Vol. 19, No.

4 The Newsletter of the Measurement Quality Division, American Society for Quality December 2005

Coming soon…

MQD’s own CCT challenge coin!

 The Standard TABLE OF CONTENTS

Vol 19, No. 4, December 2005 CHAIR’S COLUMN ......................................................................3
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR.........................................................4
Editor and Publisher
Jay L. Bucher
THE LEARNING CURVE.............................................................5
6700 Royal View Dr. METROLOGY JOB DESCRIPTION INITIATIVE ......................9
De Forest, WI 53532-2775 EDUCATOR’S CORNER ............................................................11
Voice: 608-277-2522 MAX JAY UNIS AWARD ..........................................................12
Fax: 608-846-4269 EVENTS CALENDAR ................................................................12
Email: yokota-69@charter.net
or jay.bucher@promega.com
MQD TELECONFERENCE MINUTES .....................................13
MQD 2004-2005 FINANCIAL SUMMARY...............................16
Advertising MQD HISTORICAL FINANCIAL SUMMARIES .....................17
Submit your draft copy to Jay Bucher, with a JOINT MQD—ID CONFERENCE……………………………...18
request for a quotation. Indicate size desired. ACCREDITATION NEWS………………………………….…..22
Since The Standard is published ‘in-house’ MQD OFFICERS AND COMMITTEE CHAIRS…………….....23
the requester must submit a photo or graphic
of their logo, if applicable. The following
METROLOGY AS A COMPETITIVE WEAPON…………34 ~ 38
rates apply: CALIBRATION: WHAT IS IT?.........................................72, 74, 76
Business card size ............................ $100 CALIBRATION: WHO DOES IT?........................................ 80 ~ 81
1/8 page .......................................... $150 CALIBRATION: WHY IT’S IMPORTANT………………….66, 69
1/4 page ........................................... $200 NIST SCHEDULE OF LABORATORY METROLOGY
1/3 page ........................................... $250
½ page ............................................. $300
SEMINARS……………………………………………..Last 4 pages
Full page ......................................... $550
Advertisements will be accepted on a ‘per FROM THE DESK OF THE EDITOR/PUBLISHER
issue’ basis only; no long-term contracts will
be available at present. Advertising must be Before I forget, let me remind our readers that the first
clearly distinguished as an ad. Ads must be edition of 2006 should arrive at our MQD web site
related to measurement quality, quality of around the middle of March, instead of the end of Feb­
measurement, or a related quality field. Ads ruary. We would like to include any and all news from
must not imply endorsement by the Measure­ the Measurement Science Conference (MSC) 2006. It
ment Quality Division or ASQ. will be held a little later than usual because to the large
influx of visitors due to Disneyland holding their 50th
Letters to the Editor anniversary the first of the year. We have been granted
The Standard welcomes letters from mem­ permission to reprint a few articles from Quality Pro-
bers and subscribers. Letters should clearly gress and Cal Lab Magazine. The articles are relevant,
state whether the author is expressing opin­
timely, and in Graeme’s case, easier to follow when read as one article.
ion or presenting facts with supporting infor­
mation. Commendation, encouragement,
You’ll find them attached at the end of our normal ‘stuff’. However, you
constructive critique, suggestions, and alter­ may have noticed that there are no page numbers for those articles, only
native approaches are accepted. If the con­ their titles in the Table of Contents. No, I am not suffering from dementia
tent is more than 200 words, we may delete (at least nobody has brought it to my attention). There is a simple answer.
portions to hold that limit. We reserve the The articles were sent to me in Adobe's Portable Document Format (PDF).
right to edit letters and papers. Therefore, I am unable to give them their proper page numbers. They are
assigned page numbers from the order in which they were posted in their
Information for Authors particular magazines. Hope that makes sense. I would like to express my
The Standard publishes papers on the qual­ sincere appreciation to the editors of Quality Progress and Cal Lab Maga­
ity of measurements and the measurement of zine for their generosity in allowing us to reprint these articles. The front
quality at all levels ranging from relatively cover? Everyone earning
simple tutorial material to state-of-the-art.
their CCT will receive
Papers published in The Standard are not
referred in the usual sense, except to ascer­
one of these unique coins
tain that facts are correctly stated and to as­ in the near future. More
sure that opinion and fact are clearly distin­ information to come in
guished one from another. The Editor re­ your quarterly newsletter:
serves the right to edit any paper. The Standard.
MQD Page 3

CHAIR’S COLUMN available records, this marks the first time the Divi­
sion has published four issues in one calendar year
By Graeme C. Payne or one fiscal year. This has been made possible by
Notes from All Over the hard work of Jay Bucher and his staff, those of
you who contribute material for the newsletter, and
Instead of the usual mes­ Jay's push to drive us to a primarily electronic pub­
sage on a theme, for this lication instead of an all-print publication.
issue I an jotting down a
Publishing principally as an electronic newsletter is
number of notes about
things that have happened also a major cost saving for your division. For the
in the past few months. year ending June 30, 2005 publishing the newslet­
ter cost just under $5,000 and I expect it to be
lower than that for the current year. In the previous
Rewards and Recogni-
five years it has been as much as $21,000 per year,
tion up to 67% of the Division's expenses. That will
make funds available for other work that benefits
It is always a pleasure to recognize a member who you and our profession.
has received awards or other recognition for their
volunteer work. th
MQD's 15 Anniversary Approaching!
In a separate article, you will see that Dan Harper
15 years! Can you believe that? July 2006 will
has received ASQ's Freund-Marquardt Medal for
mark the start of our 15th year as a Division. I'd like
his long and hard work on international standards,
to say “let's have a party” but with members all
and has also been recognized by the US TC-176
over North America and in 25 other countries
TAG for his work on the new Customer Satisfac­
around the world, that will probably be too hard to
tion standard.
arrange. Still, I would like to explore what special
things we can do. For example, I would like it if
At the Division's annual conference in September
our Charter Members could each send me a note
(held jointly with the Inspection Division) past
with something like where you were then, what
Chair Dilip Shah received the Division's Max J.
you are doing now, your ideas to improve the fu­
Unis Award for his achievements in forming the
ture of the profession and the Division, and maybe
partnership with Inspection Division, re-starting
a current photo. I'll see if we can publish those,
the annual conferences (which had been suspended
spread over the 2006-2007 issues of The Stan-
since 2001) and other accomplishments during his
dard. (I hope my mailbox doesn't go into over­
two years as Division Chairperson.
load!) Send me more ideas as well! Or, put them on
the Measurement Quality discussion board on the
Kudos to Jay! ASQ web site.
This issue of The Standard is the fourth one to be (continued on page 4)
published during 2005. As far as we can tell from
The Standard is published quarterly by the Measurement Quality Division of ASQ; deadlines are February 15,
May 15, August 15 and November 15. Text information intended for publication can be sent via electronic mail as
an attachment in MS Word format (Times New Roman, 11 pt). Use single spacing between sentences. Graphics/
illustrations must be sent as a separate attachment, in jpg format. Photographs of MQD activities are always wel­
come. Publication of articles, product releases, advertisements or technical information does not imply endorse­
ment by MQD or ASQ. While The Standard makes every effort to ensure the accuracy of articles, the publication
disclaims responsibility for statements of fact or opinion made by the authors or other contributors. Material from
The Standard may not be reproduced without permission of ASQ. Copyrights in the United States and all other
(Continued on page 14).
countries are reserved. Website information: MQD’s homepage can be found at http://www.asq.org/measure
© 2005 ASQ, MQD. All rights reserved.
Vol. 19, No. 4 The Newsletter of the Measurement Quality Division, American Society for Quality December 2005
MQD Page 4

Letters To The Editor

Now for the third degree. I was on the receiving
end of the mass mailing that went out from ASQ
headquarters in the form of an email, with every-
First Impressions, Second Thoughts, one’s address available for all to see and use. I also
and The Third Degree! received the note from one of those on the same list
By The Laird of Glencairn as me advertising for a calibration technician. Very
bad taste from my point of view. Two wrongs
Please consider this don’t make a right, and piggy-backing on one per-
an open letter to the son’s mistake is just plain ignorant. I’m told an
editor, officers of the apology was received from a big wheel at ASQ
Measurement Quality headquarters, and that is the least we should ex­
Division (MQD), its pect. Hopefully, all have learned a lesson, and we
members, and cali­ can move forward without any repeats of the same
bration practioners mistake.
My pooch incognito everywhere.
Well, my pooch is trying to tell me he has to ‘go’,
My first impression (from a little birdie who so I might as well, too. I would like to wish all my
squawked in my ear about the teleconference call friends a safe and happy holiday season since we
had by the MQD in October) is this, “Best get your will be in the new year when the next edition of
act together boys and girls...ya’ don’t get too many this rag comes out. If you head to the pub...walk
shots to get it right.” Seems there’s a bit of dissen­ back home, take a ride, or let one of those desig­
sion in the ranks about how to run the budget, nated people do the transporting. Tip one for me
spend their hard earned funds, working with head­ and remember what that fella said to the Australia
quarters, and filling their duties as volunteers. Or bloke…”No matter where ya’ go, there ya’ are”.
was it a mere misunderstanding? I think Mr. Payne
(MQD’s new Chair) will do his best to sort out the Howp ye enjoy whit we hae tae offer, so just sign
facts, and get the group back on track. But years of me…A Juicy Hub Loser!
not being held accountable may take their toll. As
the old sea dogs used to say, “Stand by for ram”.
And we are not referring to the sheep variety, ei­ The following email ‘conversation’ took place be­
ther. tween Professor Dr. Don Ermer, and Rich DeR­
oeck. I have placed them in chronological order,
As for my second thoughts, I’m told by your illus­ with the oldest being first…
trious editor, Mr. Bucher, that there was only one
comment to my previous composition and that re­ On Jul 29, 2005, at 9:25 AM, rich-
mark was surprise that nobody had made any com­ ard.deroeck@skyworksinc.com wrote:
ments. Either your readership is extremely healthy,
and doesn’t give two hoots about their results from Dear Sir,
the hospital...or nobody reads this rag and so there I just finished reading your fine article in the
is no one to comment. I find the latter hard to be­ STANDARD regarding the faulty analysis in cal­
lieve since this is supposed to go out to almost culating the ratios of the R&R studies. I am also
3,000 members. I did, however, ask my health care familiar with Don Wheeler's work and criticism in
providers about their test equipment certifications, this area.
and they told me they had their equipment manu­
facturers come in and provide preventive mainte­ My question is this: Have you approached the
nance inspections and calibration (where appropri­ AIAG group with this information and if you have,
ate) on a regular basis (read that as yearly). I feel a are there plans to correct these mistakes?
little better. Both in mind and body. I hear ya’
laughing. But I have a philosophy of “mind over
matter”. I don’t mind since you don’t matter. (Continued on page 8)

Laugh at that.
Vol. 19, No. 4 The Newsletter of the Measurement Quality Division, American Society for Quality December 2005
MQD Page 5

THE LEARNING CURVE participants that I could identify asking them to

edit their own testimony. So far Boss, you are the
By Phil Painchaud only one, other than Dr. Watson, who has re­
sponded. Therefore, I guess that you are to become
This is the forty-third in an un­
the Star Witness in this issue of this column.
interrupted series of harangues,
often magniloquent, chartered to
We do have a second source of material for this
be on the general topic of Me­
issue, although it is from outside our Quality/
trology Education. Readers fre­
Metrology cocoon, it is both complimentary and
quently confuse this mandate
supplementary to the efforts we are put forth on the
with one of Calibration Train-
subject of Metrology Education. Most of you
ing—which it is most definitely
should be aware of the Institute of Electrical and
not, and for which the author
Electronics Engineers (IEEE); it is probably the
claims no transcendent attrib­
largest professional society in the world and has
utes. Thus by both dictate as well as by qualifica­
roots going back into the 1870’s. It is composed of
tion, he must adhere to the chartered subject. Un­
many sub-organizations, one of which is the Instru­
fortunately, there are times, such as possibly, now,
mentation & Measurement Society. Mr. Harold
there is a dearth of news on the specified topic and
Goldberg is a regular columnist in their monthly
he is forced to digress per his whims. This may be
journal. Hal, whom I have known casually for
another such occasion. As usual, it is in the format
many years, has had a very long industrial career
of an open letter to our Boss, the Editor-Chief of
and currently is a professor at Tufts University in
this periodic journal.
Medford, MA.
Dear Boss:
But first let us go to what you had to say Boss, but
Those prolusions to this column are frequently
of course, we should explain to our readers some­
composed well in advance of the actual creation of
thing about this seminar. The intent was that it was
the particular column to which it may be prefaced.
to be not the usual panel discussion with most of
Not in keeping with my prediction we do, at this
the talk between the panelists themselves, but
time have pertinent material upon which to dwell.
rather more like a colloquium where the audience
On January 21, 2005, during the Annual Measure­
themselves do most of the discussion and led and
ment Science Conference, our Measurement Qual­
moderated by a true expert in the field. However,
ity Division sponsored a Seminar on Metrology
we modified this format a bit by having a panel of
Education. Both audio and video recording was
experts rather than a single individual to answer
made of the entire session. The plan was to have
questions and another expert roving the audience
the testimony transcribed for distribution. The
with a hot microphone acting as moderator.
video was intended as a source for identifying the
speaker. Somehow, the video record got lost and
You will recall Boss, that as Session Developer, I
the transcriber had to work entirely from the audio
had the task of introducing those concerned. Our
tape.
roving Moderator and Facilitator was none other
that Dr. Gene Watson, the recently retired Coordi­
Our volunteer transcriptionist, Ms. Cathy French,
nator of the Measurement Science Program at the
of the Los Alamos National Laboratory, in Los
California State University, Dominguez Hills. Sit­
Alamos, New Mexico, was not able to attend the
ting on the Panel of Experts we had: Emil
session, and was a thousand miles away from it and
Hazarian, former Chief Metrologist for the County
from any of the participants. She finely got her
of Los Angeles and currently Staff at the Naval
rough draft of the transcription based on just the
Measurement Science Directorate at Corona, CA;
audio tape to me early in November. She is to be
Arthur J. Plourde, President of Metron Corpora­
highly praised for her Herculean efforts to create
tion, the parent company of the Metron Institute of
some order out of the audio tape while working
blindly without the video supplement. I immedi­ (Continued on page 6)
ately sent hard copies of her transcript to all of the
Vol. 19, No. 4 The Newsletter of the Measurement Quality Division, American Society for Quality December 2005
MQD Page 6

(Continued from page 5) do, and I let people know about it. I give speeches
Measurement Technology; Herb O’Neil, Professor at NCSLI Sectional and Regional meetings, and
at Ridgewater College (formerly known as Hut­ the MSC. As far as education goes, I go to my
chinson Technical Institute) in Minnesota; Dean daughter’s middle school, and give presentations
Schmeck, of the Naval Measurement Science Di­ in their math classes; they actually have a meas-
rectorate, the organization that was underwriting urement section. And I took in my Egyptian Cubit
this seminar; and of course myself. and got them all interested in measurements.”

