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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.

Last week GlaxoSmithKline agreed to pay $750 million to settle charges related to bad products. In their press release, they stated: “We regret that we operated the Cidra facility in a manner that was inconsistent with current Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP) requirements and with GSK’s commitment to manufacturing quality. GSK worked hard to resolve fully […]

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.

In my blog a few weeks ago I mentioned an article in McKinsey Quarterly about removing barriers to knowledge worker interactions. I pointed out a hidden barrier: lack of concentration or too much work-in-process (WIP), which slows down knowledge worker interactions. In that article, physical barriers were cited as common, especially in many large global […]

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.

The latest issue of iSixSigma Magazine explores the Six Sigma deployment in Ford Motor Co.’s powertrain division, the world of metrics and more. iSixSigma Magazine’s November/December issue introduces readers to the more than 10-year-old Six Sigma deployment at Ford’s powertrain division, and provides an in-depth look at the what, when and why of metrics. With […]

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

December Classes Kick off Next Session of Blended Lean Six Sigma Program from MoreSteam and The Ohio State University

Employed with Textron for 22 years, Stern entered the continuous improvement program in 2005 as a Black Belt and has since become a Master Black Belt. She currently oversees training in Textron’s CI program and leads value stream mapping improvement workshops. Here are Stern’s thoughts about the evolution of the company’s CI efforts and how […]

AkzoNobel Car Refinishes Americas and Toyota Motor Sales, USA, have agreed to combine experience and resources surrounding process improvement methods for collision repair operations, resulting in the Toyota Production System for Collision (TPS-C).

Earlier this month, iSixSigma Live! held the second of its three scheduled Social and Networking Parties for the quality community this fall. For the nearly 40 Six Sigma professionals in attendance at this event in the Greater Phoenix area, the Social was a rare chance for practitioners to strengthen old ties, meet new contacts, chat […]

Focus on Six Sigma Protocol, Business and Operational Efficiencies Via Data Analysis: Prizes and Discounts Offered

A New England-based healthcare system is proving Lean Six Sigma tools are not just for manufacturing companies after realizing substantial cost savings in a nearly two-year implementation process.

Recently, I had the privilege of viewing several Air Force presentations that introduced lean six sigma methodologies to senior leaders. The training was developed by the University of Tennessee’s, Center for Executive Education. I highly recommend their courses of instruction for any agency moving forward with Lean Six Sigma. I found particularly useful one of […]

Bill Armstead of Mobile Mini will lead November 4 session on maximizing Lean Six Sigma value

The Singaporean government has launched the Innovation Improvement Initiative program, to help enhance Singapore companies capabilities in innovation and productivity. The project-based program is designed to jumpstart productivity improvement.

As hard as it can be to cut costs in this tough economic environment, it’s harder to sustain the reduction once it’s achieved. “Five ways CFOs can make cost cuts stick” (McKinsey Quarterly May 2010) illustrated exactly this challenge and concluded that “Companies must improve their processes and capabilities if they hope to reduce or […]

Scrum is an Agile project management methodology that can be used to control software and product development using iterative, incremental practices. Scrum generates the benefits of Agile development with the advantages of a simple implementation. This methodology can significantly increase productivity and reduce time to benefits while facilitating adaptive, empirical systems development.

Through scenario planning, organizations can delight their customers by preparing for problems before they happen and testing solutions on employees first.

Avery Dennison has appointed Michel Schuetz to the post of vice president, operations and supply chain, for its materials businesses in Europe.

As everyone knows, myths have a way of becoming more than they are. The same is true for marketing and service. As the following list of conventional wisdom, beliefs and marketing clichés illustrates, while many myths may have a solid empirical basis, it is possible to carry them too far – and other common beliefs […]

Elcoteq Bangalore announced that it has received awards for manufacturing quality at the Chapter Convention for Quality Circles, organized by Quality Circles Forum of India, Bangalore Chapter.

The Hartford Financial Services Group today announced that James Eckerle, 51, has joined the company as executive vice president, strategic initiatives and enterprise technology. In this newly created role, Eckerle will report to the company’s chairman, president and chief executive officer, Liam E. McGee.

Drive control and hydraulics firm Bosch Rexroth Corp., based in Fountain Inn, S.C., USA, received the Silver Crescent Award from the Silver Crescent Foundation and South Carolina Chamber of Commerce, in recognition of the company’s overall quality, workforce development, and community stewardship.

