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Cause and Effect Diagrams Follow On

There are many articles on constructing a cause-and-effect diagram. But what’s next? How do you prioritize what to focus on first? There are many approaches to this usually termed cause and effect analysis. We’ll focus on four examples ordered from the simplest to the more complex.   Simple Approach to Analyzing Cause and Effect Diagrams: [...]

Lean Six Sigma in the Plumbing and Pipe Industry

Plumbing and pipes are used everywhere in the world in a myriad of applications, including water, sewage, and chemicals. Lean and Six Sigma are used to ensure improved processes and products. We’ll look at three applications from Kuwait, Bangladesh, and the United States. Then we’ll finish with a video of how PVC pipes are made. [...]

Lean Six Sigma in Semiconductor Manufacturing

As a highly technical collection of multiple processes, each with a large number of steps, semiconductor manufacturing is a fertile ground for applying Lean and Six Sigma methodologies to reduce defects, improve flow, reduce wastes, and optimize processes. We’ll look at the successful applications in three case studies and finish with a video of how [...]

Lean and Six Sigma in the Meat Processing Industry

Meat products continue to be in demand in much of the world. Lean and Six Sigma methodologies help supply that demand with higher quality, timely production, and lower waste. We’ll look at applications of Lean in the UK and Turkey and the results of Six Sigma application in the USA in Delaware, and finish with [...]

The Reverse Fishbone Diagram

We’re very familiar with the Fishbone Diagram (Cause and Effect Diagram), also known as the Ishikawa Diagram, whereby we analyze the potential causes of a given effect. We will look at the Reverse Fishbone Diagram which is used to analyze the impacts of a change. Other names for the Reverse Fishbone Diagram include: Backward Fishbone [...]

Lean Six Sigma in Paint and Coatings Manufacturing

Lean and Six Sigma are used in the paint and coatings manufacturing industry to reduce defects, improve flow, and reduce waste. We’ll look at three cases from Saudi Arabia, DuPont, and United Arab Emirates. We’ll finish with an interesting video on the paint manufacturing process.   Using Lean Manufacturing Techniques in Paint Manufacturing: Saudi Arabia [...]

Lean Six Sigma in the Insurance Industry

The insurance industry is an excellent example of non-manufacturing where Lean and Six Sigma are applied for process improvement and waste reduction. We’ll look at four case studies from Germany, India, Northern Ireland, and Brazil.   Lean and Six Sigma Applied to a Large Insurance Company: Germany   In a paper titled “A Lean Six [...]

Lean Six Sigma in the Tire Industry

Tires are made through a production process. Lean and Six Sigma have been used in the tire industry to improve manufacturing processes. We’ll look at four case studies of their use: two from India and one each from Portugal and Spain. Then we’ll finish with two videos of how tires are made: one an animation [...]

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