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The Sixth Sigma: Achieve Breakthrough Performance Using Six Sigma

Saturday, April 03, 2010

Coke Manufacturing Hundred Percent Recycling Goal

Coke plant sets challenging target and supports workforce recycling efforts. ...

... "When we talk about sustainable packaging and recycling, our goal is to be 100 percent, said John Zermeno, director of manufacturing for Coca-Cola's south business unit. " ...


Via Memphis Tennessee, Commercial Appeal: Coca-Cola Memphis plant

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Saturday, December 12, 2009

Plant Optimization Panel Discussion

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Monday, November 30, 2009

Nestle Lean Manufacturing Operations

Nestle is recognized with Processor of the Year for its operational excellence and shared values. The company has changed its manufacturing footprint and sees lean manufacturing as a foundation to continue its improvement journey. ...

... "There much more potential to do so in a way that supports Nestle's retrenched focus on lean and effective manufacturing operations. " ...


Via Food Processing: Nestle USA

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Sunday, November 15, 2009

Lean Production System

Lean production strategies are embraced and branded at food manufacturer. ...

... "Del Monte, which manufactures pet foods and supplements at its Topeka facility, received a Manufacturing Award of Distinction from the Mid-America Manufacturing Technology Center ... a commitment to improvement through lean manufacturing, the Del Monte Production System. " ...


Via Capital Journal: Business

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Saturday, November 14, 2009

Manufacturing Reinvention



Company Info: With more than 5,000 team members worldwide and revenues of $1.2 billion, Barry-Wehmiller Companies, Inc. has leveraged strategic acquisitions and organic growth initiatives to succeed.

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Wednesday, October 28, 2009

AstraZeneca Lean Drug Production

AstraZeneca looks to learn from the automotive lean experience and translate that success into the pharmaceutical manufacturing space. ...

... "Since the summer, the company has agreed to fund at least two lean experts borrowed from Jaguar Land Rover, who are applying their knowledge of car production techniques to drugs. " ...


Via Pharmalot: AstraZeneca


John Earley, Astrazeneca on Lean Transformation - Watch a funny movie here

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Thursday, October 22, 2009

Lean Startup Methods Integrates Agile Lean and Web2.0

Startup companies can build on a foundation of lean instead of adopting lean manufacturing principles much later in its lifecycle. This approach for startups integrates practices from a number of methodologies. ...

... "The Lean Startup is a practical approach for creating and managing a new breed of company that excels in low-cost experimentation, rapid iteration, and true customer insight. It uses principles of agile software development, open source and web 2.0, and lean manufacturing to guide the creation of technology businesses that create disruptive innovation. " ...


Via Arctic Startup: Startup Methodology

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Sunday, October 18, 2009

New Balance Lean Manufacturing Footsteps

New Balance deploys lean manufacturing principles to keep its domestic production globally competitive. The company has scaled its processes globally and continues to compete and grow. The workforce is committed to success through continuous improvement. ...

... "It also prides itself in the lean manufacturing techniques it uses to keep prices down. Much of the credit for the success of New Balance’s five-plant U.S. operation goes to the company’s employees, who are committed to their work and the products the company manufactures, DeMartini said. " ...


Via Rubber News: New Balance Domestic Manufacturing

New Balance Executional Excellence Program (PDF) is built on a foundation of lean manufacturing principles.

New Balance deploys lean principles

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Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Lean Insights

Lean expert shares his experience with local Maryland-area businesses at Carroll Community College this week. ...

... "You start to identify areas of waste, and then you would engage the entire team to get activated to help you take that waste out of the system … which is applicable to any business, Scaffede said. " ...


Via Carroll County Times: Manufacturing Insights

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Friday, September 11, 2009

System Engineering with Six Sigma Black Belt

It's the first day for your recent graduate and new hire into the production engineer position on the shop floor. The packaging line is down and the mechanics on the scene have gone for a coffee break to the shop. Is your new hire ready? Cornell University integrates Six Sigma black belt certification into its system engineering degree to produce better prepared manufacturing engineers. ...

... "Cornell students getting a degree in systems engineering, an interdisciplinary field that deals with how complex engineering projects should be designed and managed, can receive a black belt in a program called Six Sigma. " ...


Via Cornell Chronicle: Six Sigma Essentials

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Monday, August 10, 2009

McCoy Corp Lean Manufacturing Implementation

McCoy Corporation weathers the business cycle, implementing lean manufacturing as its competitive advantage in ts markets. ...

... "The Corporation's continued implementation of lean manufacturing processes was a major success factor in 2008 and will continue to be so in 2009 and beyond as this implementation is expected to continue to show positive results. The Corporation is committed to continuously improving efficiencies and moving closer to a goal of having its operations become centres of excellence for manufacturing and being the low cost provider while maintaining high quality standards. The Corporation has established a lean consortium group representative of all of McCoy's business segments. The Corporation believes its experience with lean implementations will be an advantage in any manufacturing businesses that McCoy may acquire. " ...


Via McCoy Corporation: Second Quarter 2009 Results

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Saturday, June 27, 2009

Utah Manufacturers Get Shingo'd

EFI Electronics and Autoliv are recognized for their lean manufacturing performance with Shingo Prizes. Both companies were committed to lean operations, which required changes such as equipment modifications and layout changes. ...

... "Autoliv, the maker of automobile airbag systems and one of the state's largest manufacturers, was awarded the top Shingo Prize for two of its five Utah locations. " ...


Via Salt Lake Tribune: Shingo prize

EFI Electronics Shingo Silver Medallion (PDF)

Shingo reception highlights ...



Autoliv uses team-based kaizen systems (PDF).

Autoliv's implementation of lean has been a journey (PDF).

Autoliv is recognized in the industry for its impressive lean manufacturing system. ...

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Sunday, May 10, 2009

Multi-Fineline Electronix World-Class Manufacturing through Six Sigma

Flexible circuit manufacturer discusses company performance and the use of quality improvement on its operational efficiency. ...

... "In response to reduced cost and improve our operational performance as a world-class technology manufacturing company, we have initiated ambitious lean-manufacturing and Six Sigma quality improvement initiative. These are expected to enhance our operational performance in both the short and long term. " ...


Via Seeking Alpha: Multi-Fineline Electronix Earnings Call

Multi-Fineline Electronix

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Monday, March 30, 2009

Remington Lean Six Sigma Progress

Remington uses lean and Six Sigma to drive efficiency in manufacturing
Remington Arms Company discusses company results and shares their focus on manufacturing productivity with Lean Six Sigma. ...

... "We continue to focus heavily on the company’s manufacturing operations. I am pleased to report ongoing progress in lean manufacturing and Six Sigma initiatives as they have continued to improve productivity and quality. " ...


Via Remington Arms: 3Q Transcript (doc)

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Monday, March 09, 2009

Merck Six Sigma

Merck CEO is Six Sigma champion
Merck announces blockbuster pharmaceutical industry acquisition, but expect the CEO to leverage Six Sigma methods to achieve and sustain operating efficiency synergies. ...

... "His background was in manufacturing and operations, his mantra: Six Sigma -- a system to lower costs and improve efficiency ... " ...


Via Reuters: Merck CEO

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Tuesday, March 03, 2009

ReThink Lean to Grow Profitably

While we have embraced lean, our implementation may have missed the true beneficiary of our lean efforts: the customer. In order to be successful, any business strategies for profitable growth should leverage the power of the workforce. ...

... "Lean has become more of displaying numbers, reorganizing the floor and such, but still most businesses shrink as there is little focus on customers and not much impact on growth. " ...


Via Quality Magazine: Manufacturing Excellence

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Friday, February 13, 2009

Manufacturing Vision

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Sunday, February 01, 2009

Lean Is Easy to Grasp

Assembly Line by urbangarden on Flickr
While the concept of lean is easy to grasp, implementing it is a journey. Industry has yet to fully leverage its benefits. ...

... "At its most fundamental level, a lean approach to manufacturing entails just what you'd expect: stripping away the excess. Going lean means cutting costs and boosting efficiency at every stage of the manufacturing process. " ...


