Business901

Lean Six Sigma is a major Xerox initiative for driving new levels of business performance, product offerings, and results based on the customer-centered, industry-recognized methodologies. Jeffrey M. Koff, the Director of Lean Six Sigma Learning and Corporate Lean Six Sigma Operations for Xerox Corporation was a guest on the Business901 podcast. Our podcast centered on the use of Design for Lean Six Sigma strategies, and related product delivery improvement initiatives.

There is not a lot of fluff in this conversation; Jeff is direct and to the point about the uses of Lean Six Sigma. In industry today, there is a fair amount of discussion on Design for Six Sigma but very little if any on Design for Lean Six Sigma. Jeff is sold on the DFLSS process and the customization that Xerox has done with the methodology.

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Michael Ballé is the co-author of, The Gold Mine, a bestselling business novel of lean turnaround, and recently, The Lean Manager, a novel of lean transformation, both published by the Lean Enterprise Institute. For the past 15 years, he has studied lean transformations, helping companies develop a lean culture. He is an engaging and colorful public speaker and I think you will find in the podcast, he lives up to his reputation. Micheal joined me on the Business901 Podcast and we had a spirited discussion about Lean Cultures and how the tools of Lean apply.

As a managing partner of ESG Consultants, Michael coaches executives in obtaining exceptional performance through using the lean tools, principles, and management attitudes. His main coaching technique is the “Real Place Visit,” where he helps senior executives to learn to see their own operational shop floors, teach their people the spirit of Kaizen and draw the right conclusions for their business as a whole. He has assisted companies in their lean transformations in various fields such as manufacturing, engineering, construction, services, and healthcare.

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Glenn Whitfield serves as Director of Dean Dorton Ford’s Process Improvement Services group based out of the Louisville office. Glenn was my guest on the Business901 Podcast and we had the opportunity to discuss DDF’s methodology for improvement within an organization. Their methodology concentrates on a Value stream Analysis to determine their clients individual needs. It was a discussion around practical hands on implementation and the role middle managers play.

Glenn has over twenty years of professional experience, he has managed and assisted organizations through a variety of improvement strategies and tactics, ranging from organization-wide Performance Improvement eff orts to facilitation of Value Stream Mapping or Kaizen events. A Six Sigma Black Belt, he utilizes tools and methodologies from Lean, Six Sigma, Theory of Constraints, and traditional process improvement techniques to improve operations.

Related Information: Value Stream Mapping

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Bob Sproull was my guest on the Business901 podcast. Bob is an experienced manufacturing executive with a distinguished track record of achieving improvement goals in Manufacturing, MRO, Quality, Product Development, and Engineering. His experience base ranges from low-volume custom products (truck bodies) to process industries (tires) to service industries (Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul). He is a nationally known speaker and author on problem-solving and statistical techniques, as well as his latest book on implementing an integrated Lean, Six Sigma and the Theory of Constraints.

Our discussion centered around The Ultimate Improvement Cycle: Maximizing Profits through the Integration of Lean, Six Sigma, and the Theory of Constraints show you how to draw the best from Lean and Six Sigma by employing principles drawn from the Theory of Constraints. He says, this approach will ensure that your effort is focused in the right place, at the right time, using the right tools, and the right amount of resources. This multi-pronged approach addresses cost accounting, variation, waste, and performance measurements. But most importantly, it focuses your organization on the right areas to optimize.

I enjoyed many of his thoughts, especially on Value Stream Mapping and his description of focusing on the matter at hand, the constraint.

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Tom DeForge discusses the disciplined approach and analysis tools taught to him during his 8 year tenure

by the Shingijutsu consulting group, who are considered 2nd tier consultants to the father of The Toyota Production System, Taiichi Ohno . Tom has been implement these Lean Principles for over 20 years and is currently a Principal Partner in Lean Value Solutions International, he has built a successful practice over the past 11 years by leading several organizations to a lean enterprise Implementation strategy. Tom was also instrumental in forging relationships with other providers which assist in bringing his clients the latest in technology in terms of operational shop floor analytics, which assist in accelerating the Lean improvement efforts. One of his most proudest moments, was that LVSI now has one of the original founding members of the Shingijutsu consulting group, Sensai Akira Takenaka, as a LVSI Senior Consultant.

