Lean Manufacturing and Six Sigma

COMPETITIVE REQUIRES INNOVATION

No existing market share is safe today, no product life is indefinite. Not only is this true for high technology, but it is also true for all consumer products. Competition will tear away market niches and technology advantages from the established business through the weapon of innovation. Companies will become merely a shadow of their ‘glory days’ or will vanish if they do not find a way to re-create their market success through a steady stream of innovative products and customer – oriented solutions.
Lean:

A systematic approach to identifying and eliminating waste {non- value-added activities) through continuous improvement in pursuit of perfection by flowing the product at the pull of the customer.

Lean champion:

Subject matter expert in the tools of lean typically chosen to lead lean training, lean projects, and lean transformation.

Lean enterprise:

Any organization that continually strives to eliminate waste, reduce costs, and improve quality, on-time delivery, and service levels.
Lean production:
The opposite of mass production.
Muda:

A Japanese word, usually translated as “waste”, that refers to those elements of production that do not add value to the product.
Takt Time:

The available production time divided by the rate of customer demand. Takt time sets the pace of production to math the rate of customer demand and becomes the heartbeat of any lean system.

Ground Rules
Everyone participates
Anything is open to question
Look at issues from larger perspective
Ideas from anyone is respected
Talk to the ideas generated ; not the person
No complaining – unless accompanied with solution and action plan
No blaming

Leadership Vision
“Quality . . . is the next opportunity for our Company to set itself apart from its competitors . . .
... Dramatically improved Quality will increase employee and customer satisfaction, will improve share and profitability, and will enhance our reputation.
... “[Six Sigma] is the most important training thing we have ever had. It’s better than going to Harvard Business School.”