Dell Lean Supply Chain Limits Product Configuration

Dell has consolidated product development activities and global operations function under Jeff Clark. The company is reinventing how it goes to market with customers: he is focused on taking us to the next level of lean manufacturing, improving our logistics, supply chain and reducing complexity. We will limit the number of configuration choices where appropriate and move more of our products to a low touch, fixed configuration [ocean] ship model. http://bit.ly/agExMN

Lean and Recycling Meet Style

Sustainable and efficient manufacturing integrates with cool design to create desirable products. ...

... "Rickshaw, which uses recycled plastic water bottles and lean manufacturing principles to make its stylish messenger bags ... " ...

Via Inc: Rickshaw Bagworks

Lean Green Cost Effective Telcom Laser from JDSU

New products should meet my specifications, help me lower my costs, and enable me to be more sustainable. If you can get it to me quicker through lean practices, I'm even more interested in becoming a customer. JDSU launches new telecommunication product, a pump laser, that emphasizes these characteristics for optical networks. ...

... "The new pump laser package is designed to help network equipment manufacturers (NEMs) lower costs and power consumption within optical networks. JDSU will also be able to reduce lead times for the new product by 50 percent compared to older designs, based on its simplified and lean manufacturing process. " ...

Via JDSU: New 980nm Pump Laser Package for Telecom Networks

Lean Green Manufacturing Next

Will sustainability be integrated into product lifecycle management such that green manufacturing practices emerge as a strategic focus area? If environmental economics become a real component of product costing and profitability analysis, then green manufacturing could develop some momentum. ...

... "The motivation for this change is the need to include the true cost of producing goods, from the point of resource extraction to the end of life and reuse or recycling, in the cost of the products. " ...

Via Environmental Leader: Green Manufacturing

Walmart Product ecoRatings Initiative for Manufacturers

Walmart suppliers will be required to provide eco information on products so that an eco-rating can be created for consumers. ...

... "WalMart's demand in recent years that suppliers reduce their packaging to reduce their environmental impact has rippled throughout the retail and manufacturing industries. " ...

Via Associated Press: WalMart product eco-ratings

Covance Six Sigma Drug Development

Covance discusses company performance and its value from Six Sigma in the drug development process. ...

... "strategic acquisitions such as Swiss Pharma contract, which enhance our integrated drug development capabilities and help us speed development for clients and the expansion of six sigma, including projects with clients, which help us reduce variation and improve the productivity of drug development. " ...

Via Covance: Earnings Call

TRIZ for Powering Innovation Chain

Corporations, such as GE, look to various methods such as TRIZ to power the front end of their innovation chain. TRIZ adds rigor and multiple perspectives to the process of product development. ...

... "TRIZ is coming on strong at corporations hungry for new ways to improve innovation and productivity beyond what they've already achieved with the widely adopted Six Sigma and Lean techniques. " ...

Via BusinessWeek: Tech Innovations

Georgia Lean Manufacturing Plant Investment

RITZ Instrument Transformers invests in new manufacturing facility in Hartwell, Georgia, where lean methods will be deployed. ...

... "The company has been able to grow and prosper by focusing on maintaining a very high quality standard, product innovation and cost-effective lean manufacturing. In addition to instrument transformers, the group also manufactures cast coil power transformers, resin insulated bus bar systems and specialty resin products. " ...

Via Access North Georgia: German manufacturer opens plant

GE Six Sigma Does Not Translate Well

General Electric Six Sigma has not translated easily to other companies where GE alumni have migrated and its disciplined approach does not mesh well with new product innovations. ...

... "It was going to take Six Sigma to standardize our processes, like Metamucil; make us regular, make us predictable, pacified and of course, profitable. So, without trying I can count on both hands and feet the number of former GE’ers who flopped miserably at managing, and failed to bring about the joyous resurrection they had been anointed for, at ALL levels of organization. " ...

Via Product Design and Development: New Product Development, NPD

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

Design for Manufacturability Defined

Intel focuses on being proactive in the design stage. ...

... "DFM is a means of proactively addressing product issues early in the design cycle. It provides a means for integrating specific manufacturing concerns into a product's design to obtain a product that is easier to manufacture with excellent overall quality. " ...

Via Intel: Design for Manufacturability

Footwear Lean Manufacturing Creates Efficiency

Footwear manufacturers drive operating efficiencies through the application of lean manufacturing techniques. ...

... "Adidas AG CFO Robin Stalker said the company was well situated: We believe we are extremely well positioned competitively, vis-a-vis our competitors, in terms of lean manufacturing and engineering of our product. " ...

Via Footwear News: Crisis

Lean Product Development

Perot Systems focuses on lean techniques in product development. ...

People-Centric Lean Implementation Pays Off

Flexcon puts people-first in their lean implementation to achieve a significant benefit. ...

... "Between cutting physical waste, speeding product delivery times and reducing accidents, company officials say they have saved $8.2 million. " ...

Via Worcester Business Journal: Lean Without Layoffs

Six Sigma Achievement in Process Efficiency is Awarded

ATMI is recognized for its use of Six Sigma to drive growth at the company in its product lifecycle. A number of Six Sigma projects have been deliver with operational efficiency benefits realized. The company was recognized at the Global Six Sigma Awards 2007. ...

... "We are very happy to have our innovative approach to Six Sigma deployment independently validated, as it is a key contributor to continued growth, said Doug Neugold, Chief Executive Officer. This award is based upon our documenting how the tools and methodologies were used to design, develop, and commercialize our RegenSi(tm), AutoClean(tm), and Newmix(r) process efficiency solutions, each of which has the potential to save our customers many millions of dollars by bringing yield, cost, and throughput improvements to their processes, said Tim Carlson, Chief Financial Officer. Since inception, we've completed over 80 internal projects generating more than $20 million of savings for ATMI. " ...

Via ATMI: Best Achievement in Six Sigma

Five-9s Availability Achieved Through Six Sigma Discipline

EMC uses Six Sigma methodology to drive availability improvements in its products to five-9s performance levels. ...

... "Traditionally, only high-end storage systems designed for the most mission-critical applications have delivered Five 9s availability. EMC designed an entirely new midrange architecture - UltraScale - to deliver the highest levels of availability in affordable, scalable and easy-to-use systems that meet a wide range of storage needs. Over the past year, EMC utilized a comprehensive Six Sigma-based approach to track and calculate availability metrics of both the Fibre Channel and Fibre Channel/iSCSI versions of the EMC CLARiiON CX3 UltraScale systems, including a thorough analysis of the root cause of unplanned customer system downtime whether hardware, software or process-related. " ...

Via EMC: EMC Clariion CX3 Ultrascale Systems Achieve Highest Midrange Storage Availability and Quality Benchmark

Warranty Chain Management Enables SixSigma Defect Reduction

Trane uses HP and PolyVista warranty chain management solution to rapidly identify product quality and warranty-related issues through automated early detection and root cause analysis. ...

... "The solution, which was up and running in eight weeks, helps Trane quickly identify product quality and warranty-related issues through automated early detection and root cause analysis. After correcting any current issue detected by the solution, manufacturing teams at Trane can pass the information on to the design or engineering teams to help avoid problems in future products, as well as to vendors and suppliers to help improve long-term product reliability. Through this process, the solution offers reduced warranty costs, improved product development, sourcing and manufacturing processes, and better customer satisfaction. " ...

