Thermal imaging plays a critical role in condition monitoring by detecting early signs of equipment deterioration through temperature analysis. As machinery ages and faces stresses like friction, corrosion, and vibration, it becomes vulnerable to failure. Thermography provides an early warning system, especially when used as part of predictive maintenance, allowing teams to … [Read more...] about Important Role of Thermal Imaging for Condition Monitoring
Quality
The Top 10 Security Awareness Training Solutions For Business
Security Awareness Training (SAT) platforms are essential tools for organizations to reduce human-related cybersecurity risks, especially phishing and email-based attacks. These platforms combine training modules, gamified learning, phishing simulations, and analytics to help users recognize threats and make safer decisions. Phished uses micro-learning and behavioral risk … [Read more...] about The Top 10 Security Awareness Training Solutions For Business
Improving Data Cleaning by Learning From Unstructured Textual Data
This paper introduces a machine learning-based strategy to improve data cleaning by integrating unstructured textual data with traditional structured datasets. Recognizing that structured data often contains errors due to inconsistencies, omissions, or conflicts, the authors propose leveraging textual descriptions, such as product titles or clinical trial summaries, to predict … [Read more...] about Improving Data Cleaning by Learning From Unstructured Textual Data
Operational Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) 2.0: A Smarter Way to Visualize and Use Your Metrics
Operational KPIs are crucial tools for guiding business performance, but many traditional approaches to reporting them, such as red-yellow-green (RYG) scorecards, fail to provide sufficient insight. These legacy methods often rely on arbitrary thresholds and single-point snapshots that can obscure process variability, mislead stakeholders, and encourage reactive … [Read more...] about Operational Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) 2.0: A Smarter Way to Visualize and Use Your Metrics
Mastering the 8D Problem-Solving Methodology: A Guide to Root Cause Analysis in Manufacturing
The 8D (Eight Disciplines) methodology is a systematic problem-solving framework originally developed by Ford to identify and eliminate the root causes of chronic or recurring production and quality issues. Though initially intended for the automotive sector, it is widely used across industries, especially those certified under ISO 9001 or regulated by the FDA. The process … [Read more...] about Mastering the 8D Problem-Solving Methodology: A Guide to Root Cause Analysis in Manufacturing
Solving the Productivity Paradox
The failure of automation-driven strategies to deliver promised productivity gains, known as the “productivity paradox,” stems from a flawed approach that prioritizes cutting labor costs rather than improving value creation. This mindset, rooted in outdated ROI models and managerial assumptions, leads to the replacement of workers with technology without fully understanding or … [Read more...] about Solving the Productivity Paradox
Why Non-Automotive Companies Need Process Audits
VDA 6.3 is a process audit standard designed to assess the quality and stability of manufacturing and supply chain processes. Structured around seven core elements—ranging from supplier evaluation to production, customer service, and continuous process monitoring—it emphasizes risk management and process reliability. Each area is scored to identify non-conformities and … [Read more...] about Why Non-Automotive Companies Need Process Audits
Mastering Quality Inspections: When and How to Check Your Products?
This podcast episode from Quality Inspection includes a discussion outlining a decision-making framework for selecting quality inspections based on production context, using a flowchart developed from nearly two decades of industry experience. Inspections are essential for verifying product quality at key stages—especially when working with external or upstream suppliers. If a … [Read more...] about Mastering Quality Inspections: When and How to Check Your Products?
