Quality articles from May 2005

Quality archives from May 2005

Diamond's 'polish' is in people.(FROM THE PUBLISHER)
May 1, 2005... A manufacturer can have the best measurement, test and inspection equipment installed, the best analytical software solution and registration to the current version of every standard, but still not have a bonafide quality program. Quality...

Coming events.(INDUSTRY NEWS)(Brief Article)(Calendar)
May 1, 2005... MAY 9-13 INTERNATIONAL DIMENSIONAL WORKSHOP (IDW), Nashville, TN, BNP Media, (888) 530-6714. 19 QUALITY IMPROVEMENT WORKSHOP, Naperville, IL, Genemetrix and Northern Illinois University, (800) 345-9472. 23-24 LEAN VALUE STREAM,...

Olympus to acquire larger stake in NDT market.(OLYMPUS)
May 1, 2005... TOKYO -- Olympus Corp., a manufacturer of digital cameras, medical endoscopes and industrial scopes, announces its plans to buy R/D Tech Inc., a Canadian-based manufacturer of nondestructive testing equipment. The acquisition is estimated at...

SHINGO Prizes recognize lean initiatives.(INDUSTRY NEWS)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... LOGAN, UT -- The 2005 recipients of the Shingo Prize for Excellence in Manufacturing awards have been announced. This award program, for manufacturers in the United States, Canada and Mexico, is administered by the College of Business at Utah...

Surface metrology technology considered.(INDUSTRY NEWS)
May 1, 2005... TUCSON, AZ -- Late last year, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) B46.1 committee on classification and designation of surface qualities, met to discuss developments in surface metrology. Dr. James C. Wyant, director of the...

Conference focuses on personal and professional development.(INDUSTRY NEWS)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... ALEXANDRIA, VA -- The 2005 APICS, The Association for Operations Management, International Conference and Exposition is scheduled for October 16 to 18 at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans. General session speakers...

Software streamlines complaint tracking.(INDUSTRY NEWS)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... TAMPA, FL -- Pilgrim Software Inc., a provider of enterprise quality and compliance management solutions, releases its 2005 version of SmartComplaints customer complaint management solution. The software helps organizations meet specific...

ADMET Inc.(PEOPLE NEWS)(appointed Scott Martin as technical sales engineer.)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... ADMET Inc. (Norwood, MA), a provider of integrated materials testing systems, announces Scott Martin as technical sales engineer. Martin will be responsible for generating new end user and OEM accounts in specific markets.

AMETEK.(PEOPLE NEWS)(appointed R. Bruce Gaynor as division vice president of marketing and sales.)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... R. Bruce Gaynor is named division vice president of marketing and sales for AMETEK's (Kent, OH) commercial motor division. Gaynor's responsibilities include sales and marketing for the company's worldwide commercial vacuum motor business.

TUV Canada.(PEOPLE NEWS)(appointed Larry Coudenys as training director and lead auditor. )(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... Larry Coudenys is appointed to training director and lead auditor of TUV Canada (Cambridge, Ontario), a subsidiary of TUV SUD Group. In his position, Coudenys will provide training courses and auditing services to clients of the management...

In memoriam.(INDUSTRY NEWS)(Brief Article)(Obituary)
May 1, 2005... LIVONIA, MI -- The founder of the R.L. Schmitt Co., Richard L. Schmitt, has passed away. The company manufactures cutting tools for mold manufacturing, engraving tools, carbide cutting tools and gaging products.

Strategic Distribution Inc.(BUSINESS NEWS)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... Strategic Distribution Inc. (SDI) relocates its corporate headquarters to Bristol, PA, from Bensalem, PA. The provider of MRO supply chain management services now occupies an 18,000-square-foot space, with space for centralized procurement and...

Precise Inc.(BUSINESS NEWS)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... Precise Inc. (Ashtabula, OH) opens a Cleveland sales office to handle an increase in marketing and customer service efforts in the area. The ISO 17025-accredited calibration lab offers full calibration services.

Larson Systems Inc.(BUSINESS NEWS)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... Larson Systems Inc. (Minneapolis) has committed to repair, upgrade and calibrate the Carlson MET-SF series, Carlson MET-MF series and Reicherter line of testers. The company will upgrade or repair testers to OEM specifications.

Bosch Rexroth Corp.(BUSINESS NEWS)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... Bosch Rexroth Corp. (Hoffman Estates, IL) will invest 83 million Euros over the next three years to expand its production capabilities in China. Part of the investment will go to a new factory in Beijing, scheduled for construction this year....