Via HP: Warranty Chain Management Early Warning System For Defects

Toyota Lean Product Development System

Toyota's TPS is important, but it is the lean product development system that is a competitive differentiator. ...

... "The experts say that lean product development as Toyota practices it can surpass even the potential performance and cost-reduction advantages of TPS. " ...

Via IndustryWeek: Toyota Product Development

Lilly Six Sigma: Biotechnology Research and Development Prodcutivity

Lilly invests in research and development productivity in biotechnology to replenish its product pipeline and position the company for accelerated growth and profitability. Six Sigma techniques such as QFD, Voice of the Customer support the front-end of pharmaceutical innovation. Design for Six Sigma, Design of Experiments, DOE, enables research and development. Biotech products already comprise a third of Lilly's product pipeline and target a number of diseases, such as Alzheimers, diabetes, inflammation, and kidney disease. Lilly is striving to commericalize one major biotechnology molecule per year. ...

... "Paul summarized Lilly's R&D productivity efforts by stating, We are pursuing three broad strategic approaches to improving R&D productivity, with the goals of increasing the number of compounds in our pipeline while driving down the costs per new molecular entity by about one-third, from $1.2 billion to $800 million. These productivity strategies include fully leveraging our biotech capabilities, accessing more flexible and cost effective R&D capacity globally and aggressively pursuing Six Sigma throughout Lilly Research Labs. " ...

Via Lilly: Lilly Delivers Promising Update to Wall Street on Strategic Priorities, Pipeline Progress and Earnings Guidance

SixSigma DOE Experience

New product manager trained in Design of Experiment (DOE), a successful and methodical approach to new product development, that is part of the Six Sigma toolbox. ...

... "Andy has a PhD in Physical Chemistry from the University of Nottingham, UK, and a Masters of Science in Surface and Colloid Chemistry from the University of Bristol, UK. He is trained in Six Sigma Design of Experiments and has written numerous papers which have been published globally. " ...

Via Indium Corporation: Indium Corporation Hires Product Manager for Semiconductor Packaging Materials ...

Project Portfolio Management: Six Sigma Support ...

Tata Consultancy builds a project and portfolio management system around the Microsoft Project 2007 product. It will enable the deployment of Six Sigma portfolio management and tracking of projects over the DMAIC lifecycle (DMAIC = Define-Measure-Analyze-Improve-Control). Tata's Six Sigma solution is branded as SigmaX(TM). Enterprise portfolio management tools require a significant amount of effort to design and configure. A pre-configured system, tailored for the Six Sigma methodology, is a winner. ...

... "The TCS-Microsoft EPM Solutions is an end-to-end offering that addresses enterprise project planning, definition, execution, management, measurement and tracking needs for businesses. It offers customized niche solutions for industry verticals, Six Sigma deployment and collaborative product development. Tata SigmaX(TM): helps organizations deploy quality management rapidly and consistently by mapping the robust technologies of the Microsoft Office Enterprise Project Management (EPM) platform to the Six Sigma quality management methodology. " ...

Via Tata: Tata Consultancy Services Among First to Launch Enterprise Project and Portfolio Management Solutions on Microsoft Office Project 2007

Senior Manufacturing Engineer: Six Sigma Job

Manufacturing engineering position will lead Lean continuous improvement, Six Sigma black belt desired ...

... "Position will have technical leadership responsibilities for development and maintaining of manufacturing processes, systems, and tools including existing products and for new product development. Individual must be self-motivated, able to communicate information to all levels of the organization and willing to take on a leadership role within manufacturing engineering. Key participant in Continuous Improvement and Lean Manufacturing efforts. " ...

Via Winona Daily News: SENIOR MANUFACTURING ENGINEER ...

Digital Manufacturing Conference: Six Sigma Product Development ...

Conference will integrate product development and the shop floor ...

... "Highlights will include taking PLM to the shop floor with the introduction of a new solution from UGS that integrates Production Management with PLM, along with a special session on emerging technologies that will cover some of the next generation of quality planning and plant floor dimensional validation, tying six sigma processes back to the product definition. " ...

Via UGS: UGS to Host Global Event Focused on Digital Manufacturing's Expanding Business Value and Tighter Integration to PLM

Project Portfolio Management: Six Sigma ...

SAP updates its project portfolio management software. It supports management of the Six Sigma project portfolio, enabling project selection at the Define gate of the DMAIC process and monitoring progress through the lifecycle. ...

... "The latest version of SAP xRPM offers new capabilities allowing companies to utilize a single application for portfolio management across different functional groups in the organization. Users are empowered to best prioritize resource allocation by scoring portfolio items based on aggregation of both qualitative and quantitative criteria, such as risk, feasibility and commercial value. SAP xRPM also provides new specialized templates and configurations that deliver support for operational groups including new product development, IT, enterprise asset management and Six Sigma. " ...

Via SAP: SAP Customers Execute Business Strategy with Solution for Portfolio Management

Lean Manufacturing Renovation Enables New Automotive Component Launch ...

GKN implements lean at renovated facility in preparation for new product launch, such as its new power transfer unit. ...

... "GKN Driveline's Torque Technology Group is introducing a new power transfer unit (PTU) for all-wheel-drive vehicles in North America and Japan that is lighter and stronger than previous designs, while providing customers with reductions in noise, vibration and harshness. The new PTU is the result of a two-and-a-half-year development programme with DaimlerChrysler and Mitsubishi. In North America, the new unit will be available on three new 2007-model DaimlerChrysler vehicles and will be manufactured at a GKN Driveline facility in Bowling Green, Ohio. The company recently completed a multi-million-dollar renovation of the Bowling Green plant to prepare for the PTUs production launch and to optimize lean manufacturing at the facility. There are plans to add a second shift to the plant's PTU assembly line early next year. " ...

Via GKN Driveline: GKN Driveline's New Technology Saves Weight and Fuel ...

Lean Manufacturing Technician ...

Watlow Controls seeks electronic technicians with lean manufacturing experience ...

... "PURPOSE OF JOB - Directly involved in customer applications and engineering support. Troubleshoot and repair manufacturing defects, customer returned product, and engineering development. The individual must be a key participant in Continuous Improvement and Lean Manufacturing efforts. " ...

Lean Manufacturing Technician: vIA winonadailynews: Top Jobs: Technicians & Engineers

Toyota Kaizen Obeya Room ...

Delphi Corporation and The Furukawa Electric Company collaborate to support Toyota's R&D and manufacturing divisions with a new facility, local staff, and a kaizen strategy for success. ...

... "The facility allows for greater flexibility in creating a tailored product for Toyota, which is strengthened by close contact and coordination. The facility also has an Obeya room where a cross-functional team can come together to solve problems quickly as part of Toyota's Kaizen approach to project management. " ...

Toyota Kaizen Obeya Room: Via Delphi: Delphi Furukawa Opens Customer Service Center in Ann Arbor ...

Definition of Obeya room ...

Via Lean Product Development from TBM Consulting Group - The Process: "Obeya: Big room – bringing all the people into one room to make critical decisions. "

The Toyota Way: Via Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: "They are no more obvious than in the project room, or obeya where concise charts show the state of the project."

