Six Sigma yields many positives at Tyco International

It is well known how Motorola brought in Six Sigma principles almost two decades earlier to improve its performance. It was from Motorola that Ed Breen brought in the Six Sigma practice when he joined Tyco International in 2002. While Six Sigma was initially used in the 1980s as a means to improve quality, today the principle is utilized to augment revenue flow and cut costs. Ed Breen has also implemented Six Sigma at Tyco to increase the company’s revenue and cut costs. In the period leading up to 2005, Tyco has been able to reap the benefits of Six Sigma to the tune of $800 million.

Chmiel, vice president of operational excellence for the Boca Raton-based division, Tyco Fire & Security, views Six Sigma as a system that enables the management and streamlining of processes, leading to improved efficiency and reduced costs. The training in Six Sigma at Tyco has also improved the chances of employees to move ahead in their career path within the company. Sun-Sentinel reports:

At Tyco Fire & Security, Six Sigma has been applied to better measure its ADT Security Systems call centers’ response to customers. In manufacturing, Tyco employed Six Sigma to reduce cycle time and increase the product output each day. Six Sigma also has been a career path for people who want to move up at Tyco, which now has 263 black belts, full-time project managers, and 870 green belts, who work part-time on projects, often within their departments.

Read More: Six Sigma propels workers in project-minded firms

Six Sigma implementation: the methodology

There are several instances where an organization has failed to meet set deadlines and quality expectations. Real-world examples from the Indian city of Bangalore have shown that even companies who have received quality certification fail to live up to client expectations. The major problems faced by these organizations include inadequate project planning, defects that are not detected before the product is handed over to the client, and rework required to fulfill the expectations of the client. An answer to such recurring problems is Six Sigma methodology.

Express Computer reports that the companies based in Bangalore accepted the services of a consultant who provided training on the Six Sigma principles and their implementation. Following such training, the companies were able to enhance their performance and clear the problem areas they faced earlier. These case studies show that Six Sigma delivers several advantages, such as lessening the amount of rework, adhering to preset schedules, and enhancing revenue for the company. There are various means of implementing Six Sigma, but the most popular is the DMAIC method, which can be implemented in various phases. Express Computer reports:

Application of Six Sigma methodology improves the efficiency and effectiveness of the processes resulting in customer satisfaction. Satisfying customers by delivering a better product and services without time and cost overrun contributes to increase in volume of business.

Read More: Business improvement with Six Sigma

SigmaQuest’s products based on Lean Six Sigma principles to be sold by Customer Service Associates Inc.

SigmaQuest Inc. and Customer Service Associates Inc. (CSA) have signed a distribution agreement, under which CSA will sell SigmaQuest’s software products throughout North America. The product range includes SigmaSure Enterprise Edition, which enables OEMs to ensure quality and performance, and the hosted on-demand service called SigmaExpress. SigmaQuest offers solutions that are in keeping with Lean and Six Sigma principles.

The products are also in line with CSA’s portfolio of professional services. This was stated by Greg Schuster, vice president of CSA. CSA will act as part of the direct sales team of SigmaQuest, and make sure that the customers get the best of service. TMCnet.com quotes Nader Fathi, CEO of SigmaQuest, who further elaborates on the partnership:

CSA is an ideal partner for SigmaQuest. It has extensive knowledge about the types of products and support that OEMs require during the manufacturing process through its representation of technology leaders such as Agilent Technologies (NYSE:A). As SigmaQuest’s software seamlessly collects data from Agilent test platforms, having one organization represent both companies’ products will give OEMs with globally distributed supply chains the advantage of working with a single expert provider across the extended enterprise.

Read More: SigmaQuest and Customer Service Associates Announce Distribution Agreement

Six Sigma processes help Secured Funding redefine goal statements

Secured Funding, a mortgage banker with a focus towards the future, has called on its employees to take initiatives towards becoming the next generation home equity specialists. With its new S2 strategy in place, the company is making serious headway towards an unmatched customer experience. This strategy is combined with the implementation of Six Sigma processes to make sure that lean and efficient procedures are established.

