Sustain the Lean Enterprise

Manage the change in the enterprise associated with lean manufacturing through workforce incentives, articulated vision, thorough planning, training, and commitment of resources. ...

... "The first step to successful marketing is identifying those customers, both internal and external, to whom the lean enterprise is to be targeted, such as executives, employees, investors, customers and suppliers. " ...

Via The Chicago Business Ledger: Change through lean manufacturing

Benefits of Lean Manufacturing System

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

When Six Sigma Loses Customer Focus Nardelli-Style

Six Sigma as practiced at Home Depot, under the tenure of Bob Nardelli, lost its focus on the customer and became a number-crunching exercise. No methodology should make an enterprise lose sight of customer needs. ...

... "Six Sigma was used to streamline the check-out process and strategically place vacuum-cleaner displays, for example. ... The bottom line on Nardelli's tenure: Profitability soared, but worker morale drooped, and so did consumer sentiment. " ...

Six Sigma Gone-Bad

IBM Lean Organization Changes

IBM deploys lean into its enterprise, which results in some pruning of the organization. ...

... "IBM, however, confirms that Lean is simply a Six Sigma business practices effort that has nothing to do with layoffs. Lean is a collection of Six Sigma business processes used by a number of leading companies to improve speed, quality and responsiveness to customers ... " ...

Via The Register: IBM Redefines With Lean

Lean Methods Fuel Fervor For Continuous Improvement

Lean methodology enables manufacturing or service companies to improve the enterprise. ...

... "Kaizen, or lean improvement events, and, when facilitated properly, they can be powerful. Everyone involved feels a part of the success of the event and many thirst for more. " ...

Via Appleton Post-Crescent: Lean Methods

CIO Transformation Through Six Sigma

The pace of business is accelerating. Savvy CIO's use techniques, such as Six Sigma, to transform their enterprise. ...

... "Next, he tackled business processes by implementing Six Sigma, followed by the digitization revolution of the 1990s. " ...

Via CIO: CIO Business Transformation

Sustaining Lean Six Sigma Achievements

Integrated enterprise excellence is a method for sustaining Lean Six Sigma performance levels. ...

... "Lean Six Sigma has provided some relief and helped many businesses make significant performance improvements. Yet in many businesses, results of the first few implementations are impressive, usually because the goals were easily achievable ... " ...

Via Quality Management: Sustaining Excellence

Value Engineering Award to Northrop Grumman For Lean Principles

Northrop Grumman is selected by U.S. Department of Defense to receive its Value Engineering Achievement award for innovative productivity improvements, that leverage the principles of Lean Six Sigma. ...

... "Value Engineering, developed in the 1940s at General Electric Co., is a systematic process widely used in government and industry to identify actions that improve performance, reliability, quality, safety and life cycle costs. The Defense Department said a total of 3,473 government and contractor-initiated proposals were accepted during fiscal year 2006 with projected savings/cost avoidance in excess of $1.6 billion. Northrop Grumman was nominated for its Value Engineering Achievement award by the Defense Contract Management Agency (DCMA), which cited the implementation of Six Sigma and Lean principles at the company's Integrated Systems sector. According to the DCMA nomination, Northrop Grumman's implementation of these initiatives has been increasingly reducing costs, improving quality, enhancing effectiveness and increasing efficiency throughout the enterprise and on Defense Department weapon system acquisition contracts and services. The 2006 Defense Department Value Engineering awards will be presented May 16, 2007 at the Pentagon. " ...

Via Northrop Grumman: Northrop Grumman to Receive U.S. Department of Defense Value Engineering Award for Improving Productivity

Quality Execution System Integrates into ERP

Apriso Corporation improves the functionality of their FlexNet Quality application – with a Quality program capable of performing purely as an execution application, or as a Quality Execution System. ...

... "This application enhancement provides manufacturers a viable alternative to purchasing third party Quality Management Systems (QMS), which can often be challenging to integrate with Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) applications because of overlapping business processes, incompatible quality plans and data collection activities. Apriso's FlexNet QES was designed instead to complement existing functionality within ERP systems provided by vendors such as SAP, Microsoft, Oracle or Infor Global Solutions. Few will argue the importance of an effective quality assurance program to achieve global manufacturing excellence - the challenge lies in how to effectively design, execute and administer such a program. One approach has been to purchase a third party QMS to provide planning, execution and reporting on overall product quality. The problem with this approach is that many existing quality management functions within ERP systems already perform most of these tasks, so any benefits from a QMS implementation are reduced through a duplication of efforts and data reconciliation issues.

