Computer integrated quality data collection and management systems allow manufacturers to maintain consistently high levels of quality and nip potentially expensive problems in the bud for tangible bottom-line improvements.

Internal auditors think that registrars will not notice the hastily completed audit checklists or weak audit findings-but they do. When an internal audit program has not been maintained, quality management system certification is at risk.

Manufacturing equipment, including metrology systems, is considered a capital investment, and investment decisions involve more than price. Those decisions are based on other factors affecting the manufacturer’s business including productivity increases, technology advancements to maintain a competitive advantage, market size and growth, demand forecasts and understanding of product life cycles.

Design of Experiments (DOE) analyzes a process, targeting the process variables that most affect product quality, allowing one to understand those variables. Then, by controlling or-even better-mistake-proofing those variables, it is possible to prevent product defects from occurring.

Companies must constantly innovate the products and services they offer as well as the systems on which they depend to design and deliver those products and services. If they do not, they get left behind by those that do.

How can cost be reduced without impacting quality and delivery? Whether you work in a small business or a major corporation, the answer is of timely importance and can make the difference between maintaining-or losing-marketshare. An efficiency and effectiveness technique known as design of experiments (DOE) can benefit from modern enhancements-particularly related to cost.

Since the introduction of the GigE Vision standard, Gigabit Ethernet is rapidly gaining market share against other camera interfaces, and there seems to be a consensus that it will play an important role in the future. However, sales figures of digital cameras for machine vision applications still put FireWire as the leading digital interface.

We experience torque daily in numerous applications-from turning the volume dial on our alarm clock, to opening the door to our home. For the manufacturers of these products, and numerous others, it is essential to verify that the amount of torque required to operate these products meets specifications.

The lean Six Sigma methodology has the power to transform an organization. Effective implementation, however, requires that the methodology become part of the culture. For a company to maximize its return on investment, the implementation needs to not only introduce a new way of doing business, but also create and sustain an environment in which results matter and employees at all levels feel empowered to drive continuous improvement.