The Six Sigma principles have begun showing positive results, and there is a definite reduction in funding times for ongoing projects. The use of Six Sigma principles by Secured Funding has enabled the company to have a defined goal regarding the transition from the home equity lending culture. Business Wire reports:

Through constant innovation, Secured Funding redefines home equity expectations, providing industry expertise to deliver a consultative approach and an unsurpassed customer experience…. Employees receive a focused education on home equity lending practices, and are empowered to look for opportunities to innovate products, procedures, and service. In turn, Secured Funding’s brokers and borrowers benefit from the elevated level of home equity lending knowledge and expertise. To supplement this, managers are utilizing Six Sigma processes to ensure lean and efficient procedures. Six Sigma methodology has already yielded results and ongoing projects aim to cut deviations in funding times by half.

Read More: Secured Funding Empowers Employees to Strengthen Retail, Wholesale Divisions with SF2; Home Equity Specialist Unveils New Home Equity Lending Initiative

Defense Department to implement Lean and Six Sigma

The Defense Department is implementing a new customer-centric approach towards acquisitions, technology and logistics. The Department also acknowledged changes in the business processes within the Department, which required the enforcement of new principles that will guide business practices. The Business practice itself will be focused around the areas of supply chain, medical readiness and performance, acquisitions, and process assimilation. The intention is to provide the stakeholders with the best value.

The Department aims to implement Lean Six Sigma principles as a business strategy to help manage business practices. With the introduction of Lean and Six Sigma, it is expected that business processes will improve and be more focused towards speedy implementation and efficiency. Blackanthem.com quotes Kenneth J. Krieg of the Defense Department:

I intend to use its principles to consider the effectiveness and efficiency of the administrative processes of acquisition documentation, allowing our staff to streamline their procedures and free their time to focus on other customer needs…. In an era where people are devoting more and more hours to their work, it’s not sensible to further increase the time…we spend. Instead, we must increase the efficiency of our business products.

Read More: DoD Adopts New Business Practices to Manage Supply Chain

Report on a Six Sigma Kaizen event

In August this year, contract specialist and NAVAIR AIRSpeed Black Belt Joan Devlin hosted a Kaizen event with members from AIR-2.0/AIR-1.0 and a content expert from the V-22 program office. Navy Reservist Lt. Cmdr. Chris Camacho, who was also with Devlin, mentions that it is important to lessen the changes within a process, so that Lean Six Sigma is implemented effectively. In course of the event, the Justification and Approval to Limit Competition process was spelt out in the form of a “value stream map.”

This showed that the J&A process had 26 steps and 17 rework loops, and the cycle ranged between 27.5 and 129 days. To get around the rework loops, it was decided to prepare a fresh template for the instruction. This template enabled the removal of irrelevant data, and the number of steps was reduced to 11-13 steps. dcmilitary.com reports:

According to Camacho, the J&A future-state value stream will save a minimum of two man-years within the 2.0 competency. “I suspect there will also be additional savings in workload reduction in other functional areas that were not taken into account in this measurement,” he said.

Read More: AIR-2.0 Lean Six Sigma Kaizen event a success

Best Practices, LLC reports on Lean, Six Sigma, and TQM implementation by leading companies

Best Practices, LLC, a research and consulting company, has prepared a report on Lean and Six Sigma processes. The report gives examples of large organizations that have implemented Lean and Six Sigma principles and gained positive results. The report mentions case studies of General Electric and Bank of America, the important techniques for bringing about Six Sigma change, and the tools for specifying problem areas which have scope for improvement.

The report further elaborates on the important Six Sigma implantation techniques: leading companies advocate starting with Lean Sigma; in some situations, it may be better to start with few small projects and encouraging their success; the use of DMAIC, DFSS, or DMADV;  and a team of consultants to help implement Six Sigma. The last suggestion evoked a mixed response regarding its utility. PR Newswire reports:

Lean Sigma and Six Sigma are the most frequently used productivity approaches for numerous top-tier firms. More than half (55%) of benchmarked companies expect to receive between 1-7% of savings/revenue enhancement through Lean or Six Sigma.

Read More: Lean, Six Sigma & TQM: Top Companies Document Their Success

The 2nd Annual Six Sigma Summit: Taking Six Sigma to the next level

The 2nd annual Six Sigma summit is being organized by WCBF. According to PR Newswire, leading industrialists have confirmed their participation at the meeting. Projected as an event larger than the first summit, the meeting will introduce new features such as the Executive Roundtable for leading participants, and the New User and Advanced User Forums to go with the workshops held prior to the conference. The summit will be opened by Tom McCarty, Executive Vice President at Strategic Consulting. McCarty will speak about quality and excellence in service and transactional environments.

