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Hospitals in the Tampa Bay, Fla., USA, area tripled profits in 2009, largely by cutting expenses. That puts the local hospitals among a growing number of businesses nationally that are focused on controlling expenses to boost income, as the recession cut into revenue growth.

GE-certified Black Belt and Master Black Belt Eric Luftig has joined pipe joining firm Victaulic as director of marketing and communications. In this position, Luftig will lead Victaulic’s global marketing efforts, overseeing marketing research, product marketing and marketing communications.

The internet has brought us so much more information. Statistics are often used to support our opinions or views, and they show up in all types of media, including the internet. But are we more informed and educated on issues as common and important as health care? Let’s take a look at some numbers that […]

Healthcare is on everyone’s mind nowadays, from individuals to the government. Employers often try to lower healthcare expenses by sponsoring wellness programs. How effective are these programs? Not much, according to a report by the National Institute for Health Care Reform: While employer wellness programs have spread rapidly in recent years, few employers implement programs […]

It is a common scenario: A practitioner has sales data for the past several months and wants to forecast next month’s sales volume. This type of forecasting can help manufacturers and distributors ensure they have enough product to meet customer demands. But how is this forecasting done? Statistical analysis software offers two ways to plot […]

When the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX) was ratified in 2002, requiring strict financial reporting standards for publicly owned companies, the law was regarded by many in the business community as an administrative burden. In the eight years since SOX has been in place, however, the reporting rules have helped some companies drive continuous improvement efforts, according […]

The University of Oklahoma Lean Institute will officially launch its new Lean and Green training program for Oklahoma businesses in Fall 2010. Lean and Green teaches organizations how to identify and eliminate environmental waste from their own operations through three intensive days of training spread over 10 to 12 weeks.

Singapore’s Minister of Manpower Gan Kim Yong said that the Government will increase its investment in continuing education and training (CET) to about $2.5 billion over the next five years to help more workers across industries.

Daniel Goleman, author of Emotional Intelligence wrote, “The range of what we think and do is limited by what we fail to notice. And because we fail to notice that we fail to notice there is little we can do to change until we notice how failing to notice shapes our thoughts and deeds.” After […]

Craig Shular has been the chief executive officer of Parma-based GrafTech International since 2003 and has built a team credited with taking the company from the brink of bankruptcy to profitability and growth.

Undertaking NVQ business improvement training has helped staff at St. Ives (Cambridgeshire, U.K.) based contract electronics manufacturing services provider Prism Electronics Limited become better problem solvers.

Whether you wear stripes, bars, or stars on your shirt, the environment needed for open communication begins with you. Unfortunately, it is easy to become over-directive in our management styles when burdened with deadlines and our other “important” issues. With so much going on, who has time for idle chat, right? Well, it should be […]

Everyone has experienced waiting in line, whether at a fast-food restaurant, on the phone for technical help, at the doctor’s office or in the drive-through lane of a bank. Sometimes, it is a pleasant experience, but many times it can be extremely frustrating for both the customer and the store manager. Given the intensity of […]

You may not have noticed but when you fly into Auckland International Airport your bags now reach the luggage carousel a few minutes faster.

Software and IT experts discuss the best ways that methods such as business process managment and Agile can be applied to a Lean software development program.

Airbus SAS’s head of operations, Gerald Weber, is taking lessons from his former employers in the car industry to cut production time on the A350 model and avoid the years of delay the plane maker suffered on the A380 program.

A recent ExecutiveBrief Software Development Trends Survey of more than 500 senior-level business leaders and software development professionals indicates a more optimistic outlook for business in 2010 as compared to 2009, with significant budget increases and a return to hiring.

DEK has appointed Lean Six-Sigma Black Belt, Liang Zong, as its new Business Improvement Engineer.

In statistical process control, diligent technicians and auditors conduct detailed work to gather data for quality engineers, who then crunch the data into capability studies. Typically, the repeatability and reproducibility (R&R) rates for the data are first determined for the gauges used in the capability studies. The R&R studies are completed first to establish the […]

Successful quality initiatives rely on understanding what quality actually means. The meaning of quality resides in the minds of those who judge it and use it to make their purchase decisions – in other words, the market. Divorced from the market, value or quality has no real meaning. Uninformed definitions of value or quality become […]

Manufacturers across Asia are scrambling to ramp up production of key components for electronics, as shortages have frustrated consumers and disrupted business for companies from Apple Inc. to Nissan Motor Co.

Segue Manufacturing Services, of Lowell, Mass., USA, is proud to announce Brian Desmarais as the new Vice President of Engineering and Quality. Brian comes to Segue with a wealth of knowledge and experience in the field, centering on and around quality management, product development, program management, systems engineering, and customer relationship management. With Brian’s experience […]

Phillips Industries has announced it is expanding its Saltillo, Mexico facility to over 70,000 sq ft to accommodate growth in sales. The extra space will allow the company to expand its trailer harness assembly line, improve process flow and offers more finished product storage area, the company said. “Significant focus has been in quality and […]

Let’s face it – without meaningful data there cannot be meaningful data analysis. Data is typically collected as a basis for measuring success and, ultimately, taking action. However, unless data is viewed realistically – separating opportune signals from probable noise – the actions taken may be inconsistent with the data collected in the first place. […]

Business software vendor i-nexus will host a webinar on Hoshin Planning on Thursday, July 15, from 10-11 a.m. EDT.

