Air Product Continuous Improvement Executive Position

Air Products places executive level attention on continuous improvement, which includes lean and Six Sigma activities throughout the company. ...

... "Alexander W. Masetti has been appointed vice president, Continuous Improvement, responsible for expanding and institutionalizing Air Products’ overall continuous improvement activity, including capabilities such as Six Sigma and Lean. Masetti joined Air Products in 1981 as an engineer in the company’s Career Development Program and subsequently held management positions within the Process Gas Division. " ...

Via Air Products: Executive Change

Manufacturing is Administrative at Intel

Intel executes executive reorganization with refocusing of business units and alignment of manufacturing to an administrative role, in order to shift the CEO to more strategic role in driving the company's future growth. ...

... "Intel's global manufacturing organization, the Technology and Manufacturing Group (TMG), will now report to Andy Bryant, Intel's chief administrative officer and also an executive vice president. The move formalizes the role of influence Bryant already plays with TMG and further increases Otellini's time on business strategy. " ...

Via Intel: Corporate Reorganization Shifts Operations from CEO

Organizaton Transformation

The Six Sigma quality program has developed over the years into a enterprise transformation tool. ...

... "Six Sigma has evolved from metric, to methodology, to a catalyst to drive change in the organization. " ...

Via ZDNet Asia: Changing organizations

CIO Six Sigma Organization

Textron organizes its Six Sigma efforts under the leadership of the Chief Innovation Officer for long-term improvement. ...

... "As Chief Innovation Officer, Walsh will immediately take responsibility for Engineering & Program Management, Information Technology, Integrated Supply Chain and Textron Six Sigma. Walsh, previously the senior vice president and general manager of Lycoming Engines, also a Textron Inc. company, will be focused on driving long-term improvements that foster greater collaboration and innovation across Textron Systems and its five operating units. " ...

Via Textron: Chief Innovation Officer

Customer Focused Organization Model

Flat organization model uses decentralized control to provide singular focus on the customer with imbedded process improvement responsibility. ...

... "Accountability is to the customer and to the team, not a boss, so FAVI people are free to experiment, innovate, and solve problems for customers. They’re known for working off-shift to serve customers or to test out new procedures. Equipment, tooling, workspace, and process redesign all rest in the hands of those doing the work. " ...

Via Idea Hub at American Express OPEN Forum: Flat Organization

Six Sigma Integrates the Value Chain

Six Sigma is key ingredient to positioning Ring Power as an integrated, efficient value chain participant. ...

... "Since mid-2007, though, Ring Power has been able to apply the process to its own operations and organization, creating a continuous improvement culture of its own that meshes with but does not exactly reflect Caterpillar's. " ...

Via Purchasing: Six Sigma

Lean Proactive Business Model

New Zealand manufacturer sees strong productivity benefits from lean manufacturing. The workforce culture has been transformed to one that contributes ideas freely to proactively improve the process. ...

... "Also known by its Japanese term Kaizen, which means continuous improvement, Mr Cook said lean manufacturing had transformed his business from a reactive organisation to a proactive one working daily to improve itself and meant it took Stainless Design about half the time it used to to process work. " ...

Via Stuff.co.nz: Model T

Stainless Design Workforce Training Program: "Everyone in the company is, and has been, involved in training in Lean principles and implementing improvement projects throughout the business. All these projects will provide significant operational and business performance improvements. "

GE Six Sigma Exec Named EVP of CFM

GE Six Sigma executive will lead CFM's programs as EVP. ...

... "Mr. Chahrour was appointed as GE Aviation's Engineering Six Sigma Master Black Belt, where he helped launch the GE's overall Six Sigma strategy, plan, and organization. In 1997, he was named as GE90 engine product line General Manager. " ...

Via CFM International: Chaker A. Chahrour

Six Sigma Success Factors

University of Minnesota professor, Roger Schroeder, publishes Six Sigma: Definition and Underlying Theory paper that focuses on its success as a quality management process. ...

... "Parallel-meso structures: Six Sigma operates as a parallel organization, which is the organizational structure dedicated to improving the organization, but incorporates both micro and macro level decision making authority that allows multilevel integration of strategic projects. Strategic Project Selection: Six Sigma organizations develop formal mechanisms to select Six Sigma projects. These mechanisms, sometimes called project hoppers, involve senior management to filter out Six Sigma projects that do not have financial or strategic implications. " ...

Via University of Minnesota: In-depth analysis of Six Sigma phenomenon

Toyota Kaizen Carries Through to Motorsports

Toyota uses kaizen techniques to coordinate continuous improvement across its motorsports teams. The teams have confronted major challenges with this mindset. The knowledge of new race teams is leveraged across the organization. ...

... "Kaizen, a Japanese term commonly translated as continuous improvement, has been the ethos for Toyota's Motorsports operation. The way kaizen is achieved by the various teams in all three levels of NASCAR racing is by working together as one as much as possible. " ...

Via FOX Sports: NASCAR

TQM Total Quality Across the Organization

Total quality management requires a rethinking of the organization. The workforce should be enabled through training and mentoring. Roles should be defined to monitor quality in the process. And, the organization should understand how the customer values quality. ...

... "Put simply, Total Quality Management (TQM) is the process of instilling quality throughout an organisation and its business processes. " ...

Via Economic Times: Quality management

Quality Role in Six Sigma Organization

Quality needs to be repositioned in a Six Sigma culture and organization model. Quality leader(s) can create a strategic view of quality in the business. The quality team has a role in operations to ensure focus on those variables that are critical to quality from a customer perspective. Don't ignore the opportunity to rethink the quality organization as Six Sigma is implemented. ...

... "Strategic quality work begins with an understanding of where the company and its products fit in the marketplace. The vice president of quality or the quality manager must join top management in setting the strategic direction of the company. " ...

Via Qualilty Mag: Quality Evolution

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

Six Sigma Organizational Effectiveness

Leadership team includes position on organizational effectiveness, building on an foundation of lean six sigma. ...

... "Sean Andersen, as the Leader of Organizational Effectiveness Practices, will be responsible for leading Lean Six Sigma process improvements spanning operations, technology, and implementation. " ...

Via Global Services: Organizationl Effectiveness

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