Dr. Watson started the discussion by asking, “Does If that were not enough, you really got wound up
anyone have anything to say to the educational and rightly started to point the finger at the rest of
community about Metrology Education?” That did the Metrology Community—that means you, my
it—you might say, “it broke the dam”. readers; me; and all of the rest of you folks who
regularly complain about a lack of Metrology Edu­
Nearly everyone who had any knowledge of Me­ cation opportunities. Boss, you said:—
trology Education ‘cut loose’ with virtually the
same complaint. The potential students, their man­ —“ So far as sitting around whining that nobody
agers, their organizations all proclaim loudly that is doing anything about educating or informing
they need, want, and will support Metrology Edu­ metrology, in England they are making kits
cation, nevertheless when it is offered they avoid through NPL that they send out to the high
and ignore the offer! It was testified from Ridge­ schools – you know what I’m talking about – that
water they instituted a Metrology Program upon have different calipers, micrometers, and different
direct orders from the Governor’s Office after a things like that to teach them about measurement.
trade association claimed that they could send one Why aren’t we doing that here in the US? We’re
hundred students a year and a corporation in Min­ supposed to be leading the way in the free world.
neapolis offered to send 25 to 50 per year. None You wouldn’t know it, of course. But, why isn’t
ever came from either of these sources! Dr. Watson everybody here going out to their high schools
told that after seven years of preparatory work, the and saying, “Hey, here’s what we’re doing.
Dominguez Hills Program went online with a Me­ Here’s the Egyptian Cubit. Here’s what the Egyp-
trology Statistics course, with the top measurement tians did 5,000 years ago,” and explain it to them.
statistician of this Nation teaching it—it drew but a Talk about metrology; and biotechnology; phar-
single student! I pointed out that at California Poly­ maceuticals; the airlines industry; automotive;
technic State University in San Luis Obispo, after and everything else that you ladies gentlemen do.
five years, the program had only attracted a single Why [do] not all of us do something about it in-
student and that was a transfer from within the Uni­ stead of sitting on our cans saying, “Hey, no-
versity rather that a recruit from outside! And it body’s doing anything”? We ought to get out and
went on! do it, because we’re the leaders right now. And
obviously you guys are a little older than most in
Boss you stayed pretty quiet during these earlier this room, so you need young people to go out and
discussions, then you started to inject your “two do it. What can I say? I’m proud of what I do. I
bits worth” or maybe it was more like a “buck and caught a killer today. A lot of the people who were
a half worth”. You started off:— identified after the World Trade Center tragedy
were identified because of Promega products. We
—“I’m the Manager of Metrology Services for taking a lot of pride in what we do. We’ve got a
Promega Corporation in Madison, Wisconsin. I quality system. We’re ISO certified. My depart-
agree with most of what you gentlemen have said, ment is cGMP compliant. You gentlemen have all
but not all. Number one, today because of what I that knowledge. Put the task on everyone else and
do, six killers were caught, a couple of rapists are say, “Hey, what are you doing?” instead of just
in jail, and someone [else] was let loose after 18 saying nobody is doing anything. Let’s get out
years of incarceration all through genetic identity and do it. “ —
and DNA testing. I take a lot of pride in what I (Continued on page 7)

Vol. 19, No. 4 The Newsletter of the Measurement Quality Division, American Society for Quality December 2005
MQD Page 7

(Continued from page 6) matter–pap]. If they are going to learn, it must be

Boss, that is as well put as I have ever heard it, i.e. on their own time, and they have precious little of
the blame is on all of us. We each are responsible that.
for the promotion of our profession—each indi­
vidually in his own way. I have often pointed out in Jacques Vanier of the National Research Council
this column that the intellectual advancement, tech­ of Canada put it succinctly when he wrote to me
nical extended education, further training (call it that management believes that it is a waste of time
what you will) is the responsibility of the individ­ to attend conferences since the knowledge will be
ual, also. It is not the responsibility of management available in a short time anyway. Corporations
or supervision. This also applies to the promulga­ worry that “loose lips” engineers will spill pro-
tion of information concerning our profession. prietary secrets or, worse, find another job. Stay
However, as Mr. Goldberg points out in his article away from meetings! Don’t talk to other engi-
that I am about to quote, management and supervi­ neers! Take courses! Stay current with the state
sion must be made responsible to encourage ex­ of the art! And do it at your own expense.
tended education and the spreading of the word of
the Metrology credo (My dictionary defines credo BALDERDASH!! It won’t work! Academics and
as : “a system of beliefs, principles, or opin- researchers get time to attend, learn, and profit by
ions”). We must spread knowledge of our beliefs the interchange. Engineers [and Metrologists–
widely and deeply so that the entire populace un­ pap] in industry are pressed for time, don’t get the
derstands, a Metrologist is not a chemist who expense money, and don’t profit by the inter-
works with metals nor is he (or she) a weather change since there isn’t any”.— — —
prognosticator!
In a later paragraph, he continues:— “This calls
Harold Goldberg, in his column entitled THE for a complete change in philosophy on the part
LASTWORD, in the October 2005 issue of the of corporate management. They’ve got to realize
IEEE INSTRUMENTATION & MEASURMENT that their technical staff needs to learn the latest
MAGAZINE, puts the blame directly upon man­ and newest. They need to learn that their biggest
agement. While he was writing specifically con­ hope to stay alive technically is a marriage with
cerning electronics engineers, what he says applies their academic brethren. And academia must find
equally to Metrologists. He had just been inter­ better ways to spoon feed the information. That
viewing the engineering dean of a respected engi­ goes for [the Professional] Societies [and Trade
neering school who told him, “We teach them fun- Associations] as well. What we are doing today
damentals, broadly, beyond their specialties. And just isn’t working!
then, we teach them to keep learning all of their
lives”. But who is to do the teaching and how is it to be
done? So far, progress has been nil. Deans, pro-
Mr. Goldberg retorts —“Keep learning? Fat vosts, corporate and engineering [and Metrology]
chance! Never happen! They just won’t do it. leaders, come on. Talk to each other!” —

That’s not completely true. Those who continue Thank you Hal for allowing me to quote you, your
their education to a doctorate usually do keep article has complemented our case perfectly. We
studying. But they usually end up in academia or are in your debt. But now back to the testimony
research and find that leaning is part of their job from the Metrology Education Seminar at the re­
description. cent Measurement Science Conference. You build
a powerful case, Boss, and Mr. Goldberg in his
What about the majority of the graduates, those article supplemented it very well. Towards the
who tumble into an industrial career? They’re close of the Seminar session, at Dr. Watson’s re­
dead! It’s the rare bird who succeeds in keeping quest, I made a contribution that I believe ce­
up with the art. Their job is to produce, whether mented both of your cases together.
it’s a product or a process [or a service for that (continued on page 8, column 2)

Vol. 19, No. 4 The Newsletter of the Measurement Quality Division, American Society for Quality December 2005
MQD Page 8

(Continued from page 4) (Continued from page 7)

Thanks, I said’—“If I can amplify what just been said, I
think the previous speakers were saying two
Rich DeRoeck things. One, you can’t do what we have been try-
Supplier Quality Engineer/SPC Coordinator ing to do the way we have been trying to do it, that
Calibration Manager is working up from the bottom. Based upon my
Skyworks Solutions Inc. previous experiences you’ve got to get this man-
20 Sylvan Rd dated downward from the top. You’ve got to con-
Woburn, MA 01801 vince whatever the higher powers may be that me-
trology education is mandatory at all levels
Dr. Ermer wrote back: throughout the school system, as well as in the
industrial system. The other thing – as automa-
Hi Rich, sorry it has taken me so long to get back tion increases you must recognize that you need
to you. Thanks for your comment -it is very much fewer and fewer calibration technicians and more
appreciated. I haven't approached AIAG, but my and more metrologists. I’m not talking about Me-
article will be published in two parts in Quality trology Engineers. They too are quite necessary.
Progress in March and May, 2006; and I will be They are the designers. Engineers are fundamen-
presenting the Paper at the ASQ WCQI in Milwau­ tally designers. Metrology is a science. It’s an in-
kee on May 1-3, 2006. I've taught SPC for over 3 dependent science. Metrologists are the scientists
decades & for Ford in the early "80's". who analyze the measurement related problems,
set parameters and criteria, and devise solutions.
Don And, in automation they are the people you need
Donald S. Ermer, Ph.D. & PE to study those problems and to properly program
Procter & Gamble Professor Emeritus in Total solutions into the automated system. The engi-
Quality Departments of Industrial & Systems Engi­ neers are there to design the system and the in-
neering and Mechanical Engineering strumentation for the system, but the Metrologist
University of Wisconsin-Madison must first develop the criteria for the system.”—
Recipient in 2000 of the National Eugene L. Grant
Medal from ASQ, Fellow of ASQ and SME We’ll cover more of the testimony given in that
Metrology Education Seminar in latter issues as I
Rich responded: receive edited copy back from the participants.

Don, Well Boss, I guess that wraps it up for this issue. I

That's great. I'm looking forward to your article in am sure that there are folks who might get to argue
QP. Hopefully, it will be the sparkplug to get with me. I’ll be at the same old stand.
AIAG to correct their calculations. These inflated
percentages are causing me a lot of heartburn at Phil Painchaud
work. 1110 West Dorothy Drive
Brea, CA 93821-2017
Thanks, Phone: 1-714-529-6604
FAX: 1-714-529-1109
Rich DeRoeck E-mail: painchaud4@cs.com
Supplier Quality Engineer/SPC Coordinator
Calibration Manager
Skyworks Solutions Inc.
20 Sylvan Rd
Woburn, MA 01801

Vol. 19, No. 4 The Newsletter of the Measurement Quality Division, American Society for Quality December 2005
MQD Page 9

METROLOGY JOB DESCRIPTION job titles, and are inaccurate in communicating job
expectations. Without faithful job descriptions, it is
INITIATIVE unlikely that prospective candidates will be steered
By Chris Grachanen into the Metrology field by educators. In addition,
demographic information, such as how many folks
Talk to almost any are in the Metrology profession, how many folks
calibration practitio­ are leaving the profession, etc., can not be accu­
ner on the subject of rately determined. In early 2006, the Bureau of La­
new talent entering bor Statistics will begin soliciting input for updates
the Metrology pro­ and additions to the SOC listing for the next formal
fession and you will release. The SOC is updated once every ten years.
probably get the The last SOC update was completed in 2000. Bu­
same response, reau of Labor Statistics administrators agreed that
“there are not enough young folks entering the updating the SOC would be the first logical step in
field to replace the many seasoned professionals assuring the Occupational Outlook Handbook ac­
getting ready to retire”. The Metrology profession, curately depicts calibration practitioner occupa­
similar to other engineering disciplines in the U.S, tional information and associated demographics.
is facing a recruitment crisis of epic proportions.
One reason young folks are not entering the Me­ Recognizing the fleeting window of opportunity to
trology profession is simply they are unaware of it correct disparities in the SOC, the American Soci­
at the time in their lives when they are making ety for Quality (ASQ) Measurement Quality Divi­
critical decisions about what career they would like sion (MQD) and NCSL International have joined
to pursue. Students in their last years of high forces to create the Metrology Job Description
school and first years in college often rely on edu­ (MJD) Initiative. NCSL International provided an
cators to learn about professions which are congru­ organizational focus by establishing the 163.1
ent with their likes and interest. To this end, educa­ Working Group on Standard Occupational Classifi­
tors frequently reference U.S. Department of Labor cations. Working group members, commonly re­
publications in order to provide students informa­ ferred to as ‘the core team’ are volunteers from
tion about professions as well as forecasts about both NCSL International and MQD.
future job growth. The main system used by the
U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Sta­ In 2004 I proposed a game plan for correcting dis­
tistics to identify occupations is the Standard Occu­ parities in the SOC. The proposal contained the
pational Classification (SOC) system. The SOC following key elements:
system is used by all Federal statistical agencies to
classify workers into occupational categories for 1.Compile job descriptions from U.S. Me­
the purpose of collecting, calculating, and dissemi­ trology / calibration industry for calibration
nating data. The SOC is used as the guide for de­ Technicians, Calibration Engineers and
veloping the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Occupa­ Metrologists
tional Outlook Handbook. The Occupational Out­ 2.Identify topics of commonality derived
look Handbook is a nationally recognized source of from submitted job descriptions for Cali­
career information, providing valuable assistance bration Technician, Calibration Engineer
to individuals making decisions about their future and Metrologist
work lives. The Handbook describes what workers 3.Develop survey items for soliciting input
do on the job, working conditions, the training and on topics of commonality from U.S. Me­
education required, average earnings as well as trology calibration industry regarding ap­
expected job prospects in a wide range of occupa­ plicability, agreement, etc.
tions. 4.Send out survey

5.Compile and summarize survey results

The SOC's current job descriptions for calibration (Continued on page 10)
practitioners are fragmented among many different

