Six Sigma Quality – OM in the News

Flawed Covid Data Are Infectious

Flawed Covid data are bad for us and for business.

After two years of fighting Covid, it has become obvious that the methods used to track the number of cases have not evolved with scientists’ and healthcare professionals’ knowledge of the pandemic. Imprecise or incomplete data have affected public reporting of cases, which in turn, has prevented all of us from properly assessing risk and its potential consequences. The situation is particularly difficult for healthcare organizations (and other businesses) that must […]

By Corinne M. Karuppan, Ph.D.|2022-05-11T20:01:11+00:00May 12, 2022|Tags: forecasting, inventory management, lead time, service quality, strategic capacity management|

Inside Your Running Shoe

Could top quality products be within everyone’s reach?

Think how nice it would be if all the little defects inside your running shoes could be identified and eliminated before you buy them. No more rubbing, burning, itching, aching. This attention to design and quality control may soon become the norm even for ordinary consumer products. Lumafield has designed a CT scanner that enables engineers to see inside their products and identify problems and opportunities for improvement. Their product may not be […]

By Corinne M. Karuppan, Ph.D.|2022-05-03T20:52:52+00:00May 6, 2022|Tags: competitivness, product design, product quality, productivity, quality assurance, respsonsive supply chain design, value analysis|

Fresh and Tasty Airline Food. No Joke!

If you thought that airline food was prepackaged and frozen, you were mistaken.

This article showcases the food preparation at the DC kitchen of Gate Gourmet, the world’s leading provider of airline food. The process is meticulous, and many steps are taken to ensure that the food is made no longer than 24 hours before its delivery to inflight crews. The COVID-19 pandemic has increased safety requirements and has posed new challenges to ensure that the right quantity of the right […]

By Corinne M. Karuppan, Ph.D.|2022-04-09T22:15:21+00:00April 10, 2022|Tags: delivery, inventory management, layout, product safety, safety stock, service quality, strategic capacity management|

The Skinny on Diet Apps

Personalized nutrition might just be a few clicks away.

We all want to eat better. Unfortunately, our good resolutions are often short-lived, and without guidance and reinforcement, we go back to our old habits. The problem is especially serious for diabetics trying to keep normal blood sugar levels throughout the day. DayTwo and other apps are essentially personal nutritionists that help create diets tailored to individuals’ microbiome and health characteristics. It is not about “good” and “bad” foods. Rather, it is […]

By Corinne M. Karuppan, Ph.D.|2022-04-05T23:29:30+00:00April 6, 2022|Tags: customization, product design, quality characteristics|