Lean Six Sigma
What is Lean Six Sigma?
Lean Six Sigma is a methodology focused on process improvement, combining the principles of Lean thinking and Six Sigma. Its goal is to reduce waste and variability in production and business processes, leading to greater efficiency and improved quality. Lean focuses on maximizing flow efficiency and value-adding activities, while Six Sigma aims to reduce defects and process deviations through data-driven decision making. Lean Six Sigma is especially popular in machine shops and manufacturing facilities, where improving efficiency and quality is critical.
The history of Lean Six Sigma
Lean Six Sigma has its roots in the Six Sigma methodology, which was developed at Motorola in 1986 as a competitive response to Japan's kaizen-based Lean production. Later, in the 1990s, the methodology spread widely across industries when General Electric adopted Six Sigma. In the early 2000s, Lean Six Sigma emerged by combining Lean thinking’s waste reduction techniques with Six Sigma’s statistical analysis and quality tools. This combination enables comprehensive process improvement across a range of industries, including the machine shop sector.
Lean Six Sigma as a methodology
Lean Six Sigma brings together two separate approaches into a single framework. Lean aims to eliminate the eight types of waste (“muda”) found in manufacturing and business processes. Six Sigma, on the other hand, focuses on improving process quality by reducing defects and variability. Together, these methods provide a comprehensive toolkit for process improvement.
At the core of the methodology is the DMAIC model (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control), which is used for process analysis and improvement. It helps identify the root causes of problems and implement changes that boost efficiency and quality. Lean Six Sigma can be applied to various production and service processes that involve measurable variables.
Lean Six Sigma Certifications
Lean Six Sigma expertise is organized into different levels, described using a belt system:
- Yellow Belt – basic understanding of the methodology
- Green Belt – more in-depth knowledge and ability to implement projects
- Black Belt – expert level, including mastery of process analysis and statistical tools
To achieve certification, you must pass an exam that tests your knowledge and application of Lean Six Sigma principles.
Types of Waste in Lean Six Sigma
A core principle of Lean thinking is the elimination of waste. Lean Six Sigma defines eight types of waste:
- Defects – faulty products or services that require correction or scrapping
- Over-production – producing products or services before they are needed
- Waiting – downtime and delays in processes
- Non-Used Talent – not making use of employees’ potential
- Transportation – unnecessary movement of materials or products
- Inventory – unnecessarily large inventories and stockpiling raw materials
- Motion – extra, unnecessary movements and work steps
- Extra-processing – unnecessary steps in production or service processes
These types of waste are especially important for machine shops and manufacturing facilities, where Lean Six Sigma helps optimize production efficiency and quality output.
Summary
Lean Six Sigma is an effective process improvement methodology that combines Lean production streamlining with Six Sigma quality management. Its goal is to reduce waste, minimize variability, and improve the efficiency and quality of processes, particularly in industrial and machine shop applications.
