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iBi - July 2009

What is Quality?

by Jim L. Smith
Fellow & Region 12 Director, American Society for Quality

Quality doesn't just happen—it comes as a result of hard work and a commitment to process excellence. Quality is seldom improved through cost reduction efforts, but costs can be reduced by improving quality. Quality is no longer just an element of customer satisfaction—it is fundamental to your organization's survival.

The History of Modern Quality

by Jim L. Smith
Fellow & Region 12 Director, American Society for Quality
By far, the most important event that followed the war was the Japanese quality revolution. The U.S. DoD asked Juran and Deming, two of the emerging quality giants of the era, to work with Japan, and, partially due to their efforts, Japan committed to becoming an economic superpower.

The Alphabet Soup of Quality Improvement Initiatives

by Jim L. Smith
Fellow & Region 12 Director, American Society for Quality
The proliferation of terms has tended to confuse managers in the marketplace. ISO9001, ISO/TS16949, JIT, MBNQA, Six Sigma, Kaizen, Kanban, 5S, Lean, TPM, TQM, etc. are but a few of the initiatives confronting organizational leaders.

6 Sigma: Foundation for Quality at Caterpillar

by Heather McBroom
Caterpillar Inc.
The quality of Caterpillar’s products reflects the power and heritage of the company. As the organization focuses on executing the enterprise strategy and living by its values, one of the top priorities continues to be product quality.

A Quality Problem in Healthcare

by Julie Gray
Quality Quest for Health of Illinois
The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality defines quality care as "doing the right thing for the right patient, at the right time, in the right way to achieve the best possible results."

Wage War on Waste

by Jim L. Smith
American Society for Quality
The quality profession has risen to the tremendous challenges of the last century by developing philosophies and methodologies that have helped businesses meet the demands of its customers.

Quality Engineering

The Ongoing Journey
by Warren Knoles
Crawford, Murphy & Tilly, Inc.
Some quality “gurus” (Deming, Juran, Crosby, etc.) say that quality is not a destination, but rather a journey with no end. CMT embraces this view and has been on this journey for the past 16 years. This is our story.

Quality Education at Bradley University

by Dr. K.S. Krishnamoorthi
Bradley University
Bradley University has included quality methodologies as part of the industrial engineering curriculum for many years, receiving national recognition among employers and educational institutions.

Quality Control in Accounting

by Nancy Wright
Heinold-Banwart, Ltd.
Inefficiencies and inaccuracies can destroy value. Managers often consume hours of time reviewing reams of paper that, in the end, do not capture the essentials of costs, expenses and trends.

The Future of Quality

by Jim L. Smith
American Society for Quality
A competitive strategy based on quality alone might not continue to be effective at capturing market share.
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Take Advantage of Energy-Saving Tax Credits for Your Home

Home improvement season is here, and the Better Business Bureau is offering advice on how to take advantage of tax credits being offered by the federal government while increasing home energy efficiency and helping the environment at the same time.