Randy Woods

The deployment of Lean Six Sigma techniques at the in the U.S. Army’s Adjutant General Corps in Camp Arifjan, Kuwait, has resulted in the streamlined delivery of payments through the official mail system.

One week to go. That’s about all the time you have left to take part in the 2011 iSixSigma’s Best Places to Work™ for Six Sigma Professionals event. A week may seem like a lot of time, but we all know how fast these summer days can fly by. The deadline for submitting your nomination […]

A group of healthcare leaders from Saskatchewan, Canada, recently visited the United States to tour hospitals in Washington state and learn about the successful deployment of the Lean Six Sigma methodology to improve efficiency.

Beginning Aug. 1, Black Belt Ken Curry will become the next vice president of the customer services division of the Nebraska Public Power District (NPPD).

A clinical laboratory in the African nation of Uganda is preparing to adopt Lean standards to improve efficiency, according to a statement from Ali Elbireer, laboratory administrative director for the Infectious Diseases Institute (IDI).

Starwood Hotels and Resorts has announced the appointment of Julia Harnischfeger as general manager of the company’s new 252-room Aloft London ExCeL hotel, which is scheduled to open in October 2011.

The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) recently reported that the Canadian province of Quebec is on track to lower the rate of increase in costs for its universal healthcare system due to the implementation of Lean Six Sigma-based continuous improvement practices.

Mobile applications firm Xora Inc., based in Egan, Minn., USA, has hired Black Belt Howard Latham to fill the newly created position of vice president of customers.

Boeing has announced plans to overhaul its CH-47 Chinook helicopter production facility in Ridley Park, Pa., USA, and incorporate Lean renovations that will allow the plant to increase production by 50 percent.

At the recent Clinton Global Initiative meeting in Chicago, Toyota Motor Corp. announced the launch of a program that will teach its Lean-based Toyota Production System (TPS) guidelines to schools, hospitals and non-profits across the United States.

A recent project conducted by eight hospitals and ambulatory surgical centers in the United States, along with the Joint Commission Center for Transforming Healthcare, has implemented methods such as Lean Six Sigma and change management to address the issue of wrong site surgeries.

In his announcement to run for governor of Washington state in 2012, U.S. Rep. Jay Inslee cited his plans to enact continuous process improvement (CPI) methodologies in the state government to reduce spending and create more jobs.

Diesel engine manufacturer Cummins Inc. is discussing a possible collaboration with the municipality of Franklin Township, Ind., USA, about improving the town’s financial performance via Lean Six Sigma methods, according to a report by WRTV-6.

During a political and economic event sponsored by the nonprofit group Strong America Now in Des Moines, Iowa, USA, three more Republican presidential candidates pledged to use Lean Six Sigma, if elected, to eliminate federal government waste and reduce the deficit.

The U.S. Army has recently awarded Choctaw Defense, owned by the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, a three-year, $20 million performance standard contract to design and manufacture the Camel II potable water trailer system, which provides water for troops in virtually any location.

Renewable energy firm Nordic Windpower has promoted Jeff Brown, a certified Six Sigma Quality Leader and Master Black Belt, from chief operating officer to the title of CEO and director.

Continuous improvement (CI) practitioners know that Lean Six Sigma can be applied to almost any business process to achieve positive results. But perhaps no other sector better represents the challenges and potential of Six Sigma than the federal government. In the case of the U.S. military, incremental performance improvements can be a matter of life […]

Jeffrey E. Geary, a 30-year railroad industry veteran and Master Black Belt, has been named vice president of operations for Amtrak, with oversight of the railway’s transportation, engineering and mechanical departments.

A recent report by the Scottish Manufacturing Advisory Service (SMAS), a business advisory group sponsored by the government of Scotland, found that continuous improvement efforts, including Six Sigma, have resulted in more than £21 million worth of productivity benefits across the region over a 12-month period in 2010-11.

The annual iSixSigma Live! Awards program, which recognizes the individuals, projects and programs that have demonstrated breakthrough results in the implementation of Lean Six Sigma, is open for nominations.

Soon after announcing that he was forming an exploratory committee for a potential bid for the presidency in 2012, former Minnesota governor Tim Pawlenty was heard touting the virtues of Six Sigma process improvement for government reform. In March, according to the Politico.com blog, the Republican Pawlenty had a conference call with many of his […]

The concept of applying continuous process improvement to government operations got a large boost today when Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich became the first person to sign a pledge to reduce the national debt over the next five years via Lean Six Sigma cost-cutting principles.

In a speech on economic policy at the University of Chicago today, Former Minnesota governor and Republican presidential candidate Tim Pawlenty promoted Lean Six Sigma as a tool to reduce the costs of government programs by as much as 20 percent.

Chris Collins, the County Executive for Erie County, N.Y., USA, and a longtime proponent of Lean Six Sigma, has released his budget plans for 2012, which include the elimination of about 300 county jobs in order to reduce costs and keep property taxes from rising.