PACCAR Six Sigma Lean Manufacturing Tools Realize Benefits

PACCAR sees improved revenues and earnings building on its operational excellence platform with lean and Six Sigma, which has been integrated into its culture. ...

... "PACCAR’s application of Six Sigma tools together with Lean Manufacturing techniques has generated cumulative benefits for PACCAR of $1.4 billion since 1998, commented Helene Mawyer, PACCAR vice president.

Ten thousand PACCAR employees have been trained in Six Sigma and over 12,000 projects have been implemented throughout the company.

Six Sigma and Lean projects are integrated in all business activities at PACCAR and have been adopted at 190 of the company’s suppliers and many of the company’s dealers and customers, ensuring improved product quality and reduced costs in the factories and offices. " ...

Via PACCAR: Improved First Quarter Revenues and Earnings (PDF)

Six Sigma Medical Outcomes

California healthcare system deploys Six Sigma in its quest for medical excellence. The methodology has been customized for health care processes. And, the enterprise is achieving solid improvement results. ...

... "Since introducing Six Sigma in its Southern California medical centers, Providence California has seen across the board improvements in clinical outcomes, care, customer relations, and finance. " ...

Via Health Leader: Six Sigma Tactics

SPC and InProcess Monitor Drives Savings

Quality transformations should be celebrated as the benefits are achieved. In support of the transformation, executives need line of sight visibility to the benefits realization in dashboard format. Millipore demonstrates tangible benefits from its investment in quality improvement tools, such as SPC tracking and in-process monitors. ...

... "Millipore's Jaffrey, NH, manufacturing site has realized savings of $8.5 million, thanks to statistical process control systems and continuous in-process monitoring ... " ...

Via Fierce Pharma: Quality benefits at Millipore

SGL Six Sigma Benefits

Analysis of SGL Group's performance ... The company is expecting significant benefits from its Six Sigma efforts. ...

... "Cost reduction based on the six sigma initiative is calculated at EUR 26 mn. " ...

Via BolsaMania: Anaysis of SGL

GreenBelts Deliver Six Sigma Benefits

Crown Equipment invests in Six Sigma training and the company's green belt workforce delivers tangible benefits with more planned. ...

... "Somewhat counter to initial expectations, for instance, has been the finding that the bulk of the $1.5 million of savings has come from Green Belt activities ... " ...

Via Manufacturing Business Technology: Six Sigma payoff

Union Lean Manufacturing Barriers

The political landscape shift is seen as favorable to unions, which are described as a barrier to lean manufacturing initiatives needed to stay competitive globally. ...

... "Prybutok said the U.S. manufacturing sector has benefited from the concept of lean manufacturing, a philosophy that calls for flexibility in how to utilize workers. Such a system is nearly impossible to implement in a union workplace ... " ...

Via The Delaware News Journal: Business change

Lean Accounting Lacking

Manufacturers in UK could benefit from applying lean accounting practices to complement their manufacturing improvement initiatives. ...

... "manufacturers are not using the right financial metrics in measuring and monitoring their improvements under lean manufacturing. As a result, it could be reducing the benefits available under continuous improvement processes. " ...

Via Birmingham Post: UK Lean accounting

Lean Inventory Optimization

Serus and FlowVision collaborate to introduce LION (Lean Inventory Optimization Network), which is a suite of applications focused on improving visibility and creating operational efficiency in the supply chain. ...

... "LION helps customers achieve the benefits of Lean Manufacturing methodologies, including improved demand and supply chain visibility, optimized inventory levels, and improved product delivery times. LION contains embedded, proprietary, industry-leading Lean business rules and algorithms developed by FlowVision, a leading consultant on Lean and Flow manufacturing. LION is part of a comprehensive suite of Lean solutions - encompassing on-demand software, and Lean business process consulting, education and implementation and other services - offered jointly through a Serus and FlowVision partnership. " ...

Via Serus: Lean Inventory Optimization Network for High Tech Industries

Lean Green Initiatives Synergy

Missouri professors see lean and green as complementary and plan to prove it. ...

... "Drs. Elizabeth Cudney and Katie Grantham Lough will discuss the benefits of meshing lean manufacturing with green initiatives. The two researchers will discuss ways industries can link green initiatives to current lean manufacturing practices and will share ways to help companies calculate return on investment for alternative or renewable power systems. " ...

Via Missouri University of Science and Technology: Lean and green can coexist

Manufacturing Capacity Increase through Lean Program

Electronics manufacturer uses lean manufacturing to drive capacity improvements, using the methodology and tools. ...

... "The Leicester-based power resistor manufacturer Cressall Resistors is claiming that a lean manufacturing programme has helped increase turnover by 100 percent in 18 months ... " ...

Via Works Management: Lean

Lean Principles Implementation

To confront global competition, Strasser Woodenworks implements lean principles and has seen benefits from lower inventory requirements and higher quality. ...

... "Hedreen had visited Japan in 2000, on a tour of a lean Toyota plant, and had already started to implement lean principles even before Welke visited China. Now, Welke said, they’re continuing to push the company to further improve. " ...

Via Puget Sound Business Journal: Strasser Woodenworks

SixSigma Best Project of the Year

Cessna employee is recognized for significant achievement on Six Sigma project. ...

... "Shane Cameron was awarded the 2008 Best Project of the Year Award on June 19 in Orlando, Fla. Shane works for Cessna Aircraft Company, a subsidiary of Textron Inc., as a Six Sigma Black Belt. ... Shane's idea saved Cessna $10.2 million in one year. " ...

Via Examiner-Enterprise: Cessna

Six Sigma Medical Cure

Boston area hospitals see benefits from Six Sigma process improvements. ...

