Uncertainty. It’s almost become a buzzword lately. A watchword if you will. In fact, if you made a word cloud of the emotional and psychological state of the world at the moment, the word would appear big and bold and smack-dab in the middle. 

Confidence among individuals, groups, states, and nations has always been dependent on the political strife and economic upheavals of the day, and it could be argued that none more so than businesses and the manufacturing sector. After all, nothing can disrupt the supply chain quite like political conflict. We don’t have to think back that far to find examples. Take the havoc rained down when Houthi rebels in Yemen began attacking ships on one of the world’s heaviest trade routes. 

And it is not just conflict. As nations and international organizations attempted to get their hands around the outbreak, the Covid pandemic caused the largest disruption of the supply chain, perhaps ever. 

Economically, for many months, everyone has been wondering about the ultimate effect of tariffs, and, as I write this, CBS and other media outlets are reporting that the U.S. economy lost 12,000 manufacturing jobs in August. And we are frequently reminded that Covid is still out there.  

And not to pile on, but more traditional natural disasters, such as hurricanes and floods, are still lurking. In fact, to further tie them to manufacturing, their prevalence, and the topic of climate change, is a significant part of the discussion of the update of the ISO 9001 standard currently taking place. 

I’m sure if given some more time to think about it, I could come up with some more things we, as a world community, can, are, and should be concerned over and could provide for even more uncertainty. Oh! How about artificial intelligence? I’d be interested in your thoughts (and you can reach me at selandd@bnpmedia.com). 

I’m sure all of it makes you wish there were a magic wand. Something at your fingertips that could help you address and solve those challenges and concerns we all face on a daily basis. Something you could easily reference… 

Oh, wait! You’re reading its introductory column right now! 

Every month Quality provides you with the latest the quality industry has to offer you and your operation. And this month is no exception. For instance, “Uncertainty vs. Reality: Standards in Optical Inspection” from Linda Goodwin-Marino and “From Hype to High Impact: The Practical Role of AI in Quality Management” by Gerben de Haan. 

Enjoy and thanks for reading!