A partnership between Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America (TEMA) and Rebuild Joplin, a local non-profit group whose mission it is to get storm survivors back into their homes, was outlined. Toyota has worked with the group the past six months in an effort to reduce the amount of time it takes to rebuild […]
Prompted by a financial crisis, the City of Chula Vista wanted to find ways to be more efficient and effective and avoid more layoffs. City employees attended Goodrich Aerostructures’ Continuous Improvement Foundation training to learn about Lean processes. As a result, the City of Chula Vista conducted several kaizen events in most of their departments such as: […]
Written by Brion
Concordia Publishing House (CPH) is the St. Louis, Mo.-based publishing arm of The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (LCMS). CPH was founded in 1869 to provide members of the LCMS with Christian ministry resources for worship, education, and nurturing of their faith. Today, the company provides over 8,000 products in a variety of formats and languages. CPH […]
Written by Brion
In 2007, the United States Military needed the Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle (MRAP) produced in larger numbers to meet the goals set by Department of Defense (DoD) Secretary Robert Gates. The MRAP represented the opportunity to save the lives of soldiers and Marines in Iraq and Afghanistan facing the threat of Improvised Explosive Devices […]
Written by Brion
Rep. Raul Torres believes that Texas can save 20-25 billion dollars from its biennial budget if every department will utilize Lean/Six Sigma methods and he points to the example of the City of Irving, Texas, which Rep. Torres told me cut their budget from $188 million to $168 million while at the same time improving […]
Written by Brion
As the 2012 election year approaches, many topics are sure to surface, but none so much as the U.S. budget, its deficit and how to stop unnecessary spending. This topic is on the minds of not only the presidential candidates, but also every American citizen. Democrats and Republicans alike agree that something needs to be […]
Written by Brion
At the Clinton Global Initiative Meeting, Toyota announced that they will be working with up to 20 community organizations across the United States in the first year to help improve performance. They will begin with the St. Bernard Project, a New Orleans recovery organization that employs returning war veterans, AmeriCorps members and volunteers to rebuild […]
Written by Brion
Interview with Donna Maxfield, Chief of Staff for the United Nations Departments of Peacekeeping Operations and Field Support. She describes how the UN is using Lean Six Sigma to improve the efficiency of its peacekeeping operations. Improvements were made in speeding up reference and medical clearance checks, and aligning roles and responsibilities. Read more at: […]
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A look at how productivity and process improvement has impacted the operations of an Alberta not-for-profit organisation, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Edmonton. See how process improvement can positively affect any workplace, even an office environment. Results led to volunteers signing up 50% faster, overtime being reduced by 65%, and happier staff with less sick […]
Written by Brion
Over the years, Iowa state government has been involved with numerous improvement processes, with varying degrees of success. One improvement tool now in action in the Iowa DOT’s Motor Vehicle Division (MVD) is the Kaizen process, supported by the Iowa Department of Management’s (DOM) Office of Lean Enterprise. Mark Lowe, MVD director, says his group […]
Written by Brion