IBM Leads the Green Coalition Through Lean Six Sigma
Posted by: meikah | 25 June 2009 | 8:24 pm
IT Wire reports:
A new alliance led by IBM aims to improve energy, water, waste and greenhouse gas management through interoperability. Green Sigma applies Lean Six Sigma principles and practices to these areas.
IBM is teaming with ABB, Cisco, Eaton, ESS, Honeywell Building Solutions, Johnson Controls, SAP, Schneider Electric, and Siemens Building Technologies Division to create the Green Sigma Coalition.
The partner companies will work with IBM to integrate their products and services with IBM’s Green Sigma offering, which applies Lean Six Sigma principles and practices to energy, water, waste and greenhouse gas emissions in all operational areas, including transportation, IT systems, manufacturing and distribution, offices, and retail spaces, IBM officials explained.
Continue reading…
It’s good to know that big and successful companies are going into their Green initiatives and are using the principles of Lean and Six Sigma.
Filed under: IBM, Lean, Lean Six Sigma, Six Sigma, Six Sigma Organizations, Sustainable Business
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Innovation of the Week: Husky Fried Ride Bus Wins Innovation Award
Posted by: meikah | 18 June 2009 | 9:02 pm
Earth Day festivities Friday, April 18th, at St. Cloud State University.
SCSU competed with 64 other MnSCU schools who compete with academic, social and other innovative programs.
Even though it was SCSU’s first year in the program and they did not create this bus with the award in mind, they won “The Most Innovative Program.”
The bus was considered to be one of the most innovative programs that the competition has seen in years.
The Husky Fried Ride bus is easily distinguished with its colorful exterior which displays a picture of French fries rising from the gas tank.
An estimated 120,000 students, faculty and staff get a chance to ride the environmentally friendly bus on the Husky Shuttle park-and-ride routes and four different Campus Clipper routes that go through student housing areas in St. Cloud.
Filed under: Innovation, Innovation Update, Sustainable Business, Transportation
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Six Sigma Companies News: Johnson Controls Wins $12M Energy Efficiency State Contract
Posted by: meikah | 18 June 2009 | 8:14 pm
Here’s another edition of Six Sigma Companies News.
Johnson Controls Inc., a global leader in automotive experience, building efficiency and power solutions, launched Six Sigma in 2000 as a step to fulfill their mission, which is to exceed their customers’ increasing requirements.
Well, nine years later, Johnson Controls may have made good on that promise and took it to another level. This time they’re embarking on energy efficiency.
Washington Business Journal reports:
Maryland State Police hired Johnson Controls Inc. for electric upgrades that will cut energy consumption by 26 percent.
The state Board of Public Works approved the $12 million contract Wednesday.
Johnson will tackle lighting and water conservation retrofits, heating and cooling system upgrades, digital controls and renewable technologies for the police’s Reisterstown headquarters and barracks across the state.
About Six Sigma Companies News:
This is a new feature on SixSig that will highlight news about Six Sigma Companies. So always stay tuned!
Filed under: Johnson Controls, Six Sigma News, Six Sigma Organizations, Sustainable Business
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Greening Through Lean Six Sigma
Posted by: meikah | 15 June 2009 | 11:16 pm
Green initiatives are easier to achieve through Lean Six Sigma.
IT Web Reports:
As part of the Smarter Planet initiative spearheaded by IBM, the global IT giant spent two years developing a solution that helps companies monitor and reduce carbon emissions.
Niall Brady, Green Sigma worldwide technical development manager at IBM, said at the conference that the solution has modified LSS principles into a power management analysis solution.
…
“Things have changed, companies are trying to survive and energy saving and cost is key to that. In the context of energy usage, businesses need to identify opportunities through processes where they can make potential savings. The green Six Sigma management system allows a business to feel confident that its energy is under control and can see benefits through LSS principles.”
Filed under: Environment, Lean Six Sigma, Six Sigma Organizations, Sustainable Business
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Wordless Wednesday: e-Vehicles
Posted by: meikah | 20 May 2009 | 4:39 pm
Click on the photo to know more about the e-vehicles.
Filed under: Environment, Sustainable Business, Wordless Wednesday
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3 Companies Overcome Waste
Posted by: meikah | 12 May 2009 | 11:48 pm
Here are three case studies of companies that show us show how expert managers get the job done — and what can go wrong when they don’t.
What happened:
Bad weather crippled a major city.
Goal:
Overcome the chaos to keep package deliveries moving.