Vol. 19, No. 4 The Newsletter of the Measurement Quality Division, American Society for Quality December 2005
MQD Page 10

(Continued from page 9) be specific to Calibration Technicians, Calibration

Generate 3 to 5 sentence descriptive narra­ Engineers, and Metrologists in order to solicit input
tives i.e. job descriptions, from survey results from industry representatives regarding the job ele­
to submit to the 2005 SOC for Calibration ments. Ratings for the job elements might focus on
Technician, Calibration Engineer and uniqueness to Metrology and by whom they are
Metrologist performed. The survey will also contain a demo­
graphic background questionnaire and an open­
MQD officers and the NCSL International Board ended comments section. PES recommends that
of Directors approved the proposal and it was later members of the core team nominate individuals to
submitted to Professional Examination Services participate in the survey pilot test. This phase is
(PES) of New York, NY for administration. PES now complete.
was chosen based upon a proven track record of
success, having been instrumental in administering Step 4. Disseminate survey
the job analysis survey during the creation of PES will disseminate a link to the online survey to
ASQ’s Certified Calibration Technician (CCT) a sample not to exceed 1000. The project leader
program. After contacting PES with the proposal will be responsible for providing PES with the e­
they agreed with the concept and submitted the mail addresses of the survey sample. PES will con­
following roadmap: sult with the project leader to identify the partici­
pants. This phase finished at the end of October
Step 1. Solicit job descriptions 2005.
PES will work with the project leader to identify
parameters for soliciting job descriptions from the Step 5. Analyze survey data
U.S. metrology/calibration industry for three spe­ PES will compile and summarize the survey results
cific titles: Calibration Technician, Calibration En­ and present them to the core team for review and
gineer, and Metrologist. The project leader will comment.
disseminate the request for job descriptions. PES
will review the submitted descriptions and select Step 6. Generate job descriptions
up to 25 for each job title, such that they provide PES will create 3 to 5 sentence descriptive narra­
broad representation of the metrology/calibration tives (i.e. job descriptions) from survey results to
industry in terms of organization type, geographic submit to the 2005 SOC for Calibration Techni­
representation, organization size, etc. If additional cian, Calibration Engineer, and Metrologist. PES
job descriptions are needed to fill categories of rep­ will circulate the descriptions to the core team for
resentation, the project leader will solicit targeted review and comment and incorporate their feed­
descriptions. This phase is now complete. back into revised job descriptions as appropriate.

Step 2. Identify commonalities and differences By the beginning of November 2005, hundreds of
in job descriptions jobs descriptions had been collected from calibra­
PES will analyze the selected job descriptions to tion professionals throughout the U.S. These job
identify commonalities and differences in the de­ descriptions were used to identify topics of com­
scriptions for Calibration Technician, Calibration monality which became the basis of a test survey.
Engineer, and Metrologist. PES will prepare a draft Once the test survey was tweaked and approved by
summary of the job elements for the three positions the core team an open invitation was sent to MQD
and distribute it via e-mail to the core team for re­ and NCSL International constituents to take the
view and comment. PES will work with the project survey. Over 500 calibration professionals have
leader to finalize the job elements. This phase is taken the survey, the results of which are currently
now complete. being compiled and summarized. We anticipate
that finalized job descriptions will be ready to sub­
Step 3. Develop and pilot test survey mit to the SOC in January 2006.
PES will develop and pilot test a brief web-based
survey instrument including job elements that may (Continued on page 11)

Vol. 19, No. 4 The Newsletter of the Measurement Quality Division, American Society for Quality December 2005
MQD Page 11

(Continued from page 10) THE INFINITY PROJECT

Christopher L. Grachanen is the manager of Hew- Engineering Education for Today's Classroom
lett-Packard’s Houston Metrology group. Chris
spearheaded the development of ASQ’s CCT pro- The Infinity Project is a K-12 and early college
gram, is MQD’s secretary and certification chair math and science based engineering and technol­
and is NCSL International’s south central U.S. re- ogy education initiative designed to help educators
gion coordinator. Chris received the ASQ Certifi- deliver a maximum of engineering exposure with a
cation Board’s 2003 Award for Excellence and the minimum of training, expense and time. The Infin­
Measurement Quality Division’s Max J. Unis ity Project was created to help students see the real
Award for 2003, and was named Test Engineer of value of math and science and its varied applica­
the Year for 2004 by Test and Measurement World tions to high tech engineering. Often high school
magazine. students pose the question, "When am I ever going
Editor’s note: This article will be published in the to use all this math and science in the real world?",
January edition of Quality Progress in the Meas- without fully appreciating that they are already us­
ure For Measure section. You read it here, first. ing it when they use cell phones, MP3 players, the
Internet and many other technological innovations.
EDUCATOR’S CORNER The Infinity Project content was developed by a
Christopher L. Grachanen world-class team of university faculty, high school
teachers, working engineers, and leading research­
In this issue of the
ers originally sponsored by the Southern Methodist
Educators Corner we
University School of Engineering and Texas In­
will be highlighting
struments. The Infinity Project uses advanced Digi­
an exciting program
tal Signal Processing (DSP) technology developed
and a valuable re­
by Texas Instruments to show how science and
source for encourag­
math lead directly to technology products and solu­
ing and promoting
tions. Most importantly it shows how engineering
the engineering
can be an exciting way to combine technical
fields for our young folks. Many articles have been
knowledge with creativity to build a rewarding ca­
written and studies conducted that raise concern
reer in engineering. For educators the Infinity Pro­
over the decreasing numbers of graduating engi­
ject is a turnkey program that transforms their
neers in the U.S. as well as the adverse effect of
classroom into a hands-on engineering learning
these decreasing numbers on the U.S. competitive
environment. The program provides all of the re­
technology edge and our national security. Over
sources needed to teach a year's worth of engaging
the time period 1992-2002 there was a 50% decline
coursework. The key elements of the Infinity Pro­
in students interested in engineering and a 14%
gram are:
decline in engineering degrees awarded to U.S.
students1. It is projected2 that in order to meet cur­ • State-of-the-art curriculum
rent job forecasts, we need to add 100,000 engi­ • Easy-to-use, classroom technology kits
neers every year for a decade (the U.S. graduates
approximately 60,000 engineers a year). Some hard Best-in-class professional development and teacher
hitting facts are 3: support for science, math or technology teachers.
• Europe graduates 3 times as many engineers The Infinity Project is working with schools all
as the U.S.; Asia 5 times across the country to bring the best of engineering
to their students. If your child’s school doesn't al­
• 46% of the degrees awarded in China are ready participate in the Infinity Project, you can do
engineering degrees
your part to inform their teachers and administra­
Only 5% of U.S. degrees are in engineering
tors about the Infinity Project by having them visit:
http://www.infinity-project.org
So what is U.S. industry doing to help reverse this
trend? (Continued on page 12)

Vol. 19, No. 4 The Newsletter of the Measurement Quality Division, American Society for Quality December 2005
MQD Page 12

(Continued from page 11) While you are there you may want to check out one
AGILENT EDUCATOR'S CORNER of my favorite Metrology based websites, Agilent
Sharing Resources with Engineering Educators Technologies Metrology Forum at: http://
metrologyforum.tm.agilent.com/.
Agilent Technologies Educator's Corner is a web
based resource for college and university engineer­ 1 Source: National Science Board: Science and
ing educators and researchers looking to enhance Engineering Indicators 2002
their higher education curriculum and research ca­ 2 Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics 2001
pabilities. Within it’s many web pages one will 3 Source: Infinity-Project.org, Engineering Educa­
find electrical engineering insight, pre-written and tion for Today’s Classroom
interactive experiments, lecture assistance, refer­
ence materials, lab exercises, teaching tools, engi­
neering student resources, and various research
materials, as well as valuable information on edu­
cation discounts from Agilent Technologies. Of Max Jay Unis Award
particular note is the wealth of teacher tools for use
in classroom or labs such as slide presentations, The Max J. Unis award is the highest honor be­
pre-written lab experiments, Java animations, free stowed by MQD, to recognize outstanding contri­
computer-based training tutorials, and application butions to the Metrological community. The recipi­
notes in all areas of test and measurement. Agilent ents in the recent past have been the late Phil Stein,
Technologies Educator's Corner also hosts an ex­ in 2002, Chris Grachanen in 2003, Jay Bucher in
tensive range of engineering references, lab re­ 2004, and Dilip Shah in 2005.
sources, student resources, as well as links for en­
gineering sites, general education, general science,
etc. To visit Agilent Technologies Educator's Cor­
ner go to: http://www.educatorscorner.com.

MQD TELECONFERENCE CALL SCHEDULE

Date Day Time Place
January 20, 2005 Thursday 6 pm PST Disneyland - MSC
March 8, 2005 Tuesday 2 pm EST Teleconference
May 17, 2005 Tuesday 6 pm PDT Seattle - WCQI
August 10, 2005 Wednesday 4:15 pm EDT DC - NCSLI
October 11, 2005 Tuesday 2 pm EDT Teleconference
January 10, 2006 Tuesday 2 pm EST Teleconference
March 2, 2006 Thursday 6 pm PST Disneyland - MSC
May 2, 2006 Tuesday 6 pm CDT Teleconference
August 9, 2006 Wednesday 6 pm CDT Nashville - NCSLI
October 10, 2006 Tuesday 2 pm EDT Teleconference
November 14, 2006 Tuesday 2 pm EST Teleconference
January xx, 2007 Thursday 6 pm PST Disneyland - MSC

EVENTS CALENDAR

MSC February 27th ~ March3rd, 2006 Anaheim, CA 866-672-6327 www.msc-conf.com

NCSLI August 6th ~ August 10th, 2006 Nashville, TN 303-440-3339 www.ncsli.org
Vol. 19, No. 4 The Newsletter of the Measurement Quality Division, American Society for Quality December 2005
MQD Page 13

MQD Teleconference Minutes on the Measurement Science Conference scheduled

for February 28 – March 4 can be added.
October 11, 2005
MQD Booth
Attendees:
There are two booths – the older both which is tri­
Dilip Shah Bill McCullough
fold and has the old logo on it – Item number
Jay Bucher Graeme Payne
S0292 (this one has not been returned to ASQ dis­
Karl Wigdal Karen Prosser
tribution center) and the newer booth which is a
Don Ermer Randy Farmer
pop-up top and has the new logo on it – Item num­
ber S0265. Use the newer booth when requested.
Minutes
Dilip has the conference phone.
Call started (at 1:05 Central time) with Conference
Review. Bud Gookins gave a presentation on Qual­
WCQI
ity in Measurement – Tools for Weight Loss which
Exhibit contracts are due by November 1. Dilip has
was highly regarded. The conference attendance
completed this form via Share Point on 9/15. There
was approximately in the 20’s. It was felt that bet­
will be two Papers this year: Don Ermer – Im­
ter & earlier promotion of this conference needs to
provements in Gage R&R Calculations, and Bob
happen. This year the email reminders did not go
Graham from Sandia Labs – Ensuring the Quality
out until September 10th. MQD is very disap­
of your Measurement Data. There seems to be
pointed with service the past two months and
some confusion in the WCQI committee as these
would like to know what amount of lead time is
are referred to as 1 paper. Late news: Dilip has
needed to get things to happen at headquarters.
been informed that because of time limits and the
very large number of papers submitted, the MQD
Financial
session will only have time for two papers in 2006.
Checking account = $18,622. Savings Account =
$73,343. ASQ had been paid the Capital Campaign
Standards
pledge of $5,000. Keith Conerly is checking why it
Nothing measurement-related from the ISO 9001
took so long for headquarters to bill for the Capital
review. ANSI/NCSL Z540-1 revision had a favor­
Campaign. Revenue is down 12.4% from same
able full committee review MQD still owns ANSI/
time last year. Reflects same downward trend has
ASQ M-1. A motion was made to let M-1 expire
been seen for the Society and the Economy in gen­
and then notify ANSI. ASQ still owns M-1 so
eral. Graeme will be mailing his expenses for the
housekeeping can be done to retain the valuable
last month. Original receipts are needed for head­
parts and remove the obsolete. A motion passed
quarters.
with all in approval to have M-1 expire – to notify
ANSI – and to save the good parts to be rewritten
CCT Program and Coin
into a technical note. Graeme will look for the let­
Discussion regarding the colors - to make sure the
ter at home and will relate this motion to Dan
blue is ASQ branding compliant. Once Graeme
Harper (who can then notify ANSI)
checks the actual ASQ blue that needs to be used
and verifies it is the correct one on the proof, the
Simmons Scholarship
coin is ready to go!
2 applicants were received this year, but neither
found qualified for the scholarship, so it will not be
Certification
rewarded this year. This scholarship is supported
Slight discussion on the new Six Sigma Green Belt
by MQD, MSC, and NCSLI. The bank account
Certification.
needs to get non-profit status and Norm Belecki
has been working on completing the 150 page ap­
The Standard Newsletter
plication. In the meantime, it was discussed that if
November 15th is the deadline to get articles into the $3000 annual amount that MQD has committed
Jay for the next issue. The next deadline of Febru­ to should be moved into this bank account instead
ary 15th will hold, even though The Standard will
(Continued on page 15)
not be published until mid March – so information
Vol. 19, No. 4 The Newsletter of the Measurement Quality Division, American Society for Quality December 2005
MQD Page 14

(Continued from page 3) sharing information. Two of the discussion boards

Something's in the Wind likely to be of interest are:

For several years the ASQ officers and Board of Metrology – an ASQ Member discussion
Directors have noticed signs that there is increased board focused on metrology, laboratory ac­
member dissatisfaction and reduced membership in creditation, measurement traceability, meas­
the Society. In October they started doing some­ urement processes, measurement uncertainty
thing about it. For the first time ever, they called a and other issues.
“summit meeting” of all Division and Section Measurement Quality – MQD's discussion
Chairs. We had two long days of very intense board, now open to all ASQ members. This
meetings in Milwaukee. There was – as the diplo­ may have topics of interest to all division
mats say – a very frank exchange of ideas, but the members (I do have plans to use it in some
sessions were very productive. non-traditional ways) and everyone is invited
to participate.
Some things are already happening as a result. For
example, starting in the second week of November New Online Discussion Board at Fluke
the online discussion boards of each Division are
now open to ALL members. (See more below.) Fluke Corporation has started a new online discus­
sion board dubbed the Test & Measurement Tool
There may be other near-term changes, and more Users Community, at URL www.fluke.com/
after some things are acted on by the Board in community. Yet another way for you to get and
May. For more information on this, you are invited share information.
to look at the November 9 issue of the ASQ Wire
email and follow the link after the headline “ASQ
Member Value Summit Results in Strengthened
Sense of Community”, or Type this address into Dan Harper Recognized for
y o u r w e b b r o w s e r :
http://www.asq.org/media-room/ International Standards Work
news/2005/10/31-leadership-summit.html
MQD founding member and past chair Dan Harper
All ASQ Online Discussion Boards Now has recently been the recipient of a couple of
Open to ALL Members awards for his work on international standards.