Lean Manufacturing Accelerates Product Development Programmes ...

Princess Yachts leverages lean manufacturing techniques to accelerate the time to market of new development programmes. ...

... "David Pyle, Sales Director, comments, The implementation of lean manufacturing throughout our production facilities is achieving increased levels of productivity and further refined quality. With similar principles being applied to a number of new development programmes our outstanding design and development teams are given the opportunity to really deliver. An accelerated schedule to introduce a selection of exciting new models from concept over the next 18 months will expand and further strengthen our motor yacht range. " ...

Lean Manufacturing Accelerates Product Development Programmes: Via bymnews: Princess Yachts International to launch four models at Southampton Boat Show ...

Lean TPS: Toyota Production System: Fountain Powerboat Implementation ...

Fountain Powerboats sets course for lean manufacturing through the application of the Toyota Production System (TPS). Fountain will leverage the strengths of Lean consultant, Samuel McPherson, to accomplish its lean journey.

... "Fountain Powerboat Industries, Inc., a leading manufacturer of high performance sport boats, fish boats and express cruisers, announced that it has engaged Samuel R. McPherson, a senior enterprise consultant, to implement the Toyota Production System (TPS) in its manufacturing facilities. McPherson is a proven Lean Manufacturing and public sector leader with over 24 years of experience in driving organizational cultural change and world class lean manufacturing.

The Toyota Production System is the framework and philosophy organizing manufacturing facilities and the interaction of these facilities with the suppliers and customers. The main goal of the TPS is to eliminate seven types of waste: defects, overproduction, transportation, waiting, inventory, motion and over processing. Toyota was able to greatly reduce costs using the TPS, enabling it to become one of the three largest companies in the world. Due to the stellar success of the production philosophy, many of these methods have been copied by other manufacturing companies. Mr. McPherson is a senior Lean-Six Sigma Enterprise and Public Sector Consultant responsible for providing operations, enterprise, extended enterprise level Lean and Lean-Six Sigma, Shingo Manufacturing consulting, training and product development for key commercial, state and government clients within the state of North Carolina. " ...

Lean TPS: Toyota Production System: Fountain Powerboat Implementation: Via Fountain Mercury: FOUNTAIN POWERBOATS TO IMPLEMENT TOYOTA PRODUCTION SYSTEM IN MANUFACTURING FACILITIES ...

MagnaChip Six Sigma Management System ...

Semicon manufacturer, MagnaChip, leverages Six Sigma management system to increase quality, lower costs, improve its reputation in the market. ...

... "Robert Krakauer, EVP of Strategic Operations and CFO of MagnaChip Semiconductor, said, During the quarter, we initiated a Six Sigma management system that is expected to result in improved product quality, substantial cost savings, and enhance our industry leading profile. This initiative specifically focuses on three areas within MagnaChip: Sales & marketing, Research & Development, and Production. Our Six Sigma initiatives will allow us to more effectively deliver industry-leading solutions to our consumer electronics and communications customers worldwide and place us on the same corporate development path as recognized global industry leaders. This program is not only limited to enhancing cost savings and quality but will be actively used to improve overall business management, innovation and execution. " ...

MagnaChip Six Sigma Management System: Via MagnaChip Semiconductor: MagnaChip Semiconductor Reports First Quarter Results ...



MagnaChip Semiconductor is a leading designer, developer and manufacturer of mixed-signal and digital multimedia semiconductors addressing the convergence of consumer electronics and communications devices. We focus on CMOS image sensors and flat panel display drivers, which are complex, high performance, mixed signal semiconductors that capture images and enable and enhance the features and capabilities of both small and large flat panel displays. MagnaChip also provides wafer foundry services utilizing CMOS high voltage, embedded memory, analog and power process technologies for the manufacture of IC's for customer-owned designs. MagnaChip has world-class manufacturing capabilities and an extensive portfolio of approximately 11,900 registered and pending patents. As a result, MagnaChip is a valued partner in providing leading technology solutions to its customers worldwide.

Six Sigma World-Class Performance ...

MagnaChip launches Six Sigma program to drive to world-class performance. ...

... "MagnaChip Semiconductor, a leading specialty foundry service provider, today announced that the Company is initiating Six Sigma management system that is expected to result in improved product quality, substantial cost savings, and enhance MagnaChip's industry leading profile. MagnaChip inaugurated the Company-wide initiative on March 21, 2006 at the Company's headquarters in Cheongju. These new initiatives will specifically focus on three areas within MagnaChip: Sales & marketing, Research & Development, and Production. " ...

Six Sigma World-Class Performance: Via MagnaChip: New Initiatives Expected to Deliver Cost Savings and Enhance World-Class Performance ...

Lean SixSigma Business Operating System ...

Ingersoll Rand will drive efficiency through its Lean Six Sigma business operating system as its seeks to drive global revenue growth ...

... "Operational Excellence: During 2005, the company's operational excellence activities grew operating margins a full percentage point to 12.9% despite a $175 million increase in material costs. The company expects its efforts to formalize its business operating system, a collection of best practices in continuous improvement driven by lean, six sigma and Ingersoll Rand's unique business processes, will continue to drive efficiency gains to largely offset anticipated high material, transportation and energy costs in 2006. With its portfolio transformation complete, the company plans to increase its investments by $80 million this year in initiatives promoting long-term growth. These investments will be made in new product development to drive long-term revenue growth across all five of its business sectors, and in expanding market opportunities for its recently acquired businesses. The company also intends to grow distribution channels for its Bobcat, pneumatic tools and air compressor businesses in promising geographic markets, such as Asia Pacific and Latin America. The investments will also be used to help build a new product development and engineering center in Bangalore, India, and expand the capabilities of an existing engineering center outside Prague. " ...

Lean SixSigma Business Operating System: Via Ingersoll Rand: Ingersoll Rand to Outline Strategy for Generating Consistent Growth: CEO to Discuss Long-term Plan at the Lehman Brothers Industrial Select Conference ...

Lean Manufacturing: Microsoft Roadshow in Europe ...

Microsoft and partners sponsor manufacturing roadshow in Europe to share experiences, such as lean manufacturing and other methods of driving peak performance. ...

... "Microsoft EMEA announced the launch of the Peak Performance Road Show, a series of two-day conference exhibitions wholly focused on the manufacturing sector for CxO and line-of-business executives. The events will take place in cities across Europe between March and June 2006, starting in Munich, Germany, on 13 and 14 March.

Executive attendees will have the opportunity to hear presentations from industry experts, thought leaders and analysts. They will also have the chance to debate current industry issues with their peers and address the challenges that manufacturers from all industries are experiencing: how to reduce new-product development time while continuing to innovate; how to improve the performance of complex plant floor operations; how to obtain a real-time view of the global value chain and achieve lean manufacturing goals; and how to gain a complete view of sales and customer service channels. " ...

Lean Manufacturing: Microsoft Roadshow in Europe: Via Microsoft: Microsoft and Team of Industry Leaders to Host European Manufacturing Road Show: Peak Performance events to bring industry experts and leading manufacturers together to learn from each other ...

Additional Microsoft resources on lean manufacturing ...

