2022 In The Rearview

Year in Review This year marked a return to normalcy as TMAC began operating much as we did before the pandemic. Today all classes, workshops, kaizen events and project work are held in-person. Still, we see the benefit of – and have gotten very comfortable using – virtual platforms for meetings and coaching sessions. But … Read more

Applying LSS to Kevin’s Bakery

Not your “typical” Lean Six Sigma Student Howdy LSS Newsletter subscribers! My name is Loren Hitchcock and I’m not your “typical” Lean Six Sigma student.  I’m a member of the TMAC team, and work in business development. Basically, I’m responsible for growing and developing our customer base here in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex area. This … Read more

Customer Spotlight: Kellie Foglio, USG Corporation

This month’s newsletter starts the first in an occasional series about individuals working in continuous improvement. Our goal is to let LSS practitioners tell their stories and share some lessons learned. This month I spoke with Kellie Foglio, a LSS Master Black Belt with USG Corporation. When did you begin working at USG Corporation, and … Read more

Planning vs. Flexibility

Improvise. Adapt. Overcome. Earlier this month was the 78th anniversary of one of the most important events of the 20th Century: The D-Day Invasion at Normandy. More correctly known as Operation Neptune (land-based operations were dubbed Operation Overlord), it is considered the largest seaborne invasion in history. The complexity of this event is hard to … Read more

Design of Experiments: A Case Study – Part 2

Co-Authored by Alberto Yáñez-Moreno, Ph.D and Russ Aikman, MBB In Part 1 of this blog, we shared some basic information about designed experiments, and the advantages of DOE over other root cause methods. In this blog we will provide an overview on how to conduct a designed experiment. We will also share details of a … Read more

2021 Year In Review

The close of another year is a good time to look back and reflect. While 2021 has not had the drama and extremes experienced in 2020, I think it still qualifies as a roller coaster ride. The major business challenges experienced over the year include supply chain issues, inflation, labor shortages, and – oh yes … Read more

Better Brainstorming

In last month’s blog I shared examples of the often-overlooked lean principle of Creativity Before Capital. The non-lean approach is to spend money – buy new equipment, hire more staff, or work overtime. The lean approach is to embrace the ingenuity of staff in using existing equipment and employees to meet customer needs.  In this month’s … Read more

Creativity Before Capital: An Overlooked Lean Principle

Most Lean Six Sigma practitioners focus their improvement efforts on applying tried and true lean tools to eliminate waste such as Work Simplification, Process Balancing, Mistake Proofing, Visual Management, and 5S. All of these tools can be very effective, and they certainly have their place. Yet the application of such tools is often done in … Read more

LSS Lessons from Vaccine Research

As we start the new year the global pandemic continues to claim lives at a terrible pace, with over 400,000 lost to COVID-19 in the US alone as of this writing. The good news: Multiple vaccines have been approved for use, and vaccinations began starting in December. One of those vaccines was jointly developed by … Read more

2020 Year in Review

By tradition, we have reserved our December blog for a look back at the past year. And what a year 2020 has been, unlike any in my experience. From natural disasters – including record-setting hurricanes, storms, and wildfires – to civil unrest to a tough election season. Most challenging has been the impact of the … Read more