LEAN SIX SIGMA

Lean and Six Sigma are widely recognised as the most effective business improvement tools for service and  manufacturing industries.

Why Lean?
Lean is all about doing more, with less and perfection being the ultimate goal of a lean journey. Specifically, more high-quality production with less labor, material, energy and overheads.

Lean principles can be applied to reduce lead time and improve quality and productivity by eliminating waste, the seven categories of waste targeted, generally being:

1. Over production ahead of demand
2. Waiting for the next process step of information
3. Transporting materials unnecessarily
4. Over and non-value added processing
5. Inventory that is more than bare minimum
6. Motion by employees that is unnecessary
7. Producing non-conforming parts

Why Six Sigma?
Six Sigma can be described as an information-driven methodology for reducing waste, increasing customer satisfaction and improving processes, with a focus on measurable financial results and a by product of cultural change.

There are several features that distinguish Six Sigma from other quality improvement initiatives and many factors that contribute to its potential, including:

1. Top-down initiation of a serious quality journey
2. Hierarchy of expertise and execution by business managers that have extensive  experience applying six sigma manufacturing principles and techniques to eliminate waste  and drive efficiencies.
3. Customer focus, in contrast to inward looking standardisation
4. Fact-based decisions, not procedure or judgment based
5. Service as well as engineering applications
6. Result oriented, with achievements often required to be expressed in financial terms

There is growing use of Lean and Six Sigma in both the public and private sector to realise transformation in performance, improvements in product quality and cost reductions.

Using the DMAIC improvement process we assist organisations to:

	Identify the improvement opportunity
	Measure the key outputs
	Analyse the critical areas for improvement
	Select improvement strategies
	Implement and control the changes needed
	Monitor and ensure sustainability