Posted in dmaic, dow-corning, six-sigma on January 24th, 2012 by Frank M – Comments Off
Dow Corning selects Siemens as its strategic process automation partner using an extensive review and evaluation process built on the Manufacturing Automation Platform Selection (MAPS) Six Sigma DMAIC (Define, Measure, Explore, Develop, Implement) processes. …
… “According to Pat Dean, Manager of Global Manufacturing Automation at Dow Corning, the company’s Six Sigma Quality is a key element of Dow Corning’s commitment to delivering value for its customers by having a solid understanding of their needs and solving their problems.
Dow Corning has developed an integrated management system and has obtained a global ISO9001 registration under a single certificate, providing its customers with a consistent solution worldwide.” …
via MarketWatch press release: Siemens Selected by Dow Corning as Strategic Process Automation Partner.
Posted in baldridge-award, business-process on January 24th, 2012 by Frank M – Comments Off
Small business demonstrates that pursuit of business process excellence delivers value. …
… “Potterfield’s newly kindled enthusiasm for business processes helped Midway triple its customer base over the five years after 2004, when it started training to compete in Baldrige.” …
via Inc.: Best-Run Business in America.
Posted in balanced-scorecard, six-sigma on January 24th, 2012 by Frank M – Comments Off
CIOs in the Australian resources industry seek measures of business value to track the information technology function’s contribution to enterprise performance. …
… “Some CIOs judge how an enterprise meets its goals by tracking metrics such as dollars per transaction and transactions per customer, or by employing methodologies such as Balanced Scorecard and Six Sigma to gauge the overall health of the business.” …
via CIO Australia: Resources CIO.
Posted in ge, general-electric, lean-program on January 21st, 2012 by Frank M – Comments Off
GE looks to boost profits margins through deployment of lean manufacturing in its industrial lines of business. …
… “Keith Sherin, GE’s chief financial officer, said the company would cut costs by more effective sourcing and the use of lean production techniques to raise margins on the industrial side of the group …” …
via Financial Times: GE profits.
Posted in automation, investment on January 18th, 2012 by Frank M – Comments Off
Investment financials are prompting justification of technology investments, such as equipment, automation and software, on the factory floor. Capital investments are contributing to a delay in hiring for manufacturers. Robotics is also seeing a jump in sales from the manufacturing investment cycle. …
… “companies such as Sunny Delight and chain-saw maker Stihl Holding AG are investing in technology or other ways to make existing operations faster and more productive.” …
via Wall Street Journal: Man vs. Machine.
Posted in manufacturing-sector on January 3rd, 2012 by Frank M – Comments Off
Manufacturing trends show strength at the beginning on the new year with expansion, new orders, exports, and hiring in positive territory. …
… “The latest ISM survey showed that U.S. factories should start the year strongly. Factories hired last month at the fastest pace since June … “ …
via Washington Post: US manufacturing activity rises.
Posted in batch-manufacturing, flexible-manufacturing-model, general-motors on November 21st, 2011 by Frank M – Comments Off
General Motors looks to flexible batch manufacturing models as an answer to the peaks and valleys in its supply and demand. These enhanced models for automotive manufacturing are less capital intensive than increasing capacity through a new facility. Rather than an efficiency tactic, the flex operations are in direct support of the growth strategy. …
… “GM expects to build only about 40,000 vehicles a year in its flex operation, mostly in on-again, off-again small batches, starting about a year from now.” …
via Forbes: Different Kind Of Car Factory In Tennessee.
Posted in apple, competitive on October 24th, 2011 by Frank M – Comments Off
enable competitive pricing. …
… “But more recently, it began using its growing manufacturing scale and logistics prowess to deliver Apple products at far more aggressive prices … “ …
via New York Times: Apple’s Lower Prices.
Posted in control-system, security on October 19th, 2011 by Frank M – Comments Off
Symantec has identified a successor program to Stuxnet which is trolling industrial control systems for critical intelligence data. …
… “The attackers are looking for information such as design documents that could help them mount a future attack on an industrial control facility.” …
via New York Times: Stuxnet Computer Worm.
Posted in contract-manufacturing, contracts, supplier-development, supply-chain on October 19th, 2011 by Frank M – Comments Off
Apple challenges its competition by attacking the global supply chain with large-scale, long-term contracts. …
… “This neat trick is the work of new CEO Cook, who, during his years as COO, mastered the global production cycle.” …
via Fast Company: Tech War.
Posted in manufacturing-sector on October 17th, 2011 by Frank M – Comments Off
Industrial production recovers, with growth influenced by auto and computer manufacturing. …
… “Factory production, which makes up 75 percent of the total, climbed for a third month.” …
via Business Week: Industrial Production in U.S..
Posted in fmea on October 5th, 2011 by Frank M – Comments Off
Australia works to understand pipeline failure modes and proactively addressing them. The country sees organizational culture as an area that can breed failures, if not properly sustained. …
… “If there is a rigorous process for identifying every imaginable cause of failure and taking action to prevent failure, then pipelines can be extremely reliable. This is one of the things we do in Australia.” …
via New York Times: Australian Pipelines.
Posted in business-process on October 4th, 2011 by Frank M – Comments Off
Ricoh has packaged its experience into a rapid business process assessment for healthcare providers. …
… “Designed specifically for healthcare, Ricoh RPA uniquely tailors assessments for every department and process within a healthcare organization. It also leverages Six Sigma quality management principles. Solutions include a performance management framework with key performance indicators (KPIs) for continuous improvement.” …
Via Ricoh: Health Information Solutions Assessment.
Posted in amd, electronics-manufacturing on September 29th, 2011 by Frank M – Comments Off
AMD is experiencing supply problems with chips sourced from its manufacturing partner’s Dresden, Germany plant. Globalfoundries was formed as a spinoff of AMD’s production operations and is the key partner for producing the latest microprocessors. This production issue has caused AMD to reduce near-term sales and profitability forecasts. …
… “Globalfoundries is throwing substantial resources at improving yields, said Drew Prairie, an AMD spokesman … “ …
via Business Week: AMD Manufacturing Glitch.
Posted in fmea, healthcare, healthcare-six-sigma on September 28th, 2011 by Frank M – Comments Off
Disciplined processes that understand capacity, throughput, and satisfaction drive improvement in the MRI process for hospitals. By addressing the priority modes of failure, using FMEA, actions are leveraged for highest impact. …
… “A total of 33 failure modes leading to process waste were identified, along with 113 potential failure causes. Of these, 14 failure modes were prioritized … “ …
via Health Imaging: MRI Process improvements.
