Articles on Quality

AIAG to Drive Implementation of Lean - Taken from Actionline, March/April 2007
AIAG will soon begin offering Lean Workshops. The format is simple. Up to five companies sign up for workshops that include two days of training in Lean concepts at AIAG for up to 5 participants from each of the five companies. This is then followed by a 3-day workshop, at each company's facility. (More...)

Auditing the Process Focus - Taken from The Auditor, March/April 2007
An organization's processes must be measured, monitored and improved. Organizations tend to draw artificial boundaries between what they do and don't want audited. Be sure your organization hasn't just repackaged ISO 9001 or ISO/TS 16949 procedures. (More...)

Happy (Audit) Trails - by Chad Kymal (This article originally appeared in Quality Digest Magazine, March 2007 (© 2007 QCI International))
Three basic audit trails are: business planning and management (BPM) review, new product development (NPD), provision and production and service provision. Completing these audit trails will allow the auditor to discover if the organization has a process-driven system. (More...).

Breakaway Lean - 50/50/20 in six months by Chad Kymal, Chief Technical Officer - Omnex
Omnex's Lean approach is a highly structured results oriented process that guarantees results in the relatively short time frame of six months. What does 50/50/20 mean? It means that an organization practicing Breakaway Lean can achieve a 50% reduction in inventory, a 50% increase in throughput and a 20% reduction in operational cost in six months. (More...)

Excelerated Six Sigma Training - Get results by focused training by David A. Lalain - President Omnex Quality Culture and Executive Vice President Omnex - Quality Solutions Many organizations, especially Automotive, Electronics or companies that have practiced ISO/TS 16949 and QS-9000 quality management systems have gained knowledge and skills in techniques like SPC, MSA, and FMEA. Omnex Excelerated Six Sigma leverages these skills and knowledge in applying them to the DMAIC Breakthrough Strategy. (More...)

FMEA's missing link is found in AQuA - Looking at existing causes before brainstorming by Greg Gruska, Senior Consultant-Omnex
One step that is in all logical problem solving approaches is "Determine the Root Cause(s)". If you have read a book on problem solving or taken a class, the chances are extremely good that you have been told to use one or more of the various "brainstorming" techniques which are available. (More...)

Excellence in Auditor Training - The value of training from Omnex
Omnex instructor-led courses are taught and delivered by experts in the field who draw upon realworld experience to provide relevant course content. These courses are in-depth and draw on realistic examples and demonstrations. The practical, hands-on instruction lets you apply new skills and knowledge as soon as you return to your organization. (More...)

Quality Management Systems for the Production Worker (Taken from an article in November 2006 issue of Quality Digest 2006 QCI International)
When viewed from the perspective of a production worker, the quality improvement system at most factories could be, well, improved. One method for achieving this would by a truly enterprise software that contains analysis for top management and input from the production worker. Don Cherry and Greg Gruska examine the subject. (More...)

Enterprise Wide Integrated Management Systems - What Are They? (Originally printed in the November 2006 issue of Quality Magazine 2006 BNP Media)
Having once correctly identified that quality software was going enterprise, quality visionary Chad Kymal predicts the future of quality software. The enterprise must be integrated, and quality systems must be integrated in a single software package. (More...)

Semiconductor Quality Initiatives (Originally printed in the April 2006 issue of Quality Digest magazine 2006 QCI International)
Semiconductor companies have no choice but maintain high levels of quality: technological innovations come quick, and the market is moving from North America to Asia. Semiconductor expert Chad Kymal looks at the road to zero defects. (More...)