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

Lean Manufacturing Measurement Strategy

Ethanol industry confronts challenges in manufacturing yield through the use of Six Sigma and lean manufacturing techniques. Establishing measurements of baseline performance and measuring improvements and sustaining improved performance is key to these methodologies. ...

... "Process improvement methodologies, such as lean manufacturing and Six Sigma, are fundamentally measurement-based strategies that seek to maximize productivity while eliminating variation. In fact, measurement is both the second and fifth step of the Six Sigma DMADV (define, measure, analyze, design and verify) process. " ...

Via Ethanol Producer: Measurement Automation Strategy

Human Approach to Six Sigma

Gallup has an interesting take on applying Six Sigma to people-centric processes. ...

... "Gallup has developed a powerful new approach to measuring and managing human performance -- HumanSigma. When The Gallup Organization applied Six Sigma principles to sales and service groups at several companies, it learned how much performance variation exists between seemingly similar work groups. " ...

Link: Gallup's Human Sigma

Seminar Explores Lean Six Sigma Role in Global Competition

APICS chapter offers Lean Six Sigma seminar on Tuesday, Aug 28th, 2007. ...

... "Competing Globally with Lean Six Sigma will offer a brief history of Lean Six Sigma, a process-improvement method, then move on to practical application of the principles in eliminating waste and variation to enhance global competitiveness. " ...

Via St. Cloud Times: Growth

Incremental Profitability Through Six Sigma

Joe Herring, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Covance, offers his perspective on the company's strong performance. ...

... "Our relentless focus on operational and service excellence continues to deliver substantial benefits. Six Sigma, which is being utilized across more than two-thirds of the company, delivered approximately $5 million in incremental profitability in the first half of 2007. More importantly, Six Sigma reduces process variation, which improves project delivery, increases client satisfaction, and helps drive repeat business. By this time next year, we expect all of Covance's service offerings globally to have deployed Six Sigma. In addition, we continue to make strategic infrastructure investments in facilities, information technology, and talent to support our ability to capitalize on the extremely favorable, long-term outsourcing trend in drug development. " ...

Via Covance: Covance Reports 2Q07 Earnings of $0.64 Per Share

Textron SixSigma Principle-Based Experience Shared At Summit

At WCBF's Lean Six Sigma Summit, Textron's John W. Mayers, VP of Six Sigma and Transformation, will share insights on the principled-based leadership employed at his company. ...

... "Mayers will be addressing an audience of senior level business and continuous improvement leaders from across all industries striving for business improvement by sharing Textron's experience with Six Sigma and Lean principles. Textron's Six Sigma model is a comprehensive, common set of tools and techniques applied to all functional areas to eliminate waste, reduce variation, and fuel growth and innovation. Textron's unique combination of powerful methodologies woven into a single holistic approach makes Textron Six Sigma an especially robust improvement mechanism for the company. Textron Six Sigma also plays a key role in talent development for the company. " ...

Via Textron: Textron's John Mayers Delivers Remarks At Lean Six Sigma Summit

Lean Six Sigma: Understand What You Are Getting Into

Lean and Six Sigma have their strengths and weaknesses. Lean eliminates waste. Six Sigma reduces variation. Both require culture change and leadership support. Understand your enterprise needs and vision. Choose carefully. ...

... "Lean and Six Sigma are two distinct organizational improvement methods that are being combined into an organizational streamlining program. " ...

Via CIO: Lean Six Sigma

Select Continuous Improvement Program to Compete Globally

Embrace continuous improvement to compete effectively in your industry and marketplace. Be prepared to staff a program management office and support the culture change necessary for a lean manufacturing or Six Sigma journey. Business process focus comes first. But, software systems can support change, automation, reduction of manual efforts. ...

... "Six Sigma uses statistical analysis to reduce variation. By reducing variation, the probability of producing a defect is less. " ...

Via IndustryWeek: Which Continuous Improvement Program Is Appropriate For Your Enterprise?

Innovation Six-Sigma Collision Course

Are Six Sigma and innovation in competition with one another? At some companies, yes. However, Six Sigma brings some tools to the innovation table --- the Voice of the Customer, the House of Quality, DFSS, Design of Experiments (DOE), etc. Let's find an equilibrium to leverage the best of both. ...