Via DC Velocity: Lean up your act

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Monday, January 12, 2009

Lexus Hybrid RX Improves with Kaizen

Lexus RX hybrid built with kaizen techniques
New Lexus hybrid vehicle incorporates efficiency and performance updates enabled through the deployment of kaizen techniques throughout the design, development, and manufacturing processes. ...

... "The Lexus Hybrid Drive in the new RX is a perfect example of how Lexus uses kaizen to improve its vehicles, said Lexus Vice President and General Manager Mark Templin ... " ...


Via The FINANCIAL: Lexus Hybrid Drive

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Monday, December 01, 2008

Project Management for Manufacturing

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Tuesday, August 19, 2008

Automotive Customer Satisfaction

Customer satisfaction statistics are available for the auto industry, showing a growing disparity for American automakers except for Saturn. ...

Saturn quality drives customer satisfaction

... "Hit with record losses, American auto manufacturers are also suffering from slumping customer satisfaction. No domestic car maker is represented among the top four nameplates, but the bottom three in the industry are all American brands. Yet customer satisfaction for the industry as a whole remains at an all-time high (unchanged at 82), and one American car maker, GM's Saturn, shows considerable improvement, climbing 5% to tie its all-time high from 1998." ...


Via American Customer Satisfaction Index: American Automakers Fall Further Behind Foreign Competition (PDF)

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Sunday, August 17, 2008

Quality in Manufacturing

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Tuesday, June 03, 2008

Women and Lean

Women entrepreneurs leverage lean manufacturing for success. ...

... "Frankly, the odds were stacked against it, but Grant went to Japan to see now they did Lean manufacturing and set up her factory in ultima thule, with a workforce whose experience was largely drawn from sheep farming. " ...


Via Exec Digital UK: Women of enterprise

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Wednesday, May 21, 2008

Manufacturing Excellence and Asset Utilization Improve Profitability

Box manufacturer discusses financial results. ...

... "Remains focused on driving for low cost through asset utilization and manufacturing excellence. 5. Increasing asset utilization in box plant system has enormous leverage to improving earnings and returns. " ...


Via insurancenewsnet: Temple-Inland Inc. Conference Call

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Sunday, May 04, 2008

Lean Practitioners Share Successes

American Association for Manufacturing Excellence provides opportunity for sharing success stories. ...

... "Topic: Lean manufacturing in the spotlight. Lean practitioners will share their continuous-improvement lean success stories and more. " ...


Via Minneapolis-St Paul Star-Tribune: Business Calendar

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Saturday, April 26, 2008

Education Key to Manufacturing Future

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Sunday, February 03, 2008

Six Sigma Manufacturing Excellence Recognized

The Indianapolis, Indiana based plant of General Cable is recognized for its manufacturing excellence across multiple dimensions. The company culture built on a foundation of principles and uses lean and Six Sigma methods to eliminate waste and defects. ...

General Cable plant is named Best in North America

... "General Cable was chosen out of 32 companies, who were actually chosen out of 165 other facilities across North America who were nominated as leaders in their industries. " ...


Via Terra Haute Tribune Star: Best Plant in America

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Monday, November 12, 2007

Six Sigma Performance Program Provides Quality of Service Guarantee

TagSYS and IBM collaborate to support pharmaceutical e-pedigree. TagSys brings Six Sigma quality to the table with guaranteed quality of service. ...

... "TAGSYS will provide customers with the same expertise and architecture used in its Six Sigma Performance Program, a quality-of-service program that guarantees fewer than four failures in one million read opportunities. " ...


Via IBM: IBM and TAGSYS Team on Serialization Pilot Kit for Pharmaceutical Manufacturers


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Sunday, September 16, 2007

Lean Manufacturing Excellence Recognition for Medical Diagnostics Company

Ventana Medical Systems is awarded the National Award for Manufacturing Excellence from the Association for Manufacturing Excellence (AME). The award is in recognition of the utilization of strategies and techniques that improve competitiveness and profitability. ...

Ventana Medical Systems recognized for manufacturing excellence

... "We are very proud to be the recipient of this award, which places us as a leader in lean systems methodologies regionally, nationally and within the diagnostics industry. Our lean manufacturing initiatives, which are supported by a culture of continuous improvement, are just one of the many ways we strive every day to constantly improve upon quality, productivity and profitability throughout all levels of our global organization. " ...


Via Ventana Medical Systems: Ventana Medical Systems to Receive National Award for Manufacturing Excellence from the AME

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Wednesday, August 08, 2007

Six Sigma Certification

Nexergy manufacturing and quality engineers have been certified as Six Sigma Black Belts. ...

... "Jon Krug, quality manager and senior manufacturing engineer for Nexergy, completed his Six Sigma Black Belt certification. Mitch Matheny, who was hired this summer by Nexergy as manufacturing engineer, earned his certification prior to joining the company. Both participated in the rigorous Six Sigma education process that includes many hours of classroom training as well as work on an applied project. " ...


Via Nexergy: Managers Earn Six Sigma Black Belt Certification

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Wednesday, July 04, 2007

Manufacturing Excellence Recognition

Oracle customers - Avago Technologies, Batesville Casket and Hologic - are recognized for their manufacturing excellence at the third annual Progressive Manufacturing 50 Awards Program, presented by Managing Automation. ...

... "The Progressive Manufacturing 50 Awards Program recognizes 50 companies that have achieved distinction in at least one of the eight core disciplines defined by Managing Automation as critical to business success in the years ahead. These disciplines include: Business Model Mastery, Customer Mastery, Supply Network Mastery, Data & Integration Mastery, Innovation Mastery, Training & Education Mastery, Leadership (new), and Operational Excellence (new). " ...


Via Oracle: 2007 Progressive Manufacturing 50

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Saturday, April 28, 2007

Minitab Recognized For Six Sigma in Manufacturing

Minitab is recognized by Frost and Sullivan with its Award for Customer Value Leadership of the Year in the quality compliance, manufacturing productivity and statistical process control market. ...

... "Using the Minitab packages, customers have been able to achieve a greater degree of standardization in their quality improvement projects, which in turn has made these projects easy to supervise and manage. This has minimized the amount of resources required to complete individual projects and saved companies time and money at the overall project level. In addition to reducing costs, Minitab software has enabled project leaders to easily access more information at various crucial stages of a project, allowing them to make more informed decisions. Minitab's wide set of customer services and allied support activities are other competitive advantages that differentiate it from other participants. The company boasts of a strong technical support suite that provides free assistance to its users and helps identify customers' most recent requirements, thereby obtaining their confidence. Minitab's recently released Minitab(R) 15 Statistical Software includes very useful enhancements, such as probability distribution plots, broader Gage R&R capabilities, the ability to attach formulas to columns in the worksheet and the latest reliability methods for forecasting future warranty claims. " ...


Via Frost & Sullivan: Frost & Sullivan Extols Minitab Inc. for Its Ability in Assisting Customers to Make Optimum Utilization of their Resources

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Saturday, March 17, 2007

Arizona Manufacturers Think Lean

Arizona manufacturing base retools for efficiency, using lean principles to compete globally. Manufacturing leaders are recognized for their performance. ...

... "As a result, many Arizona manufacturers are working on retooling both their staffs and machinery, he said. Now they're thinking in lean manufacturing terms, he said. Is your supply chain moving things efficiently? " ...


Via EastValleyTribune: Arizona Manufacturing

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Tuesday, March 06, 2007

Manufacturing Excellence: Pierce Recognized

Pierce, an Oshkosh subsidiary, is recognized with Wisconsin manufacturer of year award ...

Pierce uses lean manufacturing to streamline its manufacturing processes

... "In 2006, Pierce opened an $18 million, 130,000-square-foot production facility expansion. The expansion was spurred by strong growth in the fire, rescue and homeland security apparatus industry. The development provides Pierce with additional capacity to meet this growing demand, help enhance quality, reduce lead times for customers, and streamline manufacturing processes in line with the company's lean manufacturing initiative. It also positions the company for future growth opportunities. " ...


Oshkosh Truck Subsidiary, Pierce Manufacturing, Named Wisconsin Manufacturer of the Year

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Monday, February 26, 2007

Lean Practices Local Training

Wisconsin Manufacturing Extension Partnership will offer training and consulting in lean practices to local businesses. ...