Australian financial services firm Westpac has launched a large-scale initiative to overhaul its information technology (IT) services, part of which will be accomplished through the application of Lean and Six Sigma techniques to reduce waste and remove unnecessary banking processes. The IT plan was announced during an Oct. 8 webcast briefing with Westpac investors. During […]

The American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) National Research Network and the American College of Physicians released a study in the Journal of the American Board of Family Physicians (JABFM) in September showing how including both physicians and non-physicians on process improvement teams can help better facilitate change management, according to an article by David […]

Dave Wheeler has been promoted to senior vice president, global supply chain and corporate Six Sigma at Cintas Corp. in Mason, Ohio, USA. Wheeler will be responsible for all company-owned and contracted production facilities, procurement, distribution facilities, textile research, new product development, production planning and Six Sigma initiatives.

Laboratories can be a taxing environment in which to implement Lean and Six Sigma. Labs are not the same as manufacturing – where Lean and Six Sigma got their start – because they typically have more variability in workload, less operational focus, less process reliability and longer task cycle times. However, through creative adaptation of […]

In just six months of applying Lean Six Sigma techniques, the State Police Crime Lab in Baton Rouge, La., USA, has dramatically reduced the turnaround time for the processing of evidence in criminal cases.

Lean and Six Sigma have helped many organizations improve quality and productivity in their manufacturing and transactional processes. However, applying these methodologies remains a challenge in a knowledge work environment, such as the life sciences, based on my 15+ years of experience at various companies –from a start-up to a global pharmaceutical giant, as well […]

When project managers begin studying Lean Six Sigma, the first question asked is often, “How will I get buy-in?” Although the core concepts and methodologies may make sense to project managers, the question of buy-in sometimes overshadows this powerful methodology for process improvement. There are many root causes for why people are reluctant to lend […]

After a brief hiatus, the iSixSigma Live! Social & Networking Party returned last week, with the first event taking place in Seattle, welcoming nearly 70 Six Sigma professionals from the Puget Sound region. Held on the top floor of the popular Rock Bottom Brewery in Bellevue, Wash., the Social drew continuous improvement professionals from the […]

A Minnesota-based quality group recently presented three people with the 2010 Shurson Awards, honoring commitment to quality principles. The winners, chosen by the Rochester Area Quality Council (RAQC), are Gene Dankbar and Dr. Prathibha Varkey of the Mayo Clinic, and Darryl Mickelson of Hormel Foods Corp.

Read Dr. Mikel Harry’s responses to common questions about Six Sigma. His biography is below: Ph.D., Arizona State University, 1984 M.A., Ball State University, 1981 B.S., Ball State University, 1973 Dr. Harry has been widely recognized and cited in many publications as the principal architect of Six Sigma and the world’s leading authority within this […]

iSixSigma.com and iSixSigma Magazine are pleased to announce that the top 10 finalist companies have been chosen for the third annual list of iSixSigma’s Best Places to Work™ for Six Sigma professionals.

How’s your Lean initiative doing? Is it going great? Or is it starting to lose steam? Or is it clearly failing to meet expectations? Have you given up and gone back to the not-so “good old days” from which you had hoped to escape? These are questions I see a lot of firms both asking […]

On iSixSigma’s Discussion Forum, a poster working on a doctoral thesis asked about how various differences in national culture can affect Six Sigma implementation. Respondents provided several links to studies on the role of cultural differences among deployments in the United States and Europe. One reader added that the corporate culture is far more important […]

Despite the common allegation that Lean improvement methods must lead to layoffs at healthcare systems, the reality is quite different at several leading hospitals, where Lean methods are actually saving or creating jobs.

One of the most important skills people learn in Six Sigma training is project chartering. Many Green Belts and Black Belts have learned to write much better goal statements using the SMART guideline (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound). In a previous blog, I talked about how clear operational definitions help create specific and measurable […]

Companies lose an average of 5 percent of revenue annually due to payroll process inefficiencies, errors and fraud. Leaders at Océ Business Services, a provider of outsourced document process management services, estimated that their company had an even greater opportunity because of their outsourcing model – employees based on client premises supporting thousands of individual […]

Boeing is introducing several improvements on its Boeing 767 assembly line as it ramps up production to meet higher commercial demand and a potential tanker order from the US Air Force.