... "By its very nature, Six Sigma fosters a very low tolerance for risk because risk increases variation. Innovation, on the other hand, seeks to brave undiscovered, uncertain territory. " ...

Via Business Week: Six Sigma at Odds with Innovation?

Legal Process: Six Sigma

Six Sigma is used in the legal process to streamline the management of intellectual property while accelerating innovation. ...

... "Use procedures such as Six Sigma, a technique to identify and drive out variations in procedures. International Truck and Engine hired a contract intellectual-property lawyer and trained him in Six Sigma. He creatively improved the company's patent process. " ...

Via Law: Creativity

Product-Focused Flows through Lean Six Sigma ...

Invistics creates solution offering that achieves the significant cycle time and inventory reduction in manufacturing using lean flow design, specialized software, and pull scheduling. ...

... "Built on modified Lean and Six Sigma principles, Invistics MachSix uniquely combines flow-based manufacturing methodologies, performance optimization software and variations on demand-based pull scheduling to help today's highly variable production environments gain greater advantage. In fact, Invistics' customers have been able to cut cycle times and inventory in half or more, while achieving on-time delivery rates as high as 99 percent. The MachSix solution alleviates bottlenecks by realigning plants into product-focused flows that leverage the best practices of Lean Manufacturing. Flow paths group products into families or value streams that visit similar pieces of equipment, allowing manufacturers to manage thousands of products with no dedicated machines." ...

Via Invistics: Invistics Has the Skinny on Lean Manufacturing: Why Some Enterprises Fail to Derive Benefits (PDF) ...

Lean SixSigma: Training in Theory Of Constraints ...

DRC will provide Theory of Constraints training to the military Lean Six Sigma program as a subcontractor. ...

... "Dynamics Research Corporation announced that it has been awarded a subcontract by Avraham Goldratt Institute (AGI) to support their newly awarded Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) contract. Under this five year ID/IQ, DRC anticipates generating between $5 million and $10 million in annual task order revenues. The contract provides for training in and implementation of Theory of Constraints and Lean/Six Sigma methodologies as applicable to the Naval Aviation Enterprise.

DRC has extensive experience with teaching and leading Lean/Six Sigma workshops as well as applying these tools through the Office of Naval Research's and the Missile Defense Agency's Lean Pathways programs. Lean/Six Sigma employs continuous process improvement methodologies to maximize weapon system readiness while minimizing material flows and in-process inventories. Lean eliminates all types of waste, while Six Sigma optimizes process variation. Together Lean/Six Sigma and the overarching Theory of Constraints allow the AGI/DRC team to understand customer needs, collect the appropriate data about the processes, and identify the root causes of problems and inefficiencies to streamline operations. The end result is a more effective, lower cost approach that achieves cost-wise readiness. " ...

Lean SixSigma: Training in Theory Of Constraints: Via Dynamics Research Corp: Dynamics Research Corporation Awarded Subcontract on Avraham Goldratt Institute's Naval Air Systems Command ID/IQ Contract: Choice of DRC confirms its significant capability in Lean/Six Sigma methodology ...

Six Sigma Design of Experiments DOE ...

Design of experiments is used to understand and control variation in order to operate at Six Sigma specification levels ...

... "With literally hundreds of components in the fluids that become the 17 coating layers, methods to predict behavior and eliminate variation have been used. Many specification limits came from DOE (Design of Experiments) and Six Sigma projects. " ...

Six Sigma Design of Experiments DOE: Via Converting Magazine: Process history yields breakthroughs ...

Lean Sixsigma Certification Seminar ...

... "University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida offers a unique Executive Education Lean Six Sigma Certification Seminar that facilitates corporations across the world in introducing or enhancing Six Sigma Quality within the corporate structure. Six Sigma is the continuous pursuit of variation reduction, Lean is a muda (waste) elimination strategy and Lean Six Sigma is a powerful methodology that aims to reduce variation and eliminate waste. Many companies around the world are adopting this Quality Management Methodology in an effort to increase quality, reduce cost and increase customer service. The University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida offers a Lean Six Sigma Certification Seminar for all belts (Champion, Green Belt, Black Belt). The certification seminar is offered twice a year in January and July. In addition, there are several Introduction To Lean Six Sigma workshops that are held throughout the year on university grounds as well as on-site for companies that prefer company specific training. " ...