... "Local resident Fritz Dramm has joined the Wisconsin Manufacturing Extension Partnership as a manufacturing specialist. In this role, he will help area small and mid-size manufacturers implement strategies to boost competitiveness and profitability. " ...


Via Manitowoc Herald Times: Read

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Saturday, February 24, 2007

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. ...

Web seminar on lean accounting

... "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

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Wednesday, February 21, 2007

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 ...

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Monday, February 12, 2007

Solectron Lean Manufacturing Success at Guadalajara

Solectron Corporation's Guadalajara, Mexico facility wins the 2007 Shingo Business Prize for Excellence in Manufacturing. Solectron Guadalajara is recognized for demonstrating Lean Six Sigma leadership through operational and process improvements in quality, productivity and efficiency. ...

... "Underscoring the customer value of the Solectron Production System(TM), Solectron's Lean Six Sigma manufacturing methodology, Solectron Guadalajara demonstrated manufacturing excellence, including a significant focus on continuous improvement processes. The entire facility and its employees operate within the company-wide Kaizen culture of continuous improvement, which is at the heart of the Solectron Production System, or SPS. SPS helps OEMs improve quality and efficiency, reduce waste, lower cost and improve flexibility. " ...


Via Solectron: Solectron Receives Prestigious Shingo Award for Lean Manufacturing Excellence ...

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Tuesday, January 30, 2007

SixSigma Manufacturing Supports Company Growth Plan

Boston-Power completes funding to fuel its growth through next-generation, lithium-ion notebook computer batteries. The company has demonstrated Six Sigma performance at its China manufacturing site. ...

Company founder believes in Six Sigma performance

... "Boston-Power is led by Founder and CEO Dr. Christina Lampe-Onnerud, a recognized strategist, technology advisor and authority in the global battery industry. Lampe-Onnerud has assembled a world-class team with more than 100 years of combined experience in lithium-ion technology and manufacturing, consumer electronics sales and intellectual property patent law. Headquartered in Westborough, Mass., the company has Six Sigma-level manufacturing operations in Shenzhen, China. " ...


Via Boston-Power: Boston-Power fuels expansion with $15.6 million in series B financing

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Thursday, January 18, 2007

Plant Reliability: Six Sigma FMEA

Reliability excellence builds on simple foundation of Six Sigma concepts, such as failure mode and effects analysis ...

... "Patterned after Six Sigma, the concept of reliability excellence includes tools specifically designed to identify and manage risks, including environmental, health and safety. The process begins with a thorough simplified failure modes and effects analysis (SFMEA). " ...


Via Plant Services: Reliability

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Wednesday, January 10, 2007

Boeing Lean Recognition: Continuous Improvement Performance

Boeing recognized for its strengths in continuous improvement
Boeing's Space and Intelligence Systems division receives California Award for Performance Excellence, Gold Level award in recognition of its high performance in continuous improvement efforts. ...

... "Howard Chambers, S&IS vice president and general manager: S&IS is comprised of several organizations obtained through mergers and acquisitions, and we've made it a priority to merge processes and procedures in order to improve competitiveness and leverage lean manufacturing, six sigma and other initiatives. The Gold award validates that we are on the right path toward overall business excellence and symbolizes our commitment to flawless program execution. " ...


Via Boeing: Boeing Receives Top Award for California Performance Excellence

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Monday, December 25, 2006

Operating Excellence: Lean Experienced Executive

MD Helicopters implement lean manufacturing
New chief operating officer at MD Helicopters has an extensive background in lean manufacturing and operational excellence. ...

... "Ted Gee comes to MDHI from Ingersoll Rand, Inc. where he was VP of Operational Excellence/Lean Promotion Officer. He held a senior position at Pulte Homes Sciences where he was President and GM. Prior to that, Ted spent 9 years with the Harley-Davidson Motor Company. His tenure at Harley was during their big turn-around in the mid-90's which was driven by a variety of lean manufacturing initiatives resulting in significant improvements in costs, quality and deliverables. His last position there was as Director of Manufacturing for their Sportster Division which introduced and manufactured the new VROD motorcycle. Ted has received a variety of certifications in lean manufacturing and six sigma and received training in Japan. " ...


Via MD Helicopters: MDHI APPOINTS NEW EXECUTIVES
...

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Sunday, December 17, 2006

Manufacturing Excellence: Welders Learn Lean

Company uses training program to manage through constraints in its manufacturing workforce. ...

... "Students spend two days a week in hands-on training at Jensen's shop and three days in the classroom, learning blueprint reading, measurements and Manufacturing Excellence concepts, like lean manufacturing. " ...


Via Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Read

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Sunday, October 15, 2006

Manufacturing Excellence Keynote at Engineering Conference ...

Lean manufacturing expert will keynote upcoming engineering conference. ...

... "Izzy Galicia, Vice President of Client Services for The Corporation for Manufacturing Excellence (Manex) will keynote Collaborate 2006 being held October 10th – 12th in Huntsville, Alabama. The conference is hosted by the Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME) in partnership with the Alabama Aerospace Industry Association and the Alabama Automotive Manufacturers Association. Mr. Galicia and Manex are well known for their work helping enterprises transform their organizations through Lean Manufacturing. As part of a panel of industry leaders, Mr. Galicia and executives from Toyota, Lockheed Martin, and Northrop Grumman will kick off the event by sharing an industry perspective on innovative technology applications and processes, including Lean Manufacturing, supply chain integration, and workforce development. " ...


Via Manex: Shingo Award-Winning Lean Expert, Izzy Galicia, to Keynote SME Collaborate 2006 Conference ...

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Wednesday, October 11, 2006

Automotive Manufacturing: Kaizen Methodology

Bentley manufacturing event will examine success through methods such as kaizen. ...

Bentley hosts manufacturing event

... "At Bentley on 18 October, manufacturing managers from across Britain will be examining how attaining high levels of production excellence by applying world class standards and techniques like Japanese-inspired kaizen methodology can lift the sector out of the doldrums. They will also have the opportunity to visit the Bentley production line. " ...

Via The Manufacturing Alliance: The exclusive network for senior management in engineering ...

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Tuesday, August 29, 2006

Human Resource Supports Lean Manufacturing ...

Human resources and the incentives that motivate employees enable successful organizations and support lean manufacturing excellence. ...

... "Manufacturing jobs often involve complex and dangerous machinery, said Ketchen. In high-performing companies, the services that the human resource function provides, such as safety and training, support other programs such as quality management and lean manufacturing systems to make sure that workers are safe, motivated and productive. " ...

Human Resource Supports Lean Manufacturing: Via Reliable Plant: Research shows cutting employee incentives hurts

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Wednesday, July 26, 2006

Lean Pharma Evolution ...

Survey shows pharma industry implementation of lean six sigma is evolving slowly. ...

... "Despite its huge popularity in the automotive and high-tech industries, Lean Manufacturing hasn't experienced the same high success rate in the pharmaceuticals industry, where complex process manufacturing processes are used. This is according to the results of a recent survey of more than 1,500 pharmaceutical manufacturers conducted by Invistics, a developer of manufacturing performance optimization solutions for complex, asset-intensive industries.

Lean manufacturing is slow to pay back in the pharma industry ...
The recently conducted 2006 survey showed that while more than half of the respondents said their companies have implemented Lean, Six Sigma or Operational Excellence, less than half of those Lean initiatives have produced satisfactory results. This is due to the fundamental complexities of the pharmaceutical manufacturing process, which produce challenges not found in simple high-volume manufacturing plants that can dedicate production equipment to specific product lines, such as automobiles and computers. " ...

Via Invistics: Traditional Lean Manufacturing May Not Be Rx for Pharmaceutical Companies ...

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Saturday, July 22, 2006

Kaizen Passion: Ingredient for Manufacturing Excellence ...

You know you are on the path to excellence when the workforce exhibits these behaviors after a kaizen event ...

... "when empowered, fully-engaged machine operators extol the results of a recent kaizen event and cite the time and money they've saved the plant, the company and the customer. " ...

Via IndustryWeek : Editor's Page -- Building A Passion For Manufacturing Excellence

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Tuesday, June 27, 2006

Lean Manufacturing Medical Firm: Recognized Best Place to Work ...