Via Microsoft: Automating Lean Manufacturing Process Design Using the Microsoft Office System: "A lean manufacturing process design solution can help organizations reduce lean manufacturing implementation costs, improve collaboration surrounding lean manufacturing implementation, and enhance progress tracking for lean improvement projects. Based on the Microsoft Office System, a lean manufacturing process design solution can be deployed quickly with minimal training costs. "

Via Microsoft: Manufacturers increase profits with Microsoft technology: "Employees at each level of the manufacturing process must have the information and tools they need to support lean manufacturing, and these tools must work together to integrate and enhance the planning, analysis, implementation, and reporting of the lean manufacturing cycle. "

Via eBECS: eBECS pioneer Lean Manufacturing suite for Microsoft Business Solutions – Axapta: "Lean Manufacturing. This is the ability to establish manufacturing cells where downstream triggers pull kanbans through the supply chain. Cells are loaded with orders from Lean ordering and other sources with extensive usage of visual techniques for execution.

Lean Supply Replenishment. While similar to Lean Manufacturing, this module provides functionality which extends electronic kanbans out to suppliers. Lean Supply Replenishment supports everything from simple email kanbans to email alerts for secure website schedule and call-off support. It also handles pulling materials from a central warehouse where the practicality of serving multiple points on a shopfloor makes that appropriate. Both also enable more sophisticated kanban triggers, like backflushing for materials consumption and monitoring bin weigh scales on production cells. "

PDfSS Product Design for Six Sigma Process: Johnson Controls ...

Johnson Control deploys a PDfSS product design for six sigma process for new product development. ...

... "Gemini manual and power seat tracks from Johnson Controls provide smooth, quiet and easy operation, and can be integrated into the MS seat structure. The tracks were developed using the company's Product Design for Six Sigma (PDfSS) process, and are targeted to have the best overall performance of seat track systems available today worldwide. Johnson Controls' global supply base for Gemini tracks ensures affordability and flexibility for its customers. " ...

PDfSS Product Design for Six Sigma Process: Johnson Controls: Via CARNORAMA: Johnson Controls still a market leader ...

Six Sigma Contract Research Services ...

Maximax launches contract research services that leverage Six Sigma quality processes. ...

... "Maximax International, Incorporated in the State of Michigan, USA, announces launch of its services as a global Contract Research Organization. Maximax International was founded to support the Bio-Pharmaceutical Industry by leveraging a global presence and utilizing advanced processes to stream line the conduct of health product development in a timely, cost-effective, ethical manner. With operations in more than 25 countries across 5 continents and strong teams to support customers, Maximax International intends to become one of the leading players in this Industry. Not only is Maximax International positioned to support customers in global studies, we also have the capability to support regional and local studies. Maximax International utilizes the tools of Six Sigma processes, to offer its customers high quality services, supporting data management both locally and centrally in three major data centers across the globe. " ...

Six Sigma Contract Research Services: Via PharmaLive: Maximax International Launches as CRO

Software Supports Manufacturing Agility ...

Newest release of manufacturing execution software (MES) supports agile and adaptable manufacturing models where market requirements are in a constant state of change. ...

... "FlexNet is a highly pliable execution software that can be deployed stand-alone or to extend the value of an organization's ERP, CRM, PLM or other business systems. The software is both a broad strategic operations execution platform that ties together the diverse activities of a manufacturer's operations, as well as a modular suite of applications that can be deployed as needed to provide a tightly coordinated manufacturing solution. Built for Adaptability, Agility: FlexNet 9.3 has been built for adaptive manufacturing, an emerging strategy driven by operations execution systems that provide the flexibility, visibility and integration required to support constantly changing business requirements. The results are optimal efficiency, quality and responsiveness, which can translate into higher profitability and customer satisfaction. " ...

Software Supports Manufacturing Agility: Via Apriso Corporation: APRISO CORPORATION ANNOUNCES FLEXNET VERSION 9.3: Newest Version of Widely Used Software Provides Greater Manufacturing Agility, Adaptability ...

Additional resources on manufacturing agility:

Via Control Engineering - Role of Controls in Product Lifecycle Management: "Moreover, as an enabler for working collaboratively in the early stages of product development, digital manufacturing enables design and automation engineers to work together to quickly develop designs that can be manufactured most readily and economically within the available production facilities. Such integrated systems also support greater manufacturing agility, giving companies greater flexibility in changing operations according to shifting demands of competition and customer preference."

OUTLOOK 2005: Integration & Data Master: Via Managing Automation: "The goal for every commercial offering is to simplify the integration effort, lower cost and enable business and manufacturing agility. And everywhere you turn a vendor has an integrated solution sell for you. "

Via NEMI: GenRad Product Commercializes Technologies from NEMI’s Plug And Play Factory Project: "The adoption of NEMI's FIS standards could greatly reduce the amount of time it takes to integrate new equipment and software systems into the manufacturing supply chain. This capability is critical for maintaining manufacturing agility as well as for increasing the efficiency of shop floor operations, stated John Cartwright, co-chair of the NEMI FIS TIG and manager of Factory Information Systems at Intel."

Lean Manufacturing: Real-Time Information Drives Supply Chain Collaboration ...

Lean Manufacturing: Real-Time Information Drives Supply Chain Collaboration: Via Plexus Systems: Camaco Chooses Plexus Online From Plexus Systems

... "Camaco's advanced development and product engineering capability and its commitment to lean manufacturing provide its customers with quality products that meet price, timing and weight targets, said Rob Beatty, CEO of Plexus Systems. Plexus Online will enhance those abilities by providing Camaco with a single, state-of-the-art manufacturing information system that provides the real-time information to efficiently run its operations and collaborate with its supply chain in key areas. " ...

Lean Product Development Platform ...

Lean Product Development Platform: Via CoCreate: OneSpace 2006 and Lean Product Development ...

... "Lean product development, like lean manufacturing, calls for companies to cut fat and maximize flexibility in development. For some, product lifecycle management (PLM) promised to do just that. But the PLM process proved to add just another layer of rigidity. " ...

Six Sigma Innovation Center: Technical Leadership ...

Fabwel will showcase its technical leadership at its new innovation center, where six sigma quality will be practiced. ...

Six Sigma Innovation Center: Technical Leadership: Via Owens Corning: Fabwel., a Division of Owens Corning, to Open New Innovation Center to Connect RV Expertise with Key Customers: Facility, located in the heart of RV manufacturing region, will support customers with product development capabilities ...

... "The 16,000 square-foot facility will open in January, utilize Six Sigma quality processes, and provide technical leadership including application engineering, various testing functions at an on-site laboratory, process prototyping and material qualification for innovative product development and business solutions. All activities will focus on enhancing the current Fabwel product portfolio, which ranges from base materials to RV exterior and interior sub systems such as walls, floors and doors. " ...

Radical Innovation Shift From Process Management Focus ...

An innovative new product development process is key to sustaining growth in today's enterprise. Knowledge@Wharton explores the trap of overemphasizing Six Sigma and other process management methodologies while dampening an enterprise's capacity for innovation. GE's imagination breakthroughs are a great example of the innovation shifts occuring in industry. ...

Radical Innovation Shift From Process Management Focus: Via Knowledge@Wharton: TQM, ISO 9000, Six Sigma: Do Process Management Programs Discourage Innovation? ...

