Month: November 2010

Inclusion of Microsoft Excel-based Software Speeds Tool Proficiency

Recently, a well-established, rapidly expanding beer company invested heavily in a modern, state-of–the-art brewing facility. The new facility dramatically improved quality and productivity, and also reduced costs through the application of new technology. As a next step, the beer company began exploring methods of achieving a further quantum jump in performance. Recognizing that technology and […]

In its first year of operations, aluminum producer Emirates Aluminium Co. (EMAL) has won accolades in two categories at the Dubai Quality Group’s (DQG) World Quality Day celebrations in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

DEK has appointed Black Belt Smith Hou to the position of business unit manager, where he will be responsible for enhancing operations efficiency at the screen printing equipment manufacturer.

Demand for tech-savvy financial executives trained in the Six Sigma methodology is rising as investment management firms look for new ways to cut costs and streamline their processes, according to a new figures released by executive search firm Russell Reynolds Associates Inc.

Is human nature undermining your Six Sigma project? It is quite possible. For instance, research shows that people make decisions up to seven seconds before they are even aware they have made them. Once they make a decision, humans are prone to confirmation bias, which leads them to seek out information that backs up that […]

Posting public notices for seized property online, rather than in newspapers…Ending express delivery of empty U.S. Departmet of Agriculture food inspection containers…Requiring mine operators to use online forms for quarterly data, rather than mailing paper forms. These cost-saving ideas – and more than 18,000 others – were submitted by government employees as part of the […]

Six Sigma promises a path for a firm’s long-term success. However, a company cannot really have this Six Sigma journey without the road running through the marketing department. It is through the deployment into marketing that Six Sigma evolves into a strategic process. The synergy between “good marketing” and “good Six Sigma” creates a holistic […]

A government-sponsored Lean Six Sigma training grant for a Canadian forest products association is expected to have a major impact on the struggling forestry sector in the maritime province of New Brunswick, Canada.

Z score is a measure of the distance in standard deviations of a sample from the mean. It is calculated as (X – X bar) / sigma. The table of z distribution is shown below. Table of the Standard Normal (z) Distribution z 0.00 0.01 0.02 0.03 0.04 0.05 0.06 0.07 0.08 0.09 0.0 0.0000 […]

Join Paul Docherty, CEO of i-nexus, as he shares how leading organizations are systematically integrating Balanced Scorecards and Lean Six Sigma.

Lean Six Sigma projects involving software development are an increasingly popular option for IT departments that are seeking to improve their efficiency. However, a number of research studies demonstrate that the average percentage of software projects that achieve all project objectives is significantly less than might be expected. For instance, a Standish Group survey conducted […]

The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) and other large federal agencies say they have implemented Lean Six Sigma to significantly reduce the time it takes to hire new employees.

Director of Quality Outcomes Nidia Williams explains how the deployment in this three-hospital organization has evolved in the past two years.

Spanish software engineering firm Ibermática is leading a European project called COSMOS, which aims to apply Lean techniques to the aeronautics and wind-power industries, and boost manufacturing productivity by 20 percent.

Cavalier Tool & Manufacturing Ltd., based in Windsor, Ontario, Canada, had the most profitable year in its 35-year history in 2009, thanks largely to the incorporation of Lean Six Sigma into its industrial mold-making process, said company president Brian Bendig, in a recent interview with Manufacturing Digital magazine.

Phase II Medical Manufacturing Inc., a single-use medical device maker based in Rochester, N.H., USA, was recently recognized as the “2010 Up and Coming Business of the Year” at the annual meeting of the New Hampshire Bio/Medical Council. In the last two years, Lean processes have helped the company reduce waste and energy while expanding […]

The second part in this series on culture change focuses on the importance of developing and maintaining a clear mission for your Lean enterprise.

A quality leader at a financial institution is deploying an Operational Excellence program across his organization that already has a project management office (PMO) in place. Recently he asked iSixSigma’s Discussion Forum about the pros and cons of using a PMO to manage project selection. Readers responded with very pro-PMO advice about how these structures […]

Hovercraft manufacturer Griffon Hoverwork recently struck a deal to move from its main facility in Hythe, U.K., to a former Vestas wind turbine factory at Merlin Quay, near Southampton, which it plans to renovate using Lean techniques.

Successful practitioners must do more than simply master the Six Sigma methodology. They also need to keep an eye on people-related aspects throughout the lifespan of all of their projects. To do that, practitioners may want to consider some ancient (and not-so-ancient) lessons: King Solomon’s use of wisdom at the right time, The art of […]

iSixSigma, the leading provider of content for the Lean Six Sigma community, is searching for engaging speakers to help shape the inaugural Retail Forum for Process Excellence, March 28-31 in Minneapolis, Minn., USA.

NWP Services Corp., a provider of real-estate financial transaction processing services, has announced that Rick Castro has joined the company as managing director of its ISO and Lean Six Sigma programs, reporting to Vaughn Chase, vice president of operations.