# Six Sigma, Lean Engineering experience



## FusionWhite (Aug 14, 2007)

As Ive said before my current job is really dragging me down and Im eager to make a change. I would love to get into a plant/manufacturing environment and have started to canvas the city for openings. Ive found several which are pretty promising. One thing which jumps out at me with most of the positions Im interested in is that they want Six Sigma and/or Lean Manufacturing experience (or at least familiarity with them).

Im familiar with both but have never had formal training in them. UofL offers a Six Sigma class which does not get you a green belt certification but has you go through the quality control process. I worked with a guy at the state who took the class and it sounded cool. More then anything I want to be able to put on my resume to these companies "Yes Ive had experience with Six Sigma". The same goes for Lean Manufacturing. A friend of mine cooped at GE and they implimented Lean at her plant. She hated it but she told me it helped her get a bigger and better job having been exposed to it.

So does anyone have any exposure to Six Sigma or other quality control programs? What about Lean? Any tips on how I could get some experience (eg take a class)? I dont want to go dropping a bunch of money on a Six Sigma class and then not land a job.


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## VA_Env_Engr (Aug 14, 2007)

FW:

Let me start off by saying that I don't have any direct experience in either one. I did, however, read about Six Sigma quite a bit when I was preparing for the PMP certification. I apply certain aspects of it in my role as project manager. IMO, if you are looking to make a career change, and if the companies you'd like to work for have these in the "nice to have" list, then its not really a waste of money to go for this class. You admitted yourself that the class sounded cool, so I'd think of it as an investment that will pay off.

Just my :2cents:


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## chaosiscash (Aug 14, 2007)

I've got a Six Sigma Yellow Belt, and I can't say its done anything for me. Most of the stuff I was taught seemed like a lot of commen sense, but I was "forced" to take the class at a former job (a Bechtel subsidiary). It may help you with certain companies, but it seems to me that the companies that care about six sigma would put you through their training for it on their nickel, and the ones that don't care about, well, they aren't going to care if you know anything about it or not.


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## TouchDown (Aug 14, 2007)

SS and Lean are big in my plant / company, and I'm sure each company will train a little different, but the gist is the same for most everyone. SS and lean means you run your product with minimal defect, with minimal waste, at target, on time and in full, with low lead times and low cost... It's really the tools that will attempt to keep American manufacturing competitive in the world market. SS was really big about 10 years ago as it was implemented and rolled out in my company. It can use a lot of the tools you might have used in a Senior design course you took in college... Process Maps, FMEA, C&amp;E, - decision tools... With a little statistics (what to use when, how to tell a change has been made, Design of Experiments, Measurement System Analysis, etc.)...

Most of Six Sigma is forced at making data driven decisions - making sure you have a measurement to measure improvements and that it's a reliable measurement, for the purpose of reducing variation and defect density (dppm). In addition, it allows for a common language that can permeate and build a culture around driving improvements methodically. It has a lot of benefits, but it can also be overused. These tools / etc. do take time, effort and resources.

As far as Lean, it comes from a waste reduction standpoint. If you look at variation as waste - ie. makes bad parts every so often because your process is out of control - then SS and Lean find a common ground. There are 7 basic wastes (MUDA) sp?. You focus on reducing these wastes to improve production and efficiency. Look at pitch, Value Stream (where value is added), Taktime, process flows, etc.

Both can be effective if used properly with the toolsets each have. They do look at manufacturing from different perspectives, but can work together.

Depending on how in depth the job is you're looking for, it might be worth familiarizing yourself with each system if the job calls for "experience". Until you put the tools to use, it will be difficult to apply them. Unless you're looking at a job as an "expert" in these fields, then just buy a book and read up to make sure that you know where each is coming from and what the benefits / drawbacks to each.

We have had some success with implementation of each, but often struggle to fight overuse. Beaurocracy and size of company I think can also limit success. Too many cooks in the kitchen so to speak. Good luck.


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## FusionWhite (Aug 14, 2007)

Wow, TD that was exactly what I needed to know. Most of the jobs Im looking at are only asking with what sounds like a passing knowledge of SS/LM. I didnt want to go out and read a book a pass myself off as an expert but if I can gain a fair amount of knowledge from a book and say Im familiar with it then maybe that would help. Thanks again.


