|
In This Issue:
Study Scopes Service Sector Tech Trends, Needs
[Credits] [NIST Update Archives] [Media Contacts] [Subscription Information]
Technology Economics
Study Scopes Service Sector Tech Trends, Needs
Service sector spending on information technology has paid off handsomely, yielding an estimated return of nearly 200 percent. Yet, the complexity of computer networks, fear of being stranded with an obsolete system, and other issues breed indecision that sectorwide causes substantial underinvestment in new technology.
These and other findings are reported in a new NIST-sponsored study of the sources and uses of advanced technology in the service sector--by far the largest and fastest growing segment of the U.S. economy. Commissioned by NIST to help guide its strategic planning, the study reviews a range of economic data and contains case studies of technology trends in the retail banking, home entertainment and health care industries.
For the sector as a whole, information technology accounts for more than 80 percent of technology spending, mostly for integration and tasks focused on implementing new hardware and software. Spending on research and development has increased in recent years--especially in the computer and communications services industries but the sector primarily imports its advanced technology from other industries.
The study, performed by TASC, Inc., identified 19 technology needs and issues common to two or all three industries that were studied in-depth. These include support for electronic commerce applications, cryptographic standards, network scaling, data compression, wireless communication, distributed databases and multimedia quality of service tools.
"One conclusion stands out," says NIST senior economist Gregory Tassey, "whatever the structure and content of service-sector technology, it has a systems character. This creates substantial technical infrastructure needs."
To request a single copy of "The Economics of a Technology-Based Service Sector" (NIST Planning Report 98-2), contact Denise Herbert at (301) 975-2657.
Media Contact:
Mark Bello (301) 975-3776
Quality
Health Care, Education Excellence Guides Now Available
Criteria designed to help health care and education organizations improve their services and overall performance are available now from NIST. The criteria are based on the performance excellence criteria for the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, managed by NIST in conjunction with the private sector.
Currently, the Baldrige Award is open only to for-profit businesses. President Clinton's fiscal year 1999 budget proposal includes $2.3 million for new award categories for non-profit education and health care organizations. These organizations will be able to apply next year for the award if this funding is approved. In May 1997, the private Foundation for the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award announced a $15 million fund endowment drive to help establish an award program for these two sectors, provided federal funding also is available.
NIST developed the current performance excellence criteria for health care and education organizations with funding from the U.S. Departments of Veteran Affairs and Education.
Single copies of the health care and education criteria are available free of charge by calling (301) 975-2036 or faxing a request to (301) 948-3716. The criteria also will soon be available on the National Quality Program website at http://www.quality.nist.gov.
Media Contact:
Jan Kosko (301) 975-2767
Physics
NIST Short Course Yields Better Temperature Measures
Industrial managers and engineers know that the accuracy of temperature measurements has a big impact on the quality of products and the efficiency of processes. In order to help industry improve temperature measurement accuracy, NIST is offering a new short course, Temperature Measurement by Radiation Thermometry, from June 1-5, 1998. Sponsored by NIST's Optical Technology Division, the course can accommodate 16 students and will be taught annually.
Course lectures will cover the fundamentals of radiometry, a non-contact method for surface temperature measurement used widely in industrial applications and materials research. Laboratory experiments with a student-to-teacher ratio of four to one will provide ample opportunity to try out the skills learned. The fee for the course is $1,230.
For registration information, contact Lori Phillips, B116 Administration Bldg., NIST, Gaithersburg, Md. 20899-0001, (301) 975-3881, fax: (301) 948-2067, lori.phillips@nist.gov. For technical information, contact Carol Johnson, B208 Physics Bldg., NIST, Gaithersburg, Md. 20899-0001, (301) 975-2322, fax: (301) 869-5700.
Media Contact:
Linda Joy (301) 975-4403
Optoelectronics
SRM Available for Optical Fiber Metrology
Optical fiber communication systems are becoming more complex as operators try to push ever more information down the same fibers. In particular, wavelength references are needed in the 1,500 nanometer region to support current and future wavelength division multiplexed (WDM) optical fiber communication systems. In a WDM system, many wavelength channels are sent down the same fiber, thereby increasing the bandwidth of the system by the number of channels. If one channel's wavelength were to shift, cross-talk could occur between it and a neighboring channel. Wavelength references are needed to calibrate optical instruments used to evaluate system components and measure the channels' wavelengths.
NIST's solution is to produce Standard Reference Materials with optical fiber coupled cells containing gases which have accurately measured absorption lines in the 1,500 nanometer region. NIST ruled out establishing a calibration service because the instruments needed are large, fragile and could be offset during shipment. The first SRM, number 2517, is based on the fundamental absorption of light by acetylene; another SRM based on hydrogen cyanide is being developed.
To obtain more information on SRM 2517, contact Sarah Gilbert, MS 815.03, NIST, Boulder, Colo. 80303-3328, (303) 497-3120. To order the acetylene absorption line standard, contact the SRM Program, Bldg. 202, Rm. 204, NIST, Gaithersburg, Md. 20899-0001, (301) 975-6776, fax: (301) 948-3730, srminfo@nist.gov.