... "Chief executive Jeffrey Immelt, for instance, has set GE on an ambitious course of growing more revenue from existing operations. This growth is fueled by radical technological innovation, or what he calls imagination breakthroughs proposed by his executive team ... " ...

Six Sigma RFID Read Rates: Pharma Healthcare Performance ....

TagSys is achieving Six Sigma performance levels with its RFID tag read rates in the pharmaceutical and healthcare environments. ...

Six Sigma RFID Read Rates: Pharma Healthcare Performance: Via TAGSYS RFID: TAGSYS Receives Product Quality Innovation Award for its Complete Turnkey RFID Solutions in the Pharmaceuticals Market ...

... "TAGSYS is involved in the development of RFID standards with various regulatory organizations such as the International Standards Organization (ISO) and EPCglobal, remarks Gouthaman. The company's product range conforms to the ISO 18000 standard specifications and it has also successfully achieved Six Sigma levels of performance on its read rates for various pharmaceutical and healthcare applications. " ...

Six Sigma Voice of Customer Product Development ...

Six Sigma Voice of Customer Product Development: Via JobWerx: Slip Additive Eliminates Variable in Flexible Packaging

... "We designed Ampacet 102794 using our six sigma process from start to finish to ensure we created a well-targeted product. This began with a voice of the customer survey in which consistent COF emerged as the most important concern among converters and packagers. " ...

Lean Manufacturing Training Position

Position available to provide lean manufacturing training. ...

Via JobServe: Lean Manufacturing Training Position ...

... "Our client is a standard setting Lean and Six Sigma industrial and business training consultancy with a passionate commitment to working at the cutting edge of organisational development. Due to rapid expansion our client is seeking a dynamic and experienced professional to direct and manage the lecturing and product development team in the delivery and development of wide ranging, high level, training of in-company and public courses. " ...

GE Six Sigma Management Experience ...

GE Six Sigma Management Experience: Via AMRI News: Albany Molecular Research, Inc. Adds Three Key Hires to Management Team ...

... "Mary M. Cullinan has been named manager of financial planning and analysis. She will be responsible for budgeting, forecasting, analyzing and financial modeling. Mary brings over twenty years of experience with General Electric Company, where she worked at a senior level across multiple businesses in finance, strategic planning, six sigma and global product management. Most recently, she was the senior financial analyst at GE's Silicone Products Division in Waterford, New York. " ...

Albany Molecular Research, Inc. is a chemistry-based drug discovery, development and manufacturing company. The company provides contract chemistry services to pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies and conducts its own proprietary R&D.

SixSigma Quality Program Knowledge ...

SixSigma Quality Program Knowledge: Kevin M. Stein Named President, Cooper Bussmann ...

Executive, with Six Sigma quality program background, appointed president ...

... "Kevin's broad background includes extensive operational and management experience in both domestic and international settings, as well as experience in global electrical product development and design and hands-on knowledge of Six Sigma Quality programs, said Paul Isabella. " ...

Cooper Industries, Ltd., with 2004 revenues of $4.5 billion, is a global manufacturer of electrical products and tools and hardware. Headquartered in Houston, Texas, Cooper has more than 28,000 employees serving more than 90 locations around the world, and sells products to customers in more than 50 countries.

Lean Manufacturing Facility Design ...

Lean Manufacturing Facility Design: ModusLink Expands its Utah Operations ...

Facility design incorporates lean manufacturing techniques to achieve high-performance supply chain ...

... "The new facility adds 174,624 square feet of operational space and capacity to the current global footprint. Employing lean manufacturing techniques, the center was designed and equipped with highly skilled personnel, equipment, systems and business processes to implement the most efficient and cost effective supply chain solutions. " ...

ModusLink is a leading provider of global supply chain management solutions. The company provides global technology clients in the software, hardware, telecommunications and wireless markets with customized supply chain solutions that reduce risk and time to market and improve efficiency and productivity. ModusLink's services include demand planning, sourcing and procurement, manufacturing support, kitting and assembly, fulfillment, full-cycle logistics, systems integration and development, customer support and optimization consulting. Headquartered in Waltham, Massachusetts, ModusLink maintains 37 facilities in 13 countries and employs 3,900 people worldwide. The company is a subsidiary of CMGI, Inc.

Additional resources on lean manufacturing facility designs:

Facilities In Lean Manufacturing Strategy: Lean Manufacturing is all about adding value and avoiding waste. Facility planning (land, buildings, equipment, furnishings) provides the physical capability to add value. ...

Items included in facilities design are plant location, building design, plant layout, and materials handling. The focus of this text is on designing lean manufacturing facilities. This means that all aspects of production should work together to eliminate waste.

Facilities Design for Lean: The lean facility design concentrates on adding value at each activity. This is done by creating one piece flow through cells dedicated to product families. Pull is created through kanban and visual systems. Quick setups are a necessity.

Solectron Lean Production System

Solectron Lean Production System: Lucent Technologies Names Solectron Worldwide Manufacturer of Wireline Products; Selection Positions Solectron as Wireline Supplier of Choice ...

... "Solectron is proud to have been selected by Lucent as their partner for this new engagement," said Mike Cannon, president and CEO of Solectron. This significant expansion of our existing relationship further validates that the Solectron Production System(TM), built upon the fundamentals of lean manufacturing and six sigma, is offering world-class leaders like Lucent new opportunities to make their supply chain a competitive differentiator. " ...

Solectron provides a full range of worldwide manufacturing and integrated supply chain services to the world's premier high-tech companies. Solectron's offerings include new-product design and introduction services, materials management, product manufacturing and product warranty and end-of-life support. The company is based in Milpitas, Calif., and had sales from continuing operations of $11.64 billion in fiscal 2004.

Lucent Technologies designs and delivers the systems, services and software that drive next-generation communications networks. Backed by Bell Labs research and development, Lucent uses its strengths in mobility, optical, software, data and voice networking technologies, as well as services, to create new revenue-generating opportunities for its customers, while enabling them to quickly deploy and better manage their networks. Lucent's customer base includes communications service providers, governments and enterprises worldwide.

Kaizen Event Focused Improvement ...

Kaizen Event Focused Improvement: AFRL/ML Success Story: Engine Supplier Base Initiative - Casting Sector

... "A Kaizen event or workshop is a Lean tool that is often considered the bread and butter of the Lean manufacturing world. An Integrated Product and Process Development (IPPD) team is put together representative of every key position in the production process. Depending upon the size of the operation, the team numbers eight to 20 employees. The Kaizen team meets for four or five days, and focus in some particular area or operation of the plant to be improved. " ...

Six Sigma Product Development ...

Six Sigma Product Development: Business Review Chemicals ...

... "Polyurethane Chemicals successfully piloted Six Sigma on product development and customer engagement processes this year. Six Sigma is a highly disciplined process for developing and delivering near-perfect products and services. We are now applying Six Sigma to certain supply chain and manufacturing processes. " ...

Lean Manufacturing Initiative: Streamline Development

Lean Manufacturing Initiative: Streamline Development: Deutsch Ltd. connects to time savings, reduced errors with SolidWorks and PDMWorks: U.K.-based electrical connector manufacturer speeds product development with 3D mechanical design and product data management software ...