Aspect Medical Systems, Inc. is recognized by the Boston Business Journal as one of the 2006 Best Places to Work, for creating a positive work environment that attracts and retains employees through a combination of employee satisfaction, working conditions and company culture. ...Aspect recognized for lean manufacturing and human resource prowess ...

... "This recognition from the Boston Business Journal is one of four notable awards Aspect Medical has received in 2006. In May, Aspect Medical was named one of the Boston Globe's Top 100 Companies. The Globe 100 ranks the best-performing publicly traded Massachusetts-based corporations using criteria including sales growth, profit, and positive returns for shareholders during 2005. In April, Aspect Medical was awarded the Shingo Prize for Excellence in Manufacturing, hailed as the Nobel Prize for manufacturing by BusinessWeek magazine. Aspect Medical also received the 2006 HR Medallion award in recognition of outstanding human resource practices that support lean manufacturing. One Shingo Prize winner is awarded the HR Medallion each year. Aspect Medical was chosen by demonstrating human resources strategies and programs that improve retention. " ...

Lean Manufacturing Medical Firm: Recognized Best Place to Work: Via Aspect Medical Systems: Aspect Medical Systems Recognized as One of the 2006 Best Places to Work by the Boston Business Journal; Award Follows Recognition as one of Boston Globe's Top 100 Companies ...

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Tuesday, June 20, 2006

SixSigma Recognition: FreudenburgNOK by Ford ...

DFSS Design for Six Sigma process recognized by Ford ...
Freudenburg NOK is recognized by Ford for its innovative use of DFSS Design for Six Sigma in the pre-production process of automotive component manufacturing. ...

... "In honor of the Technology Specialist's quality efforts, Freudenberg-NOK recently received a Recognition of Achievement Award from Ford Motor Co. for its consumer-driven Six Sigma accomplishments. The award is part of the automaker's World Excellence Awards program, which recognizes suppliers who not only achieve the highest levels of cost, quality and delivery, but who also embrace the vision to build Ford's legacy and drive innovation to new heights. The Recognition of Achievement Award, earned by only nine suppliers in 2005, honors suppliers who impact customer satisfaction by providing significant contributions in key designated areas including: environmental leadership, consumer-focused technology and consumer-driven Six Sigma.

Freudenberg-NOK's Advanced Vibration and Acoustics (AVA) group was charged with optimizing the sealing isolation system and the noise, vibration and harshness (NVH) characteristics for a cam cover design. AVA has developed techniques to synergize sealing and NVH, which are typically opposing phenomena. Utilizing Design for Six Sigma techniques, the Freudenberg-NOK engineering team improved the product pre-production, also optimizing cost savings and increasing customer value. Six Sigma, which focuses on measuring quality and allowing for no more than 3.4 defects per million parts, is one of the pillars of Freudenberg-NOK's Growtth program focused on superior quality, service and productivity. Freudenberg-NOK has 61 Six Sigma black belts on staff and has completed 155 Six Sigma projects to drive superior quality, enhance reliability and help automakers and tier one customers to reduce costs. " ...

Six Sigma Recognition: FreudenburgNOK by Ford: Via Freudenberg-NOK: Freudenberg-NOK Recognized for Six Sigma Achievement by Ford Motor Co ...

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Sunday, June 11, 2006

Lean 5S Tool Upgraded ...

Lean tool ...
Lean Toolkit upgraded ...

... "Kaizen Products LLC released its 5S ActionPack product upgrade. Designed to serve those getting started in Toyota Production System methods, the $349.00 multi-media training kit is now available. The 5S principles are a fundamental tool of the Toyota Production System, recognized world wide as a model of operational excellence. The 5S practice of Sort, Straighten, Sweep, Standardize and Self-Discipline are essential to establishing and maintain safety, quality, on-time delivery and productivity in any workplace. " ...

Lean 5S Tool Upgraded: Kaizen Products Releases 5S ActionPack Upgrade – Designed for the Lean Manufacturing DIY Market, New Version Contains Quick Reference Guides, Wallet Cards and Red Tags ...

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Monday, June 05, 2006

Six Sigma Debottlenecks ...

Six Sigma helps SKC debottleneck its operations ...
Tom Gray, business manager with SKC Films, discusses his firm's positioning for growth and operation excellence. ...

... "On the manufacturing side, we introduced Six Sigma, focusing on streamlining to free up bottlenecks in capacity, which also helps reduce cost. " ...

Six Sigma Debottlenecks: Via Converting Magazine: Industry suppliers take the stand

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Thursday, May 25, 2006

Kaizen Events Kickoff Operational Excellence Program ...

Kaizen events start off MITY's Lean Six Sigma program ...
MITY reports a good quarter and strong year, as it balances growth with operational efficiency. Just starting its kaizen events, you could expect it to deliver significant efficiencies over the next few years as Lean Six Sigma techniques work their magic. ...

... "To enhance our innovative chair offering, this quarter we introduced two new chair lines: the SwiftSet Courtside folding chair and the SwiftSet HDTM high density stacking chair. Both chair lines were in response to customer requests and expand our offering into previously untapped opportunities. In addition, we continue to focus on improving our operational excellence by implementing lean and six sigma manufacturing techniques. We are just starting to see some results from our efforts and, recently, had our first series of Kaizen events. " ...

Kaizen Events Kickoff Operational Excellence Program: Via Mity Enterprises: MITY ENTERPRISES, INC. ANNOUNCES RESULTS FOR FOURTH FISCAL QUARTER AND YEAR END ...

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Monday, May 15, 2006

Lean Software Replaces Purchase Orders ...

Timken Kunsebeck plant implements lean software to transform its supplier pull process...
Timken implements Ultriva lean software to eliminate purchase orders and pull materials into the production process. ...

... "The implementation follows the Timken Kunsebeck plant's successful pilot with Ultriva's lean software across three of its suppliers, which began in May 2005. Implementing Ultriva's lean manufacturing software, which replaced traditional purchase order processes, has already resulted in lead-time reductions of more than 30 percent, the elimination of many stock-outs and significant inventory reductions. Based on pilot results, Timken's Kunsebeck plant is targeting a 20 percent reduction in inventory and inventory carrying costs in 2006. The company also anticipates significant reductions in expediting, storage space, lead times, and overtime, as well as increased buyer and planner productivity. " ...

Lean Software Replaces Purchase Orders: Via Ultriva: Timken Deploys Ultriva Lean Manufacturing Software In Its European Automotive Division ...

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Sunday, May 14, 2006

Lean Manufacturing Shingo Prize: Raytheon ...

Raytheon receives the Shingo prize again this year ...
Raytheon units continue their tradition of lean manufacturing excellence through achievement of the Shingo Prize. ...

... "Raytheon Company's Integrated Defense Systems (IDS) has demonstrated continued success in manufacturing excellence as two business centers were announced as recipients of the prestigious regional Shingo Prize for excellence in lean manufacturing. Dubbed the Nobel prize of Manufacturing by Business Week, the Shingo Prize is recognized as the premier manufacturing award and recognition program in North America and honors companies that demonstrate a commitment to lean through the implementation and execution of lean manufacturing strategies to drive superior quality, value and enterprise-wide results. " ...

Lean Manufacturing Shingo Prize: Raytheon: Via Raytheon: Two Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems Centers Receive Shingo Prize for Manufacturing Excellence ...

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Tuesday, April 25, 2006

Six Sigma: Operating Efficiencies Support Earnings Growth by Manitowoc ...

Manitowoc has an excellent quarter supported by Six Sigma operational efficiencies ...

... "Excellence in Operations: We will continue to improve our processes, which will yield better products. Improved operating efficiencies from enterprise-wide adoption of global sourcing strategies, Six Sigma, Lean manufacturing, and other methodologies will generate more competitive costs, better quality, faster deliveries, and improved safety. " ...

Six Sigma: Operating Efficiencies Support Earnings Growth by Manitowoc: Via Manitowoc Company: Manitowoc First - Quarter 2006 Sales and Earnings Set Company Record ...

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Saturday, March 11, 2006

Lean Manufacturing Seminar: Operational Excellence 101

Upcoming lean manufacturing seminar ...

