Los Angeles, CA– Strategic management is crucial to a successful, prosperous and competitive business, and the use of the Six Sigma strategy is one of the methods of the quality management process that has taken the world by storm.
Since its development by Motorola in the early 1980s, Six Sigma has been applied to various industries, and large companies in the Latin American sector are implementing the system of identification and elimination of defects in their work system to Minimize the negatives of your manufacturing and business process variables.
Strategy implementation is not just for underperforming companies, companies considering Six Sigma must be willing to be truly dedicated to the methodology and practices that come with Six Sigma. However, there are several management strategies that can help companies succeed efficiently, with variables that allow companies throughout Latin America to discover which method works best for them.
The fundamentals of the Lean Methodology
Lean methodologies try to eliminate waste and allow a company to restructure its processes to make them faster, more efficient and capable of satisfying the needs of its customers. Lean systems are set up in such a way that customers can pull out the necessary products. This means that companies must constantly change their manufacturing capabilities to meet changing demand, without allowing for waste or surplus.
In essence, this practice requires that no product or service be created until specifically requested, with prices set in an objective method of decline. With this efficiency system, the company is able to reduce the time it takes for a product to reach the market, which would shorten delivery times and provide high-quality customer service.
For work methods to be truly Lean, accounting systems, suppliers and even customers must understand the Lean process, according to Hart Innovations, a company that helps companies become more efficient in production.
Lean Six Sigma: A Combination of Optimized Strategies for Success
Using specific quality management methods, including statistical methods, Six Sigma classifies the various levels of knowledge that a person has within the company's infrastructure. Six Sigma pursues improvement, quality levels, efficiency and service.
According to Lean Six Sigma Mexico, a company that offers Lean, Six Sigma and Lean Six Sigma classes, the Six Sigma methodology allows companies to be more orderly, and creates extensive use of data to understand the behavior of processes and identify improvements in the methods of the company with its mechanisms.
For some companies, the idea of merging two methodologies, such as Lean and Six Sigma, may be a wise choice. Lean Six Sigma combines the methodological framework and data analysis tools of Six Sigma tools and Lean principles. In this process, the traditional roles of the Six Sigma strategy apply, but are combined into a continuous improvement leader, who focuses on information about the projects, the teams and the best tools in each case.
Lean, Six Sigma and Latin America
To help Latin American companies to be efficient using Six Sigma, various associations and companies have been established to help organizations from large to small achieve success.
For example,Lean Six Sigma Mexicois a company that helps certify companies and individuals throughout Mexico, both in Lean and Six Sigma strategies. Among other challenges, waste reduction, elimination of customer complaints, productivity improvements, reduction of operating times, reduction of inventories and increasing sales are directed by Lean Six Sigma Mexico professionals.
In Colombia, theColombian Society of Six Sigma – Acosixsigmaprovides companies throughout Colombia with the adoption, progression and integration of Six Sigma and Lean Six Sigma. The society supports a variety of training and certification projects including Yellow Belt, Green Belt, Black Belt, Master Black Belt, and Design for Six Sigma. They also offer consulting and personal professional development, according to their website, www.acosixsigma.com.
Although not all companies in Latin America are interested in applying Six Sigma in their business, the process of eliminating waste and increasing customer service is always at the forefront of company objectives. Because of this, the idea of implementing a company-wide strategy enables success in local, regional, national, and international businesses.