Did you know a measurement system error once resulted in a $125M mistake for NASA? It’s true. Back i…
READ MORETMAC customers contact us periodically to help assess their measurement system. Past examples includ…
READ MORETo start the New Year off right we’d like to take a look at blogs written by TMAC staff in 2023. You…
READ MOREAs we reach the end of our 20th Year of offering Lean Six Sigma services to our customers, I’d like …
READ MOREEver wonder what are the most important keys to project success? From my experience it boils d…
READ MOREIn Part 1 of this blog Wiff Dedrick shared the story of how he helped grow a toner cartridge remanuf…
READ MOREBelow is a tale of my journey as a young manager going through the enterprise transformation process…
READ MOREThis year marks 20 years since TMAC offered our very first LSS class. Hard to believe it’s been two …
READ MOREWhen completing Lean Six Sigma projects, one key to success is formation of a team to fulfill the pr…
READ MOREEarlier this year we shared a list of ‘Red Flags’ we have encountered over the past 20 years of TMAC…
READ MOREIn Part 1 of this blog series, I discussed how useful process maps have been for me over the course …
READ MOREThroughout my career, as an Industrial Engineer and a Continuous Improvement professional, if there …
READ MOREDon’t let these red flags overwhelm your LSS Program
Over the past 20 years TMAC has provided tra…
READ MOREOver the course of my career there have been several situations where I was brought into a company t…
READ MORELaunching a Lean Six Sigma Program
Imagine starting a new job at a company with no formal continu…
READ MOREYear in Review
This year marked a return to normalcy as TMAC began operating much as we did befor…
READ MORENot your “typical” Lean Six Sigma Student
Howdy LSS Newsletter subscribers!
My name is Loren H…
READ MORERecently I was teaching a Lean Six Sigma course, talking to students about the purpose behind using …
READ MOREThis month’s newsletter starts the first in an occasional series about individuals working in contin…
READ MOREWhen TMAC staff visit a company for the first time we ask a series of questions as part of an inform…
READ MOREOver the past two decades TMAC has seen excellent results by our customers as they applied Lean Six …
READ MOREImprovise. Adapt. Overcome.
Earlier this month was the 78th anniversary of one of the most import…
READ MOREThe idea of continuous improvement (CI) within any organization is easy to support at multiple level…
READ MOREWhen I was a little girl, my family would go camping with a group from our church. I loved being out…
READ MORE“Success comes from experience… and experience comes
from failure. If you’re not successful…
READ MORECo-Authored by Alberto Yáñez-Moreno, Ph.D and Russ Aikman, MBB
In Part 1 of this blog, we shared …
READ MORERecently TMAC was providing coaching for a Black Belt working in the Analyze Phase of his project. H…
READ MOREThe close of another year is a good time to look back and reflect. While 2021 has not had the drama …
READ MOREThe majority of my career at TMAC has been focused on working with companies with the design and imp…
READ MOREBy this time, most of us are aware of what Industry 4.0 (I4.0) or Smart Manufacturing means. The bas…
READ MOREThe game is tied. With only two seconds remaining, it comes down to one play, one decision to decide…
READ MOREHow many times have you led a Team Launch in which team members begin to jump to solutions? This is …
READ MOREIn last month’s blog I shared examples of the often-overlooked lean principle of Creativity Bef…
READ MOREMost Lean Six Sigma practitioners focus their improvement efforts on applying tried and true lean to…
READ MORE(Yes… “Data” is Plural!)
Dear Lean Six Sigma Readers,
I hope you are having an amazing Spring…
READ MOREAuthor: Pat Boutier (Shingo Prize Winning Author, Certified TWI and Coach, and retired TMACer)
We…
READ MOREA Core Skill for Effective Data Collection
Program Manager and Master Black Belt Russ Aikman was …
READ MOREOver the course of many years of interactions with organizations in a wide range of industries, as a…
READ MOREImagine you are getting on a roller coaster. You buckle your seatbelt in the car and the gears turn …
READ MOREAs we start the new year the global pandemic continues to claim lives at a terrible pace, with over …
READ MOREBy tradition, we have reserved our December blog for a look back at the past year. And what a year 2…
READ MOREAuthor: Eduardo Amezcua, Lean Consultant, Shingo Facilitator, and Black Belt
Most examples of Lea…
READ MOREAuthor: Russ AikmanWhile many parts of the U.S. are struggling due to the pandemic, the manufacturin…
READ MORESometimes despite your best efforts and a lot of hard work you don’t get the expected results when w…
READ MOREIn this blog, I would like to share a success story in applying lean with one of our customers, Inte…
READ MOREAuthor: Russ AikmanMany of the core concepts of statistical and quality analysis were developed in t…
READ MOREAuthor: Russ AikmanWith COVID-19 still causing thousands of deaths worldwide (over half a million as…
READ MOREFounded in 1993 InterConnect Wiring continues to be a world leader in supplying military aerospace e…
READ MOREAuthor: Diana Martinez, Ph.D.Constant adaptability has always been essential for survival but the ne…
READ MOREAuthors: Diana Martinez, Ph.D. and Satya KudapaAnalysis of Variance – commonly shortened to ANOVA – …
READ MORESince the start of 2020 TMAC staff have been very busy with Lean Six Sigma work including four diffe…
READ MOREAuthor: Russ AikmanIn January TMAC hosted our 4th Annual Lean Six Sigma Deployment Champion Roundtab…
READ MORERandy Bohannon with his wife and retired TMACer Deb Wallace – October 2008
This month marks the t…
READ MOREHard to
believe but another year is almost gone. We’d like to share some of our
activities and recog…
READ MOREDisruption is a very trendy word. Articles about disruptive products, technologies, and services are…
READ MOREEarlier this month I attended two different conferences in which I got a glimpse of the future. The …
READ MOREAuthor: Kurt Middelkoop
Recently I was facilitating an E3 (Economy, Energy, Environmental) workshop …
READ MOREHello Lean Six Sigma Lectors!
