Six-Sigma/Lean Training

Started by Hippie, 06-19-2009 -- 07:34:17

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Hawaii596

#15
06-22-2009 -- 15:14:23
I don't know about the LEAN training, but I've had some exposure to Kaizen and 6-Sigma.  Neither relate to calibrations.  Let me comment about each...

KAIZEN- I was exposed to Kaizen during a business trip to factory sites in Asia.  It was a great tool for machine operators who operated large production systems.  My brief exposure suggested that is it's useful environment.  These places put out 10's of thousands of units (same item) 3 shifts, 24/7, and Kaizen really made some improvements.  But I can't even conceive how it could even be used in a cal lab (apples and oranges).

6-SIGMA- I worked for Motorola for 10 years and my manager for a while was one of two people who name was in the original Motorola Six Sigma handbook.  This too is a high production statistical process control thing that has no real relationship to calibration labs.  The only kind of cal lab where this could be used (I'm going to be a little sarcastic here) is one that puts out single-measurand cals in the 10s of thousands per day.  If you calibrated 10,000 1 inch gage blocks per day, Six Sigma could really be useful.  It is very well designed to interleave with Statistical Process Control.  It simply is not a calibration thing.

Contrary to some folks opinions here perhaps, I do have some respect for both of them (when they are implemented in a useful context and not turned into a political thing to make someone look good or get some bogus numbers).  But I wholeheartedly agree that they do not belong in a cal lab.
"I often say that when you can measure what you are speaking about, and express it in numbers, you know something about it; but when you cannot measure it, when you cannot express it in numbers, your knowledge is of a meagre and unsatisfactory kind."
Lord Kelvin (1824-1907)
from lecture to the Institute of Civil Engineers, 3 May 1883

USMCPMEL

#16
06-22-2009 -- 21:47:05
Basically the lean side that I was exposed to seemed like common sense anyway IE hang up all the leads you need for calibrating multimeters in arms reach put all the adapters and such for the 8902 close to the 8902 yes they made a few good points where I was but nothing ground breaking not like i get to take the afternoon off now because i am so effecient

RichMojo

#17
06-25-2009 -- 08:21:46
Remember though, what is common sense for some. . . . . is definitely not common sense for ALL!  Six-Sigma is really just a philosophy of cutting defects thereby improving quality and efficientcy no matter what the job.
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