Quality Execution Systems recognize that ERP applications are designed as centralized data repositories, providing a global view of corporate performance, customer interactions, and order status while supporting Quality Assurance (QA) planning efforts best performed at the corporate level. Best-in-class manufacturers have demonstrated that quality execution is best performed as an embedded process - not as loosely linked activities - within production, maintenance and warehouse operations. " ...

Via Apriso: Quality Execution System

Green-Belt SixSigma Training Starts April 23 Through Partnership

Partnership will offer Lean Six Sigma training for green belt level. ...

... "Professionals seeking career enhancement programs or companies working to make the most of their training dollars will gain exposure to both the Lean and Six Sigma methodologies in this 10 day program. Simons-White & Associates has integrated their Lean and Six Sigma Green Belt training programs for optimized learning. Upon completion of this program, attendees will receive 8 continuing education units and have completed a project to demonstrate their new skills. The new program will offer support with candidate and project selection, introduction to MINITAB statistical software as well as project implementation ... " ...

Via Simons-White: Ohio State University's Alber Enterprise Center in partnership with Simons-White & Associates offers Lean Six Sigma Green Belt Program

Organizational Development Supports Lean Initiative

Companies are well-served by investing in their talent - recruiting, retaining, and aligning to enterprise initiatives. ...

... "At AEP, when a new approach is being introduced, such as lean manufacturing, everyone in the facility has some level of training to have a company-wide knowledge base. " ...

Via Connecticut Business Journal: Create Employee Connection to Your Organization

Lean Principles Part of Global Competition

Mexico manufacturing site builds infrastructure to compete globally on the shoulders of lean principles. ...

... "The company now puts more focus on product sectors and industries where there is a competitive advantage, such as enterprise computing and storage, medical, auto-motive, multimedia, industrial and communications. It also employs Lean manufacturing initiatives. " ...

Via Electronics Supply and Manufacturing: Mexico Electronics Manufacturing

Lean Enterprise System Implementation at Century Electronics

Century Electronics, Westlake Village California, will implement the Supplier Excellence Alliance (SEA) Lean Enterprise System. ...

... "The Lean Enterprise System (LES) is the continuous improvement system developed by aerospace, defense, and space suppliers. The LES helps suppliers build new capabilities that will enable them to better support the emerging needs of their customers. The LES also builds a culture where lean production principles and standard work are applied throughout the organization to ensure sustained improvements in delivery and quality while reducing lead times and cost. Century Electronics, a Division of Perillo Industries, Inc. is an Engineering Designer and Manufacturer of custom AC/DC Power Supplies and DC/DC Converters. Century Electronics was founded in 1973 and was purchased by Perillo Industries in 1992. " ...

Via PRWeb: Lean Enterprise System

iGrafx Software For Six Sigma Business Process Improvement

iGrafx releases 2007 version of its solutions for process excellence, that enhances modeling, simulation, mapping, and Lean Six Sigma support. ...

... "Improved Lean and Six Sigma Support: iGrafx 2007 offers great new features for Lean users including the ability to create Extended Value Stream Maps to obtain a lean view that crosses plant, divisional, and company boundaries. Six Sigma enthusiasts, on the other hand, will use the new Prioritization and Failure Mode Spreadsheets to spotlight improvement opportunities and mitigate failure mode effects faster. Users will also be able to define and scope Six Sigma projects, and identify progress towards process goals with the use of iGrafx Process Central repository. " ...

Via iGrafx: iGrafx 2007 Product Suite Enables Enterprise Business Process Improvement

Lean Enterprise: Workforce Motivation

Kaiser builds strong workforce relationships with lean enterprise principles. ...

... "Union members also are invited to take part in teams that identify and implement ways to bring the plant closer to its lean manufacturing goals. " ...

Via Newark Advocate: Lean Plan Strengthens Workforce Relations

Lean Transformation Uses Workforce Furlough For Aircraft Manufacturer

Columbia uses worker furlough to permit the retooling necessary to transform the organization to a lean manufacturing process. ...