While technical knowledge is important to your success (we have be…
READ MOREIn the previous blogs we covered the basics of process
capability and its use as a Management tool. …
READ MOREIn part 1 of this blog (Process Capability: A Critical Management Tool – Part 1), we covered the bas…
READ MOREGaining knowledge is the first step to wisdom. Sharing it is the first step to humanity.~Author Unkn…
READ MOREBased on a Lean article written by Jamie Flinchbaugh
Several years ago I came across an excellent…
READ MOREThe most interesting business book I read last year was Daniel Pink’s When: The Scientific Secrets o…
READ MOREWhat is Smart Manufacturing? And how is it related to Lean Six Sigma? Also called Industry 4.0, Indu…
READ MOREAll LSS practitioners understand the importance of the Voice of the Customer (VOC) and Voice of the …
READ MOREAuthor: Rodney Reddic
The greatest opportunity to eliminate and/or reduce waste in a production f…
READ MOREAuthor: Pat Boutier (Shingo Prize Winning Author, Certified TWI and Coach)
Have you ever experien…
READ MORETMAC is always seeking a better understanding of our Voice of the Customer (VOC). More specifically,…
READ MOREAuthor: Diana Martinez, Ph.D.
In the March LSS newsletter, Alberto Yáñez-Moreno, Ph.D discussed the …
READ MORECo-Authored by Russ Aikman, MBB and Alberto Yáñez-Moreno, Ph.D
Updated 2018
In Part 1 of this …
READ MOREUpdated 2018
From its origins manufacturing in the 1990s, more and more companies have embraced L…
READ MOREA common challenge faced by all Lean Six Sigma practitioners is sustainability. That is, how to sust…
READ MORESeveral years ago a man was admitted to a hospital in San Francisco after being diagnosed with stoma…
READ MOREIn Part 1 of this blog I wrote about the book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Written by St…
READ MOREIt has been five years since the untimely passing of Stephen R. Covey (1932-2012). Author, teacher, …
READ MOREAuthor: Pat Boutier – Shingo Prize award-winning co-author of The 7 Kata: Toyota Kata, TWI, and Lea…
READ MORECo-Authored by Alberto Yáñez-Moreno, Ph.D. and Russ Aikman, MBB
In last month’s blog we discussed…
READ MORECo-Authored by Alberto Yanez-Moreno, Ph.D. and Russ Aikman, MBB
Successful LSS practitioners must…
READ MOREUSG Corporation is an industry-leading manufacturer of building products and innovative solutions, s…
READ MOREAuthor: Pat Boutier (Shingo Prize Winning Author, Certified TWI and Coach)
A major challenge for …
READ MOREThis past month I had the pleasure to attend and participate as a speaker in the 12th Lean & Six…
READ MOREHow long should a Lean Six Sigma project take? A common goal is 4 to 6 months. But what are belts re…
READ MOREFirst published in 1987, the ISO 9000 Quality Management System (QMS) standard is now widely used ar…
READ MORETMAC hosted a LSS Deployment Champion Symposium for our customers on November 16-17, 2016. Champions…
READ MORECo-Authored by Diana Martinez, Ph.D. and Alberto Yáñez-Moreno, Ph.D.
In Part 1 of this blog in No…
READ MORECo-Authored by Diana Martinez, Ph.D. and Alberto Yáñez-Moreno, Ph.D.
Although Lean and Six Sigma …
READ MOREA common feedback from our Black Belt and Green Belt students is that at the end of the training (4 …
READ MORECo-Authored by Chris Meeks, MBB and Russ Aikman, MBB
Many LSS companies embrace the principles of…
READ MOREIn the 1970s the late comedian George Carlin (1937-2008) perfected a routine in which he discussed s…
READ MOREOften companies that want to implement a LSS program – and experience the benefits associated …
READ MOREMany LSS practitioners are familiar with project management practices from working on non-LSS projec…
READ MOREThe process of selecting projects can sometimes seem daunting – especially when there are many probl…
READ MORETMAC requires our students to complete one project (for Green Belts) or two projects (for Black Belt…
READ MOREAuthor: Jordan Kempler
As the Event Coordinator for TMAC’s Lean Six Sigma program, I would often …
READ MORE1) Resolve to teach others – There are many benefits to teaching others about Lean Six Sigma. It for…
READ MOREA common argument from individuals who are new to Lean principles is ‘We’re different. This Lean stu…
READ MOREOne of the Government of Alberta’s values is Excellence – it continues Alberta’s proud pioneering hi…
READ MOREProcessing a park and recreation outdoor space permit was taking a long time, affecting cost and cus…
READ MOREThe way the process for asphalt repairs was being performed was inconsistent, affecting costs and pu…
READ MORE