The summit presents an excellent opportunity for participants to interact with exponents of Six Sigma, and gain first-hand knowledge of the latest projects that have been launched with Six Sigma deployment. The meeting will highlight issues such as Lean Six Sigma implementation, keeping the Six Sigma concept in a constant forward movement, and adapting design for Six Sigma. PR Newswire provides details of the participants at the meet:

Following the sell-out 1st annual conference in 2004 with over 175 senior level attendees, this event is set to be the largest of its kind for this industry. This is the place to benchmark and learn from detailed, practical case studies including presentations from Jones Lang LaSalle Americas, Valeant Pharmaceuticals, Johnson & Johnson, Starwood Hotels and Resorts, AIG Insurance, New York Presbyterian Hospital, Sterling Savings Bank, Apogee Enterprises, GE Capital International Services, UnitedHealth Group, DTE Energy, Wells Fargo, Motorola, Microsoft and Holley High End Performance.

Read More: WCBF Announces the Speaker Panel for the 2nd Annual Six Sigma in Service & Transactional Environments Summit

Fort Wayne Mayor moots idea of a disaster communication response system

Inside INdiana Business reports an announcement made by Fort Wayne Mayor Graham Richard that the community should develop a disaster response system. This announcement came as part of the Mayor’s presentation at the Six Sigma meeting. The mayor is examining methods of improving communications in an unforeseen eventuality, and has selected a team to look into this aspect. This team will specify the requirements of an effective disaster communications system, and then put forward a schedule and the estimated budget for building the system.

Past experience has shown that in case of an emergency, it is the local backup system that works first, before the state machinery is able to reach the disaster-hit area. This further accentuates the importance of an effective communications system that can manage unforeseen calamities. Inside INdiana Business elaborates on the Mayor’s plans:

To help meet the challenge, Mayor Richard has created a Disaster Communication Response BEST Team (Building Excellent Systems through Teams) to explore ways to enhance communication systems in a major, community wide emergency. Lou Dollive, president and general manager at ITT Industries and Wayne Iurillo, site executive at Raytheon will co-chair the team.

Read More: Fort Wayne to Establish Enhanced Communication System

Lean kaizen and Six Sigma principles help Solectron win Best Plants Award

IndustryWeek Magazine has recognized Solectron Corporation’s manufacturing plant in West Columbia, S.C., as one of North America’s top ten plants. Solectron is a provider of management services, including materials management, product manufacturing, and product warranty. The company has attributed its success to the successful implementation of Lean kaizen and Six Sigma principles. Through such implementations, the company has been able to cater to customer requirements and expectations.

According to John Petta, general manager at Solectron, the company is combining the Six Sigma principle with Lean processes, thereby providing a cost-effective, responsive, and error-free business process. The criteria which guided IndustryWeek in deciding the winners included management strategy, community development, productivity, and relationship of the management with the employee, customer, and supplier. TMCnet quotes Marc Onetto, executive vice president, Operations, at Solectron:

This world class performance is a direct result of empowered people applying the Solectron Production System(TM) (SPS)—our own winning combination of Lean kaizen and Six Sigma principles. In our view, what makes Solectron stand out as a winner is our dedication to meeting and even exceeding our customers’ expectations.

Read More: Solectron Receives 2005 IndustryWeek Best Plants Award; Annual Award Program Recognizes the 10 Best Manufacturing Facilities in North America

September 17, 2005 in Quality | Permalink | Comments (0)

Siemens provides Six Sigma training to employees and suppliers

The Electronics Assembly Systems Division (ES) of Siemens Logistics and Assembly Systems (L&A) keeps the needs of the customer foremost in its business processes. Towards this objective, Siemens implements the Six Sigma method. In the process, the company has been able to increase its profit margin and also cater to the satisfaction of the customer.

