Analytics Will Survive Six Sigma

Statistics and analytics are hot. IBM's recent CIO survey highlights analytics and business intelligence to support decision making as top of mind for CIOs. SAS' co-founder John Sall offers his perspective on the quality improvement space. ...

... "As a brand, Six Sigma is not as strong. It overpromised. The brand will fade. The appreciation for analyzing data and experimentation will not. " ...

Via Burns, Chicago Tribune: SAS Sall on Six Sigma

Department of Defense Lean Six Sigma Software Enabler

The U.S. military standardizes on Minitab statistical software to support its implementation of quality improvement methods using Lean Six Sigma. ...

... "Since the U.S. Army deployed Lean Six Sigma in 2005, nearly 2,000 personnel have been trained, more than 1,000 projects have been completed, and more than 1,600 remain active. The Army credits these projects with achieving nearly $2 billion in savings so far. The Department of the Navy has trained more than 5,000 sailors and Marines as Six Sigma green or black belts since 2006. The Navy estimates savings from its projects for 2006 and 2007 to be $450 million, a 4-to-1 return on investment. The U.S. Air Force has trained more than 500 Six Sigma belts, and its Air Logistics Centers received two Shingo Prizes for quality improvement last year. The Air Force has committed to a 40,000-manpower reduction without impairing its operational capabilities due in part to efficiencies gained from its initiatives. " ...

Via Minitab: Minitab quality improvement software

Lean Six Sigma Discussed

Lean sigma techniques discussed, including control charts. ...

Minitab Recognized For Six Sigma in Manufacturing

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

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

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

SPC Software Integrated in Manufacturing Services

InfinityQS International names Tegron as a certified reseller. Texas-based Tegron is a professional services firm in the plant automation space. Tegron will integrate ProFicient SPC software as part of their service offerings. ...

... "ProFicient gives Tegron the ability to integrate quality specifications into the manufacturing processes of their customers and provide infrastructure for completely integrated TQM programs within automation and information systems. " ...

Via Infinity QS: InfinityQS Expands Global Partnership Program

Six Sigma Statistics Software: Minitab New Release

Minitab releases version 15 of its flagship statistical software. This release contains a number of enhancements, such as expanded Gage R&R capabilities, power curves for power and sample size, and probability distribution plots. ...

... "Although Minitab is widely known for being easy to use, it contains the advanced tools needed for even the most rigorous quality improvement projects. That combination has fueled the software’s success, and Minitab has been used to implement virtually every major Six Sigma initiative around the world. " ...

Via Minitab: MINITAB LAUNCHES RELEASE 15 OF MINITAB STATISTICAL SOFTWARE