LSS program manager discusses profit improvement

at logistics conference event on April 28. ...

... "Increasing Profitability in a Challenging Economy, 8:30 a.m., Media General Hanover Production Facility ... Speaker: Taylor Frazier III, Defense Supply Center Richmond Lean Six Sigma program manager. " ...

Via Richmond Times-Dispatch: Business Meetings

Walmart Green Supply Chain Will Target Manufacturing and Raw Materials

to drive goal eliminating 20 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions from its global supply chain. Walmart will implement a program to drive action in the supply chain processes. ...

... "Action -- For a project to be included as part of this goal, it must reduce GHGs from a product in either the sourcing of raw materials, manufacturing, transportation, customer use or end-of-life disposal. Walmart must demonstrate it had direct influence on the reduction and show how that reduction would not have occurred without Walmart’s participation. " ...

Via Walmart Stores: http://bit.ly/daVXIu

Lean Six Sigma Business Intelligence in Logistics

Conference in February 2010 will look at best practices for performance outsourcing in third party logistics, where speakers share their success stories with improving the customer relationship. ...

... "George will demonstrate how Transplace has incorporated Lean Six Sigma (LSS) practices into its customer relationships, along with the deployment of a business intelligence solution, to continuously identify, analyze and deliver added value. " ...

Via Logistics Viewpoints: 3PL Relationships

Bosch RFID Lean Manufacturing

Continuous Improvement Business Strategy

Radiant delivers respectable results for the quarter and positions the company for the near-term growth and differentiation through continuous improvement efforts. ...

... "We approach 2010 with a sharp focus on our three-prong strategy: (1) providing continuous improvement to our existing network participants in terms of technology, buy rates and enhanced service offerings; (2) building upon the success of our organic growth initiative by on-boarding additional agent stations; and (3) opportunistically pursuing acquisition opportunities, including strategic opportunities within the community of agent-based forwarders. " ...

Via MSN Money: Radiant Logistics Results

Sensors Decrease Logistics Bottlenecks

Ringnes, Norway brewer, implements IBM sensor technology to improve visibility in its logistics processes to lower bottlenecks and increase operational efficiency. ...

... "The IBM system is helping Ringnes to reduce costs and make more timely deliveries. Employees in the Ringnes Oslo facility are now able to access a complete view of the trucks and containers inside the shipping and receiving terminal, as well as their load status. Ringnes can quickly determine whether a trailer or container is on or off site, how long it was parked at the facility, and when it was loaded, unloaded, and driven away. In addition, the brewery can quickly spot and resolve bottlenecks in its logistics operations and address them in order to speed deliveries. " ...

Via IBM: Norway Brewery Reduces Bottlenecks in Logistics Operations

Lean Six Sigma for War Fighters

Six Sigma Market Differentiation

Competitors jockey for market position in the real estate market as leaders tout Six Sigma methods as a talent differentiator. ...

... "In addition, we have added a consulting department of Six Sigma black belts from places like FedEx, and they augment the strategy in the areas of workplace efficiency and utilization plus logistics. " ...

Via New York Observer: Market Performance

Logistics Lean Supply Chain Collaboration

Transplace CEO discusses the third party logistics space and touches on how collaboration through lean and Six Sigma can add value to supply chain participants. ...

... "we have done of a lot of joint Lean-Six Sigma projects with our customers, primarily on the Lean side. We are looking at processes involved in transportation management and identifying where there are steps in those processes that just don’t add any value and can be eliminating them. " ...

Via Logistics Management: Transplace 3PL

Six Sigma Facility Flow

Bell Helicopter opens supply center in Canada that incorporates design features based on Six Sigma principles. ...

... "The layout of the new facility, combined with the incorporation of Six Sigma into our processes, has greatly improved our efficiency, and reduced the amount of floor space within which we function. " ...

Via Vertical Magazine: Calgary Supply Center

Six Sigma Freight Logistics Improvements Seen

The size of the opportunity to improve logistics cycle times is significant. Identification of critical variables using Six Sigma techniques and deployment of a new operating model for scheduling deliveries will bring improvement. Benefits are realized by optimizing the amount of vehicles waiting at any point in time, so that overall wait times are decreased. ...

... "Using a Six Sigma model to improve productivity and efficiency, the Rosehill project cut waiting times for scheduled trucks, and more than 75% of daily movements are now using the scheduling service. " ...

Via Transport & Logistics: Truck Logistics Improvement

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

Airbus Lean Productivity Increase Planned

Airbus expects lean program to pay productivity dividends. ...

... "a productivity increase of 16% by 2010 through use of Lean manufacturing; and a reduction in the supplier cost base and the number of logistics centres from 80 to eight through smart buying. " ...

Via Flight Global: Airbus

Toyota Recognizes Kaizen Suppliers

J.B. Hunt is recognized by Toyota as its Large Carrier of the Year for 2006. ...

... "In addition, Toyota scores each carrier on its ability to embrace and culturally implement Kaizen, Toyota's methodology for continuous improvement. J.B. Hunt has taken significant steps to eliminate waste from its own operations and further improve Toyota's supply chain processes by ensuring the production facilities receive the right amount of product at the right time. This is accomplished by utilizing a unique blend of intermodal and traditional truckload movements that provide Toyota with an on-time percentage greater than 99%. " ...

Via Toyota: Toyota Recognizes J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. with the Prestigious 2006 Large Carrier of the Year Award

Lean Logistics Services

Menlo Worldwide receives the Global Institute of Logistics' Award of Excellence for outstanding contribution to the development of Logistics Service Provision (LSP). ...

... "According to the Institute, Menlo was selected because of its success in applying the principles of Lean manufacturing to the LSP sector. After reviewing a considerable amount of data, the Institute was convinced that Menlo had developed an operating model and a best practice that provided an excellent benchmark for other LSPs to emulate. Additionally, Menlo significantly improved its customers' efficiency, service and overall supply-chain performance.

The Lean concept uses a company's employees to discover ways to remove waste from processes by drawing on the expertise and knowledge of people who perform the work. Employees are given a framework within which to work, and problem-solving tools enabling them to analyse work processes, identify wasteful and unnecessary practices and develop plans to improve efficiency and reduce costs. Essentially, Lean manufacturing methodologies applied in the supply chain allow for the continuous removal of cost from warehousing and logistics operations leading to improved financial returns for both the customer and the logistics provider. " ...

Via Menlo Worldwide: Menlo Worldwide Named Supplier of the Year by MAQUET, Inc.