There used to be three types of ASQ online discus­ At the ASQ World Conference on Quality and Im­
sion boards: those open to everyone including the provement in Seattle last May, Dan received
general public, those open to all ASQ members, ASQ’s Freund-Marquardt Medal, which is pre­
and the ones restricted to members of specific Di­ sented to nominees who have applied quality prin­
visions. As of the beginning of the second week of ciples to the development, implementation, and
November, the restricted discussion boards are now literature of management standards. Dan was rec­
open to ALL ASQ members. That means you can ognized for his significant service in the US Tech­
now, for example, as for assistance on a topic in nical Advisory Group (TAG) to ISO Technical
another Division's body of knowledge without hav­ Committee 176 (TC 176) on quality management
ing to be a member of that Division. After you log standards.
in to your My ASQ page, you will see a list of the
discussion boards you are automatically subscribed More recently, the US TAG to TC-176 also recog­
to by virtue of your Division memberships. Under­ nized Dan for his work that resulted in the publica­
neath them is a link for more discussion boards – if tion of ISO 10002:2004, Quality management –
you click on that you will now be able to see all of Customer satisfaction – Guidelines for complaints
them. These are a good resource for information – handling in organizations.
both getting it yourself and for helping others by (Continued on page 15)

Vol. 19, No. 4 The Newsletter of the Measurement Quality Division, American Society for Quality December 2005
MQD Page 15

(Continued from page 14) ASQ Privacy Policy: http://www.asq.org/privacy-

TC-176 is the ISO technical committee that devel­ policy.html
ops standards on quality management, including ASQ Code of Ethics: http://www.asq.org/about-
the ISO 9000 series and its supporting standards asq/who-we-are/ethics.html
and technical reports. Many of the supporting
documents contain specific measurement-related
requirements. As a member of the US TAG, Dan is
directly involved in representing the United States
(continued from page 13)
in the standards development process.
of holding it in the normal checkbook. It was real­
ized that $9000 is due to this scholarship account
Congratulations, Dan!
which will deplete the checking account half its
worth.

Next Teleconference
Confidentiality of Member The November Teleconference has been canceled,
so the next scheduled teleconference will be on
Information Tuesday, January 10th.
ASQ and all member units, including the Measure­ Meeting adjourned and call ended at 2:00 Central
ment Quality Division, take special care to protect time.
your personal and contact information, including
your postal and electronic mail addresses. That is Editor’s note: Thanks go out to Karen Prosser,
why the membership applications, renewal in­ ASQ Headquarters for taking the minutes. Karen
voices, and the “My ASQ” area of the ASQ web was MQD’s Community Care Administrator, but
site all have provisions for you to choose what kind has moved on and is being replaced by Community
of contact you want to permit. Postal address lists Care Administrator, Jeannette Cooke. Welcome
are available to your Sections and Divisions for aboard, Jeanette.
approved uses such as newsletter or bulletin mail­
ings. Postal address lists may occasionally be
rented to carefully selected partner organizations,
but only on a single-use basis with strict confiden­ There shall be standard measures of wine,
tiality conditions. In addition, the e-mail list is not beer and corn...throughout the whole of
released at all. You have probably noticed that our kingdom, and a standard width of
most mailings from ASQ come from a “list man­ dyed russet and cloth; and there shall be
ager” application and your name is the only one standard weights also.
visible.
Clause 35, Magna Carta, 1215
But ASQ is an organization of people, and very
occasionally mistakes happen. Some members re­
cently received an e-mail from ASQ, sent out for Editor’s note: The following two
MQD, which may have had a number of other pages contain information (in
member’s e-mail addresses visible. That should not chart form), put together by our
have happened. ASQ Headquarters has apologized illustrious Chair, Graeme Payne,
for it and I do also. that show the current status of
MQD’s finances. The first chart
If you received one of those messages, please abide shows the 2004 ~ 2005 informa-
by ASQ’s privacy policy and the Code of Ethics, tion. The second chart shows
and do not release those addresses any further or 2000 ~ 2005. To format properly,
use them in any inappropriate way. Thank you. some rows without data have
(see links in next column) been removed from these charts.
Vol. 19, No. 4 The Newsletter of the Measurement Quality Division, American Society for Quality December 2005
 MQD Page 16
ASQ MQD 2004-2005 Financial Summary
Assets
Cash & cash-equivalents 103,063
Current Receivables 4,418
Capital Assets
Long-term Investments
Total $107,481

Liabilities
Current liabilities 3,763
Deferred Income 10,866
Long-term Liabilities
Total $14,629
Net Worth $92,852

Overall % of Total Newsletter World conf. Division conf Courses Admin

Income
Member Dues 30,701 78% 30,701
Retail Sales -
Advertising -
Conference Registrations 1,675 4% 1,675
Tours -
Exhibits -
Workshops & Tutorials -
Contributions -
Interest 556 1% 556
Royalties 6,483 16% 6,483
Miscellaneous -
Total $39,415 $- $- $1,675 $- $37,740
% of Total 0% 0% 4% 0% 96%
Overall % of Total Newsletter World conf. Division conf Courses Admin
Expenses
Temporary Help -
Printing 2,471 10% 2,321 150
Cost of Sales -
Promotional Items 583 2% 583
Postage 1,746 7% 1,481 265
Contract/Professional Work 6,328 25% 1,187 5,141
Meetings & Meals 3,672 14% 3,672
Travel 7,020 28% 7,020
Supplies 1,011 4% 1,011
Telephone 564 2% 564
Joint-Venture/Partnership Pmt -
Awards 1,500 6% 1,500
Donations/Scholarships -
Other 590 2% 590
Total $25,485 $4,989 $- $- $- $20,496
% of Total 20% 0% 0% 0% 80%
Net Income $13,930 $(4,989) $- $1,675 $- $17,244

Vol. 19, No. 4 The Newsletter of the Measurement Quality Division, American Society for Quality December 2005
MQD Page 17

Year ending June 30 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000

Assets
Cash & cash-equivalents 103,063 85,187 88,094 82,824 123,116 92,157
Current Receivables 4,418 6,576 5,986 6,390 7,275 7,440
Capital Assets - - - - - -
Long-term Investments - - - - - -
Other - - - - - -
Total $107,481 $91,763 $94,080 $89,214 $130,391 $99,597

Liabilities
Current liabilities 3,763 388 4,818 7,173 26,813 3,850
Deferred Revenue 10,866 12,475 11,162 14,431 20,580 23,618
Long-term Liabilities - - - - - -
Total $14,629 $12,863 $15,980 $21,604 $47,393 $27,468
Net Worth $92,852 $78,900 $78,100 $67,610 $82,998 $72,129
2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000
Income
Member Dues 30,701 28,631 31,177 34,440 37,155 40,905
Retail Sales - - - - - -
Advertising - 105 - - 1,600 -
Conference Registrations 1,675 - - 5,850 - 5,800
Tours - - - - - -
Exhibits - - - - - -
Workshops & Tutorials - - - - - -
Contributions - - - - - -
Interest 556 403 739 1,461 3,428 3,322
Royalties 6,483 - - - - -
Miscellaneous - - - - 150 5,143
Total $39,415 $29,139 $31,916 $41,751 $42,333 $55,169
Expenses
Temporary Help - - - - - -
Printing 2,471 6,521 2,061 10,886 13,524 7,812
Promotional Items 583 - - - - -
Postage 1,746 5,078 2,964 6,832 6,424 6,275
Contract/Professional Work 6,328 5,060 15,757 29,432 3,885 5,738
Advertising - 907 - - - -
Equipment Purchase < $500 174 - - - - 163
Equipment Rental 366 749 - 1,303 - 534
Meetings & Meals 3,672 - - 1,571 1,087 906
Travel 7,020 8,692 313 3,585 2,937 22,913
Supplies 1,011 164 74 592 70 170
Telephone 564 773 257 939 3,539 1,665
Awards 1,500 216 - 2,000 - -
Donations / Scholarships - - - - - 7,000
Other 50 180 - - - 184
Total $25,485 $28,340 $21,426 $57,140 $31,466 $53,361
Net Income $13,930 $799 $10,490 ($15,389) $10,867 $1,809
Vol. 19, No. 4 The Newsletter of the Measurement Quality Division, American Society for Quality December 2005
MQD Page 18

Joint Measurement Quality-Inspection Division Conference

By Dilip Shah

The conference was held at US Naval Surface War­ for organizing the use of the pavilion facilities. A
fare Corona (NSWC) facility on September 21-23, big Thank You also goes out to Duane Allen (past
2005. On September 21, two workshops were held MQD Chair) and Chet Franklin who acted as
(Calibration & Use of Weighing Devices in an immediate liaison and facilitators between the con­
Analytical Environment, Geometric Dimensioning ference committee and NSWC and Ms. Jennifer
& Tolerancing). Many thanks go to Mark Ruefen- Persful of the Inspection Division, who helped out
acht of HEUSSER NEWEIGH and ASQ Fellow with speaker transportation and other conference
and Inspection Division Chair, Gregory S. Gay logistics. The conference appreciates the thoughtful
for organizing the workshops. Ten presentations donation of bags and pens by Sabin Corporation
were made during the conference and a tour of the (Ms. Persful’s employer).
Measurement Science and Technology Labora-
tory at the Corona facility was also included. As evidenced by the conference photographs in this
issue of the Standard, attendees enjoyed the confer­
Our gratitude and appreciation go out to Douglas ence and left with useful tools and knowledge to
Sugg and Arman Hovakemian of NSWC Corona implement in their workplace.

Conference attendees enjoying the view before Thursday morning’s sessions begin.
Vol. 19, No. 4 The Newsletter of the Measurement Quality Division, American Society for Quality December 2005
MQD Page 19

View of a session in progress.

Greg Gay (Inspection Division Chair), Jenny Persful, and Navin Dedhia.

Vol. 19, No. 4 The Newsletter of the Measurement Quality Division, American Society for Quality December 2005
MQD Page 20

During the conference, Past Chair, Dilip Shah (right) was presented with
MQD’s 2005 Max J. Unis Award by the current Chair, Graeme Payne.

Dr. E. F. “Bud” Gookins

& Dilip Shah

Phil Painchaud

(writer of The Learning Curve)

Navin Dedhia
(National Director)

Vol. 19, No. 4 The Newsletter of the Measurement Quality Division, American Society for Quality December 2005
MQD Page 21

Scenery across the lake from the back of the conference center
(Thursday morning).

NSWC Corona Conference Center

Scenery from the front of the conference center (Friday morning).

Vol. 19, No. 4 The Newsletter of the Measurement Quality Division, American Society for Quality December 2005
MQD Page 22

ACCREDITATION NEWS producers. Services are available to any type of

Compiled by Dilip A. Shah laboratory or inspection body, be it private or gov­
ernment. A2LA is the largest multi-discipline ac­
PRESS RELEASE: October 31, 2005 creditation body in the United States, and the
second largest in the world.
The American Association for Laboratory Accredi­
tation (A2LA) announced today that on October
28, 2005 the A2LA Board of Directors voted to If you would like additional information please
terminate membership and discontinue involve­ contact Philip Smith by phone at 301 644 3204 or
ment with the National Cooperation for Laboratory by email at psmith@a2la.org.
Accreditation (NACLA) effective 31 December
2005. A2LA also announced the following training
schedule for 2006:
The initial goal of NACLA was to reduce the re­ Title: Introduction to Measurement Uncertainty
dundant accreditations of laboratories in the United • January 30-31, 2006 – Charleston,

States in accordance with the Congressional policy SC ($795.00, $745.00)

of the National Technology Transfer and Advance­ • March 27-28, 2006 – San Francisco,

ment Act (NTTAA). This goal is consistent with CA ($795.00, $745.00)

the A2LA vision of “one accreditation accepted • June 5-6, 2006 – Chicago, IL ($795.00,
everywhere”. A2LA was one of the founding $745.00)

members and advocates of the NACLA organiza­ Title: ISO/IEC 17025 and Accreditation

tion. In December 2004, A2LA had withdrawn its

• February 1-3, 2006 –Charleston,

signatory status to the NACLA Mutual Recogni­

SC ($995.00, $945.00)

tion Agreement (MRA). After a prolonged series

of attempts to implement reduction of duplicative • March 29-31, 2006 – San Francisco,

accreditations, it was determined that the current CA ($995.00, $945.00)

direction of NACLA is contrary to achieving the • June 7-9, 2006 – Chicago, IL ($995.00,
original goal. $945.00)
Title: Assessment of Laboratory Competence
“We need to concentrate our energies on participa­ • May 1-5, 2006 – Atlanta, GA ($1595.00,
tion in effective international MRAs (i.e.: ILAC, $1545.00)
APLAC, EA, IAAC) to reduce the redundant ac­ Title: Quality Assurance Analysis Tools for
creditation burden on our accredited laboratories.” Calibration and Testing Laboratories
said Dr. William G. Kavanagh, Chairman of the • May 22-23, 2006 – Novi, MI ($795.00,
A2LA Board of Directors. $745.00)

A2LA will continue to support and assist efforts to A continental breakfast and lunch are provided on
reduce or eliminate the need for redundant, dupli­ each day of class. Please contact Julie Stevens
cative accreditations. A2LA is committed to work­ (jstevens@a2la.org) at 301 644 3235 for more de­
ing towards a viable system of MRAs among do­ tails.
mestic accreditation bodies by relying on interna­
tional MRAs.