Deutsch has implemented software solutions that support its operational efficiency initiative based on lean manufacturing ...

... "U.K.-based Deutsch Ltd. is using SolidWorks® 3D mechanical design and PDMWorks® product data management software to streamline development of its electrical and fibre-optic connectors used in harsh environments, including race cars, fighter jets, and high-performance luxury yachts. Together, SolidWorks and PDMWorks support Deutsch's new lean manufacturing initiative aimed at reducing costs, design time, and production errors. Deutsch Ltd. is a subsidiary of the Deutsch group of companies that manufacture a range of interconnect solutions for harsh environments. Deutsch Ltd.'s products connect to instruments that help NASCAR drivers log track data and pilots fly supersonic aircraft. " ...

Based in St. Leonards on Sea , U.K. , Deutsch Ltd. is part of the Deutsch group of companies. Deutsch Ltd. has been manufacturing electrical connectors for more than 30 years in the military, aerospace, autosport, and marine markets. The company specializes in providing electrical and fiber-optic interconnection solutions for harsh environments , including everything from Formula 1 racing cars to military aircraft.

SolidWorks Corporation, a Dassault Systèmes S.A. (Nasdaq: DASTY, Euronext Paris: #13065, DSY.PA) company, develops and markets software for mechanical design , analysis , and product data management . It is the #1 supplier of 3D mechanical design software for the mainstream market. SolidWorks leads the market in number of users in production, customer satisfaction, and revenue.

Six Sigma Engineering Best Practices ...

Six Sigma Engineering Best Practices: CADTRAIN's COACH/LMS Helps Raytheon with Knowledge Management ...

... "Raytheon has been using CADTRAIN's COACH/LMS product since 2001 and has seen a very high adoption rate for users completing the Pro/E training and developing their Pro/E skills. However, becoming an effective engineer at Raytheon requires more than just Pro/E training. It is also critical to know engineering best practices, corporate best practices, six sigma and other skills related to Raytheon's product development processes. " ...

CADTRAIN was founded in 1989 and focuses on the development, marketing and support of e-Learning and Knowledge Management solutions for CAD and PLM users. CADTRAIN's learning solutions include COACH – a complete curriculum of e-Learning courses for Pro/ENGINEER; COACH/LMS – a complete Learning System for Pro/ENGINEER; and the CADTRAIN Online Learning Center – a hosted learning site for Pro/E professionals. More than 1000 companies worldwide use COACH as a key part of their training and support strategy.

Six Sigma Expert Techniques ...

Six Sigma Expert Techniques: Patni Launches Defined Contribution BPO Service For Insurance Carriers ...

... "Leveraging Patni’s team of experts trained in Six Sigma techniques, insurance companies will realize improved accuracy and faster turnaround of processed transactions, ultimately resulting in improved customer service. The service employs a reverse ASP model that leverages the customer’s existing IT infrastructure, eliminating the burden of migrating to an unknown administrative platform. " ...

Patni Computer Systems Limited (BSE: PATNI COMPUT, NSE: PATNI) ) is a global IT Services provider servicing Global 2000 clients. Patni caters to its clients through its industry-focused practices, including insurance, manufacturing, financial services, telecommunications, and its technology-focused practices. With an employee strength of over 10,000 and multiple offshore development facilities across eight cities; Patni has 26 international offices across the Americas, Europe and Asia-Pacific. Patni has registered revenues of US$ 326.6 million for the year 2004. Patni’s service offerings include application development, application maintenance and support, packaged software implementation, infrastructure management services, product engineering services, business process outsourcing and quality assurance services. Committed to quality, Patni adds value to its client's businesses through well-established and structured methodologies, tools and techniques. Patni is an ISO 9000:2000 certified and SEI-CMMi Level 5 organization, assessed enterprise wide at P-CMM Level 3. In keeping with its focus on continuous process improvements, Patni adopts Six Sigma practices as an integral part of its quality and process frameworks.

Lean Manufacturing Kaizen Event: Success Story ...

AFRL/ML Success Story: Engine Supplier Base Initiative - Casting Sector

... "A Kaizen event or workshop is a Lean tool that is often considered the bread and butter of the Lean manufacturing world. An Integrated Product and Process Development (IPPD) team is put together representative of every key position in the production process. Depending upon the size of the operation, the team numbers eight to 20 employees. The Kaizen team meets for four or five days, and focus in some particular area or operation of the plant to be improved. A Kaizen's popularity comes from the fact that every team member is encouraged to participate in the improvement process. " ...

Six Sigma Quality Company ...

Modern Engineering Acquires CBT Companies, Inc. - Acquisition Expands Modern’s Overseas Presence and U.S. Foothold ...

... "In 2004, CBT earned partner-level supplier status with John Deere. The Six Sigma company was named 2003 Indirect Material and Services Supplier by John Deere for scoring top marks in quality, cost management, delivery, technical support and responsiveness. Another leading manufacturer of heavy machinery and equipment ranked CBT as their No. 1 international supplier and No. 2 U.S. based supplier. " ...

Modern Engineering, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Virtual Supply Chain Engineering, Inc., has been a leading provider of staffing, engineering and design services to the worldwide manufacturing industry since 1946. Modern’s expertise includes program management, product design & engineering, tool and rack design, manufacturing engineering, supply chain engineering, data management, software development, contract staffing, and IT services. Modern offers services in all major CAD systems and operates a Digital Manufacturing Center of Excellence in partnership with UGS / Tecnomatix. Modern recently introduced a new supply-chain engineering technology - “The Virtual Engineer.”

Six Sigma Product Development Workshops ...

Six Sigma Product Development Workshops: MSC.SOFTWARE TO ASSIST LOCAL SMIS IN BOOSTING R&D SKILLS: Six Sigma Workshops To Help SMIs Take The Guesswork Out of Product Development & Testing ...

... "MSC.Software Corp., the leading global provider of virtual product development (VPD) technologies including simulation software and services, today announced it will work with Malaysian small and medium-sized industries (SMIs) via a series of Six Sigma educational workshops to help them enhance their in-house research and development capabilities. MSC.Software’s co-operation and educational programme for local SMIs will give this group access to the Company’s proven software tools, skills sets and knowledge base, thereby providing them the opportunity to further enhance their VPD capabilities and add value to their core engineering capabilities. " ...

MSC.Software (OTC: MNSC) is the leading global provider of virtual product development (VPD) products including simulation software and services that help companies make money, save time and reduce costs associated with designing and testing manufactured products. MSC.Software works with thousands of companies in hundreds of industries to develop better products faster by utilizing information technology, software and services. MSC.Software employs more than 1300 people in 22 countries.

Implementation Lean Manufacturing Principles ...

Spirent Communications Honors Solectron With 2004 Supplier of the Year Award; Results Driven by Solectron's Lean Principles and Employee Dedication ...

... "very pleased with the outcome of the partnership and see definite enhancements in our production due to the implementation of Lean manufacturing principles, said Ray Texeira, vice president of Operations for Spirent. " ...

Solectron (www.solectron.com) provides a full range of worldwide manufacturing and integrated supply chain services to the world's premier high-tech electronics companies. Solectron's offerings include new-product design and introduction services, materials management, product manufacturing, and product warranty and end-of-life support. The company is based in Milpitas, Calif., and had sales from continuing operations of $11.64 billion in fiscal 2004.