... "The furlough allows Columbia to execute necessary measures to refine production and more aggressively pursue Lean Manufacturing and Lean Enterprise process improvements. The company's present expectation is to recall the furloughed employees after a brief four to six week period. " ...

Via KTVZ: Columbia Aircraft Lean Manufacturing Transformation

Microsoft Dynamics Lean Enterprise Solution

Microsoft will integrate lean techniques into its Dynamics software solution. ...

... "As a part of this new program, Microsoft announced Microsoft Dynamics Industry Solution for Lean Enterprises that will expand the core functionality of the Microsoft Dynamics AX solution. This expansion via a code acquisition from eBECS Ltd., a privately held company that delivers a complete lean enterprise solution, will enable customers to optimize processes and better connect and integrate the entire supply chain, from the customer to the supply partners, to support demand-driven operations. Microsoft Dynamics Industry Solution for Lean Enterprises will be available to customers as a separate module as part of the Advanced Management edition of Business Ready Licensing by the end of calendar year 2007, initially in English only. Microsoft plans to integrate the acquired code into the next release of Microsoft Dynamics AX and have it localized for all Microsoft Dynamics AX languages. " ...

Via Microsoft: Microsoft Dynamics Deepens Industry Investments: New acquisition, industry investments and ISV solutions certification reiterate balanced approach to delivering industry-relevant software.

Lean Six Sigma: Understand What You Are Getting Into

Lean and Six Sigma have their strengths and weaknesses. Lean eliminates waste. Six Sigma reduces variation. Both require culture change and leadership support. Understand your enterprise needs and vision. Choose carefully. ...

... "Lean and Six Sigma are two distinct organizational improvement methods that are being combined into an organizational streamlining program. " ...

Via CIO: Lean Six Sigma

Select Continuous Improvement Program to Compete Globally

Embrace continuous improvement to compete effectively in your industry and marketplace. Be prepared to staff a program management office and support the culture change necessary for a lean manufacturing or Six Sigma journey. Business process focus comes first. But, software systems can support change, automation, reduction of manual efforts. ...

... "Six Sigma uses statistical analysis to reduce variation. By reducing variation, the probability of producing a defect is less. " ...

Via IndustryWeek: Which Continuous Improvement Program Is Appropriate For Your Enterprise?

Unify Enteprise through Lean Visual Workplace

On April 26 and 27, Dr Gwendolyn Galsworth will explore the use of visual information in the workplace and the impact it has on the workforce. ...

... "Visuality in the Workplace is designed to liberate information and correct chronic information deficits on all levels of the organization. In doing so, we also liberate the human will and allow that will to align with the larger corporate intent. This is the source of an empowered workforce and the foundation of an authentically unified enterprise. " ...

Via ShingoPrize.org: VISUAL WORKPLACE SEMINAR

Lean Manufacturing Accounting Principles Discussed in Webinar

In upcoming webinar, Infor will discuss how companies can ensure their accounting practices support their lean initiatives. The webinar is called: Cost Accounting & Financial Accounting Contradictions that Undermine Your Lean Manufacturing Success. The webinar will be held February 28, 2007 from 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM EDT, hosted by Mike Frichol, CPIM, Vice President, Global Industry & Product Marketing, Infor. Registration. ...

... "Today's manufacturing landscape is riddled with demand fluctuations, pricing and compliance pressures, and ever-extending supply chains. In an effort to improve efficiency in their manufacturing facilities, many companies have implemented Lean processes to achieve significant production performance gains. However, there is a largely unrecognized need to introduce revised costing and management accounting methods that provide a more realistic financial view of performance within a Lean context. " ...

Via Infor: Infor Webinar Highlights Accounting Principles That Drive Lean Initiatives Throughout the Enterprise

Lean Training Goes On Tour

Lean culture differentiates Japanese from US companies.

... "Instead of paying people to retire, a likely Japanese alternative would be to put people on kaizen (continuous improvement) teams, capitalizing on their experience and problem solving potential instead of paying them to stay at home. ... World Class Manufacturing is not a short-term concept. Justifying the hard work and application of resources to the improvement process is difficult if the focus is on quarterly reports. A fundamentally change in the way success is measured must be adopted if our economy is to remain viable and sustainable. " ...

