Continuing Monday’s e-learning workshops track, Master Class D, “Creating, Sustaining or Re-energizing a Blended E-learning Program,” focused on the various trends and new iterations of the “blended learning” model of internet-based and classroom training programs. John Best, vice president and managing director of The Quality Group, led an interactive discussion with attendees about how to…
To kick off the 3rd annual iSixSigma Live! Summit & Awards, our annual chance to gather as a community and share continuous improvement tips face to face, it felt a bit strange to spend much of the first day discussing ways to train future Belts by way of the internet. But after the three-hour Master…
PowerSteering Software, the leading provider of business-driven project & portfolio management (PPM) solutions for managing Lean Six Sigma and other strategic programs, will sponsor a new webcast on Tuesday, February 15, at 11:30 a.m. (EST).
Process improvement deployment expert and healthcare industry veteran Angel R. Garcia, of Edwards Life Sciences, will deliver a keynote address at the iSixSigma Live! Summit & Awards. The event takes place next week, Feb. 7-10, in Miami, Florida.
Hamdan Bin Mohammed e-University, based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, has created a new quality management award program aimed to promote creativity and innovation in the Arab world.
The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) is embarking on an initiative to overhaul and streamline its business operations systems with process improvement methods, such as Lean Six Sigma, according to a recent presentation at the Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association’s (AFCEA) West 2011 conference in San Diego.
Remcon Plastics Inc. has hired Master Black Belt and Lean sensei Benjamin F. Wittich to run the rotational molding firm’s continuous improvement program.
The Green Grid, a global consortium that promotes energy efficiency in business computing systems, has named Six Sigma Black Belt Mark Monroe as its new executive director.
Soon after announcing its $3.5 billion takeover of St. Louis-based box maker Smurfit-Stone Container Corp., paperboard company Rock-Tenn said it plans to expand its Lean Six Sigma program to the new acquisition.
RS Precision, a manufacturer of a wide rnge of machine-tooled parts, has hired Allan Brill, a certified Lean expert and Six Sigma Black Belt, to the newly created position of continuous improvement manager.
Based in Bardon, Leicestershire, U.K., Benson Group is one of the country’s largest carton suppliers, producing packaging for both the food and pharmaceutical industries at its 130,000-square-foot facility. The Bardon plant produces sheets of printed cardboard that is then cut and glued for use in the food industry as containers. With the adoption of Lean…
Circuit board maker EE Technologies (EET) is planning to add a fifth production line at its Emplame, Sonora, Mexico, facility and adopt Lean techniques to help meet rising demand for its products.
Onity, a provider of electronic locking systems, has announced that it has appointed W. Laird Hamberlin to the position of president. Laird, who is a certifed Six Sigma Black Belt, will be based in Onity’s global headquarters in Duluth, Ga., USA.
Hilco Appraisal Services, based in Northbrook, Ill., USA, has hired Master Black Belt James D. Glickman as the company’s chief marketing officer.
MoreSteam.com, the leading global provider of online Lean Six Sigma (LSS) training and Blended Learning support technologies, has expanded its international offerings with the release of three new foreign-language versions of its 80-hour Lean Six Sigma Green Belt.
LaBarge Inc., a St. Louis-based manufacturer of electronic componenets, has named Black Belt Charles Metheny as the new operational excellence site leader for the company’s Berryville, Ark., USA, operation.
When the core of your business is about running more than 1,000 upscale hotels around the world, you learn a thing or two about meeting the needs of demanding customers. In 2001, Starwood Hotels and Resorts – owner of such famous hotel brands as Sheraton, Westin, W and Le Meridien – embarked on a Six…
Consumer electronics firm H.C. Starck Inc. will receive the “Evolution of Manufacturing” Award, an honor bestowed upon manufacturing companies located in Northern Ohio, USA, that have adapted their business plan to better compete in a global economy.
The city of Springfield, Mass., USA, has hired Marta Nichols, a Six Sigma Black Belt, to run its governement performance management program, known as CitiStat.
Health Enhancement Products Inc., a manufacturer of health and wellness products in Scottsdale, Ariz., USA, has hired Troy Davis to fill the newly created position of operations manager.
The Peninsula Regional Medical Center (PRMC), a hospital based in Salisbury, Md., USA, has promoted Six Sigma Black Belt Steve Leonard to the position of vice president of operations, optimization and innovation.
Crane Merchandising Systems, one of the world’s largest suppliers of vending machines and vending payment systems, has employed Lean techniques to consolidate two of its manufacturing operations into a single facility in Williston, S.C., USA.
IC-TAG Solutions, a manufacturer of radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags, has begun the first phase of its Lean program, which includes a program to reuse and recycle materials and save energy during the manufacturing process.
