Six Sigma Blog

Russia is looking for Lean Manufacturing

Russia has become an important player in the world economy in the recent years. It has made significant progress economically, thanks to the rich gas and oil resources. Now, Russia is planning to improve its competitiveness by banishing wastes from processes in industries and organizations. The first Russian Lean Forum was held in the city of Yekaterinburg in the industrial heart of Russia. More than 250 top managers from various industries participated in the forum to discuss the benefits and implementation of Lean Manufacturing.

Lean Manufacturing experts from the USA, Japan, Italy and Turkey have made presentations in the forum. OrgProm LLC, a Yekaterinburg-based company, was the main sponsor of the forum. The company believes that the forum will be an annual event in the city, as it is accessible to all parts of the country through a large railroad and air hub.

According to Ural Business Consulting -

Present were representatives from such Russian and international companies, as the “GAZ Group” (automotive), Russian Aluminum (RUSAL), KUMZ (aluminum), EvrazHolding (steel), KAMAZ (heavy truck producer), VSMPO-AVISMA (titanium), ZMZ (car engines), URALMASH (machine building), Boeing, the European Bearing Corporation and many others.

Technology Solutions Company Develops New Six Sigma Solution

Technology Solutions Company (TSC) has announced the development of a new and fully integrated Enabling Driver for Growth & Efficiency (EDGE) package solution for SAP. The solution is designed to help companies increase their operational and manufacturing performance. TSC is a leading consulting firm. EDGE goes beyond Six Sigma and Lean to enable adaptive and continuous business process improvements in key business processes. EDGE package solution focuses on improving the quality and productivity of the enterprises. EDGE enables companies to focus on those processes that create value for their customers, which ultimately drives profitable growth.

According to Yahoo -

EDGE is designed for ease of implementation with a fixed time and fee approach that delivers quick time to value, enabling IM&C companies to better meet market demands and provide competitive advantage without straining budgets and introducing risk to their business.

Six Sigma in Small Businesses

Small business owners will eventually sense the need for Six Sigma implementation in businesses. Any company that is on the threshold of expanding the operations to meet the growing customer expectations focuses on its resources on generating more sales. Small companies with 50 - 100 employees and revenue of $10-15 million may find themselves in trouble. They require consultants who can enhance the capabilities of their organizations. The cost of hiring consultants is not affordable for all companies. Hence, they explore the options such as hiring a Black Belt and having their employees trained in-house for Green Belt positions.

An experienced Black Belt provides greater benefits through own knowledge and experience. Black Belts have proven track record and have the best chances of outweighing the initial cost benefit of grooming in-house Black Belts. For the effective implementation of Six Sigma processes, Black Belts are often required. Green Belts can assist them in accomplishing their job even though they do not have high skill. An experienced Black Belt can take minor shortcomings of Green Belts in stride and things will eventually balance out.

Asian Six Sigma Summit 2006

The Asian Six Sigma Summit 2006 will be held in Singapore. The summit will focus on the need of improvement of quality to survive in the marketplace. Six Sigma not only focuses on quality improvements, but also helps in defining the processes with a customer-centric approach. Six Sigma is not an easy methodology to deploy. It is very important to understand the methodologies and tools available. Individuals, who work on Six Sigma deployments, gain support from the business leaders and the project team. The Asian Six Sigma Summit will cover all aspects of Six Sigma process and its deployment. Over a hundred Six Sigma, Quality and Business Excellence practitioners and experts from all over the Asia Pacific attended the Asian Six Sigma Summit last year. This year, the attendance is expected increase substantially.

Ford Recognizes Freudenberg-NOK for Six Sigma Capabilities

In a significant development, Freudenberg-NOK recently received recognition of achievement award from Ford Motor Company for its consumer-driven Six Sigma accomplishments. The award is part of Ford's World Excellence Awards program. It recognizes suppliers who not only achieve the highest levels of cost, quality and delivery, but also people who embrace the vision to build Ford's legacy and drive innovation to new heights. The recognition of achievement award honors suppliers who influence customer satisfaction by providing significant contributions in key areas including environmental leadership, customer-focused technology and consumer-driven Six Sigma.

According to Reliable Plant -

Freudenberg-NOK's Advanced Vibration and Acoustics (AVA) group was charged with optimizing the sealing isolation system and the noise, vibration and harshness (NVH) characteristics for a cam cover design. AVA has developed techniques to synergize sealing and NVH, which are typically opposing phenomena.

