Manufacturing
Solving a Statistical Paradox
Often, manufacturers inspect incoming materials prior to sending them to production. Materials found to be defective are returned to the supplier for replacement or refund. Often, the returns are retested and determined by the supplier to be satisfactory....
Back to Basics: More Than Meets the Eye
Flowcharts—sometimes called process flowcharts—are one of the seven basic quality tools, and one of the fundamental tools used in quality assurance....Expert Answers: June 2020
How can I become well versed in lean manufacturing principles without working in a lean manufacturing facility? What are some recommended lean sources?...
My Quality Story: Training Tomorrow’s Quality Professionals
After working for a cable manufacturer for a few years, I’ve learned that there are more than 100 failure modes that can occur at an extruder head, which is one small part of a much larger process....Expert Answers: May 2020
My organization is struggling to define the right headcount and staffing for our plants. Are there any guidelines about the staffing (headcount) structure for a tier-one automotive original equipment manufacturing company with about 15,000 employees?...
My Quality Story: One Step at a Time
I am not a traditional IT guy. What I am is a process problem solver. When I was first hired by my current employer, I was hired as part of the quality assurance team in the IT group. That’s how I got into IT—I came in through the quality door....Working in Concert
Over the past several years, there has been an emphasis on demonstrating the effect of intellectual capital on a firm’s performance or its productivity. The effect of implementing soft TQM on intellectual capital, however, has not yet been demonstrated....
Try This Today: The Pillars of Sustainability
The three Ps of sustainable development are people, planet and profit. Organizations can use ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and ISO 45001 to achieve a balance among these pillars as a way to meet their needs without compromising their social responsibilities....

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