What is it about?
SMEs suffer as a consequence of being left behind in the field of improving productivity through lean and six sigma DMAIC methods, in part due to a lack of resources and a desire to leave old industrial practices behind. This case study has shown that legacy strategies can be isolated to one side and different working conventions, such as, Lean and Six Sigma DMAIC can be applied and accommodated to boost productivity and OEE with little investment required.
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Why is it important?
My findings have shown that by introducing a Lean and Six Sigma approach, coupled with the right leadership and courage to challenge previously used business methods then business improvements can be attained and without the need to redesign the wheel. And by simply applying Demings PDCA cycle and assessing and applying a set of analytical tools that were fit for purpose, my team were able to compound the improvement effects at each stage as set out with the objective of the project.
Perspectives
This was a journey of continuity from my studies during my masters degree and working alongside my colleagues at Manchester Metropolitan University. The conventions of report writing and data analysis were all skills that I learned during my time there and I still use today in my working life where quality and process improvements are constantly under review. This has brought me closer to the reality of the fusion between academia and application, which has given me a fresh and a more resourced outlook to the plights of differing departments as each is tasked to find more from less.
Daniel Hardy
Manchester Metropolitan University
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Productivity and process performance in a manual trimming cell exploiting Lean Six Sigma (LSS) DMAIC – a case study in laminated panel production, International Journal of Quality & Reliability Management, February 2021, Emerald,
DOI: 10.1108/ijqrm-07-2020-0242.
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