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More than 70 million privately insured Americans saw the quality of their health care improve in 2005, and there are still significant gaps in the quality of health care overall. In its annual State of Health Care report, the National Committee for Quality Assurance reports significant…
A new standard from the International Organization for Standardization and the International Electrotechnical Commission is designed to increase confidence in management system certification. ISO/IEC 17021:2006, "Conformity assessment—Requirements for bodies providing audit and…
CogniTens Ltd. recently won the Technology Innovation of the Year award from market and technology research organization Frost & Sullivan. The award recognized CogniTens’ contributions to the dimensional metrology market, specifically for its CoreView and OptiPlan software products, as…
The Juran Institute was recently approved as a vendor for the state of Connecticut’s Aerospace and Defense Initiative. The initiative supports Connecticut’s Next Generation Competitiveness Strategy, and assists the state’s defense and aerospace industry in achieving improved…
A recently released book explores four characteristics of highly successful businesses and finds that a major feature of quality and process improvement is the synergy between them. Hoshin Kanri for the Lean Enterprise—Developing Competitive Capabilities and Managing Profit, (…
GOAL/QPC, a publisher of quality training guides, recently merged with The Center for Quality of Management, a quality-improvement consultancy. GOAL/QPC publishes the Memory Jogger series of pocket-sized training materials. CQM is best known for its education and advisory programs for…
Richard Childress Racing, a nine-time NASCAR champion, has partnered with metrology company Metris USA. Metris will provide RCR with high-technology contact and optical metrology equipment to boost the performance of its engines. “Racing has always been about pushing the limits of…
The synergies of lean and quality in improving any type of an organization’s processes and products are the focus of an upcoming conference. Quality Drives Lean, to be held Oct. 30 and 31 at the Crowne Plaza Ravinia Hotel in Atlanta, is designed to demonstrate to attendees how to match…
Are you looking to improve the quality of classroom learning?A recently published book demonstrates that quality and continuous improvement systems have a rightful place in K-12 classrooms. Boot Camp for Leaders in K-12 Education: Continuous Improvement (ASQ Quality Press, 2006), by Lee…
Hexagon AB recently acquired Mikrofyn A/S, a Danish producer of machine automation and laser-leveling equipment. Mikrofyn is based in Odense, Denmark, and has 65 employees. It has an annual growth rate of about 30 percent. Hexagon reports that it will be consolidated into the parent…
The U.S. Senate recently honored several manufacturing companies in Indiana for their productivity improvements. The winner of the 2005 U.S. Senate Productivity Award is AK Steel-Rockport Works, a Rockport, Indiana, producer of flat-rolled carbon, stainless and electrical steels, and…
Tokyo Metropolitan Police recently arrested the president and CEO of Mitutoyo Corp. on charges that the company illegally exported equipment that can be used in making nuclear weapons. Kazusaku Tezuka and four other Mitutoyo executives were arrested and charged with violating foreign…
StatSoft Inc. has opened a new office in Oslo, Norway. It’s the third international office the company has opened this year, bringing the number of StatSoft’s international offices to 22. The facilities provide sales, technical support, implementation services, configuration services…
The American National Standards Institute and the National Institute of Standards and Technology, along with the Standardization Administration of China, recently launched a new online portal to simplify trade between the United States and China. Designed primarily for industry…
The e-TQM College, the world’s first online school for the field of total quality management (TQM) recently announced the creation of the Harrington Best TQM Thesis Award, named in honor of renowned quality expert, and Quality Digest columnist, James Harrington. The award was established…
Do you want to use Six Sigma concepts, but you’re frustrated by the complex mathematical equations involved?An upcoming book addresses this issue, outlining nonmathematical presentations of the statistical topics that Green Belts must master. Statistics for Six Sigma Green Belts with…
RABQSA International Inc. recently entered the European personnel training market. The personnel certification organization signed a cooperation agreement with the Society of Trainers, Assessors and Registered Professionals (STAREGISTER) for the delivery of RABQSA’s personnel and training…
Wayne Caccamo is Instantis’s new vice president of marketing. Caccamo will oversee and execute global plans to promote EnterpriseTrack, the company’s flagship software product. Before joining the company, Caccamo was vice president of worldwide marketing for Pathlore Software Corp. He has…
Employees of Mercury Marine recently completed their 1,000th lean Six Sigma project. Mercury Marine, a Wisconsin-based manufacturer of marine propulsion systems, began using Six Sigma and lean concepts in its manufacturing processes in 2003. Since then, it has trained almost 700 management…
Despite rising vehicle costs and high gas prices, consumers gave the auto industry its highest perceived quality rating in a decade, according to the Quarterly Quality Report. Compiled by the American Society for Quality, the report measured the auto industry’s perceived quality score…
To demonstrate how manufacturers can comply with the Restrictions on Hazardous Substances directive (RoHS), the California Manufacturing Technology Consulting organization will host two day-long seminars this month. The first will be held Sept. 19 at the Holiday Inn Mission Valley in San…
TÜV SUD AG, the parent company of TÜV SÜD America, recently acquired two German companies, a move that will allow it to extend its services in the chemical, pharmaceutical and process industries. Effective Oct. 1, the materials technology unit of R&M Industrieservice Höchst…
Hexagon Metrology will host an opening celebration of its new North American headquarters in the Quonset Business Park in Kingston, Rhode Island, on Sept. 14. Guests will include Governor Donald L. Carcieri; Saul Kaplan, Rhode Island Economic Development Corp. executive director; Ola…
The Commercial Vehicle Group recently chose Fred Pippen as the new director of quality of its Americas division. Pippen will be responsible for overall quality systems management, directing supplier quality management and development, supporting emerging market supplier identification…
The 22nd Canada Awards for Excellence, equivalent to the Baldrige Awards in the United States, will be announced Oct. 24 at the Performance Excellence Summit in Toronto. The National Quality Institute administers the awards and will host the event at the Toronto Metro Convention Center…
