Acu Twist Co. (Ridgeway, PA) was facing a dilemma. The company, a small manufacturer of special-order cutting tools, had a potential new customer who wanted a helical tapered tool with tight, angular tolerances of +/-2 minutes.
Electronic calipers may seem like simple measuring devices. But when contaminants in the work environment cause calipers to fail, their importance can quickly become clear.
I am a trade magazine editor charged with informing my readers and supporting this industry, but sometimes the big picture can be clouded by day-to-day duties.
Siemens Dematic (Grand Rapids, MI) manufactures Automated Flat Sorting Machines (AFSMs) that are used by the U.S. Postal Service for sorting letters in mail distribution centers.
A few months ago, if Rus Emerick wanted to inspect a manufactured part, it could take as long as three weeks and cost as much as $16,000. Today, he can do it in two days at little cost.
Internet technologies offer an alternative to traditional in-house software and corporate network systems for quality assurance applications. One of the latest trends is Web-based collaboration with customers and suppliers.
I read your July editorial ("Eliminate ISO 9000?," July 2002, p. 6) and being busy attending an ISO technical committee meeting in Malaysia, I did not have time to reply.
In the September editorial ("Silent ISO Majority?," Sept. 2002, p. 6), the editor asked if anyone supported ISO 9000. As a corporate quality systems manager, I can tell you that ISO and QS-9000 have done some good for us.