Lean Six Sigma

Being ASQ Green Belt Certified, QCServices can support and guide you through the process of analysing and solving quality problems which will impact your company’s bottom line.

All Lean Six Sigma projects are based on the DMAIC Methodology:

• DEFINE the problem, improvement activity, opportunity for improvement
• MEASURE process performance
• ANALYZE the process to determine root causes of variation / poor performance
• IMPROVE process performance by addressing and eliminating the root cause
• CONTROL the new improved process and future process performance

5S

5S is the foundation of all improvements and is the key component of establishing a Visual Workplace. It is a systematic and methodical approach to help companies simplify, clean and sustain a visible and productive work environment. It is a housekeeping tool that was introduced by the Japanese and is broken down into 5 phases.

• SORT (Seiri): separate needed from unneeded items.

• SET IN ORDER (Seiton): organise the work area and put everything in its place.

• SHINE (Seiso): consistently maintain the cleanliness and orderliness of the area.

• STANDARDIZE (Seiketsu): use standard methods to maintain the work area.

• SUSTAIN (Shitsuke): ensure that all 5S policies are followed throughout the entire company.

A sixth “S” for Safety is sometimes used but is normally included as part of the “Set in Order” phase.

Indicators of the need for 5S:

• People wasting time looking for things
• Most horizontal surfaces are covered
• Space is crowded with parts / tools / paper
• Excess equipment and tools
• Work areas are dirty and dusty
• Efforts to organise and clean do not seem to last very long

Benefits of a 5S Programme:

• Reduced waste
• Standardised operating procedures
• Improved productivity
• Improved quality
• Improved maintenance
• Shorter leadtimes
• Safer working environment
• An increased sense of ownership of the workspace

Lean Manufacturing is based on the reduction of the 7 Wastes:

• Defects
• Overproduction
• Transportation
• Waiting
• Inventory
• Motion
• Processing

QCS have years of experience implementing and working on successful Lean Projects. With all lean projects, it is of paramount importance that top management are fully committed to reducing wastes.

QCS will guide you through mapping your current process flow and will then look at mapping your future process flow of the value stream. From this we can identify where the wastes are in the current state and eliminate them.

QCS can also assist its clients in achieving Kaizen capability through the completion of Kaizen events that deliver immediate savings, whilst training staff on how to solve problems. Kaizen events define the specific problem that needs to be solved, the specific team to apply the problem solving techniques, and the timeframe in which to achieve specific requirements.

Typically, Kaizen workshops can be implemented and completed within 5 days of meetings:

• MEETING1 – PLAN: Training on lean principles, observation of the current situation and witnessing the issues contributing to the problem directly.

• MEETING2 – DO: start to implement counter measures.

• MEETING3 – CHECK: validate the counter measures, implement new counter measures if the initial measures are not effective, continue to experiment until a correct validated solution is identified.

• MEETING4 – ACT: establish a standard method of work for all validated solution.

• MEETNG5 – SHARE: present output to management and identify opportunities for cross-deployment.

There is no end to the process of reducing effort, time, space, cost and mistakes. QCS can provide you with follow-up visits on a regular basis that suits your needs.