Via University of Miami ...

Kaizen Blitz: Improvement Technique ...

Business, everywhere, can benefit from continuous improvement. Products, processes, and people can improve quality. Fred Fishman, Manager Strategic Procurement Programs, explores the techniques of continuous improvement, such as recognizing the opportunity and seeking assistance. ...

... "Whether portrayed in a formula-rich analysis during a Six Sigma event, the rapid fire and instinctive physical changes implemented during a kaizen blitz, the reduction of muda (Japanese term for waste) in the lean journey, or the methodical development of a value stream map to visually identify value-added vs. non-value-added steps in a flow of work, each technique employs some variation of mathematical, statistical or visual analysis to achieve the desired result - improvement. " ...

Kaizen Blitz: Improvement Technique: Via Reliable Plant Magazine: The importance of Continuous Process Improvement ...

Six Sigma Contact Center Analysis ...

Contact centers can be improved through adoption of Six Sigma methods. Richard Snow explores the challenges for contact centers to reduce costs and drive productivity through technology, automation, and Six Sigma continuous improvements. ...

... "The new technologies also form the basis of two other ways to improve effectiveness: the adoption of Six Sigma quality practices and the determination of which types of contact are best-suited to be made self-service. The principle of Six Sigma is to reduce variation by taking key measures and then identifying and instituting process changes until variation in the measures falls within acceptable boundaries. " ...

Six Sigma Contact Center Analysis: Via TMCnet: Better Analytics in the Contact Center

Six Sigma Reliability Measures Success ...

Rich Weissman explores successful leadership methods, that leverage six sigma to drive reliability. ...

... "Mainstream quality related concepts such as statistical process control (SPC) and six sigma all work to identify and reduce waste and variation in a process, resulting in improved reliability and associated cost containment and management. Reliable products are cost effective, reducing service and warranty expense and improving customer satisfaction. Reliability is good business. " ...

The Manufacturer.com - Relying on leadership ...

Call Center Performance Management: Six Sigma Baseline

A people performance management approach may be more appropriate to call center improvement at the outset, before introducing discipline Six Sigma. However, it is still important to establish baseline performance measurement, as would occur in the Measure phase of the Six Sigma DMAIC process. Rich Snow, VP Ventana Research, explores the performance improvement of ineffective call centers. ...

Call Center Performance Management: Six Sigma Baseline: Via TMCnet: Ineffective Call Centers Need Performance Management

... "Some observers suggest adopting the Six Sigma approach: set targets, measure and reduce variation at all stages until the measures fall within the targets, then repeat with more exacting targets. " ...

Six Sigma DMAIC Process

Six Sigma DMAIC Process: Oklahoma Department of Commerce - Workforce - Business Workforce Assistance - Best Practices

... "The fundamental objective of the Six Sigma methodology is the implementation of a measurement-based strategy that focuses on process improvement and variation reduction through the application of Six Sigma improvement projects. This is accomplished through the use of two Six Sigma sub-methodologies: DMAIC and DMADV. The Six Sigma DMAIC (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control) process is an improvement system for existing processes falling below specification and looking for incremental improvement. The Six Sigma DMADV (Define, Measure, Analyze, Design, Verify) process is an improvement system used to develop new processes or products at Six Sigma quality levels. It can also be employed if a current process requires more than just incremental improvement. " ...

Lean Six Sigma Improvement: Secure Grants ...

Lean Six Sigma Improvement: Secure Grants: Florida Manufacturing Extension Partnership: Manufacturing Businesses, Business Solutions: Florida MEP Helps Small Tampa Manufacturer Secure Grants Contributing to Business and Job Growth ...

