Lean, six sigma, and the systems approach: Management initiatives for process improvement

Pojasek, Robert B.

doi:10.1002/tqem.10113

Cited by 42 publications

(26 citation statements)

References 0 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…Lean-Six-Sigma (LSS) approach combines the benefits of Six Sigma method with the waste reduction philosophy of LEAN engineering (Arnheiter and Maleyeff, 2005). The LSS has become a popular tool to improve operational excellence in manufacturing (George, 2002;Liker, 2004) and other fields (Pojasec, 2003;Koning et al, 2006;Guarraia and Schwedel, 2006;Herbert, 2008). Although traditionally the LSS has been implemented in improving systems in the high-volume manufacturing environment (George, 2002;Liker, 2004), its use has also been described in driving innovation in environments including the research and development (R&D) of several Fortune 500 companies (George et al, 2007;Hoerl and Gardner, 2010;Carleysmith et al, 2009;Barnhart, 2008;Rao).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The application of Lean Six Sigma to the configuration control in Intel’s manufacturing R&D environment

Panat

Dimitrova

Selvamuniandy

et al. 2014

International Journal of Lean Six Sigma

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Purpose-The purpose of this paper is to provide an example of Lean Six Sigma (LSS) application in research and development (R&D) organizations to eliminate waste and improve systems based on available data that in turn improves the innovative environment. Manufacturing R&D involves designing and testing innovative concepts and taking them into high-volume manufacturing. The infrastructure associated with such organizations involves experimental manufacturing lines with the ability to evaluate the result under statistical process control and configuration control. The integration of LSS process improvement methodology into the R&D organization infrastructure and operations can have a dramatic effect on reducing cost and time related to the development and delivery of new technologies and products. Design/methodology/approach-The LSS methodology was systematically implemented to eliminate waste and improve the existing process of Intel's configuration control during the development and ramp phases. The steps included an assessment of the current state through walking the process and collecting baseline data, preparing the process map to quantify waste and inefficiencies, defining the ideal state along with a realistic target, selecting and implementing the improvement actions together with realizing and documenting the improvements and finally developing and putting into place a control plan to ensure the new process is sustained. The LSS approach resulted in an efficiency improvement exceeding the target, i.e. 60 per cent reduction in idle time and waste (non-value-added activities) versus a target of 40 per cent reduction. The results also showed an increase in the stakeholder satisfaction without compromising the technical rigor of the manufacturing configuration control. Findings-The LSS case study presented in this paper provides experiences to LSS practitioners in manufacturing R&D environment where the operational excellence is to be sought in new technology and product development. Originality/value-Project leaders can use the study to help formulate strategies to cater to customer/ stakeholder satisfaction and eliminate waste while maintaining the technical rigor of the R&D environment.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The application of Lean Six Sigma to the configuration control in Intel’s manufacturing R&D environment

Panat

Dimitrova

Selvamuniandy

et al. 2014

International Journal of Lean Six Sigma

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Addressing process problems, analysing their root causes and troubleshooting solutions to them could be divided into the following five discrete steps or phases: Define, Measure, Analyse, Improve and Control (DMAIC) (Sharma, 2003). The Six Sigma philosophy maintains that reducing 'variation' will help solve process and business problems (Pojasek, 2003). Tennant (2001) mentions that the component parts of a Six Sigma quality initiative include:…”

Section: Continuous Improvement Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A review of literature on manufacturing systems productivity measurement and improvement

Muthiah

Huang

2006

IJISE

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Globalisation is posing several challenges to the manufacturing sector. Design and operation of manufacturing systems are of great economic importance. Factory performance remains unpredictable in spite of the considerable literature on manufacturing productivity improvement, and the long history of manufacturing as there is no widespread agreement on how best be performed (Gershwin, 2000). Productivity measurement and improvement goes hand in hand, because one cannot improve what one cannot measure. The review of literature on manufacturing system productivity measurement and improvement has been summarised under four categories; they are Operations Research-(OR-) based methods, system analysis-based methods, continuous improvement methods and performance metrics-based methods. A survey of commercial tools available to measure manufacturing system performance is also performed. The review indicates that quantitative metrics for measuring factory level productivity and for performing factory level diagnostics (bottleneck detection, hidden capacity identification) are lacking. To address this gap, a factory level effectiveness metrics-based productivity measurement and diagnostic methodology is proposed.

show abstract

“…Six Sigma specialists begin by defining the problem. They identify the problems that are cause the operation to fall short of customer expectations try to fix them and with various tools (Pojasek, 2003).…”

Section: Defining the Problemmentioning

confidence: 99%

Managerial accounting solutions: Lean Six Sigma application in the woodworking industry. A Practical aspect

Grosu¹,

Anisie²,

Hrubliak³

et al. 2019

EA-XXI

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The increasing complexity of business relations in the conditions of increased competition, manifested in the process of allocation and use of economic resources as well as in the process of seizing the outlets, has led to a profound revolution in the field of both management and accounting as the main source of information, being of a significant use in the decision-making process. The configuration and complexity of the functional, technical and organisational structure of economic entities, including the variety of carried out activities and the continuous introduction of advanced technologies, are thefactors that assert managerial accounting as an essential component of the accounting system. In this context, entities are constrained to a rational use of the factors of production in which the consumed resources are minimised and the benefits are maximised. In today's global context, organisations are trying to find optimal solutions to deliver products or services that add new value, satisfying customer requirements at low cost and high quality. These issues can be answered by various methods, including Kaizen (part of Lean Manufacturing), 5Why, Six Sigma, etc. Kaizen is a Japanese word that means Continuous Enhancement. 5 Whys is a technique used in the Analyse phase of the Six Sigma DMAIC (Define, Measure, Analyse, Improve, Control) methodology. It is the great Six Sigma tool that does not involve data segmentation, hypothesis testing, regression or other advanced statistical tools, and in many cases can be completed without a data collection plan. The concepts and methods to be presented in the paper provide solutions based on complex evaluation and reporting systems. At the same time, the paper also includes some of the experience gained in the process of analysing the activity of a company operating in the woodworking industry. Lean Six Sigma can be used with maximum efficiency by woodworking firms. This enables them to achieve superior sustainable performance. The Lean Six Sigma techniques, among others, improves and accelerates processes, reducing scrap and intermediate stocks. Implemented correctly and continuously, Lean Six Sigma leads to visible improvements in the financial results.

show abstract

Lean, six sigma, and the systems approach: Management initiatives for process improvement

Cited by 42 publications

References 0 publications

The application of Lean Six Sigma to the configuration control in Intel’s manufacturing R&D environment

The application of Lean Six Sigma to the configuration control in Intel’s manufacturing R&D environment

A review of literature on manufacturing systems productivity measurement and improvement

Managerial accounting solutions: Lean Six Sigma application in the woodworking industry. A Practical aspect

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About