The Metrology Division of Leica Geosystems (Norcross, GA) delivers its fourth LTD700 laser tracker inspection and measurement tool to Volkswagen AG.(BUSINESS NEWS)
May 1, 2005... The Metrology Division of Leica Geosystems (Norcross, GA) delivers its fourth LTD700 laser tracker inspection and measurement tool to Volkswagen AG. The portable coordinate measurement machine will be used at the automaker's plant in Dresden,...

Infor Global Solutions (Northville, MI) announces a distributor relationship with GrapeCity Inc.(BUSINESS NEWS)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... Infor Global Solutions (Northville, MI) announces a distributor relationship with GrapeCity Inc. Infor, provider of enterprise software solutions, hopes to gain ground in the Asia Pacific automotive and discreet manufacturing markets. GrapeCity...

JAI Group (Copenhagen, Denmark) acquires 35% of the shares in Micro Vision Co. Ltd., a Japanese development company.(BUSINESS NEWS)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... JAI Group (Copenhagen, Denmark) acquires 35% of the shares in Micro Vision Co. Ltd., a Japanese development company. Micro Vision develops software and hardware for high-speed digital serial transmission systems, image processing and motor...

Smiths Aerospace.(BUSINESS NEWS)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... Smiths Aerospace (Grand Rapids, MI) receives a 2004 Supplier of the Year Award from Northrop Grumman Corp.'s Integrated Systems sector. The company was recognized for its work on Northrop Grumman's B-2 data entry panel program, supplying...

Henkel.(BUSINESS NEWS)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... Henkel opens a new global headquarters for the company's electronics group in Irvine, CA. The 53,000-square-foot facility will house research and design applications engineering for the company's die attach, semiconductor underfill, encapsulant...

Long work hours and quality of life: by re-engineering our time management at work, we can achieve higher quality parts with a higher quality of life.(PROBING THE LIMITS)
May 1, 2005... As a business professional with a young family, I'm constantly struggling with the work and family quality of life balance. I often tap into my training as a quality professional to try to help find the right balance. There isn't any reason...

Wringing up your masters: making assumptions about dimension can cause problems when it comes to gage calibration.(OTHER DIMENSIONS)
May 1, 2005... Most gage calibration work involves the use of masters, the most versatile of which are gage blocks. Aside from a calibration report showing deviations from nominal, most block users ignore other characteristics of the blocks and the skills of...

Measuring gear shafts: improve quality by enlisting these gear-shaft measuring techniques.(QUALITY 101)
May 1, 2005... Several types of measurements generally are required in the manufacturing process for gear shafts. Gages may be used for interoperational measurements to control quality at different stages within the manufacturing process, or for final...

New product approval woes.(BRAIN TEASERS)
May 1, 2005... Anyone who has faced a production problem with a need to solve it by using production data can relate to the notion of a brain teaser. The brain teasers presented here are based on real-world situations encountered by workers in manufacturing...

Structural lighting broadens the view: manufacturers turn to white-light, 3-D measurement for enhanced accuracy, speed and productivity in their inspection and reverse engineering processes.(QUALITY INNOVATIONS)
May 1, 2005... When it comes to measurement, one trend is clear: Manufacturers are embracing technologies that boost accuracy, speed and, ultimately, productivity both in their inspection and reverse engineering processes. From piston heads to stamping parts...

Use air to improve measurements: manufacturers turn to air gaging for high-resolution measurements.(MEASUREMENT)
May 1, 2005... Many machinists count on conventional mechanical gages to perform straightforward and adequate inspection. However, many others have been turning to air gages because their benefits are clear: Noncontact inspection, higher resolution, ease of...

Find the right optical option: whether it's a simple magnifying glass or a fully automated system, understanding optical inspection helps the manufacturing process.(TEST & INSPECTION)
May 1, 2005... Today's global economy demands that manufacturers remain productive and keep costs down without sacrificing quality, and advances in optical inspection are helping them to do just that. From visual inspection with a simple magnifying lens to...

Employee pride shines through: people make the difference at Diamond Electric Manufacturing Corp., the inaugural Quality Plant of the Year recipient.(MANAGEMENT)
May 1, 2005... Empowerment. Commitment. Pride. Walking through Diamond Electric Manufacturing Corp.'s Eleanor, WV, plant, one cannot help but notice the sense of satisfaction the employees take from their work. It begins with the first step through the front...

Making quality portable.(CASE STUDIES)
May 1, 2005... General Automotive Manufacturing Co. LLC (GA, Franklin, WI) produces steel, aluminum and brass parts used in fuel systems, hydraulic assemblies, brake systems, and gas and diesel engines. In some instances, GA was finding burrs and other part...

The world trusts Minitab for quality.(product of the month)
May 1, 2005... Minitab is the leading provider of software for quality improvement and statistics education. We have been meeting the data analysis needs of professionals for more than 30 years, and bring our commitment to excellence and customer satisfaction...