The American Association for Laboratory Accredi­

tation (A2LA) is a nonprofit, non-governmental,
public service, membership society. The mission
of A2LA is to provide comprehensive accreditation
services for laboratories, inspection bodies, profi­
ciency testing providers, and reference material

Vol. 19, No. 4 The Newsletter of the Measurement Quality Division, American Society for Quality December 2005
MQD Page 23

MEASUREMENT QUALITY DIVISION OFFICERS AND COMMITTEE CHAIRS

Chair, Examining Chair Immediate Past Chair / Nominating Chair
Graeme C. Payne Joe Simmons Scholarship MQD Representative
GK Systems, Inc. Program Chair
4440 Weston Drive SW, Suite B Dilip A. Shah
Lilburn, GA 30047 USA E = mc3 Solutions
Voice: (770) 931-4004 / Fax (866) 887-9344 197 Great Oaks Trail #130
E-mail: Graeme@gksystems.biz Wadsworth, Ohio 44281-8215
Voice (330) 328-4400 / Fax (330) 336-3974
E-mail: emc3solu@aol.com, dashah@aol.com
Chair-Elect, Publication Chair, Newsletter Edi-
tor/Publisher, Share Point Administrator
Jay L. Bucher Joe Simmons Scholarship
Bucherview Metrology Services Norm Belecki
6700 Royal View Dr. 7413 Mill Run Dr
De Forest, WI 53532-2775 Derwood, MD 20855-1156
Voice (608) 277-2522 / Fax (608) 846-4269 Voice (301) 869-4520
E-mail: jay.bucher@promega.com, E-mail: n.belecki@ieee.org
yokota-69@charter.net

Historian
Secretary, Certification Chair, Website Keela Sniadach
Manager, NCSL International Representative Promega Corp.
Christopher L. Grachanen 5445 East Cheryl Parkway
Manager, Houston Metrology Group Hewlett- Madison, WI 53711
Packard Voice (608) 298-4681 / Fax (608) 277-2516
P. O. Box 692000 MS070110 E-mail: keela.sniadach@promega.com

Houston, TX 77269-2000

Voice (281) 518-8486 / Fax (281) 518-7275

E-mail: Chris.Grachanen@hp.com ASQ Division Administrator

Ms. Jeannette Cooke

Voice (800) 248-1946
Treasurer E-mail: JCooke@asq.org
Karl Wigdal
Promega Corp.
5445 East Cheryl Parkway Regional Councilors represent the Division
Madison, WI 53711 to members and Sections in their geo-
Voice (608) 277-2633 / Fax (608) 277-2516 graphic areas. Regional Councilors are ap-
E-mail: karl.wigdal@promega.com pointed for renewable two-year terms, and
are advisory members of the Division lead-
ership team.
Standards Committee Representative
Bill McCullough
Region 1 (CT, MA, ME, NH, RI, VT)
McCullough Consulting
1936 June Cr Volunteer Opportunity!

Carson City, NV 89706

Region 2 (NJ, NY, PA)

Voice: (775) 883-3042 Fax: (775) 883-3042

Cell: (775) 220-6424 Volunteer Opportunity!

E-mail: billmccullough@gbis.com

Vol. 19, No. 4 The Newsletter of the Measurement Quality Division, American Society for Quality December 2005
MQD Page 24

ASQ MEASUREMENT QUALITY DIVISION REGIONAL COUNCILORS

Regional Councilors represent the Division to members and Sections in their

geographic areas. Regional Councilors are appointed for renewable two-year
terms, and are advisory members of the Division leadership team.

Region 3 (CT, NJ, NY) Region 10 (OH, MI)

Mr. Eduardo M. Heidelberg
Volunteer Opportunity!
Pfizer

Parlin, NJ 08859
Region 11 (NC, SC, TN, VA)
E-mail: eheidelb@yahoo.com
Volunteer Opportunity!
Region 4 (Canada) Region 12 (IL, MN, ND, SD, WI)
Mr. Alexander T. C. Lau
Dr. Donald S. Ermer
ExxonMobil
ASQ Fellow; Eugene L. Grant Medal (2001)
Whitby, ON L1R 1R1
University of Wisconsin—Madison

E-mail: alex.t.lau@exxonmobil.com
Madison, WI 53706

E-mail: Ermer@engr.wisc.edu

Region 5 (DC, DE, MD, PA, VA)

Mr. Richard A. Litts
Region 13 (CO, IA, KS, MO, NE, SD, WY)
Litts Quality Technologies
Volunteer Opportunity!
Downington, PA 19335

E-mail: info@littsquality.com
Region 14 (AR, LA, NM, OK, TX, part of
Mexico)
Region 6 (AK, CA, HI, ID, MT, OR, UT, WA, Mr. R. Keith Bennett

WY) TRANSCAT

Volunteer Opportunity! Kingwood, TX 77339

E-mail: kbennett@transcat.com

Region 7 (AZ, CA, NV, part of Mexico)

Region 15 (AL, FL, GA, LA, MS, Puerto Rico)
Mr. Randy D. Farmer

Metrology Solutions
Mr. E. Bryan Miller
Chula Vista, CA 91913
ASQ Fellow
E-mail: farmerrd2@cox.net
Bryan Miller Consulting

Florence, AL 35633

Region 8 (OH, PA) E-mail: milleb@mindspring.com

Volunteer Opportunity!
Region 25 (all other countries)
Region 9 (IN, KY, OH) Volunteer Opportunity!
Ryan Fischer, ASQ CCT

Laboratory Accreditation Bureau

Please see next page for a map

New Haven, IN 46774

of the US Regions
E-mail: rfischer@l-a-b.com

Vol. 19, No. 4 The Newsletter of the Measurement Quality Division, American Society for Quality December 2005
MQD Page 25

TABLE OF CONTENTS FOR THE FOLLOWING PAGES:

METROLOGY AS A COMPETITIVE WEAPON

Ralph E. Bertermann…………………………….. 34 ~ 38
CALIBRATION: WHAT IS IT?
Graeme C. Payne………………………………… 72, 74, 76
CALIBRATION: WHO DOES IT?
Graeme C. Payne…………………………………. 80 ~ 81
CALIBRATION: WHY IT’S IMPORTANT
Graeme C. Payne…………………………………. 66, 69
NIST SCHEDULE OF LABORATORY
METROLOGY SEMINARS…………………… Last 4 pages
MEASUREMENT SCIENCE CONFERENCE FLYER
NCSLI WORKSHOP & SYMPOSIUM FLYER

Vol. 19, No. 4 The Newsletter of the Measurement Quality Division, American Society for Quality December 2005
 Metrology As a

Competitive Weapon

Ralph E. Bertermann
Lighthouse Training Group

To some, the term metrology brings to mind scientists pushing state of the art measurements in various measurement
disciplines or a technician making a nominal measurement in a lab or process area. To others, a metrology department is
often thought of as a necessary evil, an overhead function, whose only responsibility is to maintain a company in compliance
with some regulatory requirements. Seldom, if ever, does the word metrology bring to mind a competitive weapon that can
be used by a corporation to provide benefits, dropping directly to the bottom line and giving the company a market advantage.
Outlined are a series of guidance steps, a plan of attack or strategy, that can be followed. Application of these unique tools
within a corporation can result in measurable benefits, both tangible and intangible, helping that company to succeed.

Introduction herself on a continuing basis. The contributions of

metrology to a corporation must be recognizable and
Metrology is seldom if ever, considered a competitive measurable. If they are not, the long-term outlook for
weapon, a tool that can be used to give a corporation a the function can be a fairly flat response and less than
market advantage. The function of metrology is usually optimal support level from management. A cause and
looked at as a necessary evil, an overhead function, even effect relationship must exist between metrology and the
though corporations will spend many hundreds of financial results of the corporation. These tangible results
thousands of dollars on personnel, equipment, and can demonstrate the worth of the metrology function and
facilities to meet regulatory requirements, which in the can result in greater support and long term funding.
case of Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) are only How do we measure it? Simply:
minimum requirements.
Company Profits = Income - Expenses
Metrology can, when implemented properly, result in
tangible as well as intangible benefits and have a direct For metrology to have an affect on company profits,
bearing on the bottom line of a corporation. But this the function has to have a strategy to reach this goal.
process doesn’t just happen. It needs planning. As with Metrology can either help increase the income of the
quality initiatives, competitive initiatives should be company by contributing to the selling of more products
started with the end in mind. Turning metrology into a by satisfying customer requirements and in the process
competitive weapon can give immediate results, but the building a loyal customer base, or by helping get that
majority of the time it is a long-term undertaking with product to the market before the competition, by
the results of implementing a program of this type, contributing to improved quality in the product, or to
building and gaining momentum over time. reduce the internal expenses that go into making those
The definition of competition is 1: A striving or vying products. These internal expenses, which may be due to
with another or others for profit, prize, position, or the scrap, rework, or marginal quality, are hidden expenses
necessities of life; rivalry, 2: A contest, match, or other trial and as such are a source of hidden profits. Metrology
of skill or ability, 3: The rivalry between two or more can address these, by contributing to increased sales with
businesses striving for the same customer or market.[1] superior products and to decrease expenses through
And, the definition of weapon, 1: An instrument of internal cost cutting methods employing better
offensive or defensive combat: something to fight with, measurements, which result in better and more efficient
2: a means of contending against another.[1] production methods. The effects of metrology should
Is metrology really cost effective? Is metrology permeate through the entire corporation, as shown in
contributing to the survival of the corporation in a viable Figure 1.
way? Can a short list of cost savings directly attributable Fulfilling customer requirements is not something that
to better measurements be generated? Is metrology un- is done just to meet a quality regulation but is done so
leveling the playing field in a measurable way to give that a company can succeed in business. It is much more
their corporation an advantage? These are questions that expensive to regain that customer than it is to retain the
each metrology manager should be asking himself or customer in the first place.

JUL • AUG • SEP 2005 34

 METROLOGY AS A COMPETITIVE WEAPON
RALPH E. BERTERMANN

METROLOGY • When new instruments are purchased, are they the best
Good Science, Traceability, Standards, that you can afford with the highest accuracy, or
Methods/Procedures, Regulatory Compliance, instruments, which just meet today’s requirements?
Training, Documentation, Good Decisions, Problem Avoidance • What is the current quality level of operation and what
I are the trends?
Research
I Before taking the metrology program to the next level,
Development the program should be operating in a regulatory
I
compliant manner and exhibit high quality in its
In-Coming Quality
I operation. Is the program bullet proof?
Scale Up/Technology Transfer
I Becoming a Competitive Weapon
Process Validation/
Final Specifications In order for metrology to become that competitive
I weapon and strategic tool for the corporation, the
Production/Manufacturing metrology function must define itself in the broadest
I possible terms and take a leadership role and aggressively
Final Product
and creatively pursue all avenues to assist a corporation
I
Customer Confidence to succeed. The metrology function has unique
I capabilities and is in the possession of unique information,
Profit and it is these unique tools that can be used to give a
corporation a competitive edge. Metrology should choose
Figure 1. The permeation of metrology through an organization. its ground carefully so that it is not overextended and
gets into areas away from core expertise. As metrology
Planning to Be Competitive pushes from the bottom, it is incumbent on management
to mine the hidden assets of knowledge and capabilities
Positioning the metrology function to contribute to the that a metrology lab possesses and use that information
bottom line of the corporation begins with a basic review to solve measurement problems.
of where a program is at the present time. This is true Metrology can help the corporation succeed by
regardless of the size of an organization or if a program is applying it’s expertise to internal functions first and then
in it’s infant stages or is a larger, mature operation. extend this to external clients, as appropriate.
The end result of this review will give areas for cost
avoidance, elimination of waste, and also direct savings. Internal Development
• Has the program been designed to meet current The process starts with the development of a synergistic
regulations such as Good Laboratory Practices (GLP) team approach, including functions such as R&D,
or Current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMP)? production, quality, purchasing, validation, and
• Has the program incorporated industry best practices marketing. The goals of this team will be twofold: to
that are found in international standards such as ISO manage and direct the assets of the corporation, and to
17025 or ANSI/NCSL Z540-1-1994 and ISO 9000:2000? gather, analyze, and accept or reject all areas where
improvement in measurements or application of
• Do recent audit reports confirm the fact that the program
instrumentation can be made. Like a six sigma approach
is operating in a state of control and any deficiencies
to quality improvements, potential areas for improvement
noted by investigators have been resolved?
highlighted by the team can then be prioritized and
• Have all complaints been resolved and the root cause solved, resulting in the largest return for the investment
determined, eliminating it from happening again? and resulting in a program of continuous improvement.
• Have peer comparisons been made to make sure the Metrology is probably the one place in a corporation
program is meeting industry expectations? where the performance of all equipment is monitored and
• What does your network sources of competitive recorded. The development of instrument “standards”
intelligence tell you? based on demonstrated performance raises the level of
• Are you investing in your employees through a planned measurement capabilities throughout the corporation.
training program based on an analysis of deficiencies? This one step develops into a win-win situation and
• Are customer satisfaction surveys reviewed for insights allows everyone to do their jobs in a more efficient
of deficiencies? manner. Better measurements are made, instrument
performance is improved, intervals can be lengthened,

35 JUL • AUG • SEP 2005

METROLOGY AS A COMPETITIVE WEAPON
RALPH E. BERTERMANN

which results in less work for metrology and less interruption Marketing can also supply information on what
for affected departments, increasing the utilization of this customers are asking for, what is the root cause of lost
expensive research and process instrumentation, and poor sales, how a product compares to a competitor, and the
performing (bad actor) instruments can be removed from role, if any, where better measurements could result in
the workplace. improved sales or acceptance of a product.