... "This collaborative effort has already produced positive results, including a 28 percent increase in sales growth in the past year. As a result of AEC's ISO Certification the company also anticipates the need for additional floor space and employees to handle the increased growth of the company. AEC and the Florida MEP already have new projects lined up aimed at continuous improvement at the company, including Six-Sigma and Lean Manufacturing training. Six-Sigma is a data driven project aimed at eliminating product defects that has improved AEC's production yields utilizing SPC's to reduce process variation. Lean Manufacturing is a technique that utilizes simple but effective methods to identify and reduce waste, and inventories, clear shop floors and streamline production processes all with a goal of decreasing costs and increasing productivity. " ...

The Florida MEP is an affiliate of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) under the U.S. Department of Commerce. The national MEP is a network of manufacturing extension centers that provide business and technical assistance to smaller manufacturers in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. Through MEP, manufacturers have access to more than 2000 manufacturing and business “coaches” whose job is to help firms make changes that lead to greater productivity, increased profits, and enhanced global competitiveness. For more information on the Florida MEP program call 321-939-4000.

Quallity Improvement Jobs Outlook ...

Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2004-05 Edition: Inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weighers ...

... "The emphasis on finding the root cause of defects is a basic tenet of modern management and production philosophies. Industrial production managers (see the statement on this occupation elsewhere in the Handbook) work closely with the inspectors to reduce defects and improve quality. In older production philosophies, it was considered acceptable to simply throw away or repair defective parts, but the root cause of the defects remained. A certain level of defects was considered acceptable because variations would always occur. Current philosophies emphasize constant quality improvement through analysis and correction of the causes of defects. The nature of inspectors work has changed from merely checking for defects, to determining the cause of those defects. Increased emphasis on quality control in manufacturing means that inspection is more fully integrated into the production process than in the past. Formerly, many companies considered quality control to be independent from the production work. Now, companies have integrated teams of inspection and production workers to jointly review and improve product quality. " ...

Six Sigma Continuous Improvement ...

Patient Safety: Instilling Hospitals with a Culture of Continuous Improvement ...

... "There are numerous process improvement tools that hospitals can use to evaluate processes and identify solutions. Examples include process mapping and analysis software, failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA), root cause analysis, design of experiments and comprehensive six sigma programs. Six sigma has set a new standard for organizations in a variety of industries that are reducing errors to only 3.4 per million opportunities. Froedtert Hospital in Milwaukee utilizes the six sigma methodology extensively to reduce process variation. Successes include improving outcomes with high-risk medication and reducing the variability of PCA infusion pumps, cycle times in analyzing lab specimens and patient falls. " ...

To reduce medical errors and improve operational efficiency, Froedtert & Medical College of Wisconsin was an early adapter of the disciplined productivity improvement methodology known as "Six Sigma." Developed and trademarked by Motorola and popularized by GE, Six Sigma has shown itself to be the most sophisticated quality system available. In 1999, Froedtert & Medical College of Wisconsin formed a consortium with the American Society for Quality (ASQ) and the National Patient Safety Foundation to use Six Sigma to reduce medical errors and improve operating efficiency.

Six Sigma Green Belt Training Curriculum ...

ESS: Training course detail

... "The following topics will be covered: *Team Oriented Decision Making, Variation Analysis, Process Mapping, Failure Modes & Effects Analysis* Day 1 Team Oriented Decision-Making - Barriers to Projects or Activities, Utilizing Diversity, Recognizing Conflict, Developing Trust, and Effective Meeting Management Including: Parking Lot, Voting Methods, Contracting and Goal Focus. Variation Analysis - What affects variation can have on a process. Variation Analysis Tools and Terms. Process Mapping ? What is a process? Why map a process? How to map a process. Failure Modes & Effects Analysis ? What is FMEA and what it can do for you in process improvement? " ...

Six Sigma Key Characteristics Methodology ...

Process/Industrial Engineering: Key Characteristics KC Methodologies

... "Thirteen presentations included the following: Allied-Signal discussed the implications of KC's on suppliers; GE discussed the design for six sigma; Xerox, Kodak, and Boeing gave overviews and examples of KC implementations; and IBM gave a presentation on the implication of statistical tolerancing. Four strategic research and development issues emerged from the 1998 symposium: how to take a system view of variation risk management, the meaning of KC's to suppliers, a potential U.S. standard for KC's, and the cost implications and benefits of KC methodologies. In addition, working groups were formed to continue discussions. These groups are: Costs, Standards, Statistical Tolerancing, Process Capability Databases, Metrology, Supplier Relations, and Models and Tools. " ...