Outcome:
Success
—
U.S. Forest Service firefighters
What happened:
A 2008 wildfire became uncontrollable.
Goal:
Contain the fire and keep fire crews safe.
Outcome:
Failure — four firefighters injured
—
What happened:
1989 Exxon Valdez oil-spill disaster
Goal:
Minimize fuel spills in the future.
Outcome:
Success
Filed under: Services, Sustainable Business
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Rolling Out the Lean Green Six Sigma Machine
Posted by: meikah | 21 April 2009 | 8:25 pm
As environment awareness increases, people are now into activities that preserve and protect the environment. What’s good about this development is also the increasing market for green initiatives.
The Manufacturing and Technology eJournal carries the story about a Lean Green Six Sigma machine. According to the article:
Green Six Sigma is addressing the real challenges for leadership and senior executives to drive business process excellence while reducing environmental impact; the role of Six Sigma both now and in the future for sustainability, energy reduction and to boost profits.
Evan Miller, president of Hertzler Systems in Goshen, Indiana says, “In a global economy with environmental pressures high on the agenda, organizations are under increasing pressure to control costs, maintain high levels of safety and quality, and save energy. Energy conservation offers the parallel advantages of helping to reduce costs, improving efficiency, as well as reducing the carbon footprint. In this climate increasing numbers of companies are implementing Six Sigma techniques as an efficient and effective means to building a sustainable business and make their operations, products and services more socially responsible, particularly regarding the environment.”
Incidentally, there is the upcoming The Inaugural Green Six Sigma Conference on May 13 – 14, 2009. Check it out!
This post is also in time for Earth Day tomorrow. 
Filed under: Deployment, Environment, Six Sigma, Sustainable Business
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Recycling Efforts at NewPage follows Lean Six Sigma Principles
Posted by: meikah | 6 April 2009 | 8:01 pm
Keyser Mineral Daily News Tribune carries the story about an inter-school contest of gathering and collecting phonebooks for recycling.
Two recycling clubs will receive cash prizes at the end of the contest that is running from now until Thursday, April 30. Representatives of NewPage and ATK are donating $250 each for this phonebook recycling contest.
… Giving a Powerpoint presentation of NewPage’s environmental stewardship was Patsy Koontz, public relations manager, who said, “Green practices start with each of us.â€
Telling about a newly-formed Rapid Lean Six Sigma team that enables productivity and growth, Koontz said, “The environment is important to NewPage, the employees, customers, and the community.â€
She also mentioned that as part of Lean Six Sigma, a focus centered on reducing waste, finding and working toward a solution, while engaging employees for ideas.
*Photo from Stock.Xchng
Filed under: Lean, Lean Six Sigma, NewPage Corp., Sustainable Business
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Leaning and Greening Your Software
Posted by: meikah | 31 March 2009 | 10:11 pm
Investments in software require a huge bulk off your capital or savings. And in these difficult times, not many companies can really afford to spend much, even if they probably need it.
Good thing that there’s actually a way to invest in software spending without breaking the bank, or running your savings aground.
An article on BusinessWeek Online discusses how software vendors are competing for shrinking IT budgets by touting products that can save energy, save money, and save the environment.
- Microsoft launched its “environmental dashboard” and the Windows 7 claiming to conserve PC power
- Autodesk acquired companies whose programs help architect design eco-friendly buildings
- IBM is emphasizing how governments and businesses can invest together in powerful computer systems and data analysis software to address problems like climate change and food supply safety
- Big Blue has several projects underway in the U.S., Europe, and Asia as part of its “smarter planet” initiative
Filed under: Lean, Software/Technology, Sustainable Business
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IBM Consulting Helps Government Go Green Through Lean Six Sigma
Posted by: meikah | 8 March 2009 | 8:07 pm
Through IBM Consulting’s program, government organizations will learn to analyze energy and water use, assess waste management, evaluate overall environmental impact and develop improvement strategies. Called IBM Public Sector Energy and Environment Diagnostic, the program uses a proprietary Heat Map tool to provide an initial analysis.
Where does Lean Six Sigma come in?
The public sector diagnostic is designed to be used together with many of these other offerings. For example, after completing an analysis and identifying areas for improvement with the public sector diagnostic, clients can use Green Sigma(TM), which applies Lean Six Sigma principles to measuring and monitoring energy and water usage throughout a organization’s operations, and the Carbon Trade-off Modeler, which helps evaluate and balance carbon dioxide emissions and energy usage with other key factors throughout a supply chain — cost, service and quality.
*Photo from Stock.Xchng
