ITT Six Sigma Process Efficiency Focus

ITT CEO perspective on economy, hiring, and efficiency via WSJ: "We are not expecting the economic restoration in 2010 to give us at-capacity rates in all of our businesses," he says. He's also using the Six Sigma quality-improvement process to improve efficiency." http://bit.ly/a65PWB

Toyota Kaizen Challenge Winner

Toyota North American Parts Organization recognizes YRC Worldwide with its Kaizen Challenge Award for continuous improvement. Toyota leverages kaizen practices among its suppliers as part of the company's production system, TPS.

... "The 2008 Kaizen Challenge award recognizes YRC Worldwide for developing a plan to improve delivery efficiency for oversized and heavy parts such as truck beds, truck frames, drive trains, transmissions and engines from parts distribution centers and vendors to Toyota dealers throughout the country. Plan elements included nationwide implementation of a standard process for equipment placement and material handling and a customer service process to coordinate delivery service with dealers. As a result of this process, damage claims and injuries were virtually eliminated. " ...

Via YRC Worldwide: Honor from Toyota NAPO

Lean Manufacturing Improves Patient Care

Defect reduction in healthcare leads to improved mortality rates. ThedaCare embraces lean to streamline its processes for the benefit of its customers: the patients. ...

... "ThedaCare has seen its patient care improve since it began implementing lean manufacturing or efficiency principles in its care delivery process more than seven years ago. " ...

Via Appleton Post-Crescent: Hospitals

Process Excellence

Factory within Factory Model at Littelfuse

Littelfuse team is recognized by ASQ for its achievements in product performance, quality, handling, process efficiency, and financial results. The team focused resources and floorspace to improving its fuses. ...

... "The American Society for Quality (ASQ), sponsor of the competition, recognized the team for its application of Lean/Six Sigma methodology to eliminate the chance of loose caps in square nano fuses. The Littelfuse team demonstrated how it leveraged its factory within a factory model and applied an arsenal of quality tools to reduce chemical handling, improve cap-retention strength by 166 percent, reduce cycle time by 52 percent and trim manufacturing costs by 9 percent. " ...

Via Littelfuse: ASQ Honors for Lean/Six Sigma

Ford Flexible Manufacturing Showcased

Ford Louisville Kentucky manufacturing plant uses lean methods and flexible techniques to balance production across the product line. ...

... "The automaker is showing off the Chamberlain Lane plant's new lean manufacturing process, which the automaker estimates as a $200 million investment in flexible manufacturing. " ...

Via WHAS11, Louisville, Kentucky: Ford plant

In the past, the Kentucky-based plant was a candidate for restructuring. ...

Via Auto ChannelLouisville, KY Ford Plant: "The announcement Thursday marks a turnaround for the Louisville plants since 2006, when they were considered by Ford as candidates for closure. "

The Ford Motor Company discusses the transformation to flexible manufacturing at the Louisville site. ...

Via Ford: FLEXIBLE MANUFACTURING BEGINS AT FORD KENTUCKY: "The heart of Ford’s manufacturing transformation is based on flexible operations, using reprogrammable tooling in body shops, standardized equipment in paint shops and a common-build sequence in final assembly, enabling production of multiple models in one plant. With standardization comes increased repeatability and improved ease of access, resulting in improved safety, ergonomics and quality. Kentucky Truck added a second trim shop as well as third shifts in the body, paint and stamping to handle the increased production. "

Cisco uses the Ford lean supply chain as an example of business integration in the automotive value chain. ...



Ford's commitment to lean extends to the supply chain. ...

Via Cisco: Auto-Xchange, a Ford/Oracle Joint Venture: "Auto-xchange: The Ford/Oracle venture announced in November 1999 brings the automotive community together via the Internet. It is an open network where the entire automotive supply chain will benefit from online procurement and trading, real-time supply chain management and collaborative product innovation. "

Army Plant Integrates Lean Manufacturing Principles

Setpoint Systems will update the case mouth waterproofing process for .50 caliber ammunition using lean manufacturing principles at the ATK’s Lake City Army Ammunition Plant. ...