Six Sigma Advanced Measurement and Control ...

PROGRAM AREA OVERVIEW

... "To achieve the highest level of process quality, the Six Sigma quality control method teaches that processes should be designed from the beginning for minimum variability. For example, in reaction systems, operating parameters should be selected in regions that are less sensitive to operating condition variations, thus allowing the production of product that is always in-specification. Producing in-specification product eliminates the need for storage/rework or disposal of off-specification material. Some industry experts believe that yields could be improved by at least five percent in each new process that could be so optimized. The difficulty is finding the optimum set of operating conditions among the myriad of possibilities." ...

Six Sigma Position: Process Improvement Black Belt Job ...

Six Sigma Process Improvement Black Belt Position ...

... Responsibilities as a Coach (Master Black Belt) leading improvement efforts include serving as a Project Leader for process improvement projects; coaching other Project Leaders and their teams through their projects, as well as mentoring them in the development of their analytical problem-solving skills; enhancing existing process improvement training material, as well as developing new material; teaching Six Sigma and other process improvement methodologies in courses offered through the Leadership Academy, including the use of specialized software tools, such as Minitab and Visio; interacting with Process Owners and Agency employees across core and enabling processes, ensuring improvements are meaningful and sustained; integrating external perspectives and best practices from private and public sectors into the Agency's process improvement efforts; and serving as data collection and metrics experts, infusing process- and variation-based thinking into the Agency. ...

The Central Intelligence Agency was created in 1947 with the signing of the National Security Act by President Truman. The National Security Act charged the Director of Central Intelligence (DCI) with coordinating the nation’s intelligence activities and correlating, evaluating and disseminating intelligence which affects national security.

Six Sigma Experimental System ...

AIChE Meeting

... "To achieve a reasonable level of quality in the information from a high throughput experimental system, the principles of modern Six Sigma manufacturing must be applied. The quality of the end product is then ensured by the quality of each individual process step and the robustness of final quality to variation in the process steps" ...

Six Sigma Process Performance ...

Oklahoma Department of Commerce - Workforce - Business Workforce Assistance - Best Practices

... "Six Sigma represents a disciplined, data-driven approach and methodology for eliminating defects (driving towards six standard deviations between the mean and the nearest specification limit) in any process from manufacturing to transactional and from product to service. The statistical representation of Six Sigma describes quantitatively how a process is performing. To achieve Six Sigma, a process must not produce more than 3.4 defects per million opportunities. A Six Sigma defect is defined as anything outside of customer specifications. A Six Sigma opportunity is then the total quantity of chances for a defect. Process sigma can easily be calculated using a Six Sigma calculator. The fundamental objective of the Six Sigma methodology is the implementation of a measurement-based strategy that focuses on process improvement and variation reduction through the application of Six Sigma improvement projects. This is accomplished through the use of two Six Sigma sub-methodologies: DMAIC and DMADV. " ...

Six Sigma At AIChE Meeting ...

AIChE Meeting

... "As our ability to generate large numbers of experiments has accelerated, it has become more important to ensure that the quality of each process step and individual sample is as high as possible. There are too many samples for each data point to be checked individually, and too many process steps for human oversight. To achieve a reasonable level of quality in the information from a high throughput experimental system, the principles of modern Six Sigma manufacturing must be applied. The quality of the end product is then ensured by the quality of each individual process step and the robustness of final quality to variation in the process steps." ...

DFSS in Process Industrial Engineering ...

