Lean Six Sigma Stories

Our mission is to train the largest possible group of Lean Six Sigma specialists and let them excel in their organization. To let those Lean Six Sigma specialists contribute to the best organizations, we help them get the necessary skills and a nice CV.

What we do does not remain unseen.

That is why we like to give you our examples of practical stories. This week’s theme is shortening turnaround times. In the overview: fast innovation in the automotive industry, shortening lead times at the Municipality of Rotterdam and the ‘We do it faster’ project.

Read on quickly!

• Rapid innovation in the automotive industry

This Lean Six Sigma project took place at an organization which produces push belts for in car transmissions. The development department is engaged in testing prototypes that must meet customer specifications. To respond quickly to the automotive industry, rapid innovation is needed. The average lead time from the start of the production of a prototype to delivery is 61 working days. That can be done more efficiently! That is why Lean Six Sigma is around the corner.

In order to actually reduce the lead time, the project was mapped out with all stakeholders, a project organization was set up, a Value Stream Map was developed and data was used.

All measurements of prototypes were analyzed. The results were compared and causes were identified. The entire project was presented and reviewed in a kaizen event.  The turnaround time was reduced by 20%. On behalf of The Lean Six Sigma Company: congratulations with this fantastic result!

Curious about the lessons learned from our student? Here they come: convincing people, creating support among stakeholders and analyzing the right data.

• Reducing turnaround time at the City of Rotterdam

The Municipality of Rotterdam is responsible for the Basic Registration of Addresses and Buildings. This administration is maintained by the Basic Information Department. If incorrect data has been processed, a request is made to amend these data. Unfortunately, in 2015, complaints and requests were received about shortening the turnaround time for processing these data. This has led to a mapping of the current turnaround time and what would be realistic if the process is optimized. It was decided to reduce the lead time from 30 working days to a maximum of 10 working days. Bring on the challenge, time for action!

The advantage is that the department has already had a Kaizen event earlier this year and is therefore familiar with the material. By putting together a team of people, the right steps were taken: presentation about Lean Six Sigma, objectives of the project were determined, the problem was discussed and possible causes investigated. then , a VSM was made of the current situation, a data analysis was made on the basis of historical data, and in sessions, the improvements were determined. With this information, an implementation plan was drawn up, an improvement board with visual management was developed and work instructions were adapted. The entire department was informed of the project via a newsletter.

After implementing all the improvement proposals, the data was analyzed again. The analysis showed an improvement from 30 working days to 4 working days. The objective has been amply achieved. How was this success achieved? Among other things, by making clear agreements within the project team and employees, constantly paying attention and convincing them why we are doing this, taking away employees’ fears and continuing to surprise them by improving and setting goals.

Project ‘We do it faster’ Document processing is a facilitating department within a large health insurer. The internal customer expressed the wish to shorten the processing time of physical received declarations. This wish was accepted and the project ‘We do it faster’ was born.  The turnaround time was reduced from 48 hours to 24 hours. But what do you need to do that? And how do you do it exactly? This project started immediately with a kick-off for an introduction to Lean Six Sigma.

The project team started working with various Lean Six Sigma tools such as: the CTQ, SIPOC and VSM.

It soon became clear that the long waiting times were slowing down the process. A cause-and-effect diagram was made.

In order to identify potential solutions, a brainstorming session was held with project members and a number of preparers and indexers. Various ideas were written down.  On the basis of the initial screening, a number of solutions were discarded. For the remaining solutions, the possible risks were evaluated, an FMEA was performed and a decision matrix was made. The optimal solution was implemented in a pilot.

In the end, an improvement of 80% was realized! The turnaround time went from 31 hours to 6 hours. Are you already dizzying with Lean Six Sigma terms? Our experienced trainers will gladly help you on your way. If you also want to work in a structured way on improving problems, then a Lean Six Sigma training can help you. Do not hesitate to contact us at +216 25 296 400 or read more on our website. Enjoyed this practical story? Spread the word! Please use the social media button at the Top of the page