Using Six Sigma, Siemens has been able to rise above cultural barriers and communicate with its global customers. The Six Sigma program implemented by Siemens is founded on a hierarchical structure of proficiency levels, and the methodology is effectively transmitted to all departments. As Quality Management Director Herbert Hofmann notes, the important thing is to inculcate the importance of Six Sigma implementation to all employees—only then will the program be successful. Besides the employees, the Siplace team has offered the Six Sigma training program to its suppliers as well. EMSNow.com reports:

Problems are analyzed methodically and solved with the help of people who are best qualified to do the job. Six Sigma creates a certain discipline within the enterprises that practise it and makes this analytical approach a mandatory part of all thinking.

Read More: Singapore plant ships high-end electronics assembly placement machines

Six Sigma and its application in Information Technology

An article published by Silicon India Magazine examines the reasons for the failure of some software projects even in today’s world, the importance of quality service for a company, and the solutions offered by Six Sigma for Software. An important factor that gives a company an edge over its competitors is lower costs. This can be managed with the implementation of solutions such as Six Sigma, which is primarily aimed at financial results. Six Sigma includes methodologies which lead to effective management of people and resources, including customer loyalty.

Six Sigma for Software contains a set of tools that aids productive development, thus generating quality software products. Six Sigma for Software is different from other tools such as CMM/CMMI. However, at a certain point in the development of an organization, Six Sigma and CMM, PSP/TSP become complimentary. For example, research shows that Six Sigma for Software is cost-effective only after an organization reaches CMM levels of 4/5. Silicon India Magazine reports:

Six Sigma started from the Operations Excellence which values discipline in manufacturing with emphasis on efficient transactions, management of people, dedication to measurement systems, etc. But it became obvious that business success was more than the absence of negatives such as defects, delays or cost overruns. It then began to encompass positives like customer loyalty and delighters. From Operational Excellence, Six Sigma moved towards Customer Intimacy and Product Leadership value disciplines.

Read More: Six Sigma and the value of Information Technology

Belgium, Netherlands, and Luxembourg to receive Six Sigma training and consultation

Companies across Belgium, Netherlands, and Luxembourg are to receive Six Sigma training services later this year. The service is being provided by Pivotal Resources, a leader in Lean Six Sigma strategy and implementation, and Ideas@Work, a process management consultancy based in Brussels.

Representatives of both firms are confident that the joint effort will be able to deliver valuable inputs to the companies. To start with, the program will make the Six Sigma training products available for individuals and small groups, and conduct several interactive workshops. The specific training schedule announced by Pivotal Resources and Ideas@Work include a one-day class on October 18, followed by sessions between October 18-21, November 22-25, and December 12-16. PR Newswire quotes the spokespersons for the two companies:

“Both our organizations share the same level of commitment to deliver industry leading process improvement training, making this partnership a perfect fit,” said Eddy Janssen, founder and Managing Partner for Ideas@Work. “Our extensive Lean Six Sigma curricula and respected position within the global marketplace coupled with Ideas@Work’s local experience in the Benelux region enables us to deliver the highest level of value to our customers within the area,” said Rowland Hayler, Director of International Operations for Pivotal Resources.

Read More: Pivotal Resources and Ideas@WorkForm Strategic Alliance to Offer Lean Six Sigma Capabilities in Benelux

Six Sigma process management: A tool to prioritize problems and build solutions

The Six Sigma process management has been an effective method for cutting costs and enhancing business processes for several decades now. However, misconceptions persist regarding the concept and its implementation. To remove such misconceptions, Rowland Hayler and Michael Nichols have published their research in a book called What is Six Sigma Process Management?

The authors are working actively on Six Sigma implementation, and they bring their experience to show how Six Sigma can help organizations improve customer satisfaction and meet business challenges. According to the book, Six Sigma provides businesses and their managers with methods to prioritize problems, and then develop solutions. Six Sigma provides companies with the right perspective regarding the problems, and a checklist of queries that need to be asked when addressing the problems. Bangkok Post reports:

It offers insights on process management, including identifying critical customer process metrics, guidelines to improve customer satisfaction by identifying customer-seen failures, ways to enhance overall business improvement strategy and insights on how future SSPM developments can address modern business challenges.

