MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIR  

July is the month we celebrate our independence after a struggle over 226 years ago! When you are having a barbeque this 4^th of July be mindful of the sacrifices made by so many people so that we can enjoy our holiday. We won the right to self-determination, guided by the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, bought and paid for by the blood of patriots through our rich history. We are truly blessed to live in the land of the free and home of the brave, where anything is possible given the opportunity and the willingness to work for our goals.

Lean & Section 713

Because of their hard work and determination,  Mr. Robert Stoops and all the members of Temecula Valley Section 713 attained their full Section status on May 18, 2002. I was privileged to attend their Installation of Officers Tuesday June 18^th at the County Garden Restaurant in Temecula. This was followed by a Lean Manufacturing presentation by Bob Bawcombe and a tour of the Scotts Garden Manufacturing facility in Temecula (for more ASQ Temecula programs, check their website at http://www.geocities.com/asqtemecula/).

This was an excellent demonstration that Lean Manufacturing techniques and a focus on Quality can result in revolutionary breakthroughs! Bob was instrumental in reducing the WIP valuation from $1.5 M to < $500K, manufacturing facility square footage requirements and assembly line labor by 33%, and scrap and rework rate by 10%. The workforce was not laid off but was cross-trained in several areas to maximize productivity on 15 product lines utilizing integrated work cells of six persons each. The product goes from injection molding to finished packaging in less than 5 minutes with the production cycle being optimized to 48 seconds per station.

Lean Workshop

This leads me to an outstanding 3-Hour Workshop to be conducted on Wednesday July 31 by Mr. Roger Olson on "Lean Manufacturing” This expanded presentation will cover every in detail each element overviewed at the June Section Meeting. He is a consultant, trainer and a partner with Systems Quality Consulting with 20 years experience in process management and productivity improvement and he focuses on ISO 9000, ISO 14000 and Lean Manufacturing. Make it a point to come out and find out how you can apply these valuable tools to your organization for a very low price. Be sure to check the website (3hr workshop page).

Successful GD&T June Workshop

Our June 26^th 3-Hour Workshop on “The Application and Interpretation of Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing” (GD&T) presented by Michael A. Sandford, President of Technical Documentation Consultants of Arizona, Inc was very well attended and gave an overview on the basic elements of GD&T. He provided hardware to demonstrate the fundamental principles, which made these concepts easier to understand

When properly applied, GD&T:

·         Promotes a uniform understanding and interpretation of drawings by all persons.

·         Allows economical manufacturing and inspection methods.

·         Dramatically reduces rework and scrap costs.

·         Increases tolerances 57% over the +/- convention.

·         Permits the use of functional gages to provide go/no-go tooling.

Mr. Sandford is following up this workshop with an intense 5-day Certificate program from July 15^th to the 19 at the Ericsson facility. This comprehensive course will cover the complete AMSE Y14.5 reference standard for making and reading Engineering Drawings. This document is very technical and difficult to understand, but individuals who complete this course will learn the proper application and interpretation of GDT for engineering drawings. Designers, Drafters, Manufacturing and Inspection personnel are all encouraged to attend this informative presentation. ASQ members are given a 33% discount so come to this intense course and invite members of your engineering staff to learn from this renowned expert! Be sure to check the website (sponsor TDCA page).

New Joint Section Education Program Progress

On Wednesday, June 19^th, the Education Committee led by our new education Chair Stacy Apostol, met with members of the Palomar Section 708 to coordinate a new approach to our local programs that will combine our resources, yield cost savings and improve service for all members in the San Diego County. The net results of our meeting is as follows:

1. The ASQ Sections will advertise each others Educational opportunities and not duplicate efforts.

2. ASQ 0703 Refresher/Workshop Courses will be consistently located at the Ericsson Building.

3. There will be a $7 per week cost increase in order to provide a meal prior to each Refresher Course (less than our cost).

4. The Quality Council of Indiana Primers will be the primary text used for refresher courses.

5. Texts listed by the ASQ Body of Knowledge will be recommended but up to the student to purchase.

Please email me your responses, thoughts, suggestion & critiques to the above listed actions so we can consider them at future Education Committee meetings.

ISO Internal Audit Course

Another educational opportunity you may be interested in is a 2-day ISO 90001:2000 Internal Audit Course from July 24^th to 25^th. This will be conducted by Larry Buck of L. Buck Consulting of Placentia CA. Mr. Buck will be addressing all elements necessary to conduct effective Internal Audits. This class will be held at our Ericsson facility and ASQ members are given a 25% discount, so come to this excellent training opportunity and invite members of your staff! Be sure to check for details on the website (sponsor Buck).

IPC Class

Our ASQ Section is going to sponsor IPC 600, 610 and 620 Certification classes from August 5^th – 16^th including “Train the Trainer” and “Worker Proficiency” classes. This will be conducted by Frank Stetson of Training & Certification Specialists of Manchester, NH. Mr. Stetson is a certified IPC Instructor and he has journeyed internationally to train and certify students in the IPC standards. This series of classes will be held at our Ericsson facility and ASQ members are given a significant discount, so come to this excellent training opportunity and invite members of your staff to get certified! Be sure to check for details on the website (sponsor TCS).

Next Meeting

Your Executive Board is due to be Installed at the July 9^th Section Meeting and we want you to attend and witness the passing of the torch. Please join us that evening for a great program (see below) on process capability analysis and an interesting night of good food, programs and of course our famed door prizes! Like our Founding Fathers, we need help from our constituency to make our Section all you would like it to be, I encourage your involvement! Have a safe and happy 4^th of July! Hooray for the Red White & Blue!