Utlility vehicle and crane manufacturer Dueco Inc. has appointed Michael Johnson as its new materials manager. With more than 17 years of experience in the materials and operations field, Johnson has had extensive training in the Lean and Six Sigma methodologies.
In December 2010, the company announced that it would be ramping up production of its popular 777-series wide-body jet from 5 airplanes a month to 7 per month in 2011, and again to an average of 8.3 a month in 2013. Earlier in the year, Boeing also said it would be boosting production of its…
Laird Technologies Inc., a St. Louis, Mo., USA-based supplier of antennas for mobile devices, has won the 2010 Great Wall Award for Lean Manufacturing Excellence in China. Laird’s manufacturing facility in Beijing, China, was recognized by the China-based Great Wall Award (GWA) Committee for having the best implementation of Lean manufacturing throughout China.
As the calendar flips to 2011, several technology experts and software providers have made predictions about how Lean Six Sigma and other process improvement methodologies will shape IT departments in the coming year. Collected here are four of their forecasts for the next 12 months.
The Northeast Georgia Medical Center (NGMC) has promoted Six Sigma Black Belt Zachary Reed to the position of director of neurosciences.
Standard Bank Group – one of the largest financial institutions in South Africa, with more than 1.33 trillion rand (R) (US$200 billion) – recently released a case study about how it deployed Lean Six Sigma methods to reduce waste and errors, and also created a balanced scorecard system to track its progress. As a result…
The Three Rivers Manufacturing Facility, owned by Detroit-based American Axle & Manufacturing Holdings, Inc. (AAM), has been recognized as one of the 10 best plants in North America by IndustryWeek magazine for 2010.
Most practitioners – even those with successful Six Sigma deployments – need to stand back periodically and reassess their continuous process improvement (CPI) efforts. Does information flow freely among team members? Are conflicts being resolved effectively? Does each team member feel valued? This need for Lean Six Sigma teams to refuel, refresh and recharge is…
In a recent biannual survey about software development project delivery, most developers who were contacted said they preferred to use the Agile model. However, the results showed that projects using measurement-based models, such as Six Sigma, ITIL or waterfall, were least likely to be discontinued.
Plastics firm A. Schulman Inc. has hired Greg Agnew as its new director of continuous improvement for the Americas. Agnew, a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt, will start at Schulman on Jan. 1, 2011, focusing on Lean manufacturing operations, and stronger sales and operating planning processes.
Financial services firm XL Group has appointed Six Sigma Black Belt Fielding L. Norton III as senior vice president, deputy chief enterprise risk officer.
For the second year in a row, financial services firm Mashreq, based in the United Arab Emirates, took home at least one award at the Continual Improvement Symposium Competition 2010, organized by the Dubai Quality Group.
Winners in the Most Successful Lean Six Sigma Programs and Largest-Breakthrough Improvement and Innovation Projects to Be Revealed in Miami, Feb. 9, 2011.
British electronics manufacturer the Seaward Group, based in Peterlee, U.K., has taken the top prize for the Northeast region at this year’s Innovative Working Practices Award, organized by the EEF Manufacturers’ Organization.
A grant from the Tennessee Department of Labor (TDL) will soon help 132 employees at Moeller Marine Inc., of Sparta, Tenn., USA, learn Lean skills to improve the plant’s efficiency.
The Town Board of Amherst, N.Y., USA, recently approved the spending of $24,000 to begin training for a Lean Six Sigma program similar to what the Erie County, N.Y., government adopted in 2008. The Amherst Chamber of Commerce says it will pick up half the tab to jump-start the town program.
Glass products maker Viracon Inc. recently announced that three of its employees – Bethany Stringer, Matt Jukkala and Mike Smith – have earned Six Sigma Black Belt certification and will support continuous improvement efforts for both manufacturing and transactional processes at the Owatonna, Minn., USA, company.
iSixSigma, the leading provider of content for the Lean Six Sigma community, is searching for engaging speakers for its third annual Energy Forum for Process Excellence, May 16-19 in Houston, USA.
Business software firm SuccessFactors announced the appointment of Black Belt Jeffrey Diana as chief people officer, effective Dec. 6, 2010.
To help celebrate the 10th anniversary of the TRIZ Future Conference, hosted by the European TRIZ Association (ETRIA), Nov. 3-5, 2010, we present the following excerpts from Domb’s extensive coverage. DAY 1 Function-oriented search is a problem-solving tool based on global knowledge search, using functions as the key search items. In his presentation, speaker Simon…
A recent survey of more than 5,300 quality professionals, mostly from the United States and Canada, found that average salaries in the quality industry grew in 2010, especially among those experienced respondents with official certifications.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Randy Woods