How well do you think you’re optimizing your manufacturing process? Obviously suboptimal processes are not ideal, and most manufacturers are working on getting the most out of their current workflow. But what exactly is optimization?

Erik Larson’s latest book begins with this quote. If you’ve ever read a book about a serial killer and the Chicago World’s Fair of 1893, the last crossing of the Lusitania, an American family in Hitler’s Berlin, the inventor of wireless and Britain’s second most famous murderer, or the 1900 Galveston Hurricane, you may be familiar with Erik Larson.

With the quarantine phase of the COVID-19 outbreak reaching an end in many areas, organizations have started planning their return-to-work initiatives, with some having already launched them.

All quality professionals, regardless of educational background and/or experience, will at times find a need to consult their network of resources to get answers to questions, determine how best to collect and analyze data, or resolve different interpretations of a given analysis. Recognizing this need, Quality is launching a new column entitled “Ask the Expert: An Interactive Q&A Section” with topics that come from readers.

Today’s manufacturers are quickly learning the value of having their quality data centralized in a single, standardized repository. The move presents numerous benefits—and virtually no drawbacks. Learn what you can gain. 

Cloud software is common in almost every area of our lives. But manufacturers have been slow to move their quality management systems to the cloud—until recently. Learn the strategic advantages your manufacturing organization can gain from the switch.

Many problems in manufacturing arise from dysfunctional data that are either incomplete, inconsistent, isolated, or inefficient. But manufacturers who embrace the power of modern Quality Intelligence software can enable a dramatic transformation in not only the value of their data, but how they use it.

For manufacturers competing in increasingly dynamic and competitive markets, optimizing operations must be a continuous effort, regardless of the challenges of the moment.

Thinking big in terms of quality is the goal. Rather than the days of old where quality just meant inspection, not in real time and not easily accessible, today the concept of quality has moved beyond this concept.

If you are looking to quickly create ballooned drawings and first article inspection documents, you need the right tools for the job.