As a major supplier of polyester resins and synthetic materials for the thermoset composites industry, Reichhold Inc. (Research Triangle Park, NC) provides a variety of value-added services for its customers.
At Sermatech Power Solutions (Limerick, PA), lab technicians used to peer through a microscope eyepiece to manually measure and evaluate the protective coating materials that the company applies to power generation and aerospace turbine components.
As the manufacturing sector continues to emerge from the recent recession, this year's International Manufacturing Technology Show (IMTS) is the place to visit. Celebrating its 75th anniversary, IMTS will host more than 1,300 exhibitors and convert Chicago's McCormick Place into a "productivity marketplace," occupying more than 1.3 million-square feet.
For a small, minority owned machining and metal fabrication manufacturer such as Precision Tool Manufacturer (Greer, SC), the idea of achieving ISO 9002 certification might have seemed far-fetched.
"I'm burning out." That is what one quality professional said. And while not everyone that responded to Quality magazine's 2nd Annual State of the Profession Survey is in this state, this worker, apparently, is not alone.
As the global trend toward outsourcing and decentralization of manufacturing continues to gather momentum, business managers and process designers alike find themselves facing a new set of challenges.
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