Last month the principals of Worldwide Quality Network had the opportunity to meet with the first female astronaut to perform a space walk. The National Engineer's Week Banquet was held at the Ronald Regan Library attended by Dan & JoCeal Urbaniak along with 18 more representatives from ASQ Channel Cities Section #709. Total attendance at this function was about 300 people from various societies and engineering groups, as well as a number of brass from our local Naval facility.

This entertaining program was given by CAPT Stefanyshyn-Piper, Mission Specialist on the recent Space Shuttle ATLANTIS. CAPT Stefanyshyn - Piper graduated from MIT, and went through the Navy academy ending up as a Navy diver where she spent a good deal of her time under the ocean. She thought that this would not be too different from walking around in Space and applied to become an astronaut. She soon discovered that the supply of astronauts far outstripped the demand, and it took a number of attempts and a lot of patience before she was finally accepted into the program.

After a long delay in the program following one of the space programs tragedies, CAPT Stefanyshyn - Piper was the first female astronaut to carry out a space walk while installing solar panels to International Space station. The presentation included some incredible slides and videos which gave us an insight into life aboard both the shuttle and the space station. As the evening came to an end CAPT Stefanyshyn - Piper stayed and answered questions from everyone that wanted to find out more about her adventure in space. (She also signed autographs for some her best fans - see photo) We have to say that meeting Captain Stefanyshyn - Piper was quite a highlight for us this year and we felt she delivered one of the finest presentations that was straight from the heart!

This month we would like to introduce you to another one of our partners. Since 1984, Shoptech has helped close to 3000 shops take back control of their shop floor. Shoptech is the largest privately held software provider of shop management systems in North America. With offices in every region in the U.S., Shoptech is able to provide top-notch customer service and support that is second to none.

After all the E2 Shop System was developed in a job shop. The E2 Shop System is the sole focus for Shoptech. All research and development, training, service and support is focused on the E2 Shop System. Shoptech is consistently first to market with the latest technology and is always a step ahead of the competition.

The E2 Shop System manufacturing software solution is a completely integrated shop management system for job shops, machine shops and made to order manufacturers. Please let us know of you would be interested in receiving more information on E2 Shoptech. Or, to find out more , download a demo, attend a FREE Webinar or call 1-800-777-4334 to talk with ShopTech representative Mathew Ring - mring@shoptech.com

"Formalizing Your Knowledge" is WQN's slogan. We review what your organization is already doing and then see how we can help you improve it. Usually, this is done by implementing ISO 9000 systems or by other methods such as LEAN or Six Sigma. It does not always have to be a complete system - implementing some aspects will help clean house...especially if there is no pressure for certification. In other words, some is better than none!

If your organization is looking for a complete "spring clean-up" whereby you can eliminate most of the clutter...lack of communication...too much communication....down time...production issues...training issues, etc. - then take a look into quality improvement - this is what it is all about. Taking the time to organize your processes - your people - your documentation. Most companies are losing up to 20% of their bottom line without this, so it's well worth the time.

This is one of the best tools for an organization to get streamlined and organized. You take what you already do and use things that you already have in place, such as forms and procedures. But most companies have gaps, or missing pieces to the puzzle, and that is precisely where ISO 9001 will fill these areas and improve your company. This usually means less waste (both product and time), greater customer communication and satisfaction, and increased profitability. The reality is that when a system is implemented correctly you will save time, money, have less waste, gain a competitive advantage, and be positioned to operate in a global climate. Doing this correctly means hiring a professional consulting and training organization such as WQN to get you started, other wise you may end up with a botched system that is neither effective nor efficient.

Remember the last time you cleaned out your office, your shop, your garage? Wasn't that a great relief to see your space once again? Implementing a system like ISO 9000 will not only clear the space - but it will also provide for the tools to keep it that way. Extra space in that garage could mean room for a new car...extra space at your company can mean room for new contracts!

These systems are excellent for ANY business, regardless of employee size or sales. Most of the people we speak with that have experienced ISO 9000 the "right way" tell us they don't know how they used to operate their business without it. Give us a call if you would like to learn more about this.

The development of the future ISO 26000 standard giving guidance on social responsibility has reached a positive "turning point" in terms of consensus and trust among the broad base of participating stakeholders. This was the opinion of the leadership of the ISO Working Group on Social Responsibility (ISO/WG SR) at the end of its fourth plenary on January 29 -February 2 2007 in Sydney, Australia. Some 275 people from 54 ISO member countries and 28 international organizations attended, representing the following interests: industry; government; labor; consumers; nongovernmental organizations; and service, support, research and others. Notable at the Sydney meeting was increased participation by experts from developing countries and the programme included a developing countries workshop.

Core issues were agreed at Sydney and grouped in the following four clusters (each assigned a drafting team): Environment Human rights and labor practices Organizational governance and fair operating practices Consumer issues and community involvement/society development. The work is now continuing in order to produce a third working draft for circulation and comment before the fifth WG SR meeting in November 2007.

ISO 26000 is currently scheduled to be released sometime in Late 2008. This is a standard that will most certainly affect all sectors - both public and private. For more information check the link below or contact Dan at Worldwide Quality Network for a free copy (pdf format) of ISO's flyer on the standard.

Every month (2cnd Tuesday) ? Local ASQ meeting - Camarillo, CA at CoCo's Restaurant off 101 FWY and Los Posas. Open to the public. Anyone visiting our area is invited to attend one of our dinner meetings or company tours sponsored by the American Society for Quality. The topics vary but are usually focused on quality improvement issues. For information on meeting places in your local area please check the www.asq.org link.

We have remodeled our website last year. It now includes a "self service" shopping cart with many features and products for some of the more common standards. If you are looking for one particular form or procedure we probably have what you are looking for! If you haven't seen our website yet take a moment to do so and be sure to mark it as a favorite and share this with your friends.