Process/Industrial Engineering

... "The first annual KC Symposium in 1997 brought 40 people from 11 organizations together to discuss general problems and issues surrounding KC implementation. The 1998 KC symposium was hosted by KSC. Thirteen presentations included the following: Allied-Signal discussed the implications of KC's on suppliers; GE discussed the design for six sigma; Xerox, Kodak, and Boeing gave overviews and examples of KC implementations; and IBM gave a presentation on the implication of statistical tolerancing. Four strategic research and development issues emerged from the 1998 symposium: how to take a system view of variation risk management, the meaning of KC's to suppliers, a potential U.S. standard for KC's, and the cost implications and benefits of KC methodologies. In addition, working groups were formed to continue discussions. These groups are: Costs, Standards, Statistical Tolerancing, Process Capability Databases, Metrology, Supplier Relations, and Models and Tools. " ...

Six Sigma Green Belt Training Course Detail

Green Belt Training course detail

... "The following topics will be covered: *Team Oriented Decision Making, Variation Analysis, Process Mapping, Failure Modes & Effects Analysis* Day 1 Team Oriented Decision-Making - Barriers to Projects or Activities, Utilizing Diversity, Recognizing Conflict, Developing Trust, and Effective Meeting Management Including: Parking Lot, Voting Methods, Contracting and Goal Focus. Variation Analysis - What affects variation can have on a process. Variation Analysis Tools and Terms. Process Mapping ? What is a process? Why map a process? How to map a process. Failure Modes & Effects Analysis ? What is FMEA and what it can do for you in process improvement? Day 2 Lean Enterprise ? What is Lean? Why Lean? Defining Value & Benefits of Implementing Lean, Lean History and Lean & Six Sigma. Activity Based Management ? How ABM is different than Traditional Cost Systems, What ABM is and How It Is Applied to Process Improvement, How ABM Links to Other Six Sigma Tools, What ABM is and Is Not and Identify Areas for Application in Your Business Areas. Day 3 Class Room Simulation - Apply Day 1 & Day 2 learning experiences to the existing process in a classroom environment. Participants will have deliverables, due by the end of the day that demonstrates their ability to apply the above tools in a hands-on process improvement activity."

Lean Six Sigma Curriculum ...

... "OperationsLearning Path: Six Sigma Foundations
Six Sigma Introduction OPER01313.5
OperationsLearning Path: Six Sigma Team Implementation
Six Sigma: Reducing Variation to Improve Quality OPER01414
Six Sigma: Listening to the Voice of the Customer OPER01425.5
Six Sigma DMAIC: Defining the Problem OPER01434
Six Sigma DMAIC: Measuring the Problem OPER01445
Six Sigma DMAIC: Analyzing the Data OPER01455.5
Six Sigma DMAIC: Analyzing the Process OPER01463
Six Sigma DMAIC: Improving the Process OPER01475
Six Sigma DMAIC: Controlling the Improved Process OPER01484

OperationsLearning Path: Lean Manufacturing
Lean Logic OPER01514
Lean Value OPER01524
Lean Techniques OPER01536
Lean Strategies OPER01544.5" ...

BioInformatics Role in Discovery of New and Novel Drug Compounds ...

BioInformatics Role in Discovery of New Compounds: deCODE Submits IND for Novel Anti-atherosclerosis Compound DG041 ...

From PR Newswire (press release) ... drug discovery and development capabilities to offer innovative products and services in DNA-based diagnostics, bioinformatics, genotyping, structural biology ...

... deCODE genetics (Nasdaq: DCGN) has submitted an investigational new drug application (IND) to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for DG041, a novel, first-in-class, orally-administered small molecule for the treatment of peripheral arterial occlusive disease (PAOD). In preclinical studies, DG041 has been shown to be a selective and potent antagonist of the EP3 receptor for prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), inhibiting, in a dose-dependent manner, human platelet aggregation induced in vitro by PGE2. deCODE identified EP3 as a target in PAOD through its population genetics research, which linked variations in the gene encoding EP3 to a significantly increased risk of the disease. Pending clearance by the FDA, deCODE intends to initiate a Phase I clinical trial of DG041 this spring. ...