Spirent Communications (www.spirentcom.com) is a global provider of integrated performance analysis and service assurance systems that enable the development and deployment of next-generation networking technology such as Internet telephony, broadband services, 3G wireless, global navigation satellite systems and network security equipment. Spirent's solutions are used by more than 1,500 customers in 30 countries, including the world's largest equipment manufacturers, service providers, enterprises and governments. Based in Rockville, Md., Spirent Communications reported 2004 revenue of $460 million and has 1,700 employees worldwide. The company is the largest business group of Spirent plc, traded on the London and New York Stock Exchanges (NYSE:SPM; LSE:SPT; CUSIP number: 84856M209).

Six Sigma Career Path: GE 6S Experience Pays Off ...

Invitrogen Promotes Mark Gardner to Chief Marketing Officer; Process Excellence and Marketing Expert to Expand Reach to Customers Through Broad Range of Channels ...

... "Gardner has served Invitrogen in several roles since 2003, including Vice President of Process Improvement, where he introduced concepts such as Six Sigma and LEAN to the company. Most recently, he served as Vice President of Commercial Marketing, where he established a global council to leverage opportunities across the spectrum of marketing channels for the company's product portfolio. He first came to Invitrogen after a series of highly successful six sigma and acquisition integration projects at General Electric Medical Systems, Information Technologies division. " ...

Invitrogen Corporation (Nasdaq:IVGN) provides products and services that support academic and government research institutions and pharmaceutical and biotech companies worldwide in their efforts to improve the human condition. The company provides essential life science technologies for disease research, drug discovery, and commercial bioproduction. Invitrogen's own research and development efforts are focused on breakthrough innovation in all major areas of biological discovery including functional genomics, proteomics, bioinformatics and cell biology -- placing Invitrogen's products in nearly every major laboratory in the world. Founded in 1987, Invitrogen is headquartered in Carlsbad, California and conducts business in more than 70 countries around the world. The company globally employs approximately 4,500 scientists and other professionals and had revenues of more than $1 billion in 2004.

Keithley Lean Manufacturing Initiative ...

Keithley Instruments Inc. - Keithley Instruments Reports 35% Sales Growth and 49% Order Growth for Fiscal 2004 Fourth Quarter

... "We are very pleased with our strong financial results this quarter, as well as for the fiscal year. We significantly improved our operating leverage, particularly in our gross margins, driven in part by our lean manufacturing initiative, stated Keithley. " ...

With more than 50 years of measurement expertise, Keithley Instruments has become a world leader in advanced electrical test instruments and systems from DC to RF (radio frequency) geared to the specialized needs of electronics manufacturers for high performance production testing, process monitoring, product development, and research. By building upon our strength in electrical measurement solutions for research, Keithley has become a production test technology leader for the semiconductor, wireless, optoelectronics, and other precision electronics segments of the worldwide electronics industry. The value we provide to our customers is a combination of precision measurement technology and a rich understanding of their applications to improve the quality, throughput, and yield of their products.

Kaizen-Enabled Supply Chain Software Solutions through Partnership ...

APRISO AND NEORIS PARTNERSHIP DELIVERS RESULTS IN LATIN AMERICA ...

... "Apriso and Neoris have signed a partnership agreement appointing Neoris as Apriso's FlexNet application implementation partner in Mexico and throughout Latin America. Neoris will offer Apriso's FlexNet as the first commercial off-the-shelf software (COTS) solution in their portfolio of Supply Chain Operations solutions. FlexNet combines the essential aspects of advanced warehouse systems with the critical functions of advanced manufacturing systems, so manufacturers can synchronize material flows with their production schedules. The agreement also selects Neoris as a premier Apriso Implementation & Services Partner, which will be engaged in FlexNet implementation projects throughout the region. " ...

Apriso is the pioneer of a new class of enterprise software that for the first time enables global corporations to define, operate, and monitor supply, production and distribution processes in real time, without limits. Using an event-driven, distributed services model, Apriso’s software provides such fine-grained visibility and control of both execution processes and key performance indicators that it is an ideal platform for accomplishing the most pressing business initiatives of today: compliance, product genealogy, in-line production sequencing, real-time, RFID-based asset management, lean supply, successive refinement (kaizen), six-sigma quality levels, demand-driven supply (the “Dell” model), and the adaptive enterprise. Apriso’s software, known as FlexNet®, integrates quickly, easily and naturally into an enterprise’s existing software infrastructure, and effectively extends the scope of systems such as enterprise resource planning (ERP) into the furthest reaches of the extended production and supply network, as required. But unlike existing systems, which are based upon a top-down, plan-driven operations orientation, Apriso’s event-driven, process-based architecture accommodates any operational model that is based upon real-time collaboration between execution processes, real-time visibility into performance, or the requirement to define, refine, or immediately control workflows throughout the enterprise, and across borders. Apriso was founded in 1992 and now operates in nine countries across the Americas, Europe and Asia-Pacific. World headquarters are in Long Beach, California. Apriso’s rapidly-growing customer base of more than 140 customers and over 350 installations worldwide includes such high-profile, global companies as General Motors, Lear, Honeywell, Microsoft, Merck, Lockheed Martin, ITT, Baker Hughes, International Paper, Rubbermaid, Matsushita Avionics Systems, Saint-Gobain, Pechiney, and British American Tobacco. In addition, Apriso has partnered with leading technology companies, such as Microsoft, IBM, Oracle, and SAP.

Neoris is the 4th largest IT consulting firm and 5th largest custom application development firm in Latin America, according to IDC. In addition to Latin America, Neoris has a strong presence in the US and Europe, offering systems integration, custom application development, IT consulting and software deployment. As a digital enabler, Neoris transforms the way companies conduct business by using digital technologies to capture profits. Clients include Lockheed Martin, GlaxoSmithKline, OfficeMax, Pemex, Cisco, Petrozuata, Luchetti and Verizon. Neoris is a privately owned company headquartered in Miami, Florida with over 1,000 employees in the US, Europe and Latin America.

Six Sigma Quality Process Improvement Capability Drives SMB Business Service Market ...

Six Sigma Quality Process Improvement Capability Drives SMB Business Service Market: EDS and Proxima Technology Offer Innovative Products that Support the UK Government Small and Medium Enterprise Initiative - EDS Selected Centauri Business Service Manager™ to Provide Business Service Management to UK Clients ...

Proxima and EDS join forces to offer business services, built on a foundation of Six Sigma quality improvement, to small and medium size businesses ...

... By engaging Proxima Technology’s effort in our client contracts, Proxima Technology helps us enrich and differentiate our managed services through its automated reporting feature and its inherent Six Sigma quality process improvement capability,” said Catherine Cremoux, Director, UK Incubator Programme, EDS. “This further demonstrates EDS’ commitment to support Small and Medium-sized Enterprises in bringing innovation to large organisations.” ...

The EDS UK Incubator programme is an Information Communications and Technology (ICT) industry development initiative. Its aims are simple: to support SME UK ICT organisations to market their services and products throughout the EDS global network of clients and industries. The SMEs and their solutions are selected on the basis of their innovation and uniqueness; along with the potential for integration with EDS' service offerings.

