Pyzdek Institute

A DMA Project is NOT a Six Sigma Project

I am often asked to certify people as Six Sigma Green or Black Belts based on projects that have been completed through the Define-Measure-Analyze (DMA) phases of the Six Sigma Define-Measure-Analyze-Improve-Control (DMAIC) process. I adamantly refuse. DMA is not a Six Sigma project. DMA is not DMAIC. I’ve been asked about the difference between TQM and…
Six Sigma Training Could Save City $1.75 Million in Permitting

The city of Kenosha, WI, is planning to implement Six Sigma methods into its permitting process. According to an article from the Kenosha News, the city’s Public Safety and Welfare Committee unanimously approved a Six Sigma project to reduce waste and increase the speed by which permits are permitted or denied. It is estimated that…
3M Looks to Continue to Bolster Manufacturing with Lean Six Sigma

According to 3M’s CEO Inge Thulin, in comments made recently on an electrical products group conference call, the company — which has been using Lean Six Sigma for years now — is looking to focus even more on how Lean Six Sigma can help their manufacturing department. They will be looking at how to use…
Employees from APM Terminals Bahrain Receive Six Sigma Training

A recent article from Arabian Aerospace reported that more than 21 employees from various departments at APM Terminals Bahrain have undergone Six Sigma training and have become Green Belts. APM Terminals Bahrain is the operator of the Khalifa bin Salman Port, one of the newest ports in the Arabian Gulf. The training provides the employees with tools…
Lean Six Sigma: More Than Just a Passing Trend

In a recent op-ed for Modern Distribution Management, long-time distributor consultant Steve Epner wrote about how not only is Lean Six Sigma more than a passing trend, it is — for the companies who understand it, at least — a means by which to survive and thrive. Epner interviewed fellow consultant and Lean Six Sigma Black Belt…
How Lean Six Sigma has Helped Kraft in a Tough Business Climate

Trefis stated in a recent article published in Forbes that Kraft Foods Group’s ability to reduce its per unit costs and increase its production activity through Lean Six Sigma based enhancements was part of the reason the team increased its price estimate for the company to $61 a share, which was more than 13 times its previous…
Lean Six Sigma Expert Named to Top 100 List

The Vice President of 3M’s Lean Six Sigma, Supply Chain Acquisition Integration and Quality for 3M, Jerome D. Hamilton, was named to Savoy Magazine’s 2014 Top 100 Most Influential Blacks in Corporate America. The list is a compilation of African American individuals who are facilitating global change through their leadership. Hamilton, known as a LEAN expert,…
Kenya Companies Use Lean Six Sigma to Find Buried Treasure

An article on the Business & Tech blog describes how two East African companies are using Lean Sis Sigma to find improvements in their organizations. In the famous novel Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson, a young man in south-west England, Jim, finds a map in a dead pirate’s sea chest. He takes it and,…
Ohio School District Turns to Lean Six Sigma

The Dublin City School District, in Ohio, is turning to Lean Six Sigma in order to operate a more efficient maintenance department, according to a recent article from the Dublin Villager. The district’s board of education recently learned the results of a study that was conducted by students from Ohio State University. The students have been working…
Black Belt Discusses the Benefits of Lean Six Sigma

Numerous companies report annual savings have documented annual savings from Lean Six Sigma initiatives that range from $2,000 to $250,000 (and higher) per improvement, and those figures don’t include the added value of increased sales, enhanced reputation and expanded customer goodwill. The U.S. Army reports that its Lean Six Sigma initiatives have resulted in savings approaching $2…