Quality articles from February 2003

Quality archives from February 2003

Pandora's box. (From the Editor).(carefully entering the Chinese machine tooling market)(Editorial)
February 1, 2003... Do you remember the story of Pandora? In Greek mythology, Pandora was a woman created by the gods and given to Epimetheus as a gift. Epimetheus was warned never to accept a gift from the gods. Sure enough, after he left to set about his work,...

Coming events. (Industry News).(Calendar)
February 1, 2003... MARCH * 11th Annual Conference on Quality in the Space and Defense Industries, Cape Canaveral, March 2-4. Aviation/Space & Defense Division, ASQ, (254) 776-3550. * National Manufacturing Week, Chicago, March 3-6. Reed Exhibitions,...

Manufacturing sector looking up. (Industry News).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... NEW YORK -- 2003 began on a bright note for manufacturers when the Institute for Supply Management (ISM) said its index of manufacturing business conditions rose to 54.7 in December from 49.3 in November, far above the increase to 50.3 analysts...

West to present keynote address at QEI. (Industry News).(Jack West to open Quality Expo International)
February 1, 2003... ROSEMONT, IL -- Jack West will present the keynote address, "The State of Quality Management Systems in the Automotive Industry," at Quality Expo International (QEI) on Wednesday, April 16. West will discuss the developments related to ISO...

Megapro Tools Inc. (Business News).(acquires Spear & Jackson)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... Megapro Tools Inc. (Las Vegas) has completed the acquisition of Spear & Jackson (Sheffield, England).

Endevco Corp. (Business News).(forms research partnership with Sandia National Laboratories)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... Endevco Corp. (San Juan Capistrano, CA), a supplier of instrumentation for vibration, shock, inertial motion and dynamic pressure measurements, has signed a cooperative research and development agreement with Sandia National Laboratories. Under...

Apexon Inc. (Business News).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... Apexon Inc. (San Jose, CA) has launched Apexon3, an integrated supplier relationship management suite spanning the critical functions of quality and execution coupled with real-time performance management.

Hudapack Metal Treating. (Business News).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... Hudapack Metal Treating (Elkhart, WI) has achieved ISO 9001: 2000 certification.

Yokogawa Corp. of America. (Business News).(acquires Measurementation Inc. from Yokogawa USA Inc.)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... Yokogawa Corp. of America (Atlanta) has acquired all of the outstanding shares of stock of Measurementation Inc. from Yokogawa USA Inc. Measurementation will operate as a separate division of Yokogawa Corp. of America and will continue to...

The Cincinnati Machine and Lamb Technicon divisions of Unova Inc. plan to combine their business operations to provide more comprehensive products and services to their manufacturing customers in automotive, aerospace and general machining markets. (Business News).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... The Cincinnati Machine and Lamb Technicon divisions of Unova Inc. plan to combine their business operations to provide more comprehensive products and services to their manufacturing customers in automotive, aerospace and general machining...

The Winter Park Public Library and Philip Crosby Associates II Inc. (both of Winter Park, FL) announced the addition of the Philip B. Crosby Collection to the library's history and archives collection. (Business News).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... The Winter Park Public Library and Philip Crosby Associates II Inc. (both of Winter Park, FL) announced the addition of the Philip B. Crosby Collection to the library's history and archives collection. The Crosby Collection includes notes,...

Chicago Dial Indicator Inc. (Business News).(ISO 9001 certification)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... Chicago Dial Indicator Inc. (Des Plaines, IL) has achieved ISO 9001 certification.

Vistagy Inc. (Waltham, MA), a developer of CAD integrated software for composite design and manufacturing. (Business News).(sold FiberSIM software to Lockheed Martin Aeronautics)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... Vistagy Inc. (Waltham, MA), a developer of CAD integrated software for composite design and manufacturing, has sold more than $1 million of its FiberSIM software to Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co. (Fort Worth, TX).

Warranty costs can be reduced. (Industry News).(for auto makers, Tier One suppliers and their suppliers)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... McLEAN, VA -- Warranty costs in 2003 could be reduced significantly with improved collaboration among auto manufacturers, Tier One suppliers and their suppliers, according to the initial findings of a warranty analysis survey of the automotive...

TUV America Inc. (People News).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... Ken Kekich has been appointed central region product manager for both the management service and product service, medical-health and sports division at TUV America Inc. (Danvers, MA).

Post Glover Resistors Inc. (People News).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... Tony Locker has joined Post Glover Resistors Inc. (Erlanger, KY) as vice president of engineering.

NSL Analytical Services. (People News).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... Sharon Martinko has been promoted to network and LIMS administrator at NSL Analytical Services (Cleveland).

Sciemetric. (People News).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... Jeff Bennett has been appointed director of professional services and support at Sciemetric (Ottawa, Canada). Matthew Pidek is the company's manager of installation and commissioning. David Mannila has been promoted to the product development...

CSA International. (People News).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... Randall W. Luecke has been appointed vice president, certification at CSA International (Toronto).

Pilgrim Software Inc. (People News).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... Brian Cassidy has been appointed board member and business development executive at Pilgrim Software Inc.