... "The Kennametal Center for Operational Excellence, part of Saint Vincent College's Alex G. McKenna School of Business, Economics, and Government will present Operational Excellence 101 - Lean Manufacturing Seminar on Wednesday, April 12 and Thursday, April 13. The event will be co-sponsored by the Saint Vincent College Small Business Development Center and is designed to educate those companies seeking to develop an integrated approach to their operations. " ...

Operational Excellence 101 - Lean Manufacturing seminar at Saint Vincent College - Via Saint Vincent College

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Wednesday, February 22, 2006

Manufacturing Excellence Recognized: Shingo Prize ...

Autoliv production system recognized for manufacturing excellence, with the Shingo Prize. ...

... "Autoliv Inc. – the worldwide leader in automotive safety – announced that its Promontory Facility in Utah has received the 2006 Shingo Prize for Excellence in Manufacturing.

Through the application of the Autoliv Production System, the facility has reduced process lead time by 69%, reduced customer ppm to zero, increased production efficiency to 99%, reduced inventory by 68%, reduced overhead by 38% and improved LMPU by 45%. During this same time, the Autoliv Promontory Facility has received numerous awards for outstanding safety and environmental practices. Some of those practices include developing a process to disassociate explosives back into their constituent raw materials. By using this process, the facility has not only recovered copper to sell on the open market, but has also eliminated over 150,000 lbs. of hazardous waste per year from being burned. " ...


Manufacturing Excellence Recognized: Shingo Prize: Autoliv Promontory Facility Receives Shingo Prize for Excellence in Manufacturing ...

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Sunday, February 19, 2006

Lean Strategy Takes Time ...

Report shows the benefits of Lean, but implementing the strategy takes time ...

... "The benefits are clear, but manufacturers adopting Lean strategies must be in it for the long haul because pervasive use of Lean processes and the resulting performance improvement take time, according to the results of Aberdeen's survey. " ...

Lean Strategy Takes Time: The Lean Strategies Benchmark Report: Manufacturing Excellence Moves to the Value Chain by Infor Global Solutions - Analyst Report - Via InformationWeek White Papers

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Friday, January 27, 2006

Six Sigma: Cessna Success ...

Cessna Aircraft Company leader, Jack Pelton, discusses the company's success and achievements in 2005, enabled by its Lean Six Sigma program. ...

... "He attributed the year's success to a world class Cessna team, award winning customer support, a broad product line that is responsive to the marketplace, emerging global markets, and implementation of lean manufacturing processes. During the year, Cessna delivered 249 Citation jets, 822 single engine pistons, and 86 Caravan single-engine turboprops; won FAA certification for two new jets -- the CJ1+ and CJ2+; and built its order book up to 788 jets and 1,198 single engine aircraft with a total value of $6.3 billion. The company also achieved significant refinement of its processes through implementation of the Textron Six Sigma Lean program, resulting in a more efficient, leaner company. " ...


Six Sigma: Cessna Success: Via Cessna: Remarkable Gains, Significant Achievements for Cessna in 2005 ...

Cessna six sigma program contributes to its success in 2005 ...

Textron Six Sigma: "Design for Six Sigma (DFSS) is one of the three major elements of Textron Six Sigma, and the one that's most directly tied to meeting customer requirements. Through DFSS, we identify what our customers need and deliver it better than anyone else. It's a proven way to develop top quality products, services and processes right the first time, faster, and at a much lower cost. At Textron, we are combining the key principles of DFSS with a common method for designing all new products and services across the enterprise. "

Textron Annual Report: "The next step is Textron Six Sigma, a company-wide approach to improving our processes and delighting our customers through improved enterprise excellence. Textron's unique Six Sigma model is a comprehensive, common set of tools and techniques rigorously applied to all operating and functional areas to eliminate waste, reduce variability, and accelerate growth and innovation. While the concept of Six Sigma is not new, our unique combination of best practices and powerful methodologies into a single, holistic approach makes Textron Six Sigma the most important improvement process at Textron. "

Peter N. Riley, Senior Vice President Textron Six Sigma, Integrated Supply Chain and Transformation: "Peter N. Riley is senior vice president, Textron Six Sigma, integrated supply chain and transformation. In this role, Riley works closely with all Textron business units to continue the rapid deployment of critical enterprise-wide processes and systems to improve business performance and ensure the achievement of Textron's vision. He is also responsible for driving Textron's efforts to leverage its purchasing power and improve manufacturing processes across and among its business units. "

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Tuesday, January 24, 2006

Lean Transformation Keynote: Raytheon Leader ...

... "Richard Schuler, the director of Lean implementation at Raytheon's Integrated Air Defense Center (IADC) in Andover, MA, will give the keynote address for the Nepcon East/Electro and Assembly East event in Boston this May. " ...

Lean Transformation Keynote: Raytheon Leader: Raytheon's Lean Director to Keynote Nepcon East - Circuits Assembly ...

Via Raytheon Company: Special Interest Stories: Raytheon's Integrated Air Defense Center Claims Shingo Prize for Excellence in Lean Manufacturing: "Dan Ryan, vice president of Operations for Raytheon's Integrated Defense Systems (IDS) business, recently accepted the Northeast Shingo Prize for Excellence in Manufacturing at a dinner reception held on the campus of the University of Massachusetts, Boston, on Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2005. "

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Monday, January 23, 2006

Lean Manufacturing Restructuring Program ...

Lean manufacturing can play a role in enterprise restructuring by increasing the operational efficiency of the organization. Tracy Kershaw-Staley explores the opportunities that lie ahead for Rittal Corp., who has embraced lean manufacturing to drive its operational excellence restructuring program. ...

... "Rittal scaled back its Ohio manufacturing base from two plants to one plant in Urbana in 2000. Leaders have spent the past few years restructuring the company into business units and implementing lean manufacturing to cut costs and improve service to customers, which include heavyweights such as Dell Inc., IBM Corp. and Hewlett-Packard Co. " ...


Lean Manufacturing Restructuring Program: Via MSNBC: Rittal plans to increase staff by 50 ...

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Sunday, January 22, 2006

Lean Manufacturing Job Classifications ...

Minimize number of job classifications to create lean manufacturing workforce ...

... "As part of the push toward Japanese-style lean manufacturing, Chrysler is laying off some skilled trade workers such as electricians and tool and die makers. It's also reducing the number of job classifications at many of it plants. " ...

Lean Manufacturing Job Classifications: Via The Detroit News: Chrysler cuts trade workers ...

Lean Manufacturing An overview of what it should include: "Technical and management support to resolve problems, Removal of indirect workers, broadening narrow job classifications and cross training, Keeping the responsibility with the originator, not the technical support functions ... "

Superfactory - best practices enabling lean manufacturing excellence: "When the machine stops often the worker just stands there waiting for maintenance. I have visited 250 plants in Japan and never recall seeing someone standing and just waiting. I have been to numerous American plants and always see the reverse. Some union plants have hundreds of job classifications protecting worker�s salaries but limiting flexibility to move people to where they are needed when they are needed.) "

Via IMPACT: Program Profile: Lean Manufacturing Transformation: "After LARA's work on the Presidential Commission on Aerospace, the US Department of Labor approached the program with a research grant to examine operations at Boeing/IAM St. Louis, where both union and employer agreed to compress approximately 47 job classifications and numerous sub-classifications into eight integrated categories. "

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Friday, January 20, 2006

Six Sigma: SVP Operational Excellence at Tyco ...

New SVP Operational Excellence appointed at Tyco to lead Six Sigma initiatives. ...

... "Tyco International Ltd. has promoted Shelley Stewart, Jr. to senior vice president of operational excellence and chief procurement officer, effective immediately. Stewart will report to Tyco Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Ed Breen. He succeeds Naren Gursahaney, who has taken the position of president of Tyco Engineered Products & Services. In this new position, Stewart will lead Tyco's Six Sigma, Lean Manufacturing, working capital, real estate and strategic sourcing initiatives across the company. " ...

Six Sigma: SVP Operational Excellence at Tyco: Via Tyco: Tyco Names New Senior Vice President of Operational Excellence and Chief Procurement Officer ...

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Wednesday, January 11, 2006

Lean Manufacturing: Alternative Business Model for Electronics Industry ...

