Quality Top Stories

When Lean Becomes Fragile: Why Being “Too Lean” Is Quietly Killing Manufacturing Productivity

Fri, 12 Jun 2026 00:00:00 -0400

When companies only focus on cutting costs instead of keeping processes stable, their systems become too rigid and can break down from even small problems.

Four Lean Metrics

TheBoss@ct-yankee.com (William A. Levinson) — Thu, 11 Jun 2026 00:00:00 -0400

Overproduction ties up materials, time, and energy in inventory for which there is no immediate use.

Robots, Intelligent Machines, and the New Era of Inspection

rkhanna@3dinfotech.com (Rohit Khanna) — Wed, 10 Jun 2026 00:00:00 -0400

Learn how new technologies are redefining how manufacturers approach quality, productivity, and consistency, and companies that move early will create a meaningful competitive gap.

More on That One Thing Elon Gets Right

Tue, 09 Jun 2026 00:00:00 -0400

Emily Elizabeth is managing director US at MTL Precision and she recently wrote an article for Quality.

Operator Variation Is Not a Training Problem. It Is a System Problem.

Tue, 09 Jun 2026 00:00:00 -0400

This article identifies process variation points by examining the defined system. It explores solutions to improve physical test systems and provides application guidance that can help ensure every result can be a reliable benchmark and indicator in your process.

The Invisible Shield: How Nondestructive Testing Raises the Bar for Public Safety

Mon, 08 Jun 2026 16:00:00 -0400

Every morning, millions of people cross bridges, board aircraft, step into elevators, cook with gas, and drive through tunnels without giving a second thought to the forces that hold those structures together.

Quality’s Dirty Secret

Mon, 08 Jun 2026 16:00:00 -0400

Policies and procedures are the backbone of traditional quality management. And they have three fundamental problems.

Beyond the Checklist: Mastering the FDA’s New QMSR Framework

Sun, 07 Jun 2026 00:00:00 -0400

February 2, 2026, marked the end of an era for the U.S. medical device industry.

The Wind Beneath Its Wings: Air Gaging in the Aerospace Industry

Fri, 05 Jun 2026 14:00:00 -0400

The quality requirements for the aerospace industry are essential to human life, and any component used in the final craft is mission-critical for success.

The Rest Is History: Sainyam Arora’s Journey to 2026 Quality Rookie of the Year

Fri, 05 Jun 2026 00:00:00 -0400

Michelle Bangert, managing editor of Quality, sat down with Sainyam Arora, our 2026 Quality Rookie of the Year, at the MAX event in Nashville.

Solving Inspection Bottlenecks in Aerospace Manufacturing

Thu, 04 Jun 2026 13:00:00 -0400

Ask any aerospace manufacturer about their biggest challenge, and one word comes up again and again: speed. For quality, this is in constant tension between maintaining uncompromising precision and meeting production demands.

Catching Defects Earlier: How Automotive Manufacturers Are Rethinking Inspection

Thu, 04 Jun 2026 00:00:00 -0400

Automotive manufacturers have long relied on end-of-line testing to catch defects before vehicles leave the plant. Increasingly, that approach is giving way to something more proactive.

Closing the Quality Gap Between Computer-Aided Engineering and Real-World Automotive Manufacturing

Thu, 04 Jun 2026 00:00:00 -0400

Every vehicle begins as a simulation. Before a single tool is built or a single part is pressed, engineers model how materials will behave, how components will form, and how structures will perform under load.

Machine Vision Ends Needless Operational Stops

Thu, 04 Jun 2026 00:00:00 -0400

In highly automated facilities today, a familiar scene plays out with frustrating regularity.

What to Know About Tariffs

Tue, 02 Jun 2026 00:00:00 -0400

The Supreme Court ruled in February that the Federal Government had illegally collected tariffs from importers in the United States using the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA).

Principle of Two Weaknesses

selandd@bnpmedia.com (Darryl Seland) — Sun, 31 May 2026 00:00:00 -0400

It’s called the principle of two weaknesses. It is a strategy in chess. It was developed by Grandmaster Aron Nimzowitsch and detailed in the book, “My System,” back in 1925 and still considered a core strategy in chess to this day.

Still Seeking Better Quality

smith_jim_l@cat.com (Jimmy L. Smith) — Sat, 30 May 2026 00:00:00 -0400

Quality giants like Joseph M. Juran, W. Edwards Deming and Armand V. Feigenbaum ushered in the era of total quality management (TQM) movement about seven decades ago.

The Root Cause of Defects We Rarely Name or Address

Fri, 29 May 2026 00:00:00 -0400

You’ve been here before. A defect surfaces and brings a critical project to a halt.

When Air Became An Instrument

Thu, 28 May 2026 16:30:00 -0400

For more than seventy years, David B. Kirk’s illustrated lecture, Introduction to Principles of Pneumatic Gaging, existed in an unusual place in the history of manufacturing—quietly influential, widely practiced, yet almost entirely absent from the modern technical record.

Building Excellence: The Global Surge of the ASQ Certified Construction Quality Manager (CCQM)

Thu, 28 May 2026 15:30:00 -0400

The American Society for Quality (ASQ) has witnessed a transformative year for the Certified Construction Quality Manager (CCQM) program.

Gage Repeatability and Reproducibility (GR&R) Required to Achieve Six Sigma Standards

nfo@6-sig.com (Justin St. James) — Thu, 28 May 2026 15:00:00 -0400

Reliable measurements are the linchpin to any Six Sigma process.

AI as an Enabler of Continuous Improvement: Applying Quality Thinking to AI Prompt Engineering

Wed, 27 May 2026 16:00:00 -0400

When artificial intelligence enters the conversation in quality and continuous improvement (CI) circles, reactions tend to fall at two extremes.

Don’t Let Others Manage Your Career

Wed, 27 May 2026 15:30:00 -0400

As quality professionals, we are sometimes undervalued by our organizations.

Tooling Quality Drives Injection Molding Performance

Wed, 27 May 2026 15:00:00 -0400

Quality control programs in injection molding are often focused on monitoring production – measuring dimensions, tracking variation, and verifying consistency across runs.

Considerations for Transitioning to Mixed-Metal PVC Stabilizers

Wed, 27 May 2026 00:00:00 -0400

Tin-based heat stabilizers have long been the gold standard in North America for processing rigid and semi-rigid polyvinyl chloride (PVC) applications such as profiles, siding, and pipes.

Making Statements of Conformity in a Calibration Report

Tue, 26 May 2026 15:00:00 -0400

Dilip Shah is the president of E=mc3 Solutions and he sat down with Michelle Bangert at the MAX Show in Nashville to talk about his presentation there and more.

Supplier Quality Equals Device Quality: Eliminating Quality Failures at the Handoff

Tue, 26 May 2026 13:00:00 -0400

Some of the most disruptive quality failures in medical manufacturing are not found on the production floor. They are built into the handoff between the supplier and manufacturer early in the process.

ASQ to Honor Quality Leader With 2026 Freund-Marquardt Medal at WCQI

jvdbd@hotmail.com (John Vandenbemden) — Tue, 26 May 2026 00:00:00 -0400

Back in 2017 I was honored by receiving the Grant Medal at WCQI.

Applying Statistics in the Supply Chain

Tue, 26 May 2026 00:00:00 -0400

The supply chain has become a vital process contributing to products and services realized by organizations.

Get It Right: Why Lens Selection Makes or Breaks Machine Vision Precision

Fri, 22 May 2026 00:00:00 -0400

In machine vision, robotics, and factory automation, imaging systems are central to precision, repeatability, and real-time decision-making.