The Hidden Cost of Shortcuts: Why We Risk It and What It Means for Quality Management
The article explores the deep-rooted psychological and organizational reasons behind our tendency to take shortcuts, even when we know the risks. Drawing on a relatable example—walking downstairs with both hands full—it illustrates how people often make risky decisions out of convenience or efficiency. While this might lead to a dropped phone in everyday life, in a quality … [Read more...] about The Hidden Cost of Shortcuts: Why We Risk It and What It Means for Quality Management
How Embedded Quality guides organizations moving from strictly compliance to delivered quality
Conventional quality management, rooted in audits and regulatory compliance, is no longer sufficient to meet the demands of today’s competitive and volatile business environment. Chief Quality Officers (CQOs), now entering the C-suite, are expected to shift away from reactive, siloed practices and toward strategic leadership. Despite widespread compliance, product recalls have … [Read more...] about How Embedded Quality guides organizations moving from strictly compliance to delivered quality
The Evolution of Quality Standards: From ISO 9001 to the 9100 for Aerospace
ISO 9001 serves as the foundational quality management system (QMS) standard for organizations across industries, setting a global benchmark for delivering consistent and reliable products and services. However, in high-stakes sectors like aerospace, aviation, and defense, ISO 9001 alone does not meet the rigorous requirements for safety and precision. To address these unique … [Read more...] about The Evolution of Quality Standards: From ISO 9001 to the 9100 for Aerospace
Fun List of Ways ISO 9001 Doesn’t Comply with ISO’s Directives on Standards Development
One scathing and detailed critique of ISO 9001 shows how ISO 9001:2015 and the forthcoming 2026 revision, fails to comply with the very rules ISO sets for developing standards. These rules are laid out in the ISO/IEC Directives Parts 1 and 2, which govern everything from language clarity to requirement verifiability. According to Christopher Paris, ISO 9001 violates several of … [Read more...] about Fun List of Ways ISO 9001 Doesn’t Comply with ISO’s Directives on Standards Development
Manufacturing and 8 Other Industries That WIll Lose The Most From AI
Artificial intelligence is reshaping the global labor market by automating roles across a broad range of industries. Those most vulnerable are sectors built on routine, repetitive, or low-skilled tasks—especially in manufacturing, where robotics have replaced human labor in assembly, welding, and painting. AI provides higher speed, precision, and scalability, making it far more … [Read more...] about Manufacturing and 8 Other Industries That WIll Lose The Most From AI
Book Review: Toyota’s Improvement Thinking from the Inside
Sarah K. Womack’s Toyota’s Improvement Thinking from the Inside is a powerful counterpoint to the shallow adoption of lean tools that dominates much of the business and consulting landscape. Drawing from her eight-year journey within Toyota, Womack goes beyond the how-to guides of kaizen and Lean Six Sigma and instead presents a deeply personal and cultural interpretation of … [Read more...] about Book Review: Toyota’s Improvement Thinking from the Inside
AI in Quality Control and Assurance
Artificial intelligence is reshaping quality control and assurance by making inspection processes faster, more accurate, and scalable. Traditional inspection methods, while reliable, often fall short in speed and precision. AI addresses these limitations by detecting defects like cracks or size variances that might elude even skilled human inspectors. Through analyzing large … [Read more...] about AI in Quality Control and Assurance
ISO 9001 and Lean’s Continuous Improvement
This podcast explores the synergy between ISO 9001 and Lean methodologies, emphasizing how they complement one another in improving quality management and operational efficiency. While ISO 9001 provides a structured framework for quality assurance, Lean principles focus on waste reduction and continuous improvement. Organizations that integrate both approaches can create more … [Read more...] about ISO 9001 and Lean’s Continuous Improvement
10 Ways To Slash Manufacturing Costs With AI Connected Worker Solutions
Manufacturers face ongoing challenges in minimizing costs while maintaining efficiency, quality, and compliance. AI-connected worker solutions offer a transformative approach by integrating real-time workflows, automated reporting, and predictive analytics to enhance productivity and streamline operations. These digital tools reduce reliance on manual processes, ensuring faster … [Read more...] about 10 Ways To Slash Manufacturing Costs With AI Connected Worker Solutions
Responding to ISO 9001 Compliance Audits
This forum discussion revolved around an ISO 9001 pre-recertification/certification audit report that highlighted multiple nonconformities related to stock control, documentation, and process adherence under ISO 9001. Internal audits play a critical role in quality management systems by identifying areas for improvement and ensuring compliance with ISO 9001. However, audits can … [Read more...] about Responding to ISO 9001 Compliance Audits
Compliance and Risk Management: Guide to Navigating Business Challenges
Effective compliance and risk management are essential for navigating today’s complex business environment. Organizations must align their compliance obligations with risk mitigation strategies to protect against legal penalties, financial losses, and reputational harm. By implementing structured frameworks, companies can proactively address regulatory requirements while … [Read more...] about Compliance and Risk Management: Guide to Navigating Business Challenges
Total Quality Management Interventions and Benchmarking in the Impact of Organizational Culture and Performance
The study explores the relationship between organizational culture, TQM interventions, and benchmarking in driving business performance, particularly within manufacturing SMEs in Jordan. While previous research has presented conflicting views on whether culture positively impacts performance, this study confirms that a well-defined organizational culture strengthens TQM … [Read more...] about Total Quality Management Interventions and Benchmarking in the Impact of Organizational Culture and Performance