a seam had begun to come apart less… Are Control Charts Suitable for Health Care Applications? Adverse events require closed-loop corrective action to prevent recurrence
Mon, 12/12/2011 - 10:54
Hospital-acquired infections, ventilator-acquired pneumonia, patient falls, and similar events are (hopefully) rare enough to promote discussion of control charts for rare events. A Google search will, for example, turn up the application of u… Don’t Ship or Stock Air‘Good stowin’s good stowin’ all the same...’
Mon, 11/21/2011 - 16:09
The elimination of waste (muda) from all manufacturing and logistics activities is an obvious concept. Less obvious is the fact that waste often hides in plain view. “Unfortunately, real waste lurks in forms that do not look like waste,” says… JetBlue: A Bad Workman Always Blames His ToolsLeave the unfriendly skies to the greedy industry
Mon, 11/07/2011 - 12:00
The recent incident in which JetBlue stranded Flight 504’s passengers on a runway for seven hours reinforces the need for all but recreational travelers to adopt remote conferencing technology as rapidly as possible. It is past time to eliminate… Henry Ford’s Lean Performance IndicatorsMaximum results from minimum metrics
Fri, 10/07/2011 - 10:59
Frederick the Great stated that a general who tries to defend everything defends nothing. The same principle applies to business performance metrics: He who tries to measure everything measures nothing because it is impossible to focus…