Toyota Continues their March Past US Automakers: Lean Enterprise Training Announces Six City Tour Kicks off in Oregon ...

SixSigma Process Projects

Firm hires talent to manage client Six Sigma projects. ...

... "Praxilient Inc. has hired Ted Storin, Mike Streno and Bruce Brooks. They will manage Six Sigma Process projects, enterprise project management projects and technology projects for Praxilient's clients. " ...

Via Appleton Post-Crescent: Read

Lombardi LeanSixSigma Business Process Management BPM Webinar

Webinar will explore integration of Lean Six Sigma and BPM initiatives. ...

... "live webinar: Connecting BPM and Lean Six Sigma. The hour-long event will broadcast on Wednesday, February 7, 2007 at 2:00 p.m. ET (18:00 GMT). Master Black Belt Lance Gibbs of Lombardi will discuss how companies can leverage existing Lean Six Sigma practices and assets in their BPM initiatives. He will discuss how companies that are doing BPM projects today can get started with Lean Six Sigma concepts, as well as how Lean Six Sigma practitioners can help get their companies' BPM projects started on the right foot. " ...

Lombardi and Industry Expert Highlight Connecting Business Process Management With Lean Six Sigma (LSS) Initiatives

SixSigma: Incremental Business Process Improvement Best

Hackett Group research sees Six Sigma as best utilized to support continuous improvement in shared service / back-office processes. Hackett finds that Six Sigma may be inappropriately applied to enterprise transformations, where it is weak. ...

... "Many Hackett clients find Six Sigma to be a powerful tool for incremental improvement. Using a combination of Six Sigma and LEAN, one U.S. client was able to achieve major progress in accounts payable, including a 50% reduction in payment processing time, largely by identifying errors and eliminating non-value-added activities. At another Hackett client, Six Sigma played a key role in their ability to decrease cycle times and reduce costs as they built a global shared services organization. Overall, Hackett's research shows that 86% of all finance shared services organizations have a strong commitment to continuous improvement programs such as Six Sigma. " ...

Via The Hackett Group: Six Sigma Not a Silver Bullet for Back-Office Improvements

Enteprise Lean Program: National Manufacturing

National Manufacturing, Chatham, NJ, invests in continuous improvement through lean manufacturing. ...

... "Additionally, a comprehensive, enterprise-wide lean manufacturing program was initiated to ensure employees get the right products to the right place at the right time in the right quantity, while minimizing waste and being flexible and open to last-minute tweaking. " ...

Via Star Ledger NJ: Link

Manufacturing Execution Systems: MES Role in Lean

Systems that support manufacturing execution have a role in the lean enterprise. ...

... "I'm frustrated that everybody is talking about lean, Six Sigma and driving down cost and risk, but they still see MES as a nice have. " ...

Via Manufacturing Computer Solutions: MES traceability in complex manufacturing ...

Balanced Scorecard Decision Support

Financial company deploys BI software to enable decision support through a balanced scorecard. ...

... "Pentaho Corp., creator of the world's most popular open source business intelligence (BI) suite, announced that Italian commercial finance firm Unionfidi S.C. has deployed Pentaho’s Open BI Suite to deliver a balanced scorecard, reporting, and analysis application that provides vital information and decision support to multiple departments. This application, built with the Pentaho Open BI Suite and called UFIntelligence, is deployed to Unionfidi S.C. employees in risk management, accounting, human resources, marketing, and other departments: said Davide De Ruvo, CIO at Unionfidi S.C.. The centerpiece of this application is a balanced scorecard that provides key metrics from multiple business perspectives including financial, customer, business process, and learning and growth. Our users also have access to supporting reports and analytical views linked to the scorecard, and receive standard reports relevant to their roles via e-mail. Users in the Loans Department, for example, receive frequent, timely reports on customer loan deadlines. " ...

Via Pentaho: Italian Financial Firm Unionfidi S.C. Deploys Pentaho for Enterprise Business Intelligence ...

Six Sigma Dashboard: Performance Management

Performance management enables focus on the Six Sigma banner metrics that drive cultural change. ...

