Working for GE did have one advantage, generally when they made a change there was plenty of data to back it up. When talking about promoting change and how do you get buy in, supplying good hard numbers generally does the trick every time, and with 6 Sigma you get these numbers. The good thing about the 6 Sigma process is when it is done correctly drives down to the root of the problem, which enables you to make changes that have a higher impact. Executives love to here that you used this process or any process when looking to make improvements, and will be more likely to support your suggestions because of this.
Green belt training all though very difficult was very enlightening for me. It made you really think about what the cause of a problem was and not jump to conclusions, and has been very beneficial to our facility. We have saved a lot of money over the last seven years using the process of 6 Sigma, and we continue to use it today even though we are no longer with the company.
One project in particular stands out in my mind. Everyone believed we had major issues with our case erector and on the surface looked as if we were going to have to spend an about $200,000 on a new one. Once we used the process we found that the case erector although the tolerances were very tight was not the issue, it was a $275 part on the filler itself that was causing all the issues. Upon replacing that $275 piece we not only eliminated 70% of the down time on the case packer but we also eliminated 90% of the scrap. Examples like this is why executives and managers listen more intently when you use the process, this is why they back your project instead of the next managers, and using tools like this is how you can promote and drive change in your business.
Remember nothing gets the investment boards attention faster than good old fashion data.
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