Production and Validation Purchasing

Develop a partnership and solicit the sharing of any All the purchases for a corporation funnel through the
problem areas that production and validation have. The gate keeping and processing function of the purchasing
development of realistic instrument specifications and department. Metrology may not be aware of what
assistance in the IQ/OQ process will minimize unrealistic instrumentation is being purchased in large organizations,
tolerances based on estimates or guesses, and replace but assisting the purchasing function and the user
these with decisions based on numbers that are realistic community with information on recommended
and achievable. These realistic specifications equal a “standard” types of instruments to purchase, or preferred
higher in-tolerance quality level, longer intervals, and less vendors and suppliers, will help in more intelligent
intrusion on the schedules of a production area. These decisions being made and an overall improvement of the
better measurements must address the process and deployed database of instruments across a corporation.
systems, which in turn should focus on preventing future This will have the following benefits:
variations in the production process. The goal of • Volume purchasing agreements and better pricing
production is to meet production targets and to produce • Better measurements
these products on schedule with minimal quality • Elimination of poor performing instruments from the
problems. Better measurements will assist production database
personnel to meet their goal by measuring their process • Longer calibration intervals
accurately. Check standards can also be introduced into • More efficient instrument support, including calibration,
the measurement process to detect any drifting of a maintenance, and spare parts
process towards a limit and allow for early corrections in
real time, which will then require less rework or the
production of scrap.
Positioning for Success

Quality Continued improvement and success requires

Develop a partnership with the quality department. continued development beyond the status quo and just
This department has an overall view of how a corporation maintaining a program that meets minimum
is functioning and where potential problems may be requirements.
located. Quality can highlight these areas needing There are a number of ways to maintain this edge
improvement and due to their authority can assist in • Join a professional organization.
implementing changes across departmental boundaries. • Network
• Join professional technical committees
R&D • Give a paper or talk at conferences
Improving measurements in the R&D process is vital • Volunteer for standards writing committees
to the long-term growth of a corporation. • Benchmark
“Good” Numbers = Good Decisions • Invest in people at all levels
• Develop a program of improving measurement
The future of the corporation rests on the infusion of capabilities
new products into the pipeline. Giving those in the R&D • Welcome audits as a way making a program better
process the ability to make the best measurements • Develop internal standards of operation
possible and assisting them in solving measurement • Measure internal performance
problems, will allow the correct decisions to be made
• Pursue accreditation
regarding the potential future of a new product.
• Participate in Measurement Assurance Programs (MAP)
or round robins
Marketing
• Offer assistance when asked
Assist marketing with product specifications that are
• Insist on ethical performance at all levels
realistic and supported with data that reflect the true
• Get involved
performance capabilities of a product. This builds long-
term trust and loyalty with customers. • Raise the bar
• Listen

JUL • AUG • SEP 2005 36

 METROLOGY AS A COMPETITIVE WEAPON
RALPH E. BERTERMANN

It is important to maintain leadership and superiority at this point is does the metrology function solicit outside
in measurements. Clear-cut leaders set the standard of work to help the metrology group develop as a profit
measurement and these standards of operation in center or is the expertise maintained in the department
metrology technology will soon be incorporated into and not shared with outside organizations?
cGMP regulations and as best industry practices, as Although taking in work from external customers will
auditors review a process and then apply this criteria or help the overall profits of a corporation, it must be realized
methods to other companies in an industry. When a that the internal customers of a metrology function must
company is at the forefront of a technology or practice, take priority over all other functions and are the key
this development can be done in a thorough and complete reason that the function was established in the first place
manner. Duplicating this process in a catch up mode with and are vital to the health of a corporation.
the possibility of deadlines, regulatory scrutiny, training
staff, and purchasing equipment, in addition to the daily Tangible Benefits
pressures of meeting users demands, can have a
demoralizing affect on a department. Numerous examples exist of corporations that have
International standards, such as ISO 17025 and its recovered hundreds of thousands of dollars as a direct
predecessors, have a typical 5 year life cycle and then they result of better measurements.
are reviewed and revised to incorporate the latest A Midwest pharmaceutical company improved the
developments and thinking in industry best practices. measurement in a fermentation process and eliminated
Being a member of that process gives the opportunity to the flushing of very expensive product and allowed its
contribute to the development process, to understand the recovery.
standards that industry will be expected to meet in future A leading manufacturer of test equipment gives
years, and helps to refine the focus for a metrology detailed specifications regarding tolerances and time in
organization. tolerance, giving a high degree of confidence to potential
Be a leader at something. This might include becoming customers in the values reported and enabling that
an expert in a particular measurement discipline such as manufacturer to become a market leader.
temperature, flow, mass, etc. It could also focus on a A missed opportunity for savings at a nuclear utility
process within an organization such as freeze-drying, where a fine would have been avoided had an instrument
particle counting, conductivity, water for injection (WFI) been properly calibrated and an unlawful radiation
systems, etc. Leaders are sought out and when people release would not have occurred.
need information, they will go to the ‘experts’ to get it. Companies that produce superior products are able to
Dialog starts and offers an opportunity to get information charge premium prices.
in areas where a person may be weak. Another win-win
situation and it fits well into the definition of Competition: Intangible Benefits
“Cooperating with a business competitor in an attempt
to improve both your performances.” The intangible benefits of an aggressive metrology
Being a leader is a more interesting position to be in — program are more difficult to quantify, but these proactive
the view only changes for the lead dog in a dog sled team! or preventative actions are many times more beneficial
Do you influence what is happening? Or do you wonder what to an organizations than corrective actions. For example:
happened?
• Avoiding a product recall by making better
measurements. What would the cost of that recall
External Development entail? The actual dollars in immediate lost sales, the
long term lost sales to competitors, erosion of customer
As a metrology function matures and gains in
confidence, bad press, falling stock price, etc.
leadership, it also gains measurement expertise in many
measurement areas. The staff is highly trained, the • Making better measurements in the R&D process which
program runs efficiently with possibly some of the allows more intelligent decisions to be made regarding
measurement disciplines having been automated, the the future development of that potential product. It
program is meeting regulatory requirements, and it also expedites moving a potential product forward in
follows or is accredited to international standards such the development pipeline.
as ISO 17025. At this point, the organization may find • Making better measurements in the R&D process
itself with excess capacity and the ability to assume work allowing a product to be approved earlier than a
from external sources. competitor. Being first to the market offers a definite
To arrive at this point, a corporation has invested marketing advantage and pays dividends for the life
heavily in equipping the metrology organization as well of the product.
as the training and investment in the staff. The question

37 JUL • AUG • SEP 2005

METROLOGY AS A COMPETITIVE WEAPON
RALPH E. BERTERMANN

• Metrology being the conscience and affecting the If you think metrology can make your company more
mindset or character of an organization through the competitive, or if you think metrology cannot make your
repeated requirements of discipline, integrity, and company more competitive, you’re right.
accountability of all regulated measurement processes.
• The ability to transfer a technology or product Better Measurements = Better Products = Better Profits
seamlessly throughout a corporation, requiring
minimal backtracking or rework. References
Webster’s Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary
• Uniformity of measurement and production activities
______________________________
across the organization when reviewed by regulatory
agencies. Includes standardization of equipment,
Ralph E. Bertermann, Lighthouse Training Group, tel/fax
tolerances, methods, documentation, training, and
847-392-9796, rberter@aol.com, www.lighthousetraining.
labels.
com.
• The passing of an audit where no observations are
recorded and no follow up is required. Or conversely,
failing an audit, resulting in warning letters and consent
decrees, bad publicity in the press, loss of confidence
by stockholders, and longer or canceled new product
approvals.
• Through proper advance planning, incorporate
contingency plans for continued support of production
during times of crises, emergencies, or disasters.
• Demonstrating a commitment to continuous
improvement and meeting the intent of the FDA “PATS”
regulatory initiative.

Conclusion
There is a lot of wasted effort and expense in the
instrument calibration process. Rules and regulations
abound, and many times little thought is given to technical
adequacy. Metrology must continue to educate customers
and company personnel regarding realistic accuracies and
specifications that produce a quality product but do not
burden a company with unrealistic specifications.
Metrology is in a position to assist a corporation in
answering these questions because of the many unique
tools and information inherent in a metrology function.
All of these tools and information must be used to move
the corporation forward.
Metrology is the science of measurement, a science that
uses objective evidence to enhance a corporation’s
performance.
Due diligence is required to maintain this competitive
advantage. The entire process can be sidetracked or
derailed by a loss of management support, loss of key
people, cut back in budgets, or the unethical behavior of
a team member.
The process of metrology is not a static activity but is
continually changing and evolving. It is imperative that
a person invests in ones self to be aware of the latest trends
and changes in the regulations and international
standards areas and to invest in measurement capabilities
in order to maintain that competitive advantage.

JUL • AUG • SEP 2005 38

 MEASURE
FOR MEASURE

Calibration: What Is It?

by Graeme C. Payne

W
hen members of just about surements conform to certain defined Calibration is essentially a process
any profession talk among relationships. of comparison. An instrument is used
themselves, they usually use to measure or is measured by a cali­
specialized terms they all under- A Process of Comparison bration standard, and the result is
stand—jargon. There is usually con­ Broadly speaking, calibration is the compared to two things: the known
sensus among them about the meaning process of determining the relation­ value and uncertainty of the standard
of the terms, but they often forget new­ ship between the readings obtained and the performance specifications
comers or interested parties from other by a measuring instrument or system required by the customer. The concept
fields may not have the same under­ is simple, but the work is in the
standing. There are also cases in which details. Some of the details include:
the common use of a word is different The common use • The assigned value of the mea­
from or even opposite its technical def­ surement standard, which is usual­
inition. “Metrology” and “calibration” of this word is quite ly determined from its calibration
are two such words.1 different from its history.
The International Vocabulary of • The known uncertainty of the
General and Basic Terms in Metrology technical definition. standard, which comes from sev­
(VIM) is an internationally accepted eral places, including the historical
document that provides technical def­ reports of calibration and the
initions of metrology, calibration and and the applicable units of some internal statistical process control
many other measurement related defined system of measurement. (SPC) methods many calibration
terms.2 According to records uncovered by labs have for their measurement
Why do we need to refer to this tech­ archaeologists, people have been systems. Labs that have an effec­
nical glossary instead of a common doing this for at least 5,000 years. At tive measurement SPC system
desktop dictionary? One reason is the first, units of measure were often know how their systems perform
VIM is a listed authoritative reference based on things such as the volume of in that location, so their uncertain­
in ISO 9000 and ISO 10012. Another grain that could be held in two hands ty values are likely to be more
reason is technical dictionaries and (cup) or the distance between the realistic—not always better, just
glossaries define the accepted technical point of the Pharaoh’s elbow and more realistic.
meanings of terms, while common dic­ longest fingertip plus the width of his • The environment of the calibration
tionaries merely record the ways palm (cubit). Now, our defined set of activity, which almost always
words are used or misused in a lan­ measurement references is known as includes temperature and relative
guage and most of their meanings. the International System of Units (SI).4 humidity. Depending on the mea­
According to the VIM, metrology is Calibration quantifies the relation­ surement, other influences such as
“the science and practice of measure- ship between the readings of a microm­ absolute barometric pressure, the
ment.”3 Metrology is important in some eter, voltmeter, thermometer, weighing local gravitational vector, electro­
way to every human endeavor. More balance, mass spectrometer or graduat­ magnetic fields or building vibra­
specifically, it is critical to all the physi­ ed cylinder and the relevant units in tion may also have measurable
cal, chemical and biological sciences the SI system. Paraphrasing the formal effects.
and the technologies and manufactur­ definition in the VIM, the instrument’s • The methods and equipment used
ing processes that flow from them. readings are compared to the values of to make the comparisons.
In daily life, metrology affects us in a measurement standard under con­ • The uncertainty of the measure­
commerce and law enforcement and trolled and specified conditions.5 ment system relative to the pub­
in regulated industries such as health­ Each measurement result can be lished performance specifications of
care and aviation. Whenever you pur­ related to the SI units by the property the item being calibrated or the cus-
chase a gallon of gasoline or a pound of traceability, which accounts for the tomer’s requirements, if different.
of onions, drive by an officer with a known or estimated uncertainty of the All the details have to be evaluated
radar gun on the highway or have an measurement process.6 The measure­ to provide a measure of the relation­
electrocardiograph taken, you have ment standard has, in most cases, gone ship between the measurements made
directly interacted with metrology by through the same process. Calibration with the instrument and the reference
means of a calibrated measuring is repeated at regular intervals to pro­ SI values. That relationship is the
instrument. One practical application vide continued assurance the instru- uncertainty, and its documentation
of metrology—a subset of the whole ment’s performance is suitable for its defines traceability, which is the char­
field—is the system of ensuring mea­ use. acteristic of the measurement result