Read More: Not a black art but a sound strategy

Upcoming event: Six Sigma conference in Fort Wayne

A news release from Inside INdiana Business dated September 12 announces an upcoming conference on Six Sigma. Scheduled for September 14, the conference is being jointly organized by the City of Fort Wayne and the TQM Network. The target audience for the seminar comprises of CEOs, business owners, and public leaders, who will hopefully become aware of the positive impact of a Six Sigma implementation. Such impact ranges from cost-effective business processes to all-round improvement in customer service and productivity.

A real-world example where Six Sigma has worked is the City of Fort Wayne itself, which has—according to the city Mayor—managed to cut costs by US$10 million in the last five years. Through effective compliance of Six Sigma and Lean practices, the city has been able to protect taxpayers, reduce costs, and provide enhanced services. Inside INdiana Business reports:

The showcase is designed for CEO’s, business owners, mayors, public leaders, VP’s, and site managers to learn how Six Sigma can improve organizations. Six Sigma helps organizations decrease costs, improve customer service and increase productivity. Data based decision-making and empowerment of employees are key components to the success of the program.

Read More: Fort Wayne to Host Six Sigma Event

Nigerian organizations need Six Sigma implementation, reiterates Ikeja Hotels PLC Chairman

The Six Sigma program, now a popular deployment tool in many organizations worldwide, was developed as a concept by Motorola in the 1980s. The Motorola success story has inspired several entrepreneurs through decades, including Goodie Minabo Ibru, chairman of Ikeja Hotels PLC, owners of Sheraton Lagos Hotel and Tower in Nigeria.

Ibru has called on the manufacturing and service industries to utilize the Six Sigma concept to maximize their savings. Quoting the successful deployment of Six Sigma by Sheraton Lagos Hotel & Towers over the last two years, Ibru said that the program has led to all-round improvement in product and service quality and customer satisfaction. Six Sigma also caters to two vital cogs in the modern-day competitive business world: better packages for the customers and higher returns for the shareholders. AllAfrica.com reports:

Many organisations in the Nigeria are operating below three-sigma quality levels. That means they could be losing up to 25-40 per cent of their total revenue due to processes that deliver too many defects—defects that take up time and effort to repair as well as creating unhappy customers.

Read More: Ibru Charges Manufacturing, Service Industries On Six Sigma

Lean Six Sigma programs help NewRoads achieve record financial performance

Business Wire reports the announcement of NewRoads, a leading business process outsourcer based in Huntersville, NC, that the company has achieved significant milestones in its financial performance, clinching new deals and expanding existing agreements, and continuing its Lean Six Sigma program successfully. NewRoads is in the middle of a peak season, and the current quarter is the third successive quarter where the company has recorded path-breaking financial performance.

A measure of the success of the operational performance of the company is the cost productivity and improved service to the customers—both directly related to the successful deployment of the Lean Six Sigma programs. NewRoads has extracted multifarious gains from its Lean Six Sigma implementation. Business Wire elaborates on the process improvements achieved by NewRoads from the Lean Six Sigma deployment:

Lean Six Sigma is an established leadership methodology that utilizes a disciplined, data-driven approach: it is at the core of NewRoads’ operations and is quickly becoming part of the fabric of the company. Utilizing Lean Six Sigma has allowed NewRoads to shave costs, both internally and for its customers, while further improving service quality across its operating centers. Lean Six Sigma has also provided a common language for the company to use in all of its process and quality improvement initiatives.

Read More: NewRoads reports record financial performance and customer growth

Webcast on Manufacturing Interoperability in Six Sigma and Lean Strategies

Industry Week reports that a live web conference on the importance of manufacturing systems interoperability in Six Sigma and Lean strategies is being organized on September 14, starting at 2:00 p.m. EDT (GMT 04:00, New York). The conference is being sponsored by Visiprise, and the expected duration is one hour. The objective of the conference is to provide a platform for manufacturing interoperability. This concept is gaining importance because of the trend towards globalization, which makes it imperative for entrepreneurs to have a composite view of their respective enterprises, so that collaboration becomes a viable strategy.

For organizations where Six Sigma and Lean strategies have already been implemented, the concept of manufacturing interoperability provides an added impetus to business processes. According to the article in Industry Week, the key areas where interoperability can contribute are customer satisfaction, cost and productivity, quality, and product innovation. The article also provides a list of key speakers in the web broadcast:

During this webcast, Greg Gorbach, Vice President Collaborative Manufacturing with the ARC Advisory Group, will provide an overview of manufacturing systems interoperability and report on some of the recent trends surrounding this strategy. Rick Nordin, Senior Project Manager with Visiprise, Inc., will demonstrate how these measurements fit in with established Lean and Six Sigma initiatives.