Avatech Solutions. (People News).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... Donald R. "Scotty" Walsh has been appointed chief executive officer at Avatech Solutions (Owings Mills, MD).

Six Sigma Academy. (People News).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... Stephen Marra has joined Six Sigma Academy (Scottsdale, AZ) as an executive consultant in the company's Consulting Services group.

2002 Baldrige winners named. (Industry News).
February 1, 2003... GAITHERSBURG, MD -- President George W. Bush and Commerce Secretary Don Evans announced the winners of the 2002 Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, the nation's premier award for performance excellence and quality achievement. The...

American named ISO president. (Industry News).(Oliver R. Smoot to head International Organization for Standardization)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... GENEVA -- Oliver R. Smoot has taken office as president of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), a worldwide federation of national standards bodies with representatives from 145 countries. Smoot's term, which runs through...

Association for Manufacturing Technology. (Association News).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... Don Carlson, who has served as the Association for Manufacturing Technology's (AMT) president since 1997, has elected to take an early retirement, citing personal reasons for the decision. Albert Moore, who has assumed the duties of interim...

ASTM International. (Association News).(awards Steven M. Dal 2002 Award of Merit for extensive standards-setting work)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... Steven M. Dale, senior project engineer with Conax Buffalo Technologies (Buffalo, NY) has been awarded the ASTM International 2002 Award of Merit and the title of fellow, the highest society recognition for individual contributions to standards...

Surface metrology committee meets. (Industry News).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... LOIUSVILLE, KY -- The ASME (American Society of Mechanical Engineers) B46.1 committee on classification and designation of surface quality met to address the issues facing the surface metrology community. Project teams met to discuss the...

New Product Innovations Inc. (Business News).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... New Product Innovations Inc. (NPI, Powell, OH) has been named to Business First magazine's Fast 50 list of growing companies. NPI helps companies develop new products and take them to market.

Trumpf Lasertechnik and Trumpf Werkzeugmaschinen GmbH + Co. KG. (Business News).(win Factory of the Year awards for 2002)
February 1, 2003... Two Trumpf companies have been given Factory of the Year awards for 2002. Trumpf Lasertechnik and Trumpf Werkzeugmaschinen GmbH + Co. KG (both of Ditzingen, Germany) were awarded the prize by the German magazine Produktion and management...

West Penn Service Group's. (Business News).(Spectrochemical Laboratories won accreditation)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... West Penn Service Group's (Pittsburgh) Spectrochemical Laboratories has obtained national aerospace and defense contractor accreditation.

Magnetic Shield Corp. (Business News).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... Magnetic Shield Corp. (Bensenville, IL) has achieved ISO 9001: 2000 registration.

Live Wire. (Business News).
February 1, 2003... Live Wire (Broadview, IL) has received ISO 9001: 2000 certification.

Pinpoint Laser Systems. (Business News).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... Pinpoint Laser Systems (Newburyport, MA) has opened a sales and engineering office in the Chicago area.

Instron's. (Business News).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... In effort to expand its research in the area of fatigue and fracture, Mississippi State University has added two of Instron's (Canton, MA) 8872 tabletop servohydraulic test systems to its program.

Rockwell Automation (Milwaukee) and InfinityQS International. (Business News).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... Rockwell Automation (Milwaukee) and InfinityQS International (Manassas, VA) have formed a partnership that augments Rockwell Automation's presence in the enterprise quality software market by integrating InfinityQS SPC applications with...

J & L changes hands. (Industry News).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... SPRINGFIELD, VT -- J & L Metrology, manufacturer of J & L optical comparators, is under new ownership. Bill Otis and Richard Smith of Vermont Precision Machine Services have relocated the company to the original building at 280 Clinton St. in...

IBS provides French service. (Industry News).(IBS America Inc. signs agreement with Systemaxx Consulting Corp.)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... LEXINGTON, MA and TORONTO -- IBS America Inc. and Systemaxx Consulting Corp. have entered an agreement that appoints Systemaxx as the exclusive authorized reseller of IBS products in Quebec, Canada. Systemaxx will resell IBS' System 9000, 14000...

IQS announces new clients. (Industry News).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... CLEVELAND -- IQS Inc., a quality software solutions provider, has added new clients. The following customers have chosen IQS solutions for their needs: Allied Screw Products Inc., AP Technoglass Co., Axsun Technologies, Sunfield Inc., Tennessee...

Beta LaserMike, Z-Mike integrating forces. (Industry News).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... DAYTON, OH -- Beta LaserMike, a manufacturer of precision measurement and control systems, and its wholly owned subsidiary, Z-Mike, a producer of precision dimensional metrology systems, have announced several organizational changes. The Z-Mike...

Registrars and ISO 9000 credibility: too lenient registrars may tarnish the ISO certification process. (Probing the Limits).
February 1, 2003... Are issues with registrars causing a credibility problem with ISO 9000? I received many e-mails from ISO 9000 advocates suggesting this. What generated these often heated e-mails was my October column, "ISO 9000: More Hindrance than Help,"...