... "Setpoint’s winning proposal describes how their solution to incorporate lean manufacturing principles will increase plant efficiency, increase output, reduce costs, and radically improve product quality. For the past 60 years, the LCAAP has produced ammunition cases for the U.S. armed forces using manufacturing equipment originally built in the 1940s. The U.S. government and ATK (the private company who manages the plant) realized that the time had come to modernize this manufacturing process. Setpoint gave ATK the perfect modernization solution through lean manufacturing. Lean manufacturing is based on the Toyota Production System (TPS) methodology, which breaks manufacturing processes down into multiple, compact work-cells rather than using the enormous manufacturing lines common in the 20th century. " ...

Via Setpoint: Lean system for .50 cal waterproofing process

Intel Manufacturing Investment

Intel will invest $7 billion to build advanced 32-nanometer manufacturing facilities in the United States over the next two years. ...

... "Intel's investment will be made at existing manufacturing sites in Oregon, Arizona and New Mexico and will support approximately 7,000 high-wage, high-skill jobs at those locations -- part of a total Intel workforce of more than 45,000 in the U.S. Intel, while generating more than 75 percent of its sales overseas, carries out roughly 75 percent of its semiconductor manufacturing in the U.S. At the same time, about 75 percent of the company's R&D spending and capital investments are also made in the U.S. The technology used in Intel's manufacturing process builds chip circuitry 32nm (32/billionth of a meter or about 1/millionth of an inch) across – incredibly small, atomic level structures. The first Intel processors to be built using this technology are codenamed Westmere and will initially be used in desktop and mobile mainstream systems. " ...

Via Intel: Intel Manufacturing Facilities

Biotek Lean Manufacturing

Peter Banks, scientific director of BioTek Instruments, shares insights on the company's strategies, which include streamlining through lean. ...

... "Despite the economy, BioTek plans to continue its investment in lean manufacturing, accelerating new-product development, and expanding its distribution efforts both in the U.S. and internationally. " ...

Via The Burlington Free Press: You should know

Vectron Six Sigma Manufacturing

Vectron practices lean and Six Sigma to improve its manufacturing process and product quality. In doing so, it embraces the methodology and creates a enterprise variant that works in its culture. ...

... "The facility has adopted lean manufacturing practices such as Kaizen and Six Sigma methods, all with an eye toward continuous facility and product improvement. The company follows a 16-point plan that has cut manufacturing cycle times in half compared to earlier attempts to reduce overall production times. " ...

Via Vectron: Frequency Control

Pall Lean Process Excellence

Pall adopts lean practices to enable its process excellence journey. ...

... "Pall developed Process Excellence, an approach to applying lean and Six Sigma methodologies, complete with effective metrics and ways to engage employees. In 2004, a push began at the Fajardo, Puerto Rico, facility to transform it into the company's first Center of Excellence. " ...

Via Pall: Profile in Process Excellence

Business Process Excellence

Cycle Time Reduction using Lean Manufacturing on the Line

Boeing implements lean practices into its manufacturing processes, called the pulse line, for satellite production. ...

... "New work cells, new tooling, standard work-planning packages and lean manufacturing processes will reduce the total build time per satellite and increase the number of vehicles moving through the line at one time, according to the company. " ...

Via Inside GNSS: Boeing Pulse Line

Six Sigma Peak Efficiency

Dow Corning is recognized by the American Chemistry Council for its energy efficiency, which was accomplished using Six Sigma techniques. ...

... "Many distillation columns operate the same way year after year and not running at optimum conditions compounds energy losses. The Carrollton site implemented a Six Sigma project to bring a column up to peak efficiency, and then replicate the results on a similar process. " ...

Via Madison Courier: Dow Corning wins award

Process Excellence Journey

Upcoming seminar series starts with Jeffrey Liker on process excellence. ...

... "Process Excellence: A Journey Not a Destination, March 18, CPCC's Harris Campus. Speaker: Jeffrey Liker. " ...

Via Charlotte Observer: BUSINESS NOTES