Time is running out for you to take part in the 2010 iSixSigma’s Best Places to Work™ for Six Sigma Professionals.The deadline for submitting your nomination is Monday, July 26, 2010. There are just two weeks left to send us your nomination, so please visit our Best Places to Work page today and fill out […]

Hy-Capacity Inc., a remanufacturer of tractor components headquartered in Humboldt, Iowa, USA, recently broke ground on the expansion of its manufacturing facility. Hy-Capacity’s new, larger facility will streamline operations and improve traffic flow, following the company’s Lean manufacturing philosophy to maximize efficiency and reduce waste. Steve Olson, Hy-Capacity president, credits the company’s success to his […]

A U.K.-based manufacturer of electrical and electronic assemblies has attained Six Sigma manufacturing quality levels of 99.97 percent following the installation of fully automated, custom designed wire processing machinery at its factory in the West Midlands. A gradual, phased implementation of automated production machines over the last 10 years – coupled with PP Electrical Systems’ […]

For those of us involved with Lean it is easy to understand the challenges that come from starting a process improvement program from the ground floor. I would like to personally thank the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), for providing such a great model for all government agencies to follow. There website is a great resource, packed […]

I was shopping at IKEA and found a bureau on sale for $30. The display model looked well-made with nice materials and finish. However, as expected, IKEA furniture comes in a box assembly required. No problem as I have plenty of experience. The assembly process took a number of steps: Find a suitable area large […]

After coaching Lean Six Sigma for the last 12 years, it is still surprising to see how many projects get cancelled because they are not considered “valid.” Practitioners and managers must remember that this methodology is designed for making process improvements. If leadership cannot identify a broken process, more work by the project sponsor is […]

Previously published in iSixSigma Magazine, this feature explores one consultant’s experiences implementing Lean Six Sigma in Asian countries.

MoreSteam.com announces the introduction of its first Master Black Belt (MBB) Summer Webcast Series.

Part 1 of this article helped practitioners understand the key drivers for the growth of statistics, introduced some leading analytics competitors and outlined the high-level profit roadmap. Now it is time to begin using the tools. Part 2 describes some statistical tools practitioners can use for predictive decision making. Applying the Analytics Tools Two key […]

When the clock is ticking in time-bound, customer-sensitive operations, using Lean Six Sigma can be a smart move toward achieving operational excellence and customer satisfaction. In this case study, one large insurance company executed a Lean Six Sigma project to cut operational costs for property and casualty (P&C) insurance claims and improve customer satisfaction. The […]

For most contact centers, nearly one-third of inbound calls are repeat callers who weren’t satisfied the first time they called. More often than not, the antiquated switches that contact centers use don’t do a great job of reporting on the true first-call resolution (FCR) rate in a given center, so the problem may be even […]

The “Y” generation is definitely living up to its name. Why, why, why…everything is why these days. It appears that the good old days of say it and obey it are over and behind us. Blind faith leadership is becoming a thing of the past. Personally, I say thank goodness. After all, as Colin Powell […]

The Missouri National Guard’s adjutant general is changing the way business is done in his home state.

Department of Defense logistics organizations are attempting to reorganize their efforts using a combination of business process improvement methodologies, such as Lean Six Sigma, which seeks to reduce process steps and errors often associated with them. They are also using modeling and analytics to review existing logistics process data.

According to the report from Changefirst, more than 40 percent of change managers believe at least a third of the financial gains could be attributable to change management activities alone. This means that, after nine months, for every £1 spent on change management these organisations were getting £6.50 as a return.

Top process improvement professionals in the energy sector met recently at the 2010 iSixSigma Live! Energy Forum for Process Excellence, May 24-27, in Houston. Presentations covered a broad range of topics – from innovation to leadership and getting started to giving back. Each of the topics was tailored to the specific needs of professionals in […]

The best-selling pocket guide for Six Sigma and Lean professionals has just got even better with the release of its long awaited 3rd Edition.

Tobyhanna Army Depot’s Communications Security Division (COMSEC), part of the Communications Systems Directorate, will submit an Enterprise Level Shingo package.

Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI) is a framework for business process improvement. Like any model, CMMI reflects one version of reality, and like most models, it may be more idealistic than realistic in some ways. Organizations can use the model as a jumping off point to create process improvement solutions that fit their unique development […]

By Elaine Schmidt Headquartered in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, Hertel has operations in more than 20 countries throughout Europe, the Middle East, Asia and Australia. The company offers construction, maintenance, modification and dismantling solutions at client sites, such as on- and off-shore oil and gas facilities, power plants and other specialized facilities. For Hertel employees, process […]

A new white paper, co-authored by Professor Alan Braithwaite, estimates that data inaccuracy among the top five retailers and their suppliers is costing as much as £1.4 billion per year – 1 percent of total revenue, and a considerably higher figure than previously estimated.

William Stone, a veteran of 27 years in OEM and tier-one automotive manufacturing, has been hired as the quality director of Grote Industries. Stone will lead the quality management team for the manufacturer and marketer of vehicle safety systems products.