... "Under a new scheduling system, all patients who required anesthesia are booked together, and an anesthesiologist was assigned to those hours. Patient volume went from 29 a day to 39 a day, without adding hours of operation. " ...

Via The Boston Globe: New medicine for hospitals

People-Centric Lean Implementation Pays Off

Flexcon puts people-first in their lean implementation to achieve a significant benefit. ...

... "Between cutting physical waste, speeding product delivery times and reducing accidents, company officials say they have saved $8.2 million. " ...

Via Worcester Business Journal: Lean Without Layoffs

Benefits of Lean Manufacturing System

The benefits achieved through lean manufacturing implementation are discussed. ...

Six Sigma Achievement in Process Efficiency is Awarded

ATMI is recognized for its use of Six Sigma to drive growth at the company in its product lifecycle. A number of Six Sigma projects have been deliver with operational efficiency benefits realized. The company was recognized at the Global Six Sigma Awards 2007. ...

... "We are very happy to have our innovative approach to Six Sigma deployment independently validated, as it is a key contributor to continued growth, said Doug Neugold, Chief Executive Officer. This award is based upon our documenting how the tools and methodologies were used to design, develop, and commercialize our RegenSi(tm), AutoClean(tm), and Newmix(r) process efficiency solutions, each of which has the potential to save our customers many millions of dollars by bringing yield, cost, and throughput improvements to their processes, said Tim Carlson, Chief Financial Officer. Since inception, we've completed over 80 internal projects generating more than $20 million of savings for ATMI. " ...

Via ATMI: Best Achievement in Six Sigma

Six Sigma Reward System Scales With Benefits

Fort Leavenworth responds to Six Sigma adoption barriers with a scalable reward system. ...

... "So, the Garrison's Lean Six Sigma Tiger Team formulated a reward system for civilian, military and contract employees. The reward corresponds with the success of the idea. " ...

Via Leavenworth Lamp: Incentives

6 Sigma Healthcare Study Shows Benefits

Healthcare association sees benefits from the application of Six Sigma methods to identify the critical levers for patient care. ...

... "In a retrospective study, Ms. Gamerdinger and colleagues from Mercy Medical Center evaluated the outcomes of a Six Sigma performance improvement project focused on compliance with JCAHO CAP Core Measures to ensure that each measure of care was met. Utilizing Six Sigma methodology, researchers identified critical processes and key stakeholders in patient care and utilized specific tools for process flow, cause/effect matrices, and outcomes analysis. The hospital also dedicated several full-time positions to the new methodology and trained more than 100 individuals in the Six Sigma program. When deviations from the Six Sigma protocol occurred, timely feedback was provided to care providers. After program implementation, researchers collected and analyzed data related to core measures, length of stay, and mortality in 1,550 patients with CAP admitted to the hospital during the study period. Results indicated that compliance scores for each JCAHO Core Measure improved from 70% to over 90%. CAP order usage improved from 40 %to 73%, yielding an 82.5% increase. Mean length of stay was reduced from 5.9 days to 5.1 days, a 13.56% reduction, which was associated with over $300,000 in cost savings. By the end of the study period, in-hospital mortality rates also decreased from 6.7% to 3.5%, a 47.8% reduction. " ...

6 Sigma decreases mortality in hospitalized patients

Six Sigma DMAIC Benefits from Simulations

Simulating processes may have a role in increasing the realization of benefits from Six Sigma projects. ...

... "That's because in the Define stage of DMAIC (Define- Measure- Analyze- Improve- Control), Six Sigma experts don't have enough information to quantify the benefits. " ...

Via Reliable Plant: Process simulation

Operational Efficiency Limits?

Will high-efficiency enterprises reach a point of diminishing returns when it comes to operational efficiency? ...

... "Logistics experts with a Six Sigma background may argue that point is never fully realizable, although a retailer (or any business) must know when to cut and run when the costs expended to save money cost more than the eventual money saved. " ...

Via BloggingStocks: Limits of Efficiency

It's a Lean Six Sigma Town

Fort Wayne Indiana citizen benefit from city services improved by Lean Six Sigma methods. ...

... "The mayor will discuss how using high performance partnerships with Lean Six Sigma can improve city services and save taxpayers millions of dollars. Lean Six Sigma has saved Fort Wayne over $10 million, they said. " ...

Via Fort Wayne Business Weekly: Lean Six Sigma Showcase

Six Sigma Cycle Time Analysis

RFID benefits estimated with Six Sigma analysis. ...

... "CHEP estimates, using Six Sigma Kaizen analysis, found that 28 percent of end-to-end processing time could be saved per pallet delivery journey.
This equates to 49 minutes. " ...

Via Ferret: Australia RFID Pilot

Cycle Time Reduction

Thomas Group implements process reengineering for the military, reaping significant benefits. ...

... "It claims that its propriety Total Cycle Time methodology is the forerunner of such management concepts as Top Quality Management, Kaizen and Six Sigma. After Thomas advised it on a fleet-modernization program, the Navy realized one-time savings of $100 million, as well as $80 million savings annually, the firm says. " ...

Via Star-Telegram: Thomas Group Inc

SixSigma Benefit Realization: Detail Tangible Benefits

Six Sigma discipline can be used to drive tangible benefits from IT investments. This can be enabled by a robust program for benefits realization that ensures that the benefits articulated in the business case are achieved. ...

... "The process is an amalgamation of this company's rich history in Six Sigma and their belief that technology can revolutionize their industries, core business processes, and internal functions. " ...

Via Optimize Magazine: Benefit Realization