Hitachi Global Storage Technologies Philippines Corp.’s Lean Six Sigma Journey
Posted by: meikah | 15 May 2012 | 4:20 am
In the 2nd Lean Six Sigma Conference 2012, Dr. Chandramogan Anamirtham, president and general manager of Hitachi Global Storage Technologies Philippines Corp., shared how his company embarked on a Lean Six Sigma Journey.
Dr. Chandramogan showed us a video with a message that innovation starts with you. You don’t need to wait for other people to work or begin. Begin a task yourself. Create that breakthrough.
Their journey started with Dr. Chandra’s model for manufacturing excellence:
Q uality – Quality of People, Process, Product
U nit Cost – Value, Cost Consciousness
A ko – (In English, Me) means Accountability
L ean Six Sigma – Structured approach to improvement
I nnovation – Breakthrough, Patent
T eamwork – Inter-department, across sites
Y ield – Productivity, Output/Input
Product – Process – People
Lessons from Hitachi’s quality journey:
- Invest in people
- Invest in training
- Create change
- Embrace that change until that change becomes a way of life
- Nurture that culture by giving people the opportunity to grow in your company
Filed under: Hitachi Global Storage Technologies Philippines Corp., Lean, Lean Six Sigma, Six Sigma
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Six Sigma on Making Denims
Posted by: meikah | 9 May 2012 | 11:23 pm
I have always been a jeans person. My casual, run-errands attire is jeans and white tee. Thus it really matters to me that the jeans would fit me well and am comfortable wearing it. There are those that really fit to a T. In my case, it’s often the Guess jeans. I didn’t need to alter anything. I buy and wear them.
Like any apparel, it’s important that jeans come in good quality, that it comes in good denim. It’s interesting to know that there are denim manufacturing companies that are making sure we get good quality.
I stumbled upon an article on The Monitor that says that South Texas College (STC) will train more than 300 Santana Textiles employees on ways to improve the denim’s quality, lower production costs and eliminate waste.
STC will train the employees in lean manufacturing, supply chain management and Six Sigma. It was cited that Santana CEO J. Michael Aiken sees the need for these strategies adopted by Motorola, Toyota and other successful manufacturers. The goal is for his company to reverse the trend of textile manufacturing heading overseas.
Filed under: Lean Six Sigma, Manufacturing, Six Sigma
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Workshop with Dr. Umit Ozen: Business Process Mapping
Posted by: meikah | 17 April 2012 | 3:59 am
Participants of the Managing Risk and Performance Through Business Process Management workshop were lucky to have Dr. Umit Ozen as the lead trainer.
He is an expert in Lean Production, Six Sigma, Process Management, Strategic Planning, Balance Scorecard, among other things. He has more than 18 years of experience in the fields of management strategies, so you can just imagine the depth of his knowledge, both theoretical and practical. You can be assured that when you are in the presence of trainers with this caliber, you will take home a lot of insights.
It was my first time to attend a workshop, and I promise myself that I will be taking workshops from now on. It’s interactive and more educational than attending a conference.
With Dr. Ozen, he was very generous with his ideas, and he’s the kind of trainer that is motivational and approachable. He went around, hopped on every table to see what each one of us was doing, and he would correct, suggest, and show us how to improve our output.
The first workshop we had, the activity was creating a business process map. He made us watch a video showing how to make a cup of delicious Turkish coffee. It looked so easy, but when the process mapping came, we didn’t really have an easy time.
Here’s my group doing the process map before presenting it to the group:
Reviewing our process map
Wrapping up our process map
Presenting our process map
Here’s the PLDT group, our seatmate, making their process map as well.
A process is easy to talk about, and in fact some are under the impression that it’s easy to do things, you just do it. But when you go to writing down and describing what you are do, it’s a different story. I admit, I was stumped for a time there, which means, I really need more training. {LOL}
Here are some tips in creating a process map:
Before drawing a process -
- Identify your process goals
- Determine your process starts and stop points
- List down your resources
- Identify your inputs and outputs
- Identify your customers and suppliers
- Identify your owner/responsible/practitioners
- Establish your procedures and forms
- Determine your performance indicators and targets
- Classify your sub-processes/activities carefully
It’s also important to know the process attributes:
- repetitive
- definable
- controllable
- manageable
- measurable
- continually improvable (PDCA)
- able to create added value
The key to creating a process map is teamwork. It is evident in the pictures above. The team huddled together and discuss how each member understands the process, after which the team draws the map. It is important that everyone understands the process before making the map. Of course, the process map is not carved in stone. When necessary, the process map can be updated and improved.