Read More: The Importance of Manufacturing Systems Interoperability in Your Six Sigma and Lean Strategies

WCBF’s Annual Lean Six Sigma Summit 2005: an opportunity for Lean Six Sigma practitioners

Worldwide Conventions and Business Forums (WCBF) organized its first Annual Lean Six Sigma Summit in 2004. This colloquium was marked by heavy participation and outstanding success. A PR Newswire release gives details of the 2nd Lean Six Summit to be held this year. The panel includes representatives from various industries who have experienced Six Sigma implementation. This experience is expected to be passed on to practitioners at the conference. The industries represented in the elite speaker panel include health, pharmaceuticals, investments, and information technology.

The participants will gain first-hand experience of the status of Lean Six Sigma and the various management theories on its deployment. In particular, the panelists will offer practical advise, case studies on Lean Six Sigma deployment and its results, a platform for acquiring new skills and establishing fresh contacts, and details of conforming to regulations and standards in implementing Lean Six Sigma in different business environs. PR Newswire reports:

The 2nd Annual Summit has been carefully researched to gather together cross-industry Lean Six Sigma deployment leaders to meet the needs of practitioners whatever their industry or wherever they are on their Lean Six Sigma journey.

Read More: WCBF Announces the Dates for the 2nd Annual Lean Six Sigma Summit for Manufacturing, Service & Transactional Environments

Stringent implementation of Six Sigma and a defined accounting policy: key to Six Sigma success

An article published in Industry Week recognizes the popularity of Six Sigma programs for improving business activities, but warns that the implementation of Six Sigma can backfire in certain situations. Two such situations are highlighted in the article: the different levels of intensity in the implementation of a Six Sigma program, and miscalculations in the savings that actually result from Six Sigma implementation.

For the first anomaly, the article gives an example of a company that brought in Six Sigma with a properly formulated strategy and well-defined leadership, and another company which only had inadequate training sessions before ushering in Six Sigma. In the latter scenario, the results of Six Sigma implementation were naturally not satisfactory, and this resulted in only limited savings for the company. A more stringent training program by the same company in the following year brought in better results.

The other loophole (miscalculations in Six Sigma savings) can also be tightened if companies put a clearly defined accounting policy in place to calculate the savings on account of Six Sigma. Industry Week  reports:

To prevent these situations from occurring, organizations need to define the policies and procedures to calculate Six-Sigma savings and identify a review and validation mechanism using finance and accounting. Initiatives should be monitored in the same ways capital projects and other major efforts are monitored. The appropriate financial adjustments should be made to reflect the savings in future budgets to support the program’s institutionalization.

Read More: Six-Sigma Pitfalls

The Timken Company creates new position for Six Sigma

The Timken Company, a steel and bearing manufacturer having a presence across 27 countries, announced recently that the company has created a new position: senior vice president of quality and lean six sigma.  The first occupant of this position is Donna J. Demerling, who started her career with the company in 1972 and came to occupy the position of senior vice president of supply chain transformation in 2003.

The newly created position emphasizes the company’s stress on quality management. In fact, as The Manufacturer.com reports:

In her new position, Demerling will be responsible for quality assurance throughout all of Timken’s business processes, including product design, manufacturing, supply chain and administrative areas. She will continue to lead the lean six sigma function.

Read More: Timken creates six sigma post

Successful Training Programs a result of Six Sigma Component in the Training: iSixSigma survey

Business Wire reports from Seattle on a survey that shows a definite link between successful training programs and Six Sigma. The survey, which is to be published in a forthcoming issue of  iSixSigma Magazine, shows that 85% of the respondents who felt satisfied with their corporate training program had Six Sigma as an essential part of the training.