... "Her company taps a bag of PM-oriented tricks, ranging from balanced scorecards to Six Sigma-all of which must be managed and tracked at the people, process, and technology levels. " ...

Via Enterprise Systems: Link

Project Portfolio Management: Six Sigma Support ...

Tata Consultancy builds a project and portfolio management system around the Microsoft Project 2007 product. It will enable the deployment of Six Sigma portfolio management and tracking of projects over the DMAIC lifecycle (DMAIC = Define-Measure-Analyze-Improve-Control). Tata's Six Sigma solution is branded as SigmaX(TM). Enterprise portfolio management tools require a significant amount of effort to design and configure. A pre-configured system, tailored for the Six Sigma methodology, is a winner. ...

... "The TCS-Microsoft EPM Solutions is an end-to-end offering that addresses enterprise project planning, definition, execution, management, measurement and tracking needs for businesses. It offers customized niche solutions for industry verticals, Six Sigma deployment and collaborative product development. Tata SigmaX(TM): helps organizations deploy quality management rapidly and consistently by mapping the robust technologies of the Microsoft Office Enterprise Project Management (EPM) platform to the Six Sigma quality management methodology. " ...

Via Tata: Tata Consultancy Services Among First to Launch Enterprise Project and Portfolio Management Solutions on Microsoft Office Project 2007

Market Forces: Lean Manufacturing ...

The impact of economic forces at play in the market on enterprise profitability cannot be stabilized solely by an operational efficiency program, such as lean manufacturing. ...

... "So then this whole idea of lean manufacturing hasn't really stopped the market gyrations, right? Chia: Not for everyone. Broadcom will see a revenue drop in Q3. " ...

Via Electronic News: Read

SAP PlantFloor Integration: Supports SixSigma Efforts

GE Fanuc and SAP partner to integrate SAP ERP business system with the plant floor automation system. The systems integration supports visibility to manufacturing operations in order to drive operational efficiency and continuous improvement. ...

... "The combination of GE Fanuc's Production Management solutions with SAP's Production Execution services allows for the gathering, analyzing and transforming of real-time data into information to continuously improve a company's level of productivity and performance. The real-time visibility and intelligence facilitated by the combined solution translates into improved agility, quality and efficiency by tracking and executing production operations through a closed-loop information exchange with the SAP Business Suite.

The solutions will provide product genealogy information traced by raw material consumption and production performance data. Additionally, they will drive operational efficiency and quality as well as the ability to respond quickly to manufacturing events and trends. These flexible, capable production systems will also meet the needs of companies that typically manufacture many variants of their products and require exceptional agility." ...

Via GE Fanuc Automation: GE Fanuc Teams with SAP to Ease Enterprise Integration, Improve Quality and Drive Productivity ...

Manufacturing Software: Integrated Six Sigma Process

Acquisition of manufacturing software vendor: CDC Software acquires MVI Technology, whose solutions enable process manufacturers Six Sigma methods. ...

... "The MVI system is the first RPM solution specifically designed for food & beverage and consumer products industries. This innovative solution enables manufacturers to merge automated shop floor data, quality process control and manufacturing performance dashboards as part of improved visibility and continuous improvement campaigns supported by a Six Sigma process. These applications directly complement CDC Software's Ross ERP (enterprise performance management), Ross SCM (supply chain management) and Ross EPM (enterprise performance management) solutions. " ...

Via CDC Software: CDC Software Acquires MVI Technology, a Leading Provider of Real-Time Performance Management (RPM) Solutions ...

Project Management Office PMO: Six Sigma Gate Process

Chiquita strengthens its leadership team. New CIO has background in project management offices PMO with Six Sigma process methods. ...

... "Singh came to Chiquita from Gillette in Singapore where he served as director, Asia Pacific business systems and regional chief information officer for four years. He combined three independent IT organizations into a single unit responsible for all Asia Pacific IT operations. In addition, he developed a regional project management office and drove the creation of a project development and approval process tailored to Asia Pacific needs and which incorporated Six Sigma concepts while also leading the regional SAP, JDE, and Fourth Shift enterprise resource planning teams. " ...

Via Chiquita Brands International: Chiquita Announces Organizational Changes To Facilitate Market Growth Opportunities ...