Weyerhaeuser Lean Manufacturing Principles Aggressive Cost Reduction

Weyerhaeuser embraces lean principles to reduce working capital tied up in inventory. ...

... "Each of our businesses has also aggressively reduced costs. With products, for example, was making fundamental changes that will carry into stronger markets. This includes lowering product inventories by applying well known lean manufacturing principles to lower inventory levels in our replenishment system. " ...

Via Seeking Alpha: Weyerhaeuser Company Q4 2009

Six Sigma Aircraft Systems

PhotoEtch embraces Six Sigma and lean to redesign its manufacturing processes while lowering work capital requirements through lower days of inventory. ...

... "To help implement lean principles and cellular manufacturing, it has three managers certified as Six Sigma green or black belt and are skilled, lean experts. " ...

Via Manufacturing Digital: Photo Etch

PhotoEtch Lean Application in Action (PDF): "The contractors were given thorough training and a set of visual work instructions to eliminate errors. The manufacturing work cell had a takt time of 20 minutes. "

PolyOne Lean Six Sigma Targets Working Capital Reduction

PolyOne will manage its businesses for profitability by focusing on commercial excellence and seeks to reduce working capital demands through its Lean Six Sigma initiative. ...

... "First of all, we need to continue to win new profitable business at a faster pace. We also must reduce costs in working capital through the ongoing successful deployment of Lean Six Sigma and these are the two most important priorities in our company today. When I joined PolyOne, the company was focused on moving pounds regardless of profitability. Through our commercial excellence initiative and new incentive programs, a reward to sellers for profitable growth, we change the minds of our commercial organization. " ...

Via Seeking Alpha: PolyOne Inc. Q3 2009 Earnings

Lydall Realizes Savings from Lean Six Sigma Program

Lydall sees improvement in results with Lean Six Sigma benefits realization. ...

... "We are encouraged by the improvement in financial results by our Performance Materials and Thermal/Acoustical segments. Operating income from the Performance Materials segment in the current quarter was $2.9 million, an improvement of $1.8 million from the second quarter of 2009. In our Thermal/Acoustical segment, we were able to record a nominal profit due to higher sales as well as from savings beginning to be realized from the consolidation of our North American automotive facilities and from our Lean Six Sigma program. In the third quarter of 2009, we remained focused on managing working capital and improving cash generation. We continued to reduce our inventory levels in the current quarter as inventories were lower by $5.7 million, or 15%, compared to June 30, 2009. For the second consecutive quarter we generated cash from operating activities, and have now generated over $2 million in cash from operating activities in the nine months ended September 30, 2009. " ...

Via Lydall: FINANCIAL RESULTS FOR THE THIRD QUARTER

Kaizen Events Target Operational Efficiency at Donaldson

Management discusses Donaldson Company performance and repositioning the operating costs for the revised business forecast. Donaldson is using a portfolio of kaizen-driven project to impact operational efficiencies. ...

... "Under our corporate philosophy of Kaizen, or continuous improvement, we have dozens of specific projects working across our organization to further reduce costs and improve our operating efficiencies in our product designs, purchased materials, our manufacturing processes and our operating departments. Our objective includes not only managing today’s cost but also optimizing our business for the future. We also have ongoing return on investment initiatives focused on implementing long-term improvement in our working capital utilization ... " ...

Via Seeking Alpha: Donaldson Company Earnings Call

Lean Six Sigma Improves Inventory Turnover at PolyOne

PolyOne works hard to improve its cost structure as it reports challengin quarterly results. The company deploys Lean Six Sigma as its lever to better manage cash flow through improvement of inventory turns. The company's CFO is a Six Sigma champion. ...

... "Robert M. Patterson, senior vice president and chief financial officer, comments: We have made tremendous progress in reducing working capital this year which has been the primary driver of cash flow growth. Most notably, we have improved our inventory turnover to 11 times--a nearly 50 percent improvement--as a result of our lean six sigma initiatives. " ...

Via PolyOne: Second Quarter 2009

Tenneco Six Sigma to Weather Economic Storm

Tenneco is implementing aggressive actions to adjust its operating expenses, lower working capital requirements, and improve workforce productivity. The company will use Six Sigma and lean methods to accelerate operational efficiency. ...

... "Accelerate working capital improvement opportunities; Implement targeted reductions in capital spending; Step up its Six Sigma and Lean manufacturing initiatives to drive greater manufacturing efficiencies and costs savings; Significantly reduce and re-prioritize information technology (IT) spending; " ...

Via Tenneco: AGGRESSIVE ACTIONS TO SIZE ITS GLOBAL OPERATIONS TO CHANGING MARKET CONDITIONS

GM Lean Inventory Practices to Drive Liquidity

General Motors will use lean practices to better manage inventory levels in order to reduce working capital requirements. These are part of strategic steps to adapt its business to rapidly changing market conditions. ...

... "Aggressive actions are being taken to improve working capital by approximately $2 billion in North America and Europe, primarily related to the reduction of raw material, work-in-progress and finished goods inventory levels as well as lean inventory practices at parts warehouses. " ...

Via GM: Operating and related actions to generate approximately $10 billion in cash improvements