72 I MAY 2005 I www.asq.org

 MEASURE
FOR MEASURE

that demonstrates its accuracy in and the data to be collected. It should arate process. After the adjustment or
terms of the SI. Taken together, the also list any safety precautions and repair is complete, the calibration pro­
relationship and its documentation preliminary steps and make note of cedure should always be repeated to
indicate the quality of the measure- the particular method of the compar- verify the proper measurement rela­
ments that can be made with that isons, the calibration environment and tionship has been re-established.
instrument when it is used correctly. anything else that is important for the There are two reasons adjustment is
A calibration is performed using a items covered by the procedure. not part of the formal definition of
calibration procedure, which is a doc- A calibration procedure is written calibration:
umented, validated and controlled with the fundamental premises that 1. The historical calibration data on
method for making the comparisons. the item being calibrated is in good an instrument can be useful when
The procedure may be a written paper working order and the person per- describing the normal variation
or electronic document, or it may be a forming the calibration is trained and of the instrument or a population
particular test program on an auto- qualified and understands the scien- of substantially identical instru­
mated calibration system. tific and physical principles of the ments. That information can also
Many calibration procedures are measurements.8 be used for process improvement.
written in conformance to the guide- For example, it can be used to
lines in Recommended Practice 3: What About Adjustment? evaluate the reliability of the
Preparation of Calibration Procedures Up to this point, I haven’t said any- instruments and change the recal-
(NCSL RP-3), which defines the proce- thing about adjustment. That’s ibration interval. If the instru­
dures’ purpose and content.7 because it’s not part of the formal def- ment is adjusted before the data
The purpose of a calibration proce- inition of calibration, nor is it part of from a full calibration run have
dure is to determine and document the description of a calibration proce- been collected, then there is no
the measurement relationships of the dure in NCSL RP-3. The results (data) historical value, and it cannot be
item being calibrated. It should define of a calibration procedure may indi- used to improve the system.
the parameters to be measured, the cate a need for adjustment or other 2. Any set of similar measurements
measurement standards to be used repair, but taking such action is a sep- may be considered a statistical

74 I MAY 2005 I www.asq.org

 MEASURE
FOR MEASURE

process, and a single measure­ GRAEME C. PAYNE is the president of GK

ment from that process is a ran­ Systems Inc., a technical consulting company
dom sample from the probability near Atlanta. A Senior Member of ASQ, Payne
density function that describes it. has been working in electronic calibration and
product testing since 1981. He is a certified
Without other knowledge, there is
quality engineer, calibration technician and
no way to know if the sample is quality technician. He is also the chair-elect of
within the normal variation lim­ the Measurement Quality Division and a
its. The history gives us that infor­ member of NCSL International.
mation. If the measurement is
within the normal variation and
not outside the specification lim­
its, there is no reason to adjust it.
In fact, making an adjustment Please
could just as likely make it worse comment
as it could make it better. W.
Edwards Deming discusses the If you would like to comment on this
problem of overadjustment in article, please post your remarks on
chapter 11 of Out of the Crisis.9 the Quality Progress Discussion
The most common uses of the word Board at www.asq.org, or e-mail
“calibration” outside the metrology them to editor@asq.org.
community include the concept of
adjusting the instrument, and most cus­
tomers expect it. In addition, many
manufacturers have calibration proce­
dures in their manuals that are not per­
formance comparisons but, instead, are
the test, alignment or adjustment pro­

Customer
cedures used for a new or repaired unit
that is in an unknown condition.
Remember, a true calibration proce­
dure assumes the instrument is in good
working order. So, while acknowledg­
Care Center
ing the formal technical definition, cali­
bration providers also have to
recognize the practical realities of busi­ ASQ’s customer care center is
ness and work with the common defin­
staffed with representatives to
ition as well.
personally answer each incom­
REFERENCES AND NOTES ing phone call and e-mail
1. This article is the first in a series of three.
The July column will examine some of the differ­ during its hours of operation,
ent views of calibration, and the September col­
umn will discuss the importance of calibration. which are Monday through
2. International Vocabulary of Basic and General
Terms in Metrology, second edition, International Thursday from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Organization for Standardization, 1993. It is com­
monly referred to as the VIM, an acronym taken
and Friday from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.,
from the French title, Vocabulaire International de
Termes Fondamentaux et Généraux de Métrologie.
3. VIM, section 2.2, see reference 2.
Central Standard Time.
4. SI is an acronym taken from the French
name, Le Systéme International d'Unités.
5. VIM, section 6.11, see reference 2. 800-248-1946 or
6. VIM, section 6.10, see reference 2.
7. Recommended Practice 3: Preparation of 414-272-8575
Calibration Procedures, NCSL International (for­
merly National Conference of Standards help@asq.org
Laboratories), 1990.
8. Ibid.
www.asq.org.
9. W. Edwards Deming, Out of the Crisis,
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1982.

76 I MAY 2005 I www.asq.org

 MEASURE
FOR MEASURE

Calibration: Who Does It?

by Graeme C. Payne

T
his column is the second of another method is to count the num­ concerned about compliance with
three that explore what calibra­ ber of atoms in a crystal of pure sili- requirements than measurement quali­
tion is, who does it and why it con.1 ty. They also don’t always understand
is important. The May 2005 column The scientific view comprises metrol­ what calibration is, how poor measure­
discussed the nature of metrology and ogists with national metrology insti­ ments affect the quality of their prod­
calibration and the types of confusion tutes such as the National Institute of ucts or why calibration is important.
that arise because of differences
between the technical definitions and Average Practitioner’s View
common usage of the words. This The majority of people who do the
month’s column looks at how calibra­ Three groups each work of calibration have, by necessity,
tion is viewed in different ways by a more practical view of calibration.
different groups. have their own distinct The biennial benchmark survey done
by NCSL International2 indicates only
Scientific View view of calibration. 3% of calibration laboratories classify
Dedicated scientists and engineers themselves as standards labs. That
make exacting measurements in the means they only calibrate measure­
scientific, high level realm of calibra­ ment standards for other calibration
tion. They are often called metrolo­ Standards and Technology, interna­ laboratories. The other 97% have cus­
gists and may spend years examining tional organizations such as the tomers who use calibrated equipment
one particular measurement problem International Bureau of Weights and for all types of jobs.
or physical characteristic that is sub­ Measures, the corporate metrology This is where results of NMI level
ject to measurement, trying to trans­ standards laboratories of some major science are applied to meet the needs
form theory into practical application. corporations and some other govern­ of the end user, and the perfection of
Making measurements with the ment laboratories. pure science is balanced against the
highest levels of precision and accuracy The national metrology institutes demands of the customer paying the
is routine. At this level, the sometimes (NMI) calibrate transfer standards bills. The work has to be done quickly
abstract definitions of measurement from other calibration laboratories, and and at low cost to provide customer
units are realized as closely as possible, those calibrations are a vital link in the satisfaction, efficiently to generate
usually in terms of a reproducible documented series of comparisons that enough profit to stay in business and
method. New discoveries in funda­ provide traceability from a quality accurately and precisely to maintain
mental physics, chemistry, mechanics practitioner’s work to the SI units. In traceability and give confidence in the
and other sciences are often tested to most countries, the SI units as main­ measurement results. These goals
see whether they can be used for mea­ tained by the NMI are the basis of legal often conflict with each other, and it
surements with lower uncertainty than metrology—the measurements made does not help that most calibration
previous methods provided. in commerce and regulated industries. laboratories are small organizations.
For example, one of today’s current One indicator of laboratory size is
measurement challenges is to find End User’s View the NCSL International benchmark
methods that use natural phenomena The end user of calibrated tools has survey. The proportion of calibration
to replace the international prototype another view. A typical end user has laboratories that are in organizations
kilogram artifact as the definition of a requirement to use calibrated of 50 or fewer people has increased
the unit of mass. This work is impor­ inspection, measurement and test from approximately 21% in 1999 to
tant because the kilogram is the only equipment. The requirement may be about 44% in 2003. A different NCSL
unit of the International System of corporate policy, but it was likely International survey of the small and
Units (SI) that is still defined by a derived from external sources such as independent calibration laboratories
physical artifact, and we know it ISO 9001, a regulatory body or a cus­ in 2000 showed approximately 79%
changes slightly over time even tomer requirement. had 20 or fewer employees.3
though it was manufactured to be as Many end users view calibration as a Both surveys indicate most calibra­
perfect as possible. nonvalue added expense that should tion labs are small businesses, which
Units based on fundamental physi­ be minimized. Given the parameters of implies they have limited resources.
cal phenomena, on the other hand, do fast service, high quality and low cost As with any other small business, cali­
not change. One method being stud­ and asked to pick any two, they often bration practitioners and their compa­
ied is a watt balance that would use a want the fastest possible service and nies have to continually balance the
magnetic field to determine mass; the lowest possible cost. They are more triad of speed, quality and cost while
(continued on p. 81)

80 I JULY 2005 I www.asq.org

(continued from p. 80)

being mindful of each customer ’s technician to start a procedure on one user’s side of calibration. In between
needs and desires. system and then start calibrating anoth­ those two groups are the organiza­
There are many job titles applied to er unit at another workstation. tions that perform the majority of cali­
the practical worker in calibration. Many calibration laboratories are brations and must balance the
Calibration technician is one, but a exploring other ways to improve ser­ perfection of science with the realities
recent check showed at least seven vice and productivity and reduce of the competitive marketplace. Most
other common job titles that include cal­ overall costs. Within the past 10 years, of the time the end users do not see
ibration duties.4 The ASQ Measurement for example, available technology has the high levels of science and engi­
Quality Division is currently working enabled the development of calibra­ neering associated with calibration or
jointly with NCSL International to tion applications for notebook or the countless dedicated technicians,
update the calibration related standard handheld computers, allowing on-site engineers, metrologists, scientists,
occupational descriptions published by calibrations without the need for managers and administrators who
the U.S. Department of Labor. paper procedures or data recording make the whole system work.
Qualified calibration technicians and eliminating errors from manual In the September 2005 column, I
must be educated in the relevant sci­ data transfers. will discuss how calibration reduces
ence to the extent necessary to perform At the same time, there has been a variation in a production process,
the work for which they are responsible. proliferation of calibration oriented facilitates global commerce and affects
Technicians must be adaptable laboratory databases and information the products you buy every week.
because the lab probably supports systems. These systems typically
hundreds of types and models of manage inventory, data collection and
equipment, and the technicians are recording, procedures and other doc­ REFERENCES

usually expected to become qualified uments, calibration recall systems and 1. Michael Shirber, “Time To Redefine the
Kilogram, Scientists Say,” LiveScience.com, April
to calibrate most or all of them. To physical traceability from measure­ 25, 2005, www.livescience.com/technology/
keep up with advances in the mea­ ment standards to the workload items 050425_redef_kilo.html.
surement fields, calibration techni­ they have been used on. 2. J. Wade Keith III, “2003 NCSL International
Benchmarking Survey,” proceedings of the
cians should also partake in ongoing Many systems also aid regulatory NCSL International Workshop and Symposium,
professional education. compliance or quality management August 2003.
Instead of seeking the “best possi­ 3. Malcolm Smith and Carol Rake, “Small
system conformance with features Business Issues,” proceedings of the NCSL
ble” measurement, the practical view such as user identification and data International Workshop and Symposium,
of calibration looks for efficient cali­ security, automatic data audit trails August 2004.
4. Christopher L. Grachanen, “Metrology Job
bration procedures and measure­ and authentication and digital signa­ Description Initiative,” presentation to the NCSL
ments that are sufficient for the task. tures based on public-key encryption. International Board of Directors, January 2005.
If the measurement uncertainty is Other improvements include apply­
sufficient (a 4:1 to 10:1 ratio from the ing barcode tags to equipment to
specification to the measurement stan­ speed laboratory check-in processes GRAEME C. PAYNE is the president of GK
dard), there is little incentive to seek and using the laboratory database to Systems Inc., a technical consulting company
out a better measurement standard or print calibration labels to eliminate near Atlanta. A Senior Member of ASQ, Payne
method. No matter how much the lab the problem of dates mismatched has been working in electronic calibration and
product testing since 1981. He is a certified
might want to approach the scientific between the computer record and
quality engineer, calibration technician and
ideal, the customers will probably not handwritten label. quality technician. He is also the chair of the
pay for the extra time or equipment. Measurement Quality Division and a member
Instead, most labs will try to improve Three Interdependent Layers
of NCSL International.
productivity by automating as many The essential measurements, the
measurement systems and laboratory research and development to support
processes as possible. them and the national and interna­ Please
Automation does not always—or tional standards of measurement that
comment
even necessarily—increase speed. It are a foundation of global commerce If you would like to comment on this
does, however, improve repeatability of all exist in the high level, scientific article, please post your remarks on
the procedure and may reduce the view of calibration. Those who use
the Quality Progress Discussion
uncertainty of the method. If the unit calibrated inspection, measurement
under test is controlled by the measure­ Board at www.asq.org, or e-mail
and test equipment to make the mea­
ment system, automation may nearly surements essential to production, them to editor@asq.org.
double productivity by allowing the service and commerce see the end

