Lean Six Sigma @ Ecolab
Posted by: meikah | 15 March 2007 | 12:13 am
Ecolab, Inc. is a $5 million company that develops and markets products and services for the hospitality, foodservice, institutional, and industrial markets. The company provides cleaning, sanitizing, pest elimination, maintenance, and repair products, systems and services.
Considering the amount of logistics it has to do, Ecolab is bound to go into a strategy that will make them deliver quality products and services on time.
An article on Manufacturer features Ecolab going into Lean Six Sigma, specifically in its manufacturing and supply chain processes. In doing so, it hopes to get 1% of all supply chain employees qualified as Lean Six Sigma Black Belts and about 3% as Green Belts. Working on Lean Six Sigma and the metric called, Overall Equipment Efficiency (OEE), and ERP the following changes have been observed so far:
- There was a production-related project involving a bid to boost first-time batch acceptance with a goal of reducing the number of batch adjustments made by 20 percent by more closely metering the raw materials being introduced. All areas targeted exceeded the 20 percent level, and one plant saw an 80 percent reduction in batch adjustments.
- A bulk loading process in a particular plant was examined. The existing process required employees to walk several miles over the course of a day between waiting trucks and the mixing department and quality labs to ensure the trucks were ready to be dispatched.
- By coming up with a new way of approaching the mixing process, labor was freed up, unnecessary trips were reduced, and more than $200,000 in savings were achieved.
Source:
Manufacturer, “Ecolab, Eyes on Growth” with a link provided by iSixSigma
*Photo credit: MorgueFile.com
Filed under: Benefits and Savings, Deployment, Inventory, Lean Six Sigma, Six Sigma Organizations
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Lean Six Sigma Round-up
Posted by: meikah | 14 March 2007 | 12:20 am
Today, we’ll make the rounds of sites and learn about what’s the latest in Lean or Lean Six Sigma.
Let’s start with Lean Six Sigma Academy. Ron Pereira is talking about the concept of waste in the light of motion or movements. His post is interesting because he tackles waste in the practical way. It’s true that we do certain things, and to achieve them, we have to go through several yet unnecessary processes.
Over at 63 Buckets, Rob Thompson has an interesting post on The Lean Office. Taking from the house cleaning Japanese strategy, the 5S, N. Dean Meyer talks about how a lean office can be a good start to any system improvement. If I walk into an office, and see it’s not very well put in place, I’d have the impression that this office is not working on a system. I could be wrong of course, but so far, I’ve not been wrong. You have to start from a clutter-free workplace. The argument is that if you cannot even clean your own desk, how can you expect to clean clean up the whole organization.
At CIO.com, its latest article on Leadership Beneath the Buzz is about Lean + Six Sigma. The article is a good guide for quality practitioners. It tackles what Lean or Six Sigma can do and cannot do separately and together. Yes, it’s true that together or singly, Lean + Six Sigma may or may not be the answer to all your process improvement initiatives.
Check out the three sites and learn as much as you can. 
Filed under: CIO, Deployment, Lean Six Sigma, Six Sigma References
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Six Sigma Reference Feature: SixSigma.us
Posted by: meikah | 13 March 2007 | 2:51 am
SixSigma.us provides Six Sigma training and Six Sigma certification. The site also has invaluable resources from Lean Manufacturing to Six Sigma and its tools. Whatever industry you belong, they can give you the corresponding Six Sigma training.
You can also take enrol in their Six Sigma training courses wherever you are in the U.S. They offer the courses in Austin, Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Dallas, Denmark, Denver, DC, Houston, Kansas City, Las Vegas,Los Angeles, Minneapolis, New York, Orlando, Philadelphia, San Francisco, San Jose, Toronto.
I must say, its resources are quite comprehensive. It has good articles and a good list of recommended readings.
For a time the posts of this blog also appear in its news archive. Check out this site!
Filed under: Certification, Six Sigma References, Training
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Control Chart and Six Sigma
Posted by: meikah | 12 March 2007 | 4:24 am
A Control Chart is one of the seven basic statistical tools often used in Six Sigma, along with the Pareto Chart, histogram, check sheet, cause-and-effect diagram, flowchart, and scatter diagram.
Also known as the Shewhard chart or process-behavior chart, it can monitor processes and assure that they remain stable.
