All Features
William A. Levinson
The current alleged quality problems with the Boeing 737 underscore the importance of zero tolerance for poor quality. No manufacturing or quality professional should ever compromise on this issue. Most importantly, the potential consequences to customers but also to the organization are simply not…
Roy Arguelles
In today’s marketplace, where products and services proliferate and competition intensifies, businesses are realizing that they must offer more than just commodities to thrive. Enter the experience economy—a paradigm shift where companies are no longer just selling goods or services but crafting…
Brenda Martin
With a career of more than 40 years in the manufacturing industry, I look back now and see that I was greatly influenced by my father, who worked for an engineering firm. He shared his vast mechanical know-how with me. The two of us worked on many projects together, including rebuilding my car’s…
Zach Winn
In a large, open space on the first floor of 750 Main St. in Cambridge, Massachusetts, a carbon-capture company is heating up molten salts to 600°C right next to a quantum computing company’s device for supercooling qubits. The difference is about 900° across 15 feet.
It doesn’t take long during a…
George Caceres
Because I’m a microplastics researcher, my friends sometimes jokingly ask me, “How many microplastics do you think I consumed this week?”
I can’t give an exact answer. Unfortunately, it’s not zero.
Microplastics—the tiny plastic particles that break down from plastic products—are everywhere. And…
Jessica Rector
Burnout is affecting every industry, company, and role. There are no exceptions.
Leaders often find themselves in the trenches, navigating through the chaos and driving their teams toward success. However, amidst the pursuit of goals and objectives, burnout remains a lurking enemy that can…
Peter Cappelli
A recent report showed that 59% of managers said they had received no training on how to be a manager before becoming one. Management professor and director of Wharton’s Center for Human Resources Peter Cappelli says that stunning statistic is compounded by the fact that most of those managers are…
Etienne Nichols
In the United States, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is the federal agency tasked with regulating the medical device market and ensuring the safety and effectiveness of all devices for patients.
The FDA classifies medical devices by risk into three categories: Class I, Class II, and Class…
Aziz Tahiri
The aerospace industry is constantly innovating and pushing the limits of what’s possible. This puts a lot of pressure on manufacturers to ensure their airplanes are top-notch in quality, safety, and efficiency. To meet these demands, the industry is undergoing a significant transformation,…
Stephanie Ojeda
An analysis of U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warning letters by the Food and Drug Law Institute reveals a perhaps not-so-surprising link between training gaps and FDA violations.
It’s one of several factors motivating companies to switch to automated training management software. The…
Kelly Nault, Ko Kuwabara, Yejin Park
Giving and receiving help are essential aspects of organizational life, whether that’s providing career advice or soliciting a colleague’s input on a tricky technical problem that you just can’t solve. Through help exchange, individuals gain access to ideas, resources, and relationships that help…
Mike Figliuolo
This article is an excerpt from the cutting room floor. It was in an early draft of my book One Piece of Paper: The Simple Approach to Powerful, Personal Leadership (Jossey-Bass, 2011; order your copy here). It covers how to lead through guidelines rather than leading through rules.
We need…
Aman Pandey
In the dynamic landscape of the life sciences industry, ensuring compliance with good manufacturing practices (GMP) is imperative to guarantee the safety, efficacy, and quality of pharmaceutical products.
One critical aspect of GMP is the analytical product quality review (APQR), an essential…
Bruce Hamilton
I was asked to lead a workshop in the sales order department of a manufacturer that we had helped with process improvement on the factory floor. Those efforts had positively reverberated across the company in the form of fewer late and expedited orders. Still, sales order employees were wondering…
Del Williams
In the food industry, it’s common for processors to test—and even retest—their products on the conveyor systems they are considering purchasing. After all, every food product or raw ingredient has distinct characteristics that will determine how it behaves under the stresses and pressures of…
Pawel Korzynski
Amid seemingly never-ending layoffs and a laser focus on efficiency, companies expect their employees to make productive and focused use of their time on the clock. Yet, research has shown that they often spend a significant amount of time cyberloafing—using the internet for personal purposes…
Antonio Possolo
If a traveler from Germany goes to Vietnam and falls ill, the results of their blood test there should be as meaningful as if the test were taken at home. If a Japanese airliner lands in Argentina and needs a part, that part needs to be installed using properly calibrated tools.
Commerce, science…
Mike Figliuolo
Sometimes the key to getting a lot done is to actually do nothing at all.
I’ve been dreading writing this post. Massive writer’s block. “I have nothing to say,” says the tired little voice in my head (no comments from the peanut gallery).
Normally, I write on Sundays. Writing is relaxing for me.…
Morehouse Instrument Co.
In the healthcare sector, precision isn’t just a requirement. It’s a necessity where the margins for error are perilously thin, and the consequences of inaccuracy can be grave. At the heart of this precision lies the unassuming yet critical load cell, a device whose reliability is foundational to…
Dawn Bailey
The Center for Organ Recovery & Education (CORE), a 2019 Baldrige Award recipient, is a nonprofit organ procurement organization (OPO) in Pittsburgh with a federally designated service area encompassing a population of 5.5 million in western Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and one county in New…
Laurie Locascio
Growing up as a scientist, I didn’t see role models who looked like me. I grew up in a small town where my father was a physicist—and my role model. He nurtured me to be a scientist, just like him. I’m so grateful he didn’t have different expectations for my brothers and me. He always told me that…
James Chan
Management of change (MOC) is a defined process that organizations establish and follow to ensure health, safety, and reduction of risk during periods of change. MOC systems and policies are essential for companies that undergo significant updates to their facilities, personnel, equipment, or…
Gleb Tsipursky
Generative AI, when harnessed correctly, has the potential to revolutionize the way companies operate, innovate, and compete. But the question that arises is how businesses can effectively tap into this potential. The answer lies in setting up an AI center of excellence that combines IT with…
ISO
Trust makes the world go ’round. Without it, democracies crumble and relationships suffer. The same goes for organizations and businesses: Without the trust of their customer base, they simply can’t succeed.
Trust, however, is never a given. Like respect, it must be won. In an ever-evolving…
Henry A. Zumbrun
Calibration, a critical aspect of maintaining equipment precision, involves more than routine checks. It’s a complex decision-making process in which quality, lead time, and price are weighed. The belief that you must compromise on one to excel in the others is a common misconception in the…