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## Slugger926 (Aug 14, 2007)

FusionWhite said:


> As Ive said before my current job is really dragging me down and Im eager to make a change. I would love to get into a plant/manufacturing environment and have started to canvas the city for openings. Ive found several which are pretty promising. One thing which jumps out at me with most of the positions Im interested in is that they want Six Sigma and/or Lean Manufacturing experience (or at least familiarity with them).
> Im familiar with both but have never had formal training in them. UofL offers a Six Sigma class which does not get you a green belt certification but has you go through the quality control process. I worked with a guy at the state who took the class and it sounded cool. More then anything I want to be able to put on my resume to these companies "Yes Ive had experience with Six Sigma". The same goes for Lean Manufacturing. A friend of mine cooped at GE and they implimented Lean at her plant. She hated it but she told me it helped her get a bigger and better job having been exposed to it.
> 
> So does anyone have any exposure to Six Sigma or other quality control programs? What about Lean? Any tips on how I could get some experience (eg take a class)? I dont want to go dropping a bunch of money on a Six Sigma class and then not land a job.



There is quite a bit in the MSETM degree I am going for. Link

They are offering some direct Six Sigma courses this semester, while others such as Variation covers Six Sigma.

It seems like the Six Sigma I have been exposed to so far works on identifing the Variation in data, and then eliminating that variation (problem). Six Sigma is 3 Standard Deviations above or below where you want your data average to be. The variations are problems like a pour process, a lagging working, or special cause variation like working the process the day after Thanksgiving.

If you can pickup a copy or student copy of Mini-tab and go through the tutorials, you will learn a lot.


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## IlPadrino (Aug 14, 2007)

FusionWhite said:


> As Ive said before my current job is really dragging me down and Im eager to make a change. I would love to get into a .
> 
> .
> 
> ...


Lean, Six Sigma, and Theory of Constraints are about on par with inventing hot water. Sure, it's useful... but it ain't exactly rocket science. I'm a trained Green Belt but haven't done enough events to be "certified". Frankly, most people are too busy to take time off from their normal duties to do events. Because if they made sense, they'd already have been done.

There are two schools of Lean Six Sigma... manufacturing and services. I get the value in manufacturing where you can time profits to reduced waste (lean) and reduced variance (six sigma). But in services it can often only be tied through second and third order effects.

I'm sure I can find some training material for you later this week if you're interested... Because I think with about three hours of reading, you'll know most of what you'd learn in a 40 or 80 hour green belt course.


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## Guest (Aug 14, 2007)

FusionWhite said:


> As Ive said before my current job is really dragging me down and Im eager to make a change.


I am totally with you there FW - if you aren't looking for something 'new' the stagnation turns to atrophy quickly.



FusionWhite said:


> Wow, TD that was exactly what I needed to know. Thanks again.


Definitely a very nice summary TD - helped me out to figure out what was going on.



Slugger926 said:


> If you can pickup a copy or student copy of Mini-tab and go through the tutorials, you will learn a lot.


I use MS Excel, MiniTAB, and a program called Kaleidagraph - it is very quick an intuitive.



IlPadrino said:


> Lean, Six Sigma, and Theory of Constraints are about on par with inventing hot water.


Quite true. I actually find the general field of 'optimization' theory quite interesting. I have had a few courses that emphasized optimization through either linear transformations or probabilistic analysis. Then again, I am a problem solver at heart. I am not talking the wimpy sudoku-type stuff either!

Thanks for the info and input everyone!

JR


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## Slugger926 (Aug 20, 2007)

A reply from one of my instructors"

"There are consultants always trying to sell something - typically

people are now trying to sell Design for Six Sigma (DFSS) - thus the

dissatifaction that they try to set up with Six Sigma (DMAIC -

statistical problem-solving). However, the two are not mutually

exclusive. DFSS innovates to grow a business while DMAIC solves the

problems that are in your business. An organization MUST have both to

build long-term strength. I wrote a book on this subject in 2005

(published by GOAL/QPC (www.goalqpc.com) and I think it is the only

one that has been written from a management viewpoint. It should help

you to understand this question much better."


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