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On the Business901 podcast, I had the pleasure of interviewing Nancy Riebling, Director of Operational Performance Solutions and a Master Black Belt for the North Shore- LIJ Health System. Operational Performance Solutions is a division of the Health System’s Corporate University located at the Center for Learning & Innovation. North Shore-LIJ Health System headquartered in Great Neck, NY is the third largest nonsectarian health system in the country

Change acceleration process is a philosophy & tool set designed to help overcome cultural barriers to change by creating a shared need, shaping a vision, & mobilizing commitment.  Fast track decision making (North Shore’s version of GE work-out) is a rapid problem solving approach with team involvement and in-meeting decisions.  It is a catalyst for change focusing on the process to drive improvement and empowering the people closest to the process to develop & implement appropriate solutions.

Nancy will be presenting Taking Six Sigma and Lean beyond projects in Healthcare at The Global Lean, Six Sigma and Business Improvement Summit. This summit represents the largest gathering of leading experts and senior executives across various industries who are passionate about achieving process and business excellence.

Related Post: Business901 Blog

News Release on Podcast

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Robert(Bob) Weiner, Chief Executive Officer of PAS Technologies Inc, visited the Business901 podcast. Bob is renowned as an expert in implementing Lean and Six Sigma on a global scale with incredible speed and remarkable sustained results. PAS was one of the bottom rung players in providing cost-effective repair and overhaul solutions for the aerospace, oilfield and industrial markets. In the first week of taking over, Bob implemented Lean training and started weekly Kaizan events with the key metric of turnaround time. PAS moved to the top of their field by installing a Lean culture and the use of innovative and proprietary high-technology repair processes. His description of this process is nothing short of a testimonial to building a Lean Culture. As Bob said: “If Lean is not at the core of your business, you are missing the boat.”

PAS Technologies was selected as the winner for the Global Six Sigma & Business Improvement Awards in the category of “Best Emerging Business Improvement Deployment.” The award was accepted on behalf of all PAS Technologies’ employees by Robert Weiner, President and CEO at the WCBF 2008 Gala Awards Dinner and Ceremony on Wednesday, October 15th at The Gaylord Palms Resort and Convention Center in Orlando, Florida.

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I had the pleasure of discussing with Mark, the role he is playing at the Lean Enterprise Institute and his book on Lean Health Care. Mark is an engaging speaker and a Lean advocate.  Mark also writes the highly acclaimed Lean Blog.

Mark Graban is a Senior Fellow at the Lean Enterprise Institute and author of the Shingo Prize-winning book Lean Hospitals: Improving Quality, Patient Safety, and Employee Satisfaction. Previously, Mark worked as a consultant for numerous healthcare organizations across North America and in the United Kingdom. He taught and led teams of hospital personnel across multi-month lean transformation engagements in departments including laboratory, radiology, primary care, and nursing settings. Working with managers and senior leaders, these hospitals developed a track record of sustaining their lean improvements and also instilling a culture of continuous improvement and kaizen. With a background in Industrial Engineering, Mark first learned and practiced lean in various manufacturing industries, learning how lean concepts and management methods could be translated into different settings.

Related Blog Post can be found on the Businss901 blog.

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Deron K. Ertel is General Manager of Process Excellence for Embarq Corporation. This NYSE-listed company has approximately 18,000 employees and operates in 18 states offering voice, data, high speed internet, wireless, and entertainment services to over 5 million customers.

In our conversation, it was very evident that Deron believed in his message that “Embarq doesn’t lead with the tools - they lead with results.” Deron’s focus is very much customer driven and his description of using Lean, Six Sigma and project management when it is needed was excellent.

Deron will be presenting “Best Practices on Cost Reduction using Lean Six Sigma” at The Global Lean, Six Sigma and Business Improvement Summit. This summit represents the largest gathering of leading experts and senior executives across various industries who are passionate about achieving process and business excellence.It is held October 13-16, 2009 in Orlando, FL.

WCBF Six Sigma Solution Conference Global Six Sigma Awards

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On the Business901 podcast, I had the pleasure of interviewing Jeff Slater, the Operational Excellence and Productivity Leader for Sonoco. Sonoco is a $4.1 billion global manufacturer of industrial and consumer products and provider of packaging services, with more than 300 operations in 35 countries, serving customers in some 85 nations. Jeff is an expert in his field and had some very progressive ideas on how to leverage the Supply Chain for competitive advantage. Lean Six Sigma is a tool that he uses to accomplish many of his objectives and he explained the use of them at Sonoco.

Jeff will be presenting a case study on the Application of Lean Six Sigma to the Supply Chain at The Global Lean, Six Sigma and Business Improvement Summit. This summit represents the largest gathering of leading experts and senior executives across various industries who are passionate about achieving process and business excellence.It is held October 13-16, 2009 in Orlando, FL.

WCBF Six Sigma Solution Conference Global Six Sigma Awards

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