What goes around: gage users and gage makers battle when it comes to tolerances. (Other Dimensions).
February 1, 2003... What would you say to a customer who told you he is reducing the tolerances on the part you're making for him by 50%, with no change in price from you? This situation is faced by gage makers on a regular basis, particularly those who make...

Buying a leak tester: this primer will help determine what to keep in mind when purchasing a leak tester. (Training Trends).
February 1, 2003... On the surface, leak testing may appear simple and straightforward. In reality, however, the determination of the leak testing system that is ideally suited for an application can be deceivingly complex. The following are three must-ask...

Tracking measurement and batch variation. (Quality Brain Teasers).
February 1, 2003... Everyone who has faced a production problem with a need to solve the problem by using production data can relate to the notion of a brain teaser. The brain teasers presented here are based on real-world situations that are encountered by...

Hydrogen leak detector: a new leak detection unit uses hydrogen. (Quality Innovations).(iTiQualitek Inc. introduces its new QH2000 leak detector)
February 1, 2003... A gas that has been used to create electricity and fuel the onboard energy needs of the space shuttle and whose applications may someday fuel cars, trucks and remote power stations, has found a more down-to-earth use today. The new QH2000...

Probes push CMMs forward: an overview of some of the new CMM probes that have recently entered the market. (Quality Measurement).
February 1, 2003... Manufacturers' demands for versatility, accuracy, higher throughput, greater point density and continuous operation have resulted in the development of coordinate measuring machine (CMM) probes designed for a range of applications. This means a...

It's not just for detecting surface flaws: from thread verification to hardness to assembly needs, eddy current testing offers an alternative solution. (Quality Test & Inspection).
February 1, 2003... Eddy current testing has been used for more than 30 years in testing steam generator tubing and bar, tube and wire stock. More recently, it has been applied to the testing of individual components on production lines. Eddy current offers rapid...

Build supplier metrics, build better product: information sharing and analysis capability are critical to production, quality and competitive advantages. (Quality Software & Analysis).
February 1, 2003... How can short-range forecasts be developed to respond more quickly to market changes? How can the performance of a company's top five suppliers be monitored? What will it cost to shift to a new supplier in a particular product line? To get at...

SCOR your ISO certification: prioritizing key operations helps make the most out of ISO 9000: 2000. (Quality Standards).(Supply Chain Operation Reference)
February 1, 2003... For manufacturers who are focused on renewing ISO certification this year, it is time to roll up the sleeves because there are significant differences between ISO 9000:1994 and ISO 9000: 2000. Many manufacturers are struggling because of the...

PCB repair station reduces scrap. (Case Studies).(Electronic Packaging Co.'s printed circuit board repair systems)
February 1, 2003... The rigor of pass-fail is not found in just the pressure-cooker of a classroom. In the business world, the difference between Pass Inspection and Failing to Meet Standards could amount to thousands or millions of dollars. One commercial...

Cummins witnesses savings. (Case Studies).
February 1, 2003... When a change in fuel emission standards reduced demand for its N-14 truck engine, Cummins Inc. (Columbus, IN) used Witness simulation software from Lanner Group (Houston) to improve the post-assembly of the engine, and in the process realized...

Surface form measurement. (New Products).
February 1, 2003... The FlatRuler 200 metrology instrument provides noncontact optical surface form measurement of ground, blanked, stamped, turned and molded components. It has a 1.5-millimeter dynamic range that allows measurement of materials like ceramics,...

Measurement system. (New Products).
February 1, 2003... SmartScope Quest 250 uses both contact and noncontact sensors to automatically measure critical dimensions of manufactured parts. The multisensor system offers high accuracy video measurements and a continuously adjustable zoom lens to image a...

Crimp pull tester. (New Products).
February 1, 2003... The PT3000 crimp pull tester provides a reliable way to verify the quality of wire termination crimps. The constant, motorized pull speed ensures consistent pull-off force measurement, time after time. The benchtop unit has a 12-position...

Mill alignment tool. (New Products).
February 1, 2003... The EZ-Tram allows the operator to check and align the spindle of a vertical turret mill perpendicular to the machine table without disturbing the work setup. It is made of cast iron and has a 15.7-inch diameter with a 1.8-inch wide gaging...

Sonic sensor. (New Products).
February 1, 2003... The Superprox SM900 sensor series uses high frequency sound instead of light. It is designed for environments in which there are changes to light conditions or colors, clear glass, dirt and dust. The SM900's range is up to 2 meters and it has a...

Accelerometers. (New Products).
February 1, 2003... The Model 7596A and 7596AM3 Valuline accelerometers take low-level acceleration measurements requiring DC response. Featuring gas damping and internal over-range stops, the accelerometer is able to withstand high shocks and acceleration loads....

Material test system. (New Products).
February 1, 2003... The 3300 series of materials testing systems are available in single-column and benchtop models. The machines test tensile, compressive, flexural and other prop erties. The single-column systems are available in capacities up to 5 kilonewtons...

Thermal imaging camera. (New Products).
February 1, 2003... The Pro 400 Digital Thermal Imaging Camera can capture real-time, color thermal images for use in nonradiometric industrial applications. For predictive maintenance, quality control and process monitoring, the Pro 400 Digital captures images...