Airline Luggage Management Quality

Interesting stats on airline baggage management defects ...

... "There is some good news though - 96.6% of all bags do manage to reach their owner - eventually. This still leaves over 800,000 bags that end up going unclaimed. " ...

Via Gadling: Airlines losing bags

AFSO21 Air Force Lean Six Sigma

The Air Force embraces improvement, balancing efficiency with effectiveness in their program, codenamed AFSO21, Air Force Smart Operations 21st Century. ...

... "AFSO21 program, a process very similar to the Department of Defense’s Lean Six Sigma, has shifted the focus of Airmen beyond applying unique skills to getting the mission done to continually improving mission performance. " ...

Via Maxwell Gunter Dispatch: Air Force leadership

Smart operations will require the Air Force to shift the organization's mindset. ...

AFSO 21, a new way of thinking in the Air Force: "not only a program to institutionalize continuous process improvement, but also to describe a new way of thinking about the Air Force. "

Lean Six Sigma for Production Improvements Leads to Best Factory Recognition for UK Lighting Firm

Thorn Lighting is recognized as Best Factory in the UK for its achievements in customer satisfaction and product quality. The company has embraced Lean Six Sigma on the factory floor and has made investments in its equipment and workforce. A key ingredient of their production success is designing material flow into the production process and factory layout. ...

... "The company also made good use of lean six sigma tools which involved production workers in the development of improvements which significantly increased the factory's productivity and delivery performance. The company has invested heavily in its staff's technical skills and equipment to keep ahead of competition. " ...

Via Works Management: Thorn Lighting Ltd

Lean Manufacturing Diagnostic Tool

Industry association offers lean manufacturing diagnostic to food manufacturers. ...

... "The tool analyses the operations and structure of a company according to the principles of lean manufacturing, an approach to business improvement pioneered by the Japanese automotive industry. It uses simple questionnaires to assess current performance and offer guidance for where improvements could be made. The tool has been developed by Grimsby-based lean training specialists Peter Rowley Ltd, champions of the NSA for Food and Drink Manufacturing’s lean network. " ...

Via National Skills Academy for Food and Drink: Lean Manufacturing Diagnostic Tool

Six Sigma Strategic Cost Cutting

Petrochemical company, Equate, sees positive performance in 2008 and leverages Six Sigma to identify strategic sources of operational efficiency. ...

... "One way to define areas for improvement and enhance our strengths, EQUATE continues executing its Six Sigma program with a target to qualify more persons in addition to the 23 green belt holders who were certified in 2008. " ...

Via Zawya: EQUATE 2008 performance

Continuous Improvement Culture

76th Aircraft Maintenance Group embraces Six Sigma and lean as it trains its workforce, energizes the staff, and focuses on the identification of improvement opportunities. ...

... "Identifying key administrative wastes and the constraints limiting an organization’s performance, analyzing potential root-causes and applying the proper continuous-improvement countermeasures are critical, Mr. Williams explained. " ...

Via Tinker TakeOff: Transformation

Will Six Sigma Impact Innovation

Six Sigma and innovation are often seen at odds with one another. However, the improvement mindset can be tuned to identify and exploit breakthrough innovations. ...

... "Basically, to be an innovative company, one needs to encourage incremental improvement and always strive for the breakthrough. If there is a secret it is to foster the attitude of let's find the change that will improve our performance. " ...

Via Caller-Times: J.P. Ellenberger

Kaizen Innovative Methods

Toyota uses innovative methods to empower its workforce and improve the performance of the enterprise. ...

... "Toyota, whose $1.3 billion plant near Blue Springs will be the company's eighth North American assembly plant, is often associated kaizen, or continuous improvement, which is associated with its Toyota Production System. " ...

Via Trading Markets: Methods of Innovation

Lean MES Manufacturing Execution Software Makes Inventory Visible

Manuvis introduces software version that integrates real-time inventory visibility and production metrics in dynamic operational dashbboard. The data visualization supports value stream mapping, queue performance monitoring, and asset utilization. ...

... "Whereas most manufacturing execution systems (MES) and enterprise manufacturing intelligence (EMI) solutions focus on production machine output, few offer inventory visibility. Manuvis' FactoryMRI, built on lean manufacturing principles, offers superior analytical tools that simplify information exchange within an enterprise and provides a common way to help synchronize enterprise assets. These tools help eliminate waste and increase profits, whether uncovering process variations that cause quality defects, identifying sources of waste and helping find untapped capacity. And since data is obtained directly from production machines, total cost of ownership is reduced by eliminating the need for human data entry into PC's or operate bar code equipment. " ...

Via Manuvis: Real-Time Lean Manufacturing Capabilities

Six Sigma Internship Provides Insights at Grainger

Intern at Grainger shares experiences from Grainger which included survey on the company's Six Sigma performance management system. ...

Balanced Scorecard Role in Six Sigma

The Balanced Scorecard supports Six Sigma initiatives by bringing line-of-sight visibility to important perspectives, such as financial, process, customer, and talent. ...

... "Six Sigma is a product of the balanced scorecard, imposing even greater structure. The balanced scorecard is often part of the IT governance process and is generally used as a performance measurement ... " ...

Via CIO: Balanced Scorecard

Performance Improvement Breakthrough Services By Milliken

Milliken & Company forms a dedicated business group to provide Performance Improvement Services to the manufacturing sector. The new group is called Milliken Performance Solutions and will serve customers from the company's Spartanburg, South Carolina headquarters. Milliken is one of the largest privately-held textile and chemical manufacturers in the world. ...

... "The formation of Milliken Performance Solutions will expand these services to support companies outside of Milliken's traditional base and will report to Craig Long, Vice President of Six Sigma and Quality. The Milliken Performance System is a daily management system that provides a systematic, step by step method of running any operation more effectively and efficiently. The system is in place at over 60 plants worldwide and can support both discrete and continuous process manufacturing plants. The system overcomes the limitations of conventional Lean Six Sigma programs by providing a more comprehensive approach that leads to dramatic breakthroughs in cost reduction, higher morale, increased customer satisfaction, and a cleaner safer environment. " ...

Via Milliken & Company: New Business Line Provides Performance Improvement Services