There is an excellent program out there that we would like to tell you about. On the west coast it is known as the Western Trade Adjustment Assistance Center (WTAAC), or Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) for firms elsewhere. You may have heard about FREE money to help offset expenses for a variety of company improvement such as the implementation of a quality system or other technical services through independent industry consultants in areas such as marketing, management, and engineering. This is an outstanding program designed specifically for firms who have a decrease in sales, downsized in the past 12 months, and have been impacted by foreign competition. WQN has worked with organizations who have been approved by WTAAC and highly recommends this program as a means to offset costs associated in improving your operation.

Manufactures and agricultural companies losing business to foreign competition can access a valuable resource for assistance. The University of Southern California operates the Western Trade Assistance Center though the U.S. Department of Commerce and the U.S. Economic Development Administration. For qualifying companies, the Center can provide money to help underwrite key consulting projects to improve a company's competitive position.

Over the past five years the program has assisted 47 companies implement over $2 million in consulting projects of which the federal funds covered 52% of the cost. Video Products Group, Inc. (VPG) provides an example of how this program can be a valuable resource. The high technology video transport equipment developed and manufactured by Video Products Group of Oxnard, California enables telecommunication providers to bring sports, news, and special events from around the world into your home, in real time. In 1996 Helen and Eugene Keane, VPG's founders, turned to their local Economic Development Collaborative for advice. Their advisor suggested the Trade Adjustment Assistance for Firms Program (TAA for Firms) as the best way for them to make critical enhancements to their operation to become more competitive.

Western TAAC and the firm's management developed a strategy focusing on positioning the company as a premier provider of high technology video transport equipment for the professional video transport market. The priorities for VPG were clear. The Company needed specialized product design engineering assistance to quickly bring new products to market. During the first year of assistance, Western TAAC assisted in 3 design engineering projects for new products with specific customer applications. Just how effective was this initiative as a method to improve their competitiveness? Within 12 months the 1st of these products contributed to over $1 million in sales. Helen Keane is proud to say that, "our sales increased over $10 million dollars in two years and we were able to augment our workforce from 25 to 60 employees."

To learn more about this unique program, visit http://wesrac.usc.e du/wtaac/. Contact Dan Jimenez at (805) 481- 8911 or dwjimenez@charter.net to determine if your company can qualify for this valuable assistance. Or, to find your local TAA center please use the following link:

Here is another good way to start the year with an excerpt from one of our mini tools. Have you ever considered using a FOCUS GROUP at your organization? If you aren't sure how they work the following should be very useful.

Tools description: The focus group method is a relatively flexible process to collect the insights, opinions, ideas, and recommendations of targeted participants. Information collected in a focus group session can be clarified, explored, and expanded on immediately. Data can be preliminary or follow-up to support or confirm an intervention. The use of focus groups should be considered when it is important to involve groups that will be affected by an organizational change, when there is a clear need for subject matter expertise, or when proposed activities need to be "run by" representatives of the user organization.

Typical application: · To gain insights into general problem areas or customer satisfaction concerns. · To verify a users' group's perception of product or service quality. · To collect technical data from experts in the field. · To obtain in-depth, qualitative feedback on proposed organizational change. Tool classification: Data Collecting (DC)

Tool linkage example: Before: Data Collection Strategy (57), After: Surveying (192)

Typically used by/for: Customer/quality metrics Manufacturing Creativity/innovation Change management

Team problem-solving phase: Select and define problem or opportunity Identify and analyze causes or potential change Develop and plan possible solutions or change Implement and evaluate solution or change Measure and report solution or change Recognize and reward team efforts Notes and key points: · A focus group should consist of 8-12 participants. · Participants are selected on the basis of their insight and potential contribution to achieve the session's objectives.

If you haven't already done so you may want to watch to watch our little FLASH movie. In just 3 minutes you will get a very good idea of WQN's capabilities. This is FLASH presentation so feel free to forward this to a colleague as the file isn't very large. (If you need to download FLASH on to your computer we have an easy link on our homepage.)