QUALITY PROGRESS I JULY 2005 I 81

 MEASURE
FOR MEASURE

Calibration: Why It’s Important by Graeme C. Payne

I
n my July 2005 installment in this Joshi says these conformity assess- measuring devices regulated by the
series of articles on calibration, I ment arrangements address the opera- states include electricity meters, gaso-
talked about the trilogy of fast ser- tion of calibration and testing line pumps, supermarket scales,
vice, high quality and low price. laboratories in conformance to parking meters, and rulers and steel
Though some may think calibration lab- ISO/IEC 17025 and the operation of measuring tapes. All these devices
oratories skimp on quality because cus- manufacturing and service organiza- measure products or services you buy
tomers often demand low price and fast tions in conformance to the ISO 9000 because the state wants to ensure you
service, most calibration laboratories get what you pay for.
strive to deliver the best work they can In most industries, using calibrated
while meeting other demands of the It affects everything instruments is important for financial
marketplace. Why? Because the people reasons. Good measurement quality is
doing and managing the work know
from global commerce essential to minimize the costs of pro-
how important it is. Disagreements in a to our personal lives. duction processes. Measurements are
lab are more likely to center around one useful only when they are made at the
question: Yes, it’s good, but why can’t correct time and place, have sufficient
we do it better? It is a culture in which series of standards. Article 6 of the accuracy and precision for the task, and
“close enough” isn’t part of the vocabu- TBT Agreement established the sys- are repeatable and reproducible. If these
lary; we can always do better. tem of international mutual recogni- conditions are met and the data are
Metrology and calibration are impor- tion arrangements among conformity recorded and used appropriately, the
tant to all areas, from global commerce assessment bodies. measurement data can aid management
to our personal lives. There have been On the national and state levels, his- in making important business decisions.
legal requirements for the accuracy and torical records show virtually all Accurate data can help reduce process
standardization of weights and mea- nations regulate weights and mea- variation, scrap, rework and other costs
sures for at least 5,000 years. The cur- sures. For example, one of the promis- of poor quality. However, good quality
rent system of international agreements es acceded to by King John in the measurements can only be achieved if
on weights and measures has existed Magna Carta was the establishment of calibrated instruments are used.
since 1875, when the Metre Convention a single system of weights and mea- Calibration, as part of an overall mea-
treaty was signed by the United States sures throughout England. 5 In the surement management process, reduces
and 16 other nations. There are now United States, establishment of uni- the risks associated with measurements
almost 70 member and associate form national weights and measures (such as form, fit and function), regula-
nations.1 The International System of can be traced back to Article IX of the tory requirements and international
Units, also called the modern metric Articles of Confederation in 1777.6 Ten acceptability. Measurements made with
system, is the legal basis for measure- years later, the same governmental uncalibrated instruments could con-
ments in almost every country and is in authority was added to Article I, sec- ceivably result in various legal liability
common daily use in every major tion 8 of the U.S. Constitution. issues. It is not economically possible to
country except the United States.2 Today, the federal government regu- eliminate the risks, but a good measure-
lates many measurements and has ment management process can quantify
An Impact on Multiple Levels several calibration requirements. the level of risk and make it visible to
At the international level, measure- Federal regulations cover areas such top management. ISO 9001 refers to ISO
ment incompatibility is recognized as a as accuracy requirements for radio sta- 10012 as the relevant guidance for a
serious trade barrier. In the foreword to tion transmitter frequencies, aircraft measurement management system.7, 8
S.K. Kimothi’s book, The Uncertainty of altimeters and automobile speedome-
Measurements, S.K. Joshi discusses the ters, conditions such as ozone and Positive Effects
issue of products manufactured in one other pollutant levels in the air or What, exactly, can a calibrated
country that aren’t accepted for use in water, and occupational health and weighing device do? Here are some
another.3 The World Trade Organization safety. In most cases, any measure- examples:
also addresses it in the Technical ment taken to assess compliance with • A scale can be used to make mass
Barriers to Trade (TBT) Agreement.4 a regulatory requirement must be measurements that are part of
Article 5 of the agreement recognizes the made with a calibrated instrument. an interlaboratory comparison
right of each country to establish appro- In the United States, each of the 50 among several national metrology
priate, fair and equitable standards for states, plus American Samoa, the institutes (NMIs). The results can
protection of its environment, public District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto provide assurance of measure-
safety and health interests without giv- Rico and the Virgin Islands, has an ment comparability at the interna-
ing domestic products an unfair advan- office of weights and measures. These tional level.
tage. It also expects member countries offices regulate weighing and mea- • An NMI can calibrate mass stan-
to minimize barriers by having confor- suring instruments used for com- dards using the same scale for state,
mity assessment arrangements. merce in the state. Some examples of (continued on p. 69)

66 I SEPTEMBER 2005 I www.asq.org

 MEASURE
FOR MEASURE
(continued from p. 66)

corporate and independent com- Top management has to balance the 6. Erik Bruun and Jay Crosby, Our Nation's
Archives, Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers,
mercial calibration standards labs cost of regular calibration of the 1999, pp. 138-142.
that use them as transfer standards. scale against the rework cost or the 7. ANSI/ISO/ASQ Q9001-2000: Quality
• Manufacturers of package weigh- unknown cost of paying too much Management Systems: Requirements, note to clause
7.6, ANSI/ASQ, 2001.
ing instruments can use their own for shipping. 8. ISO 10012:2003: Measurement Management
standards, which are calibrated Calibration can make an impact at Systems—Requirements for Measurement Processes
using the transfer standards, to several levels: international, national, and Measuring Equipment, International
Organization for Standardization, 2003.
check and adjust their products. If state, business and individual.
their standards are not calibrated Therefore, it is important to remember
GRAEME C. PAYNE is the president of G.K.
properly, then the scales produced the dedicated men and women at the
Systems Inc., a technical consulting company
may be inaccurate. heart of the system who strive to pro-
near Atlanta. A Senior Member of ASQ, Payne
• Weight can affect an international vide their customers with the best has been working in electronic calibration and
shipping company that recently possible calibration service in a timely product testing since 1981. He is a certified qual-
purchased a package weighing manner and at a fair price. ity engineer, calibration technician and quality
scale in several ways. First, pack- technician. He is also chair of the Measurement
ages are transported in the compa- REFERENCES AND NOTES Quality Division and a member of NCSL
ny’s aircraft. All airplanes have 1. International Bureau of Weights and International.
Measures, www.bipm.fr/en/convention.
limits on the amount of weight 2. United States Metric Association, www.
they can carry, and the weight has metric.org. Please
to be properly distributed so the 3. S.K. Kimothi, The Uncertainty of comment
Measurements, ASQ Quality Press, 2002.
plane will fly correctly. Weight and 4. World Trade Organization, “Agreement on If you would like to comment on this
balance calculations are a critical Technical Barriers to Trade,” www.wto.org/
english/docs_e/legal_e/legal_e.htm. article, please post your remarks on
part of preflight checks on every 5. National Archives and Records
airplane. Administration, Magna Carta exhibit, www.
the Quality Progress Discussion
Second, all packages are, at some archives.gov/exhibit_hall/featured_documents/ Board at www.asq.org, or e-mail
magna_carta/index.html. See clause 25 in the
point, transported in trucks. Both translation of the Magna Carta as reconfirmed them to editor@asq.org.
the truck and the road have weight by King Edward I in 1297.
limits, and states tax or fine truck
drivers based on the weight they
are carrying.
Third, the shipper charges the
customer by weight. If too little
was paid for shipping, the cus-

SIX SIGMA BLACK BELT TRAINING

tomer has to pay an additional fee.
These and other reasons require the
package shipping company to reg-
ularly calibrate its scales to reduce
Chicago, IL
loss from insufficient revenue or Week One - September 12-16
increased costs. Week Two - October 17-21 NEXT
• A producer of bulk materials can
Week Three - November 14-18 WAVE STARTS
use a scale to fill packages. The
price charged is based on a count, Week Four - December 12-16 JAN. 30, 2006 IN
but rather than count a large num- ORLANDO, FL
ber of small items, the company
uses the average mass and fills
packages by weight. If the scale is SIX SIGMA GREEN BELT TRAINING
not properly calibrated, the com-
pany could either ship fewer or September 19-23
more items than intended. To min- Southfield, MI
imize both types of loss, the com- October 10-14
pany should calibrate its scale. Chicago, IL
• A small business uses a scale to

1-800-374-3818
weigh packages to determine the
shipping cost. If it doesn’t pay

WWW.XLP.COM
enough, the package will be
returned, causing rework. If the
company pays too much, it is sim-
ply wasting money. (I have never
seen a package or letter come back
because I paid too much to send it.)

QUALITY PROGRESS I SEPTEMBER 2005 I 69

October 12, 2005

MEMORANDUM FOR State, Industry, Foreign Government Directors,

Metrologists and other interested parties

From: Val Miller

Weights and Measures Division
Laboratory Metrology Group

Subject: Fall 2005 to 2007 Laboratory Metrology Training

Types of Laboratory Metrology Seminars & Description

A number of laboratory metrology seminars will be offered by the NIST Weights and
Measures Division between 2005 and 2007. A description of each course, cost and travel
guidance are available on our Internet site at http://www.nist.gov/labmetrology. The
current schedule and a sign-up form to be returned by e-mail, mail or facsimile are
attached and are also available on the Internet site. The duration of all courses (unless
otherwise noted) is one week, with the exception of the Basic Mass, Length, and Volume
seminar for States, which is two weeks. The current course offerings are:

• Basic Mass, Length, Volume - for State legal metrologists;

• Basic Mass - for Industry;
• Basic Mass & Weighing – Double Substitution, Workhorse of Mass Metrology -
MSC (two-day course with online registration through MSC) – 2006
• Intermediate Mass, Length, Volume; and
• Advanced Mass (new material is presented each time the course is offered).
• Advanced Hands-On Class (Advanced Mass is a prerequisite!)

Location

All courses will meet at the NIST Gaithersburg, MD Campus unless otherwise indicated.

Sign-up and Confirmation

The sign-up form must be returned by facsimile, e-mail, or mail. Telephone requests will

not be accepted. Once your application is received you, will be notified whether the

class is still available, and a confirmation notice will be sent to you approximately six to

eight weeks before the seminar with detailed information about the schedule, suggested

accommodations, local travel information and location of the seminar.

Other training opportunities:

2006 Measurement Science Conference, Symposium and Workshop

NCSL International 2006 Workshop and Symposium

These events will be of tremendous value to metrologists, providing opportunity to add to

their metrology knowledge base and opportunity to interface with like minded persons.

 Current Schedule of Laboratory Metrology Seminars

2005 Dates* Course/Conference Title

September 19 to 23, 2005 NEMAP, VT ***

October 3 to 7, 2005 SWAP, OK ***

October 17 to 21, 2005 MidMAP, WI ***

October 24 to November 4, 2005 Basic Metrology - States, NIST

November 14 to 18, 2005 Intermediate Metrology, NIST

2006 Dates* Course/Conference Title

January 22 to 25, 2006 NCWM Interim, Jacksonville, FL

February 6 to 10, 2006 Advanced Mass Hands-On, NIST

February 27 to 28, 2006 MSC Mass Short Course, CA

March 1 to 3, 2006 Measurement Science Conference, CA

March 27 to April 7, 2006 Basic Metrology - States, NIST

May 8 to 12, 2006 Basic Mass Industry, NIST

July 9 to 13, 2006 NCWM, Chicago, IL

August 6 to 10, 2006 NCSLI, Nashville, TN

Combined Regional Meeting, Broomfield, CO ***

October 29 to November 3, 2006 Regional break-out meetings to discuss round robins will
begin on Sunday afternoon and finish on Friday morning
with round robin planning and business sessions

December 4 to 8, 2006 Basic Mass Industry, NIST

December 11 to 15, 2006 Intermediate Metrology, NIST

2007 Dates* Course/Conference Title

January TBD MSC Mass Short Course, CA

January TBD Measurement Science Conference

January 21 to 24, 2007 NCWM Interim, Jacksonville, FL

February 5 to 9, 2007 CaMAP, TBD***

February 26 to March 2, 2007 8th Advanced Mass, NIST

March 5 to 9, 2007 Advanced Mass Hands-On, NIST

April 16 to 20, 2007 SEMAP, TBD***

March 19 to 30, 2007 Basic Metrology - States, NIST

April 30 to May 4, 2007 Basic Mass Industry, NIST

May 14 to 18, 2007 WRAP, TBD***

July 8 to 12, 2007 NCWM, Park City, UT

July 29 to Aug 7, 2007 NCSLI, St. Paul, MN

September 17 to 21, 2007 NEMAP, TBD***

October 15 to 19, 2007 SWAP, TBD***

October 22 to 26, 2007 MidMAP, TBD***

October 29 to November 2, 2007 Basic Mass Industry, NIST

November 5 to 9, 2007 Intermediate Metrology, NIST

2008 Dates* Course/Conference Title

January 13 to 16, 2008 NCWM Interim, New Orleans, LA

January TBD MSC Mass Short Course, CA

January TBD Measurement Science Conference, CA

*Courses will be added or canceled based on demand and availability of instructors

**Applications for FULL courses will be accepted and retained on a waiting list for
cancellations.
***Send e-mail to val.miller@nist.gov for meeting contact information.

Last Updated: August 4, 2005

 Weights and Measures Metrology Seminar Application
FAX To: 301-926-0647
NIST, Weights and Measures Division
Attention: Val Miller

Seminar Title: __________________________________________________________

Please indicate desired attendance (select your first and second choices):

1st Date: __________________________________________________________

2nd Date: __________________________________________________________

Name of Participant: __________________________________________________________

Title: __________________________________________________________

Organization: __________________________________________________________

Address: __________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

U.S. Citizen? ____ Yes ___ No If No: Country of Citizenship ____________________

Phone: _____________________________ FAX: ___________________________

E-mail: __________________________________________________________

Submitted by: __________________________________________________________

Address: __________________________________________________________
(If different than above)
__________________________________________________________

Phone: __________________________________________________________

Please attach a brief bio/resume of participant (if not a State metrologist).

Is current laboratory accreditation dependent on this attendance? If so, how?

Any additional questions, special requests or explanations:

 MSC 2006
6

CONFERENCE SPECIAL OFFER

TH E M E
” T H E SC I E N CE , T E CH NOL O GY , A N D C ON T R OL OF ME AS UR E ME N T S ”

NEW DATES FOR 2006

FEBRUARY 27 – MARCH 3, 2006
DII SNEYLAND HOTEL, ANAHEIM, CA

Help Us Craft Next Year’s Technical Program – Visit the MSC 2006 Booth
TECHNICAL PROGRAM
Preliminary Program Tracks:
DoD METCAL Base Realignment and Closure
What Will Change in DoD? Automation of Measurement
RF & Microwave Lab Management
State of Support for Professional Associations
State of Education in our Profession and all the Associated Issues and Challenges
Math Behind the Measurements – Calculating Uncertainties, Intervals, MAPs, correlation, etc.
Accreditation: Everything You Should Know About Lab Accreditation Process
Tutorials Workshops or Seminars

Develop a Session or Paper

Panel Discussion

Suggestions Welcome

Please
put in the suggestion box

at the MSC 2006 Booth

MSC TWO-DAY CONFERENCE

Regular conference attendees who sign up for the two-day MSC
registration before COB February 28, 2005 will receive $50 Disney
Dollars, given to you when you arrive at next years’ MSC. You can
spend these Disney Dollars here on your hotel, Disney restaurants,
or in the gift shops.

Exhibitors, sign up before COB

February 28, 2005 and receive
discount on the exhibit booth.

Please Visit the MSC Website www.msc-conf.com for the latest updates.