Six Sigma on its part is data-driven and aims for processes to be stable and continue to improve for as long as the processes are working.
When you use a Control Chart therefore in your Six Sigma project, you can better evaluate your data and monitor your processes.
Business Knowledge Source, Manufacturing Info reports that:
Control Chart Control charts help distinguish process variation due to assignable causes from those due to unassignable causes. Both these types of process variation are charted on a control chart. Assignable causes or special causes are meaningful factors of a process and are not always present or normal. These types of causes can be avoided and should be investigated. Unassignable causes are also known as common causes or chance causes. These are factors that occur by chance. They are not always present, but are normal and expected within a process. They are unavoidable and inherent in a process.
Source:
Business Knowledge Source, What is a control chart and how is it used in Six Sigma? with a link from Six Sigma Zone
Filed under: Control Chart, Data, Manufacturing, Processes, Statistics, Tools/Toolkits
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Innovation of the Week: Siemen’s Game Engine Modeling
Posted by: meikah | 9 March 2007 | 4:09 am
Game Engine Modeling or GEM is a software that drives the physics and graphics of video games.
The idea of the GEM is that it speeds up development of factory equipment with less cost. This hopes to benefit midsize original equipment manufacturers (OEMs).
The business advantage of GEM is its potential as a tool to enable factory-machine designers to build virtual equipment, bypassing expensive and cumbersome physical prototypes. The tool would also allow factory workers to train safely and quickly on the 3D digital machines. Both scenarios offer Siemens clients the means to slash both designers’ and factory supervisors’ billable hours. In addition, they can cut the cost of constructing full-size prototype robots for use on the factory floor to test the layout and efficiency of machines, conveyor belts, and other systems.
The sim won’t fully replace physical models, but will decrease the number of models required and speed up a company’s machine-development time, not to mention shortening the time-to-market phase of the products made in the factories. Designing a new OEM factory machine generally takes several months—first configuring the mechanical design, then the electrical design, the building of a physical prototype, and final tests and refinements.
Source: BusinessWeek Online, “Siemens’ New Game Strategy”
Filed under: Innovation Update, Manufacturing, OEM, Siemens, Software/Technology
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Lean and Six Sigma Working under Factory Physics
Posted by: meikah | 8 March 2007 | 11:33 pm
The Manufacturing Business Technology Magazine (MBTMag) has a feature on consultants claiming that Lean and Six Sigma can work better when executed with the principles of Factory Physics.
What is Factory Physics? I am new to the concept, and so I tried researching about it a bit. My research led me to a website with the same title, Factory Physics, Inc. The site is put up by Mark Spearman, the same person who developed the concept and an award winning author of the book Factory Physics: Foundations of Manufacturing.
A result of intensive research, Factor Physics is a framework for optimizing fundamental operations of manufacturing and supply chain. It touches on the basic manufacturing measures such as cycle time, throughput, capacity, work-in-process, inventory, and variability.
Based on those, it’s pretty easy to see that Lean and Six Sigma, which also work on the same parameters, can work well with Factory Physics.
Going back to the MBTMag article, Factor Physics and its tools have been useful for some manufacturing companies:
At precision motion control device manufacturer Moog, East Aurora, N.Y., Factory Physics is credited with transforming a delivery-performance record that was on average 17 days late to one that had could deliver 10 days ahead of schedule. Moog also slashed 12 days worth of work-in-process (WIP) inventory down to a three-day supply. Continue reading…
The very value of Factory Physics, I guess, is its claim to help companies tailor their Lean and Six Sigma programs.
Source:
Manufacturing Business Technology Magazine, Consultant claims Lean, Six Sigma work better under the rules of “Factory Physics” with the link provided by Six Sigma Zone
Related stories:
Factory Physics, Inc.
Factory Physics: Foundations of Manufacturing
Factory Physics: The Science of Lean Manufacturing
Filed under: Lean Six Sigma, Manufacturing, Mark Spearman, Processes, Software/Technology
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Six Sigma News Round-up
Posted by: meikah | 7 March 2007 | 9:55 pm
With Six Sigma, much has happened in the last couple of days. For this round-up, we visit two of the top news sources for Six Sigma.
First is iSixSigma. Blackstone’s private equity group has a new executive director. Ravi Ramanan will help work on improving productivity through continuous improvement. Ravi has worked for Solectron Corporation and General Electric, and being a certified Black Belt and Master Black Belt in Six Sigma, he will definitely be an added value to Blackstone.