We are very proud of our little movie and hope you enjoy it! It's actually pretty cool...

This month we are proud to introduce Microsonic who has been producing earmolds for the hearing aid industry for over 50 years. They have also created a new line of products for the music industry with customized ear monitors. Over the past half-century, hearing aid manufacturers have utilized many new technologies to bring an enhanced quality of sound to hearing instrument wearers. Broader-band transducers and sophisticated circuitry, all in ultra-miniature packaging with greater durability, have resulted in better hearing instruments.

Microsonic has kept pace with the technological growth of the industry through the years, and has introduced numerous new materials, styles and acoustic options which allow for maximum utilization of the manufacturers' innovations. An important result of this work is that is now easier for the dispenser to offer improved technologies to clients.

Microsonic has found that the best result in quality hearing aid fittings are achieved when the laboratory and fitter work together as a team. That relationship between lab and fitter is characterized by respect, trust and mutual suggestions for the benefit of the client. Microsonic adds additional aspect to that relationship with a willingness to innovate, and by taking the responsibility of disseminating new earmold technology information as it is developed and reported.

The production of an earmold involves a myriad of variables in a number of different areas. These begin with the anatomy of the external ear, and include the impression taking skills of the fitter, the fitter's critique of his or her own impressions, potential changes in the impression during shipment, careful selection of the lab's options, and the accuracy and precision of the laboratory technicians in the final processing.

This is a new column the WQN staff will formally launch next month. We would like to offer to help out with any questions or information that you have, or share your experience, questions, or thoughts with us and we'll share ours back with you. Although some issues may be quite subjective, we will happily share our opinion with you. We will protect your privacy by not publishing your organization or name without your permission. We are looking for input from all of you. Clients and Potentials, Registrars, Consultants, Auditors, Partners, even our competitors!

Possible suggestions: Not feeling comfortable with some of your audit findings and think the auditor/registrar was wrong? What's up with that? What's Up with ISO 9000 and do we even need it? Even better, why bother spending money on it? What's Up with our suppliers and how come they aren't delivering on time? Who is the best person to manage our quality system and why? How do we find the glue that binds us all together? What's Up in becoming a "GREEN" or environmentally sustainable organization?

Please submit anything you have to news@wqntoday.com Subject - What's Up?

We welcome the following people that are new to our team but not new to the type of services we offer. In fact, our services continue to expand along with the dots on the map.

John Thompson - Oceanside, CA *** Alice Jacobi - Cedar Rapids, IA *** Vikas Dhanker - Denver, CO *** Nacaro Williams - Jacksonville, FL

We send all of you the warmest WQN welcome. Our clients deserve the best and we thank you for offering to share your talent and expertise with them! We couldn't grow without you.

WQN, Inc. provides professional quality consulting to internationally recognized quality standards and applications including; ISO 9001:2000, AS9100/9110/9120, ISO 13485, ISO 14001, ISO 17025, TS16949, SIX SIGMA, 5S, LEAN Manufacturing, Reorganization and more. Our services range from consulting, gap analysis, on going maintenance, internal auditing, full system development, customer/regulatory requirement integration workshops (on or off site). We are also the only training organization to offer the "Baustein Koncept" (building block) series of workshops. Build and customize your own training program from these building blocks or different workshops that cover - Process/Quality Improvement, Tools for Teaming, Training and Organizational Development, LEAN Manufacturing, JIT/CTM Practice, Cycle Time Management, Process Mapping, Customer Satisfaction, Surveys, Employee Motivation, and many more. Log on to: WQN's Baustein Workshops Now offering ANAB Certified Lead/Internal Auditor Training in our Camarillo facility. Call us today for a FREE analysis or at least to answer any questions you may have and offer some realistic option. You can do it on our dime... 877-WQN- TODAY (877-976-8632)