The lean manufacturing business model can be used to differentiate an enterprise in its marketplace, through operational excellence. Eric Miscoll explores the top focus areas for consideration by electronics industry executives. ...

... "Alternative business models: Whether you adopt a virtual model leveraging strengths and assets from around the globe, like TFI's team of industry experts, or adopt a fresh approach to an old challenge - such as the successful joint venture (called NUMMI) between GM & Toyota who profitably manufacturer cars in the Silicon Valley of California by applying Lean Manufacturing principle - opportunities abound. " ...


Lean Manufacturing: Alternative Business Model for Electronics Industry: Via EMSNow: The top five factors electronics executives should consider in 2006 ...

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Sunday, January 08, 2006

Lean Manufacturing Seminar: Operational Excellence ...

Upcoming lean manufacturing seminar on operational excellence ...

... "Lean manufacturing seminar planned: The Kennametal Center for Operational Excellence, part of St. Vincent College's Alex G. McKenna School of Business, Economics and Government, will present Operational Excellence 101 - Lean Manufacturing Seminar, on Feb. 8 and Feb. 9. The event will be co-sponsored by the St. Vincent College Small Business Development Center, and is designed to educate representatives of those companies seeking to develop an integrated approach to their operations. " ...

Lean Manufacturing Seminar: Operational Excellence: Via The Herald Standard - Business & Finance: It's Your Business

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Thursday, December 29, 2005

Manufacturing Excellence: Plant Integration

Phil Aponte and Greg Richards explore the levels of manufacturing excellence that could be aciheved through higher levels of business process integration. ...

... "Consistent systems that reach from the production or process level (controls) to the MES/ERP system remain rare. It's not a lack of IT-supported processes that prevents consistency because all the most important IT software components are available in principle. The real issue is using them effectively." ...

Manufacturing Excellence: Plant Integration: Via ISA | Integration Fuels Plant SMARTS

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Tuesday, December 27, 2005

Lean Technical Excellence Center ...

Local leader returns to post in the UA system, where technical excellence center focuses on lean manufacturing. ...

... "ATN is made up of 14 regional centers of technical excellence that link the UA System, Auburn and EDPA with two-year colleges across the state. Each specializes in a high need area, such as business consulting, human resources and organizational development, lean manufacturing and engineering technical services. " ...

Lean Technical Excellence Center: Via Daily Home - Former Pell City mayor returns to area with college post ...

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Monday, December 26, 2005

ISO9001 Manufacturing Plant Certification ...

Firm receives ISO9001 certification. ...

... "It has implemented manufacturing and business excellence programs involving Six Sigma, Kaizen and benchmarking with the world's best practices." ...

Via albawaba: Ducab receives prestigious ISO 9001 certification for its newly opened Abu Dhabi plant ...

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Saturday, December 17, 2005

Public Sector Six Sigma ...

In governments around the world, there is acknowledgement of the need to be more efficient, especially with enabling citizen services. Many governments are adopting e-government technology to solve their problem. This may be necessary, but not sufficient in streamlining processes for speed, eliminating waste, and delivering the best performance at the appropriate cost. Six Sigma is a methodology that can be truly transformative in improvement of public sector business processes. Andre Pope proposes an invigorating approach to improving performance in the public sector, leveraging Six Sigma methodology. ...

... "I am proposing the establishment of a National Public Corporation Commission with the objective of helping the various public corporations achieve financial and operational excellence through the introduction of Six Sigma methodologies and programs. Six Sigma, which is outlined with some specificity later in this paper, is a process or methodology that has and continues to be used by some of the largest and more innovative private companies across the globe, particularly in North America, Europe and Asia, to achieve breakthrough results. " ...

Public Sector Six Sigma: Via The Perspective: Using Six Sigma to Reinvigorate Public Corporations

Relevant resources on Six Sigma experiences in the public sector:

Quality Digest Magazine: "Six Sigma has proven its worth to the manufacturing industry, causing the education, health care and service industries to sit up and take note. Governments, though, have been slower to respond to the methodology's potential. This is understandable. Governments, whether local or federal, have huge and entrenched bureaucracies, and they lack the all-important market incentive for change. "

Challenge: "Following a pilot project where seven public sector agencies applied Six Sigma to selected work areas, the August forum, organised by the MFE office, was a good opportunity to showcase the findings and success stories. "

QW: Public sector? So what?: "What about six sigma in the public sector? Well, the term itself is potentially misleading, because the high-frequency operations that make this statistic meaningful (eg 3.4 defects per million opportunities) are rare in public sector organisations. QW published an article (in January 2001) on six sigma in a courts service although the piece admitted that in this instance achievement of just 2.8 sigma was the main target. "

Ministry Of Finance: "Six Sigma, a management tool which has made significant impact in private sector companies worldwide such as Hewlett-Packard, General Electric, Motorola and 3M, is now being applied in the Singapore Public Sector. The use of Six Sigma by public sector organisations has started to offer significant improvements in service quality and reductions in cost."

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Monday, December 12, 2005

SixSigma OpExcellence Exec Appointed President ...

Six Sigma Operational Excellence executive is appointed president. ...

... "Bender joins Crane Co. with a broad functional skill set and background and a consistent record of successes in his past roles. He has spent a major portion of his professional career at Aerojet General Corporation, a division of GenCorp. He worked in various positions, including assignments in Engineering, Defense and Armaments, Automotive, Manufacturing, Business Development, Quality and most recently, Operations. He also has experience in functional leadership and implementation for Lean Manufacturing and Six Sigma Operational Excellence at all of the major locations within GenCorp. " ...

SixSigma OpExcellence Exec Appointed President: Via Crane Co.: Crane Co. Appoints David Bender, President of Electronics Group ...

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Sunday, December 11, 2005

Lean Six Sigma: Customer Service Differentiates ...

Firm combines Lean Six Sigma efficiency with customer service and responsive business models to differentiate itself in a globally competitive market space. ...

... "That propels them from a parts maker, a target for Chinese competitors, to a contract manufacturer offering design, engineering, components, sourcing, testing and assembly. That's an array of value-added products and services that are a harder target. The four Wendorff companies also pursue operating excellence through lean and Six Sigma disciplines. " ...

Lean Six Sigma: Customer Service Differentiates: Via JS Online: City finds strength in manufacturing

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Friday, December 09, 2005

GE Six Sigma Leader Becomes Nortel Exec ...

GE leader with Six Sigma experience joins Nortel as executive for supply chain and quality management ...

... "Hackney has a world-class background in general management, supply chain, leadership skills, and Six Sigma expertise. He has more than 14 years of global leadership experience at GE working for a wide variety of the GE family of businesses including GE Lighting (North America and Europe), GE Aircraft Engines, GE Power Systems, GE Investments, and GE Mergers and Acquisitions, and his leadership roles have spanned audit, supply chain, operations, product management, and general management. " ...


GE Six Sigma Leader Becomes Nortel Exec: Via Nortel: Nortel Appoints New Global Supply Chain and Quality Leader

GE Six Sigma leader joins Nortel ...

Implementing Six Sigma, Executive Strategy, Methodology, experience and results: "Six Sigma has become a small cottage industry. This industry is overpopulated with trainers. It is amazing how all the providers claim to have implemented Six Sigma at Allied Signal, GE, Bombardier, Sony, and etc. The truth is anyone who was a Black Belt for 6-months, scheduled a conference room, or made a presentation takes the liberty to claim responsibility."

Vai domain-B : The Six Sigma Primer: "Interestingly, GE proved that Six Sigma was not just for manufacturing, also applying it with success to GE Capital. In the first year, Six Sigma saved GE $170 million for a $200 million investment; in year two savings were $700 million for a $400 million investment."

Business Leader: Best Practices: Mastering Six Sigma Excellence: "Six Sigma is a sophisticated quality program created by Motorola in the 1980's and perfected by General Electric (GE) during the past five years. The initiative is a highly involved measurement device of production defects per one million operations. While it was originally intended to serve as a manufacturing process, several top companies have transitioned its role to focus on virtually all service-related transactions."