Michael Marx, research manager of iSixSigma magazine, released the fourth annual iSixSigma Global Salary Survey. The results reflect salary and bonus data from more than 2,500 Six Sigma professionals around the globe currently employed in a full-time Six Sigma role. Check it out here and find out if you’re receiving what you should be receiving.
Next is news from Six Sigma Zone. Washington Hospital Center Labs goes lean. Washington Hospital Center, part of MedStar Health, has begun a systemwide Lean initiative, including the WHC Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine (Washington, DC). In 2002, they began Six Sigma and in 2005 started Lean.
The last in this round-up is about Angiotech Pharmaceuticals, Inc. appointing Victor Diaz as Senior Vice President for Global Manufacturing & Supply Chain Management. With his experience and skills, Victor will bring in his solid background in global manufacturing, Six Sigma, procurement, distribution, supply chain, lean manufacturing, inventory management, ISO and FDA regulations and compliance.
Filed under: Benefits and Savings, Events/Announcements, Healthcare, Lean Six Sigma, Pharmaceuticals, Processes, Six Sigma Organizations
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Six Sigma References Feature
Posted by: meikah | 6 March 2007 | 9:22 pm
Today, we won’t go far. I’m going to ask you to explore this Six Sigma site. Above are the tabs for Six Sigma Study Guides and Six Sigma Links Library.
Right now, we have a study guide of the book, The Six Sigma Way by Peter S. Pande et al, Robert P. Neuman, and Roland R. Cavanagh. The guide comprises of chapter notes, commentary, and a brief quiz.
In the Six Sigma Links Library you will find the following links:
- six sigma companies around the world
- roadmaps
- toolkits
- technologies
- consulting groups
Check the links out!
Just an update, too, this site is now among the 2000 Bloggers. Thank you, Tino!
Filed under: Six Sigma Organizations, Six Sigma References, Tools/Toolkits
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Pareto Chart and Six Sigma
Posted by: meikah | 5 March 2007 | 3:41 am
If your organization is going though some quality improvement, I’m sure you have asked the following questions:
- What is the largest issue facing your company or organization?
- What 20% of sources are causing 80% of the problems?
- Where should we focus our efforts to achieve the greatest improvements?
These questions can be answered by using a Pareto chart, also called the 80/20 Rule. The assumption is that most of the results in any situation are determined by a small number of causes.
For example, 80% of process defects arise from 20% of the process issues or 80% of delays in schedule arise from 20% of the possible causes of the delays.
BusinessKnowledgeSource.com shares that a Pareto chart:
…is a type of bar chart where the values being plotted are arranged in descending order.
…graphically summarizes and displays the importance of the differences between different groups of data.
…is constructed by splitting your data into groups. These groups are also known as segments, bins or categories. The left-side vertical axis of the Pareto chart is then labeled Frequency, Cost or some other unit of measure depending on your data.
Source:
BusinessKnowledgeSource.com Manufacturing Info, “What is a Pareto chart and how is it used in Six Sigma” with link provided by Six Sigma Zone
Filed under: Data, Pareto chart, Statistics, Tools/Toolkits
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Innovation of the Week: Windows Vista Speech Recognition
Posted by: meikah | 2 March 2007 | 3:28 am
I’m sure you’ve heard a lot about Bill Gates’s latest baby, the Windows Vista. Among the many interesting things about it is the speech recognition feature.
Indeed to me and as the tag line of Vista, “the “Wow” starts now.” The strength of Windows is its being user friendly, but this one takes the easy-does-it phenomenon to the next level. You can now tell your computer what to do without probably lifting a finger.
David Pogue talks about Speech Recognition of Windows Vista on his blog, Pogue’s Post, at New York Times Technology.
Speech Recognition lets you not only control your PC by voice–open programs, click buttons, click Web links, and so on–but also dictate text, a heck of a lot faster than you can type.
The first time you open Speech Recognition, you arrive at a very slick, very impressive full-screen tutorial/introduction, featuring a 20-something model in a white gauzy room that appears to be heaven.
Click your way through the screens. Along the way, you’re shown the basics: how to dictate and how to operate buttons, menus, windows, programs, and so on.