MagnaChip Launches Six Sigma Improvement Program

South Korea's MagnaChip Semiconductor has launched a Six Sigma quality improvement program to streamline its processes. The Six Sigma program is aimed at strengthening its production, development, sales and marketing operations. MagnaChip had been considering a US IPO for a long time. Now it is planning to delay the stock offering until 2007. The company is expected to raise as much as $700 million for expansion and debt reduction by listing the company on the Nasdaq exchange during 2006.

The company has raised more than $1 billion in private debt during the past two years. MagnaChip had broken away from South Korea's Hynix Semiconductor in 2005 in an $828 million buyout financed by Citigroup and Francisco Partners. It has moved its focus on its application processor business after quitting the DRAM founder business. It realized the need for an effective program to improve its quality and productivity. Hence, it has selected the Six Sigma program.

Six Sigma Global Inc. to appear on World Business Review TV Series

According to Multi-Media Productions, Inc., Six Sigma Global Inc. will appear on World Business Review TV series hosted by Alexander Haig. World Business Review will explore how Six Sigma Global has taken the DMAIC methodology to the next level to guide managers in making intelligent decisions based on qualified and quantified information. Most companies have a vision to take their company to the highest level. The Six Sigma methodology trains the leadership of these companies to enable their teams in achieving those visions through the strategic approach of the DMAIC process. Business Wire has published an article on the Same Topic.

Six Sigma Global has been working in the field of Quality, Continuous Improvement, and Problem Solving since 1999. We have trained, supported and mentored over 3000 highly successful Executives, Champions, Black Belts and Green Belts in the field of Six Sigma.

Exervio Consulting's Design for Six Sigma Green Belt Certification

Exervio Consulting has announced the design for Six Sigma Green Belt Certification. Exervio has collaborated with a leading global financial services firm for execution of strategic projects within fulfillment operations and transactions services. Exervio Consulting has launched the design for Matt Pagel, management-consulting manager. Pagel was able to successfully execute the design for Six Sigma methodology and obtain green belt certification for his project. According to him, an estimated annual cost saving of $1.03 million can be achieved each year through this initiative. Charlotte dBusiness News has published an article on the Same Topic.

Exervio is a management and information technology-consulting firm with offices in Atlanta, GA and Charlotte, NC. Exervio serves local clients by deploying small, senior-level consulting teams to manufacturing, retail, financial, government and other industries.

Six Sigma Black Belt Jobs

Six Sigma Black Belt professionals are high in demand across the globe. Black Belt professionals are usually responsible for managing the planning, facilitation and completion of Lean Six Sigma projects to support the strategic cost reduction objectives of the company. They also simplify and consolidate organizational processes and apply Lean Six Sigma principles & tools to improve overall quality and processes. The salary package of the Black Belt professionals varies from company to company. However, they receive lucrative salary because of their high demand in the market.

Black Belt professionals have the ability to lead, coach, train and mentor teams in the use of Six Sigma tools and processes. They also train and mentor Green Belts in the organization. The expectation from Black Belts is very high. They are often required to partner with process owners and business teams to create a culture that supports process management and continuous improvement in alignment with company strategy. Certified Six Sigma Black Belt with 1 - 5 years experience are often preferred in most companies. They must have the following qualities in addition to their qualification and experience:

• Team Leadership Skills
• Ability to manage and monitor multiple projects
• Strong analytical and problem solving skills

The Robust Nature of Six Sigma

Six Sigma's strength lies in its structured ability. When it is rationally executed, it brings forth the inherent shortcomings in any process. The implementation methodology allows comparison of prevailing procedure against the most appropriate one aimed at reducing error-producing subroutines. Removing errors from the preparation stage will have a positive impact on subsequent processes. Six Sigma also leaves scope for customer value analysis and operational excellence methods. These methods are usually driven by a thorough understanding of customer values.

Now the organizations have realized that there is a need to look beyond Six Sigma. Six Sigma brings the objectives of companies to a winning stage. It is sustained for the future when a quality approach is adopted as a culture by the entire organization. Operational excellence is focused on execution of programs. It uses powerful analytical and measuring tools and prepares the ground for returning to the customers' requirements. Looking beyond Six Sigma requires a long-term vision. The vision puts the customer on top. It emphasizes on customer profitability and customer share. The next stage of Six Sigma clearly focuses on customers rather than organizations.