Nortel is a recognized leader in delivering communications capabilities that enhance the human experience, ignite and power global commerce, and secure and protect the world's most critical information. Serving both service provider and enterprise customers, Nortel delivers innovative technology solutions encompassing end-to-end broadband, Voice over IP, multimedia services and applications, and wireless broadband designed to help people solve the world's greatest challenges. Nortel does business in more than 150 countries.

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Tuesday, December 06, 2005

Operational Excellence Initiative: Six Sigma Implementation ...

Material Sciences must place emphasis on operational excellence initiatives to remain competitive in its industry. ...

Operational Excellence Initiative: Six Sigma Implementation: Via Material Sciences Corporation: Material Sciences Corporation Announces Preliminary Second Quarter Fiscal 2006 Results Of Operations ...

... "Chief Executive Officer Clifford D. Nastas said, Customer interest in our Quiet Steel business continues to gain momentum; however, the near term holds a number of challenges, including increased competition for Quiet Steel and our decorative laminate products, volatility in automotive builds and higher costs related to energy. As these factors test our ability to improve margins, we will continue to look for ways to offset higher costs through the implementation of both lean manufacturing and six sigma operational excellence initiatives. " ...

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Tuesday, November 15, 2005

Lean Technology: TPS Production Management ...

Factory Logic has digitized the Toyota Production System TPS to enable standardized production management. ...

Lean Technology: TPS Production Management: Via Factory Logic: FACTORY LOGIC SELECTED AS FINALIST FOR PRESTIGIOUS PACE AWARD: Company’s Enabling Lean Technology Recognized for Superior Innovation ...

... "Factory Logic, the leading provider of Lean solutions that meet the needs of the Customer Demand-Driven Factory, today announced that it has been selected as a finalist for a 2006 Automotive News Magazine’s PACE™ (Premier Automotive Suppliers’ Contributions to Excellence) Award. The coveted PACE Award honors superior innovation through technological advancement and business performance among automotive suppliers. Factory Logic’s Lean Operations Suite provides production scheduling and pull-based material flow applications designed to help manufacturers realize the tremendous potential of demand-driven lean manufacturing. " ...

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Wednesday, November 02, 2005

Six Sigma Project Operational Excellence: Arrow International ...

Arrow International appoints executive to lead their compliance activities in an operational excellence project, using Six Sigma methodology. ...

Six Sigma Project Operational Excellence: Arrow International: Via Arrow International: ARROW INTERNATIONAL, INC. NAMES KENNETH E. IMLER SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT OF REGULATORY AFFAIRS AND QUALITY ASSURANCE ...

... "Mr. Imler has been the lead consultant from Quintiles Consulting, a provider of global consulting services to the medical device, pharmaceutical and biologics industry, working on-site at Arrow for the past nine months. He will be the Company's main point of contact with the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA), helping to ensure that Arrow continues to meet, and in many respects even exceeds, FDA and international regulatory requirements in its products, manufacturing processes, procedures, and systems. He also will guide Arrow in its efforts to implement rigorous compliance procedures designed to achieve the highest practical levels of quality assurance as part of its Project Operational Excellence and attain Six Sigma quality over the longer term. " ...


Operational Excellence program will increase regulatory compliance at Arrow International ...

Arrow International, Inc. develops, manufactures and markets a broad range of clinically advanced, disposable catheters and related products for critical and cardiac care. The Company’s products are used primarily by anesthesiologists, critical care specialists, surgeons, emergency and trauma physicians, cardiologists, interventional radiologists, electrophysiologists, and other health care providers.

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Thursday, October 27, 2005

Six Sigma WorldClass Manufacturing Tour ...

AME will start world-class manufacturing tour in December, which focuses on success stories in Six Sigma. ...

Six Sigma WorldClass Manufacturing Tour: Via Inside INdiana Business: Sony DADC to be Feature of Made in Indiana Tour ...

... "The Great Lakes Region of the Association for Manufacturing Excellence (AME) announces the fifth annual Made in Indiana World Class Manufacturing Tour, Tuesday, December 6, 2005. ... The tour historically honors a firm's success in Lean manufacturing and Six Sigma quality efforts. " ...

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Sunday, October 23, 2005

Lean Summit Tennessee: Pursuit of Shingo Prize

Tennessee leaders prepare for lean manufacturing summit to plan their pursuit of the Shingo prize for excellence in lean ...

Lean Summit Tennessee: Pursuit of Shingo Prize: Via The Leaf Chronicle, Tennessee: State manufacturers gather for first summit ...

... "On Nov. 9, UTCI officials will conduct a day-long workshop on how to apply for the 2006 Shingo Prize, which is a national award program started in 1988 and named after a Japanese industrial engineer who pioneered the process of lean manufacturing. " ...

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Sunday, October 16, 2005

Six Sigma Employee Benefits

Those companies that invest in enterprise improvement, such as the Six Sigma methodology, seem to value employees more and make greater investments in helping employees better themselves, through increased benefits programs ...

Six Sigma Employee Benefits: Via National Mental Health Information Center: Administering Generous Mental Health Benefits - Lessons Learned ...

... "A company's leadership can also help define its corporate culture. Advocating for success and excellence in a company's work is incongruous with a limited focus on employee benefits. For example, several employers said they use Six Sigma as a benchmark for manufacturing quality. To require such rigorous standards, the companies themselves must excel in all corporate endeavors, including benefits provision. " ...

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Thursday, October 06, 2005

Lean SixSigma BPM: Business Process Management ...

Lean SixSigma BPM: Business Process Management: Via SoftBrands: SoftBrands’ evolution Announces Upcoming Availability of 11P: Intelligent, Integrated, Process-based ERP ...

... "With today's focus on identifiable, efficient and auditable business processes, evolution 11P places emphasis on Business Process Management (BPM) methodologies to improve business operations, said Chuck Sacco, general manager of evolution for the Americas. Using a proven process improvement delivery model aligning BPM technologies with continuous improvement techniques such as Lean Six Sigma, BPM helps customers achieve business process excellence, a key driver for success. " ...


SoftBrands, Inc. is a global leader in providing solutions for small to medium-sized businesses in the manufacturing and hospitality industries worldwide. With more than 4,000 customers in over 60 countries now actively using its manufacturing and hospitality products, SoftBrands has established a global infrastructure for distribution, development and support of enterprise software. The company, headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota, has more than 550 employees with branch offices in Europe, Asia, Australia and Africa.

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Saturday, October 01, 2005

Lean Manufacturing: Not Enough for Success

Lean Manufacturing: Not Enough for Success: Via StatesmanJournal: Neilsen layoffs are omen for area firms: Loss of 125 Salem jobs signals problems in manufacturing ...

Toby Manthey, Statesman Journal, reports on challenges faced by firm with excellence in lean manufacturing. This highlights that efficiency is not enough to guarantee success in the competitive market landscape ...

... "The 48-year-old company is a model of lean manufacturing, a group of practices that maximize the use of factory space, time and employees. Competitors say Neilsen is the largest or second-largest business of its kind in Oregon. A precision sheet-metal shop that makes computer bodies and other products for high-tech corporations, it was named Manufacturer of the Year in June by Salem's Strategic Economic Development Corp. " ...

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Monday, September 26, 2005

Lean Manufacturing Best Plant in North America ...

Lean Manufacturing Best Plant in North America: dj Orthopedics' Vista Facility Named as One of IndustryWeek's Ten Best Manufacturing Plants in North America ...

dj Orthopedics' medical-device manufacturing operations is recognized for its exemplary performance by IndustryWeek. The plant is supported by a collaborative culture focused on the lean enterprise. Their plant's relentless pursuit of operational excellence is a key principle in today's popular lean manufacturing programs ...

... "Les Cross, president and CEO of dj Orthopedics says: Continuous improvement is engrained in our culture and is an important element of our success. Throughout the Company, we relentlessly look for opportunities to eliminate non-value added elements from our business to reduce lead times and costs associated with developing new products, supporting our customers and running efficient, lean manufacturing operations. " ...


dj Orthopedics is a global medical device company specializing in rehabilitation and regeneration products for the non-operative orthopedic and spine markets. Marketed under the DonJoy and ProCare brands, the Company's broad range of over 600 rehabilitation products, including rigid knee braces, soft goods, pain management, are used in the prevention of injury, in the treatment of chronic conditions and for recovery after surgery or injury. The Company's regeneration products consist of bone growth stimulation devices that are used to treat nonunion fractures and as an adjunct therapy after spinal fusion surgery. Together, these products provide solutions throughout the patient's continuum of care. The Company sells its products in the United States and in more than 40 other countries through networks of agents, distributors and its direct sales force.

