Randy Woods

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.

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 […]

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.

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.

Two Six Sigma professionals recently posed questions in the iSixSigma Discussion Forum relating to queuing theory in a call center. One reader wanted to know how to calculate average and standard deviation for service time and interarrival time – the amount of time between the arrival of one customer and the arrival of the next. […]

Aftermarket automobile windshield manufacturer Safelite Glass Corp. says it has retained sales of $2.6 million and saved $670,000 in costs since launching a Lean program. For this reason the company’s Enfield, N.C., USA, facility was recently recognized by the North Carolina government for contributing to the state’s economic benefit over the last five years.

Linda Reed, a Six Sigma Master Black Belt and senior engineer, was one of four Northrop Grumman Corp. employees honored recently at the annual conference of the Society of Women Engineers (SWE). Reed was given the Fellow Grade Member award in recognition of her continuous service to the advancement of women in the engineering profession.

Many of the nation’s most innovative clinical laboratories, pathology groups and in-vitro diagnostics manufacturers came together recently at the Fourth Annual Lab Quality Confab in San Antonio to share their successes in the use of Lean Six Sigma and similar process improvement techniques.

The acute focus in the European market is now on global supply chain optimization, said John Hannan, regional manager and partner for Tampa, Fla., USA-based USC Consulting Group. “If you think of the supply chain as a series of interconnected steps across which product, cash and information flow both ways, you can appreciate that at […]

For General Electric, agility is all about simplifying the software development process. Matt Merchant, CTO, GE Corporate, delivered a keynote at the Zendcon PHP developers conference explaining that, through agility and simplification, his goal is to produce better quality software at a faster pace.

DC Electronics, a San Jose, Calif., USA-based cable and harness assembly firm, has announced the launch of a new, media-rich website designed to give clients a detailed look at the company’s quality systems and processes.

Atlanta-based Endeavor Telecom has hired Keith Berger as its senior vice president of operations. Berger, a Six Sigma Master Black Belt, will focus on the continuous improvement of company processes and efficiency across all departments.

Danish manufacturer Bestnet Europe Ltd. has announced the establishment of a new sewing and packing facility to produce mosquito netting in Mombasa, Kenya. Bestnet has already trained its management team and staff of about 50 workers in Six Sigma methodology and plans to triple the number of workers as it ramps up to full production […]

Nordson Corp., a manufacturer of adhesive and sealant dispensing equipment, has announced the appointment of James E. DeVries to the newly created enterprise-level position of vice president of global continuous improvement. DeVries will be tasked with driving profitable growth in all operating segments through the elevation of Nordson’s ongoing continuous improvement and margin enhancement efforts.

When organizations embark on a continuous improvement program, one of the first steps is to determine how they should measure the success of their projects and program. iSixSigma asked experienced Master Black Belts for their thoughts on the topic.

Worldwide industrial services and engineered products company Harsco Corp. has named Daniel S. McAtee as president of its Harsco Minerals business group.