Another value of writing down your process map is that you will discover steps that are unnecessary, and thus you streamline. Then you can begin to go lean.
The prize of making the process map is a cup of Turkish cup! 
We didn’t get to taste the brewed one though. But Dr. Ozen brought in some instant 3-in-1 Turkish coffee. It was very rich and it tastes like rice coffee. Every sip, you get to taste some granules. It was yummy!
You may also want to read about what I learned during the workshop here. I suggest you look out for next year’s workshop session.
My BIG challenge now is to apply this to my workplace. 
Filed under: Balanced Scorecard, Business Process Mapping, Dr. Umit Ozen, Lean, Lean Six Sigma, ProcessModel, Six Sigma, Team Dynamics, Tools/Toolkits, Training
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Quality Quiz from PQ Systems e-Line
Posted by: meikah | 12 April 2012 | 3:17 am
PQ Systems through it’s Quality eline newsletter brings us another quality quiz by Professor Leary.
For this month’s quiz, and a chance to win a copy of Quality Gamebox, submit your response by April 27 to be entered in the drawing.
Take the quiz:
Reed N. Wright, the third-generation president of Wright’s Write Right Manufacturing, has become aware of the rejections of products in the final inspection, reported by manager Justin Tyme and inspector Adair Yu. After devoting some thought to the issue, Wright has determined that the source of the problem lies with the middle managers, who, he has decided, are actually incompetent. He bases this determination on hours of thinking about possible contributors to the problem, knowing that the “buck stops” in his office, and he is the one who must find a solution.
Winners of last month’s quiz and a copy of Quality Gamebox:
Anne Brittain (Palmetto Health Alliance)
Sharon Genest (Saskatoon Health Region)
Kim Pedersen (Aquaknect Flexibles Pty Ltd)
Kevin Tinson (Lonza Biologics plc)
Alan Swain (Exacto, Inc.)
Congratulations!
Filed under: PQ Systems eLine, Quality Quiz, Six Sigma
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Business Process Management: The Heart of Continuous Improvement
Posted by: meikah | 28 March 2012 | 9:09 am
I was so excited after attending to the Managing Risk and Performance Through Business Process Management because I felt like I found a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.
Really, I learned that
- we achieve good results if we go through a process
- a process is a related, structured, measured, designed, linked, and systematic set of activities toward a goal
- assign process owners, who will perform according to their role in the overall scheme of things
- by going through a process, we produce valuable outputs for customers
Thus it is important that an organization begins operations by creating a process chart because
- process flows through functions
- when functions are clearly defined, roles are better understood; thus interactions among each role becomes clearer
- process owners are responsible for the execution of the process, and therefore are accountable for it
- managing processes involve mapping of the processes from the beginning to the end—from executing to the managing and analyzing
Success = People + Process + Product
“If you can’t describe what you are doing as a process, you do not know what you are doing. 94% of the troubles belongs to the system (common causes) and only 6% are special causes.” {Dr. W. Edwards Deming}
Definitely, business process management is the heart of continuous improvement.
Filed under: Lean, Lean Maintenance, Process Maps, Processes, Six Sigma
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The 2nd Lean Six Sigma Conference 2012
Posted by: meikah | 3 March 2012 | 1:31 am
Fiera De Manila once again brings you the Lean Six Sigma Conference. Last year’s conference was well attended and very useful. I for one was fascinated by Dan Lachica and his Lachica model.
In Mr. Lachica’s presentation, he emphasized the importance of being able to merge all relevant quality strategies and make it work for your organization. This foreshadows that foremost, you need to know and understand the processes of your organization.
This year, the 2nd Lean Six Sigma Conference (March 8-9, 2012 at the Hotel Intercontinental Manila, Makati City, Philippines) will focus on process strategies that will eliminate waste. In this changing business environment, new approaches and techniques are emerging. At the forefront is customer-centricity, which aims to align organizational strategy for maximum ROI, instill process excellence, and take Lean Six Sigma tool sets and applications in continuous improvement program.