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Sunday, September 25, 2005

Lean Manufacturing Shingo Award

Lean Manufacturing Shingo Award: Via Raytheon: Raytheon's Integrated Air Defense Center Receives SHINGO Award

... "Raytheon's Integrated Air Defense Center (IADC), Andover, Mass., received the Northeast Regional SHINGO award for excellence in lean manufacturing during an awards dinner held at the University of Massachusetts' Boston Campus last week. The award recognizes organizations that use world-class manufacturing strategies and practices to achieve world-class results. The award was established in 1988 to promote awareness of lean manufacturing concepts and recognizes companies in North America that achieve world-class manufacturing status. " ...


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Wednesday, September 14, 2005

Board Exec with Business SixSigma IT Experience ...

Board Exec with Business SixSigma IT Experience: Via Analog Devices: Analog Devices Announces New Board Member

... "Mr. Hodgson joined DuPont in 1966 and has held a number of leadership positions within the company, serving as a general manager since 1979, group executive since 1998 and an executive officer since 2002. Mr. Hodgson has broad-based, global business experience in sales, marketing and general management. In addition, Mr. Hodgson brings a close familiarity with the semiconductor industry which stems from his role in leading DuPont's successful Electronic Materials business unit for 10 years during which time the unit became a leading supplier in the global electronic materials segment of the electronics industry. As a member of DuPont's Office of the Chief Executive, his experience includes leading DuPont's five major business divisions and global functional leadership for marketing and sales, sourcing, Six Sigma and information technology. " ...


Innovation, performance, and excellence are the cultural pillars on which Analog Devices has built one of the longest standing, highest growth companies within the technology sector. Acknowledged industry-wide as the world leader in data conversion and signal conditioning technology, Analog Devices serves over 60,000 customers, representing virtually all types of electronic equipment. Celebrating 40 years as a leading global manufacturer of high-performance integrated circuits used in analog and digital signal processing applications, Analog Devices is headquartered in Norwood, Massachusetts, with design and manufacturing facilities throughout the world.

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Six Sigma Process Efficiency Effectiveness

Six Sigma Efficiency Effectiveness: Via Ingersoll-Rand: Ingersoll-Rand Describes Progress in Executing its Strategy at the Morgan Stanley Industrials Conference ...

... "Through the execution of our strategy, we are building a company with the industry and market diversification, operational excellence and enterprise leverage to deliver solid financial results throughout the economic cycle, said Henkel. The elements of this strategy include a focus on generating total and recurring revenue growth by developing customer-pleasing innovations, services and solutions; implementing bolt-on acquisitions of businesses that extend our geographic footprint, product technologies and manufacturing capability; and enhancing our operational efficiency and effectiveness through lean manufacturing, six sigma processes and continuous improvement efforts. " ...


Ingersoll-Rand is a global provider of products, services, and integrated solutions to industries as diverse as transportation, manufacturing, construction, and agriculture. The company brings to bear a 100-year-old heritage of technological innovation to help companies be more productive, efficient, and innovative. Examples include cryogenic refrigeration that preserves agricultural produce worldwide, biometric security systems for airports, corporations, and government facilities, the efficient harnessing of air to drive tools and factories, and versatile, compact vehicles for construction and efficient movement of people and goods. In every line of business, Ingersoll-Rand enables companies and their customers to make progress possible.

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Wednesday, August 31, 2005

SixSigma Quality Supplier: Belton Group ...

SixSigma Quality Supplier: Belton Group: Via Seagate: Seagate Technology News Release Seagate Technology Honors Supply Chain Excellence for 2005

Belton Group recognized a Six Sigma quality supplier by Seagate ...

... "The Belton Group, a leading manufacturer of Arm Coil Assembly and Hook-Up, was this year's Outstanding Supplier in the Mechanical Components category. In addition to delivering on aggressive volume requirements, Belton consistently outperformed its peers to meet Seagate's quality, Six Sigma, Lean Manufacturing and technology metrics. " ...


Seagate is the worldwide leader in the design, manufacturing and marketing of hard disc drives, providing products for a wide-range of Enterprise, Desktop, Mobile Computing, and Consumer Electronics applications. Seagate's business model leverages technology leadership and world-class manufacturing to deliver industry-leading innovation and quality to its global customers, and to be the low cost producer in all markets in which it participates. The company is committed to providing award-winning products, customer support and reliability to meet the world's growing demand for information storage.

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Sunday, August 14, 2005

Lean Sim Workshop: Collaborative Manufacturing Excellence ...

Lean Sim Workshop: Collaborative Manufacturing Excellence: Via Scanlon Leadership Network

... "September 13-14, Manufacturing Excellence through Collaboration (Lean Sim Workshop) with the Society for Manufacturing Engineers (Novi, Michigan) " ...

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Saturday, August 13, 2005

Lean SixSigma Leadership Talent ...

Lean SixSigma Leadership Talent: Via CIRCOR International, Inc.: CIRCOR International Appoints John W. Cope as Group Vice President ...

... "Mr. Cope is joining CIRCOR from Honeywell where he was most recently Vice President of Integrated Supply Chain with Honeywell's Aerospace Electronics Business and previously from Honda of America where he held various operations leadership positions over 14 years. John's experience with lean manufacturing and six sigma make him a valuable addition to our leadership talent and our company-wide drive for operational excellence, said David Bloss, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of CIRCOR. " ...


CIRCOR International, Inc. is a leading provider of valves and fluid control products that allow customers around the world to use fluids safely and efficiently in the instrumentation, fluid regulation and energy markets. CIRCOR's executive headquarters is located at 25 Corporate Drive, Burlington, MA 01803.

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Monday, August 01, 2005

Aug 2 Six Sigma Session ...

Aug 2 Six Sigma Session: Business Calendar

... "TUESDAY AUGUST 2: The Prouty Project monthly meeting. 7:30 to 9 a.m., 6385 Old Shady Oak Road, Eden Prairie. Free. Call 952-942-2922. Topic: A continuous improvement operations excellence model; how to integrate lean manufacturing and Six Sigma." ...

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Sunday, July 24, 2005

Lean Six Sigma Continuous Improvement Meeting ...

Lean Six Sigma Continuous Improvement Meeting: Business Calendar

... "The Prouty Project monthly meeting. 7:30 to 9 a.m., 6385 Old Shady Oak Rd., Eden Prairie. Free. Call 952-942-2922. Topic: A continuous improvement operations excellence model; how to integrate lean manufacturing and Six Sigma. " ...

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Saturday, July 23, 2005

Whirlpool Lean Six Sigma ...

Whirlpool Lean Six Sigma: Whirlpool Corporation Today

... "To sustain the productivity savings that are being achieved by our operations, we have embedded our Operational Excellence process, based on Six-Sigma and lean manufacturing skills and capabilities, within each of our worldwide manufacturing facilities. The company's global information technology organization provides Internet tools that cut the complexity and costs of doing business for Whirlpool and its trade partners. " ...

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Saturday, July 16, 2005

Lean Manufacturing Centre Excellence ...

Lean Manufacturing Centre Excellence: Media.Ford.com: JAGUAR SCORES QUADRUPLE SUCCESS IN LATEST J.D. POWER INITIAL QUALITY SURVEY AS EUROPE'S LEADING NAMEPLATE

... "Jaguar's Halewood Plant manufactures the luxury Jaguar X-TYPE and employs 2400 people. It is recognised throughout the industry as a centre of excellence for Lean Manufacturing and the plant has won several awards for its best practice production and logistics processes. In 2000, a significant investment was made in Halewood to transform the plant from a mass-production assembly plant for the Ford Escort to a world class manufacturing facility for the Jaguar X-TYPE. It meant that for the first time Jaguar would have a plant that housed all four stages of the production process under one roof totally new body construction and final assembly facilities, along with refurbished press and paint shops. " ...

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