Media Contact:
Fred McGehan (Boulder) (303) 497-3246
Materials
EMAT Applied to Magnetostriction of Metals
NIST's Materials Reliability Division in Boulder, Colo., has pioneered the use of electromagnetic acoustic transducers (EMATs) to inspect metal sheets on the production line. EMATs provide a means for generating and detecting ultrasound in metals without touching the sheets. The technique has been used to measure key features of magnetostriction, the change in length of a ferromagnetic material that accompanies a change in magnetization. Further development may allow EMAT measures of magnetostriction in situations where it is not practical to attach strain gages, such as with fragile thin films or hot plates. It also may be used to monitor microstructural changes in steel.
In one study, NIST researchers were able to detect the coarsening of copper precipitates in A710 steel. Therefore, it may be possible to use EMATs online as a non-destructive test for determining when the toughness of this steel is optimal. A future study will try to determine whether this technique can be used to sense the formation of fine copper precipitates that can reduce the ductility of reactor pressure vessel steels.
Three technical papers (combined in a set as no. 3-98) that discuss the EMAT technique and magnetostriction are available from Sarabeth Harris, MC 104, NIST, Boulder, Colo. 80303-3328, (303) 497-3237.
Media Contact:
Fred McGehan (Boulder) (303) 497-3246
Laboratory Research
Report Details Past Year's EEEL Achievements
The now-available annual report of NIST's Electronics and Electrical Engineering Laboratory details NIST's basic and applied research collaborations with the U.S. electronics and electrical engineering sectors, as well as cooperative efforts with professional colleagues.
Sections are devoted to work in semiconductors, magnetics, superconductors, low frequency, microwaves, lightwaves, video, power, electromagnetic compatibility, electronic data exchange and national electrical standards. Among the projects described is EEEL's new system for measuring X-ray energy that greatly extends the sensitivity and resolution of X-ray microanalytic techniques. It can analyze the tiny defect particles generated in the manufacture of semiconductors--a task that grows more difficult with each reduction of chip size. Broader application of this EEEL advance may include mass spectroscopy detectors for massive biomolecules that could potentially greatly improve high-speed DNA sequencing and ultra-high resolution detectors for astronomers.
Copies of the report, "EEEL 1997 Technical Accomplishments: Advancing Metrology for Electrotechnology to Support the U.S. Economy," are available from EEEL, B358 Metrology Bldg., NIST, Gaithersburg, Md. 20899-0001, (301) 975-2220, fax: (301) 975-4091. The EEEL section of the NIST World Wide Web site (http://www.eeel.nist.gov) has summaries of current laboratory projects.
Media Contact:
John Blair (301) 975-4261
Video
Four-Program Set Honors Baldrige 10th Anniversary
In celebration of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award's first decade, NIST has released a new four-video set showcasing the Baldrige National Quality Program. The first two videos are different-length versions of "Quest for Excellence X." The information version (running time: 22 minutes) and the conference version (running time: 9 minutes) both spotlight the successful quality strategies of the 1997 Baldrige Award winners: 3M Dental Products Division, Solectron Inc., Merrill Lynch Credit Corp. and Xerox Business Services.
A third video, "A Uniquely Rewarding Experience" (running time: 8 minutes), profiles the backbone of the Baldrige program, the 350 volunteer quality examiners who evaluate each year's award applications. The program details how business and quality experts can become examiners in a future award process.
Finally, the fourth video, "The Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award: A Decade of Business Excellence for America" (running time: 9 minutes), traces the history of the Baldrige Award and explores the tremendous impact it has had on U.S. businesses in just 10 years.
The video set is available from the American Society for Quality, (800) 952-6587, for $24 (including postage and handling). Ask for item no. T-1042.
Media Contact:
Jan Kosko (301) 975-2767
MEP Benefits
MANEX Helps Keep Futon Maker from Losing Sleep
The Futon Shop, a San Francisco bedroom furniture manufacturer, was experiencing difficulties in meeting production demands cost-effectively and on time. Needing help, the company's management turned to Northern California's Corporation for Manufacturing Excellence (MANEX), an affiliate of the Manufacturing Extension Partnership nationwide network to aid smaller manufacturers.
MANEX designed a customized training program that used the manufacturer's own employees to resolve production issues. Line personnel identified waste and developed a new inventory and assembly system.
The benefits? The Futon Shop increased its overall production by 30 percent, eliminated more than $100,000 in waste annually, and saved an immediate $20,000 per month in payroll costs. MANEX arranged for the entire training program to be funded by the State of California Employment Training Panel and handled all of the paperwork. This allowed The Futon Shop to concentrate on making the employee training program and the resulting production improvements pay off.
For more about MANEX, call (510) 249-1480 or send e-mail to info@manex.org. For more about MEP, call (800) MEP-4MFG (637-4634) or go to http://www.mep.nist.gov on the Web.
Media Contact:
Jan Kosko (301) 975-2767
U.S.
Department of Commerce
Technology Administration
National Institute of Standards and Technology
Editor: Michael Newman
HTML conversion: Crissy Wines
Last Updated: March 2, 1998