Top Reasons to Attend
- Understand the Lean Six Sigma methodologies to drive and sustain organizational performance
- Learn to integrate Lean Six Sigma in your business processes
- Know the latest customer thinking strategies
- Leverage on innovation approaches for process excellence
- Case study presentations of Lean Six Sigma application/implementation projects
- Great networking opportunities with Lean Six Sigma Experts and Quality Practitioners
Filed under: Customer Experience, Customer Service, Dan Lachica, Lean, Lean Six Sigma, Processes
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Managing Risk and Performance Through Business Process Management in Manila
Posted by: meikah | 3 March 2012 | 1:19 am
Ever wondered how to make your business healthy in the midst of economic crisis?
Many say, all you need to do is to remain customer-centric and sustain business processes that create valuable customer touch points. However, to achieve these, you need a strategy that ables you to manage risks, some kind of a risk management framework and model corporate risks using ‘Heat Map’ technique.
Fiera De Manila Philippines is bringing to you this important event, Managing Risk and Performance Through Business Process Management.
Happening on March 6-7, 2012 at the AIM Conference Center, Makati City, Philippines, this pre-conference and seminar workshop will expose you to the understanding and carrying out of designing business processes, or re-designing and improving existing ones.
It focuses on identifying opportunities for process improvement and presents the process analysis, modeling and design techniques and tools required to improve performance. Participants will learn to scope processes and to model organizations, value chains and specific processes using graphical models. Participants will learn how to define measurement techniques for evaluating outcomes. Balanced Scorecard Model is the highest level to assess organizational performance and success, being mainly focused on strategy and business outcomes.
Filed under: Business Improvement, Business Process Management, Processes
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Quality Quiz from PQ Systems e-Line
Posted by: meikah | 14 December 2011 | 7:35 pm
PQ Systems through it’s Quality eline newsletter brings us another quality quiz by Professor Leary.
For this month’s quiz, and a chance to win a copy of Quality Gamebox, submit your response by December 20 (early because of the Christmas holiday) to be entered in the drawing.
Take the quiz:
Out of the Box, a major customer of Thick ‘N Thin Corrugated Paper Company, where Cliff Clymer is quality manager, has insisted that the company’s deadline is met for producing the 6” cardboard boxes it needs. Knowing that he must produce the needed order, Cliff complains to his boss, Sue Veneer, that some of the equipment required to fill the order is in need of maintenance, and if the service adjustments are not made, the boxes may not meet the customer’s exacting size requirements. Servicing the equipment, however, would mean that the deadline for production of Thick ‘N Thin’s materials cannot be met.
Joe Auchey (Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission)
Susan Brown (Mountain States Health Alliance)
Jonathan Downey (Schivo Precision)
Jane Johnson (Demmer Corp)
Sheila McLauchlan (OSI Foods).
Congratulations!
Filed under: Manufacturing, PQ Systems eLine, Quality Quiz
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Six Sigma Companies News: On Lean and Lean Six Sigma
Posted by: meikah | 9 December 2011 | 2:36 am
Here’s another edition of Six Sigma Companies News.
First on the news is about the Task Force Resolute command. The command provides a Lean Six Sigma course four times a week at the U.S. Forces Afghanistan conference room on Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan. More of this here.
Second, a gas plant improves C3 recovery with Lean Six Sigma. Read more…
Third, read about how DST Global Solutions is managing Lean and continuous improvement to maintain that competitive edge. More of this here.
Fourth, find out how Kevin McMullen, the President and CEO, leverages Lean Six Sigma to improve processes at Omnova Solutions. Read more…
Lastly, read about the value of Lean in investments over at Industry Market Trends. Is Lean worth the investment? More of it here.
Filed under: Lean, Lean Six Sigma
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Innovation of the Week: Spotlight on Innovative Companies
Posted by: meikah | 27 October 2011 | 7:31 pm
This week’s edition of innovation update celebrates the companies that have embraced and sustained innovation in their respective organizations.
These companies, among which are International Business Machines Corp., Novartis AG, Intel Corp., Abbott Laboratories, Xerox Corp. and runners-up Hewlett-Packard Co. and Yahoo Inc., are the winners of The Wall Street Journal’s Technology Innovation Awards this year.
- Does the innovation break with conventional ideas or processes in its field?
- Does it go beyond marginal improvements on something that already exists?
- Will it have a wide impact in its field or on future technology?