Proxima Technology provides business service management (BSM) solutions that help organisations understand and improve the business value of IT services. The flagship product, Centauri Business Service Manager™ (Centauri) achieves alignment between IT and the business objectives, optimizes critical IT services to reduce costs, improves business efficiency and prioritizes management of resources. Proxima Technology is headquartered in Denver, CO, with sales offices across North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific. Proxima Technology has more blue chip customer references than any other business service management vendor, they include: T-Mobile, Qualcomm, Carlson Companies, National City Corporation, EDS, Sun Microsystems, Mutual of Omaha, Abbey Bank among others.

QFD Shortens Product Design CycleTime

Integrated Product and Process Development ...

... "For instance, Quality Function Deployment (QFD) dramatically shortens the time to design a product, while prioritizing performance requirements and ensuring that all the key interdependencies, which will ultimately effect product quality, are addressed properly." ...

DFSS Conference Coming This June ...

DFSS Conference This June: WCBF Announces Speakers for June Design for Six Sigma Conference

DFSS Design for Six Sigma Conference is coming up in June ...

From PR Newswire (press release) ... Today WCBF announced the speakers for the ninth event in their Six Sigma series, which have seen unrivalled success ...

... Today WCBF announced the speakers for the ninth event in their Six Sigma series, which have seen unrivalled success to date. Based on the unique cross-industry agenda, WCBF's Design for Six Sigma Conference is expected to be the largest DFSS event to-date, addressing the real needs of DFSS practitioners struggling with the challenges of deploying and advancing DFSS. WCBF's DFSS conference gathers together the DFSS deployment leaders and expert practitioners in both product AND process development including BANK OF AMERICA, DUPONT, RAYTHEON, GENERAL ELECTRIC, SEAGATE, QUEST DIAGNOSTICS, CIGNA CORPORATION and many more! The conference will be held on Thursday 9th and Friday 10th June 2005 at The Venetian Resort Hotel Casino in Las Vegas with six separately bookable pre-conference workshops on Wednesday June 8th. ...

WCBF's Design for Six Sigma conference is sponsored by: BMG, i-solutions, Moresteam, Oriel, PowerSteering Software, Instantis, Statistical Design Institute, Stat-A-Matrix, Cognition Corporation, Lean Innovation Institute.

Six Sigma Practices ...

Six Sigma Practices: Patni Telecom Experts to Speak at CTIA

Telecommuncations leaders from Patni, a believer in the practices of Six Sigma, speak at upcoming conference ...

From PR Newswire (press release) ... 5 organization, assessed enterprise wide at P-CMM Level 3. In keeping with its focus on continuous process improvements, Patni adopts Six Sigma practices as an ...

... Patni telecom experts will speak at CTIA Wireless 2005. WHAT: Executives from Patni Computer Systems, Telecom Business Unit, to speak on panel presentations at CTIA Wireless 2005 in New Orleans March 13 and 14 WHEN: March 13, 2005 from 3:00 PM - 3:50 PM, Room 279 ...

Patni Computer Systems Limited (BSE: PATNI COMPUT, NSE: PATNI) is a global IT Services provider servicing Global 2000 clients in the Manufacturing, Insurance, Banking & Financial services, Telecom and Independent Software Vendor (ISV) industries. With an employee strength of over 9,500; multiple offshore development facilities across eight cities; and 24 international offices across the Americas, Europe and Asia-Pacific; Patni has registered revenues of US$ 327 million for the year 2004. Patni's technology focus spans enterprise application solutions, embedded technology solutions, e-business solutions, and business intelligence solutions. Service offerings include: application development and maintenance, business process outsourcing, enterprise systems management, product engineering, verification & validation, and process consulting services. Committed to quality, Patni adds value to its client's businesses through well-established and structured methodologies, tools and techniques. Patni is an ISO 9001:2000 certified and SEI-CMMi Level 5 organization, assessed enterprise wide at P-CMM Level 3. In keeping with its focus on continuous process improvements, Patni adopts Six Sigma practices as an integral part of its quality and process frameworks.

Theory of Constraints Resources ...

Energy TechNet: Other Resources

... "The Product Development Institute is a for-profit consulting firm specializing in seminars about the Theory of Constraints system for new product development." ...

Lean Manufacturing Expertise Drives Industry Alliances and Joint Venture Partnering ...

Lean Manufacturing Expertise Drives Industry Alliances and Joint Venture Partnering: Delphi Medical Systems Wins Multimillion Dollar Respiratory Care ...

Delphi's lean manufacturing capability provides the company with a competitive advantage - lean expertise makes it a valued partner when pursuing joint venture and alliances ...

From PR Newswire (press release) ... "Delphi Medical's demonstrated advanced technology development capabilities, quality and lean manufacturing expertise made the company a good choice to enhance ...

... Delphi Medical Systems, a subsidiary of Delphi Corp. (NYSE: DPH), entered into a five-year agreement with Cardinal Health to develop and manufacture respiratory devices for Cardinal Health's Respiratory Care business. Delphi Medical Systems will develop a break-through product, leveraging Delphi technologies and expertise in electronics and electro-mechanics. These respiratory devices will be co-branded, bearing both Delphi Medical and Cardinal Health logos. ...

Delphi Medical Systems is a world-class provider of technology, products, and product development and manufacturing for Dialysis, Infusion, Respiratory Care, Vital Signs Monitoring and Power Mobility. Its capabilities stem from Delphi's vast technology base, product development expertise and manufacturing excellence.

Baldrige Award TQM at TI

Baldrige Award Recipients--Texas Instruments Inc., Defense Systems & Electronics Group ...

... "The Texas Instruments Defense Systems & Electronics Group (TI-DSEG) (now Raytheon TI Systems) has made total quality basic to its business. The Dallas-based maker of precision-guided weapons and other advanced defense technology believes that its full-scale conversion to total quality management (TQM) is making it a stronger competitor, one up to building market share in a contracting defense industry. Aiming to achieve six sigma* quality by 1995 and to reduce product development time by 25 percent each year, TI-DSEG is reaping the benefits of accelerating quality-improvement efforts that began in the early 1980s. The reliability of TI-DSEG systems exceeds the specifications of its Defense Department customers, in several instances by four or five times. Effective strategic planning, wide use of concurrent engineering methods, and strong relationships with key suppliers have helped TI-DSEG penetrate new defense markets, while increasing its share in five of the company's six existing markets." ...

DFSS Techniques in Development ...

DOE Building Technologies Program: Compact Fluorescent Lamp-Ballast in a Socket

... "To aid in the development of an optimum product, the GE Global Research and the LRC team will determine the following characteristics of two or three different types of existing amalgam and non-amalgam CFLs: light distribution and usable light on a table or chair situated near the portable fixture; color shift with dimming; efficacy drop with dimming; and warm-up characteristics. Then, GE Global Research will use consumer research data, regulatory requirements, and lamp behavior data to develop an optimum ballast and identify a lamp to best meet customers' expectations. The GE Global Research staff's technical work to achieve this goal will include:

Thermal modeling and management
Ballast circuit design
Identification of the optimum lamp distributors
Packaging of electronic circuits
Design for Six Sigma, including design for reliability and for manufacturability
Performance verification " ...