Against this, a meager 3% of the unsuccessful training programs had Six Sigma in their curriculum. Even post-training, the trainees who had Six Sigma in their program were able to move to new leadership positions. Michael Cyger, CEO and publisher of iSixSigma Magazine and iSixSigma.com, views this link between Six Sigma and successful training programs as expected; the link is directly related to the skill sets that Six Sigma inculcates in the trainees. Business Wire quotes Cyger:

We all want to work for leaders who make good decisions based on data not emotions, who share responsibility, who know how to generate results. We want leaders who are enthusiastic and passionate about what they’re doing. Those are exactly the skills and qualities that make Six Sigma professionals most successful and that Six Sigma helps build in future leaders.

Read More: iSixSigma Magazine: Leadership Programs that Include Six Sigma are Six Times More Effective, Survey Shows; 60% of Six Sigma Professionals are Promoted to Leadership Positions

The concept of Six Sigma and its application in Transactional and Service industries

Since the implementation of Six Sigma by Motorola in 1987, and the successful implementation by General Electric a few years later, several companies across the globe have adopted Six Sigma as an essential part of their business strategy. This popularity of Six Sigma has consequently led to the publication of several books on the subject. Business Wire reviews a book on Research and Markets, which has extended Six Sigma to transactional and service sectors.

The first part of the book introduces the concept of Six Sigma, while the second part provides examples of industries in the transactional and service sectors where Six Sigma has been implemented. The contents of the book will appeal to both the uninitiated and the expert, and includes topics such as Six Sigma training, projects, and toolbox, and several case studies of Six Sigma implementation. Business Wire reports:

The focus is on the implementation of the Six Sigma methodology rather than on the statistical tools and techniques. The aim of this book is to provide the reader with some practical and useful guidelines for Six Sigma deployment and its application to transactional and service processes.

Read More: Research and Markets: Six Sigma  in Transactional and Service Environments

Brussels conference to discuss Lean and Six Sigma implementation in European defence forces

Business Wire reports on the necessity to implement strategies such as Lean and Six Sigma in the European defence arena; this will ensure that the defence and armed forces reflect positive growth.

An upcoming event that is aimed at the integrated implementation of the Lean and Six Sigma strategies in the defence sector is the conference to be held in Brussels between November 2 and 4 this year. The event is being organized by Marcus Evans, a leading business information firm, and will provide a forum for the exchange of knowledge and expertise. Among the speakers will be defence personnel who will be sharing their expertise.

Perhaps the most important segment of the event will be a panel discussion on the implementation of Lean and Six Sigma across European defence forces. This discussion will pinpoint the countries which have already put Six Sigma into practice and measure the success and/or failure of such implementation. The list of participants announced by Marcus Evans is impressive, and the event is likely to generate constructive thinking. Business Wire reports:

This event will be practical, informative and interactive and will include case studies, relevant accounts, instructive examples and supportive workshops concerning the Lean and Six Sigma practice…. At this event key tools and expertise knowledge will be specified, allowing military and industry personnel the ability to effectively execute Lean and Six Sigma quality projects. This event also features a post-conference workshop facilitated by Pertinence and a post-conference site tour of Solar Turbines, Inc., a Caterpillar subsidiary.

Read More: Implementing Lean and Six Sigma within the European Defence Industry

Six Sigma in the IT sector: a means to enhance customer experience

Writing for CXOToday.com, Sohini Bagchi emphasizes the need to implement Six Sigma for improving performance and reducing costs. V. Ramamurathy, a management consultant with special interest in Six Sigma, interprets Six Sigma as a methodology to reduce defects within the system, and also improve the quality of customer experience. Six Sigma is now increasingly being implemented across different industries. When applied in the IT industry, Six Sigma can be particularly effective because, as P. Kapila (an expert in Six Sigma implementation) writes, Six Sigma will calculate and enhance internal processes such as network speed, and also the business spheres where IT has a hand to play.

Leading Indian companies in the IT sector have already made the move to implement Six Sigma and provide the necessary training to their staff to cope with the system.  CXOToday provides examples of specific areas where IT companies like Satyam, Infosys, and Wipro have met with success through Six Sigma implementation. As CXOToday.com reports:

Some of the other Indian companies such as, TACO and Zeta Pharma have just begun to implement the Six Sigma approach as part of their work culture. As far as CRM, ERP and other customer initiatives are concerned, Sun Microsystems is one company that has made significant improvements from its customer relationship management system by applying Six Sigma principles.

Read More: Aim For Excellence With Six Sigma