IN THIS ISSUE of Quality Magazine's UPDATE: 

- Learn more about Failsafe Leak Testing

- SOPs Relay Knowledge

QUALITY NEWS

    Apply Now for Plant or Professional of the Year    BENSENVILLE, IL--The Quality Professional of the Year will be recognized at Quality Expo, Sept. 25 to 27, 2007, in    Rosemont, IL. Quality Magazine's Plant of the Year award recognizes both a small plant of 250 or fewer employees and a large plant of more than 250 employees for its outstanding achievements in quality. The Quality Plant of the Year will be announced at Quality Expo, Sept. 25 to 27, 2007, in Rosemont, IL. An official nomination form must be filled out and returned to Quality Magazine by April 2, 2007. Apply now at 2007 Quality Plant of the Year  and
2007 Quality Professional of the Year

Manufacturing & Measurement Conference & Workshop is a Must-Attend Event

Registration is now available (www.qualitymag.com/mmcw ) for the Manufacturing & Measurement Conference & Workshop (MMCW) 2007 event. MMCW has the all serious, must-know information for every manufacturing and quality professional.  The weeklong event, April 23-27, will provide you with the knowledge to help you solve test, measurement and inspection challenges on the shop floor.   A new location in Clearwater FL, all-day workshops, new and expanded topics, an exclusive guest spouse program, networking opportunities and top-name suppliers make MMCW a must-attend event.

Conference Topics Include:
Measurement in Manufacturing Environments:  In-line measurement and inspection, On-machine measurement,  Cost savings through measurement,  Increasing throughput,    Thread gaging, Scrap reduction,  ROI on measurement investments, and Lean/Six Sigma
Measurement Issues & Strategies: Temperature control on measurements,  Software compensation,    Facility setup, CMMs,   Vision systems technology,  Laser scanner technology …And much more!

Network with other quality professionals like yourself from companies such as, Ford Motor Co., Northrop Grumman, DaimlerChrysler, Becton Dickinson, Caterpillar, Honda, GE, Boeing, the U.S. Air Force, 3M and many more.  Don’t be left out. Register today. For a complete conference schedule and to register please visit www.qualitymag.com/mmcw or call 1-888-530-6714.

April 23-26, 2007 – Clearwater Beach, FL.  Sponsors include:  Mahr Federal Inc., Nikon, Verisurf Software and Hexagon

Quality Management: SOPs Relay Knowledge
by Cindy Fazzi

From manufacturers to hospitals to the military, most organizations need standard operating procedures (SOPs) for a variety of reasons. An SOP describes a procedure and tells an operator how to perform it. SOPs are helpful in most workplace settings, but they are particularly critical for organizations with process-oriented operations, such as life sciences and other manufacturing companies. SOPs, in conjunction with personnel training, help relay knowledge from one department to another. In a medical device firm, for example, research and development scientists pass their knowledge about a product they innovated to the manufacturing department through SOPs.

Vice President and Commerce Secretary Present Baldrige Award to Three Organizations

In a ceremony in Washington, D.C., Vice President Dick Cheney and Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez presented three U.S. organizations with the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, the nation’s highest honor for organizational performance excellence. 

The 2006 Baldrige Award recipients are:  Premier Inc., San Diego, Calif. (service); MESA Products, Inc., Tulsa, Okla. (small business); and North Mississippi Medical Center, Tupelo, Miss. (health care). 

Following a six-month evaluation process, including an on-site visit by a team of examiners, the 2006 Baldrige Award recipients were selected from among 76 applicants. An independent board of examiners evaluated them in seven areas: leadership; strategic planning; customer and market focus; measurement, analysis and knowledge management; human resource focus; process management; and results.

The Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, managed by the Commerce Department’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in conjunction with the private sector, promotes and recognizes performance excellence in U.S. organizations, and publicizes these organizations’ successful performance strategies. As a non-regulatory agency, NIST promotes U.S. innovation and industrial competitiveness by advancing measurement science, standards and technology in ways that enhance economic security and improve our quality of life. Further information on the Baldrige National Quality Program is available at www.baldrige.nist.gov.