Through its population genetics research in Iceland, deCODE identified common versions of the gene encoding EP3 (the PTGER3 gene) that confer significantly increased risk of PAOD. These variants are believed to increase susceptibility to the disease through heightened expression of EP3. Functional analysis underscores the important role of EP3 in modulating the biology of the platelet and the vessel wall. Binding of PGE2 to EP3 is known to increase platelet aggregation, and EP3 is expressed in smooth muscle cells found in atherosclerotic plaque. DG-041 is a novel, selective and potent antagonist of the EP3 receptor. In preclinical in vitro studies it has been shown to inhibit human platelet aggregation induced by PGE2, and to do so in a dose-dependent manner. Furthermore, ex-vivo inhibition of rat platelet aggregation can be demonstrated after oral dosing with DG041. In mice, DG041 has been shown to protect against intravascular coagulation in a model based on prostanoid-induced platelet activation. DG041 has been shown to have minimal effect on bleeding time in animal studies, nor does it inhibit the effect of other platelet agonists such as adenosine diphosphate (ADP), collagen, thrombin or epinephrine.

deCODE is a biopharmaceutical company applying its discoveries in human genetics to the development of drugs for common diseases. deCODE is a global leader in gene discovery - our population approach and resources have enabled us to isolate key genes contributing to major public health challenges from cardiovascular disease to cancer, genes that are providing us with drug targets rooted in the basic biology of disease. deCODE is also leveraging its expertise in human genetics and integrated drug discovery and development capabilities to offer innovative products and services in DNA-based diagnostics, bioinformatics, genotyping, structural biology, drug discovery and clinical development. deCODE is delivering on the promise of the new genetics.(SM)

Additional resources on bioinformatics use in discovery of novel compounds ...

FutureBioJobs: Structural Bioinformatics IT solutions unifying genomics and ... the biological activity of a pharmaceutical compound. ... the rapid identification of novel genes and ...

Genomics, Bioinformatics and Proteomics: Genomics - Guide to Genomics, Bioinformatics and Proteomics. ... is that many of the novel genome-derived ... The compound-protein complexes are then split apart using ...

Job Details: Discovery Job #: PSYO-MATIC As the Director of Bioinformatics for PsychoGenics ... your research will significantly reduce the cost per novel compound screened thus ...

Sequoia: high-throughput screening and bioinformatics into an ... than 100 compounds with novel chemical structures ... In addition to developing compound libraries, Sequoia is ...

Targeting Microbes: invaluable resource in the search for novel compounds. ... through a combination of bioinformatics, transcriptional analysis ... is changing from compound screening to ...

Six Sigma Cycle Time Measurement and Reduction Benchmarks in the Supply Chain ...

Six Sigma Cycle Time Measurement and Reduction: New Benchmarks for Supply Chain Centers: Driving Efficiency and ...

From PR Newswire (press release) ... Drive cycle time reductions everywhere through six sigma teams and through expanded definition and use of cycle time metrics. ...

... In today's fast changing, competitive and cost-driven market, supply chain organizations have to take every opportunity to lower cycle time, reduce uncertainties and stay current with market trends. Supply chain executives need to optimize both dimensions by working closer with business units, other corporate groups, and with customers directly. A new study by Best Practices, LLC takes a data-driven look at best-in-class supply chain centers. ...

Best Practices, LLC is a research and consulting firm that works on the principle that organizations can chart a course to superior economic performance by studying the best business practices, operating tactics and winning strategies of world-class organizations. Our suite of customized Research and Consulting services is designed to assist you in improving your company's performance by analyzing the winning practices of leading corporations.

Additional resources on Six Sigma Cycle Time Measurement and Reduction ...

Existing Product or Service Improvement: A Six Sigma project was initiated to reduce cycle time. ... methodology consists of Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve ... from initiation of a Six Sigma program for ...

Performance Control and Measurement in Lean Six Sigma Environments: File Format: Microsoft Powerpoint 97 ... Reduce Variation & Batch Size. Improve Flow & Productivity. ... Addresses Cost Reduction, Alignment To Goals, Waste, Cycle Time. ... Lean Six Sigma Across the Enterprise. ...

Future Fab Intl.: the course of a (Phase I) Six-Sigma content-reduction ... influence on overall wafer build cycle time, formed the ... s = standard deviation of time t = average time. ...

Six Sigma: into subgoals such as cycle time reduction, cost reduction ... team methodically proceeds through Measurement, Analysis, Improvement ... A Six Sigma improvement team is ...