SERVICES
OUR SERVICES OVERVIEW
With SixthSenze™, you can bring the outside “insight” that awakens your senzes to opportunities you cannot see."
Our service's provide real solutions for real profit - helping you identify and implement long term improvements for dramatic impact on your bottom line. The radical change required to take your organization from obscurity to excellence doesn’t just happen by chance. That is where we come in. We can help you develop visionary leadership skills, strategies, and implementation techniques. The result? Your organization’s culture will become one of continuous improvement.
If you are looking to move from runner-up to front-runner in your industry, or just looking to jump into the profit zone, SixthSenze™ can help. Our qualified and trained staff of experts is equipped to help you drive lasting change at all levels of your organization, from boardroom briefings to shop floor events.
Click one of the buttons below to learn more about each service.
SIX SIGMA
Six Sigma is a data-driven approach to process improvement, targeted at the goal of zero defects for every product & process. The purpose of Six Sigma is to gain breakthrough knowledge on how to improve processes to do things better, faster, and at the lowest cost. It can be used to improve every piece of the business from production to human resources, and from design / development to technical support.
TECHNIQUES & PRINCIPLES
DMAIC - Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control
Master BlackBelts
Variation reduction
Project focus (one to three months)
Statistical process control (Cp, Cpk)
Measurement system assessment (Gage R&R)
Root cause analysis and hypothesis tests
Design of Experiments, Taguchi Methods
Regression Analysis
Analysis of Variance (ANOVA)
FMEA (Failure Mode and Effects Analysis)
Process stability
TECHNIQUES & PRINCIPLES
DMAIC - Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control Master BlackBelts Variation reduction Project focus (one to three months) Statistical process control (Cp, Cpk) Measurement system assessment (Gage R&R) Root cause analysis and hypothesis tests Design of Experiments, Taguchi Methods Regression Analysis Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) FMEA (Failure Mode and Effects Analysis) Process stability
LEAN MANUFACTURING
Lean Manufacturing is directed at the elimination of waste in every area of production including customer relations, product design, supplier networks and factory management. The goal is to incorporate the least amount of human effort, inventory, time to develop products, and space to become highly responsive to customer demand while producing high quality products in the most efficient and economical manner possible.
TECHNIQUES & PRINCIPLES
Workplace organization
Seven elements of workstation design
6S Methodology
Standard processes
Waste identification and elimination (seven elements of waste)
Value-stream mapping
Team-based, multi-skilled workforce
Kaizen events
Poke-yoke (fail-safing or mistake-proofing)
Just-in-time (supply chain management)
Cellular manufacturing
One piece flow (based on TAKT time)
Set-up time reduction (SMED)
Pull system (kanban)
Production smoothing
Balanced work flow
Inventory Reduction
Visual Management
Total Productive Maintenance (TPM)
TECHNIQUES & PRINCIPLES
Workplace organization Seven elements of workstation design 6S Methodology Standard processes Waste identification and elimination (seven elements of waste) Value-stream mapping Team-based, multi-skilled workforce Kaizen events Poke-yoke (fail-safing or mistake-proofing) Just-in-time (supply chain management) Cellular manufacturing One piece flow (based on TAKT time) Set-up time reduction (SMED) Pull system (kanban) Production smoothing Balanced work flow Inventory Reduction Visual Management Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) ISO CERTIFICATION
A world class Quality System is the interconnect between your key business processes. Designed and documented properly, it enables your company to meet its customer satisfaction goals. Everyday, modern companies discover the benefit of formalizing their Quality System.
Whether driven by a desire to efficiently extend the improvements and benefits brought by Six Sigma or Lean initiatives, or to institutionalize the critical business processes that respond to customer requirements, these companies recognize that their business strategy benefits from performing to a recognized standard.
Whether the standard is ISO (any of the ISO-based specifications such as AS9100), FAR 21 or 145, etc, SixthSenze™ has the experience and capability to lead your company to certification.
Whether driven by a desire to efficiently extend the improvements and benefits brought by Six Sigma or Lean initiatives, or to institutionalize the critical business processes that respond to customer requirements, these companies recognize that their business strategy benefits from performing to a recognized standard.
Whether the standard is ISO (any of the ISO-based specifications such as AS9100), FAR 21 or 145, etc, SixthSenze™ has the experience and capability to lead your company to certification.
SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT
SixthSenze™ can Improve your bottom line with a “Lean Supply Chain” initiative — providing dramatic results in:
Inventory Reduction
Cash Flow Management
Quality
On Time/Just in Time Delivery
As part of the SixthSenze™ CommonSenze™ Methodologies, the Supply Chain will be analyzed from a value stream perspective – and then transformed it into a single, integrated, lean process that includes:
Long Term Strategic Partnerships
Inventory Reduction & Cash Flow Management
Supplier Certification / Supplier Base Reduction
Commodity Teaming
Internet Communications / Data Exchange
Inventory Reduction Cash Flow Management Quality On Time/Just in Time DeliveryAs part of the SixthSenze™ CommonSenze™ Methodologies, the Supply Chain will be analyzed from a value stream perspective – and then transformed it into a single, integrated, lean process that includes:
Long Term Strategic Partnerships Inventory Reduction & Cash Flow Management Supplier Certification / Supplier Base Reduction Commodity Teaming Internet Communications / Data ExchangeKAIZEN EVENTS
Kaizen Events are focused events designed to generate significant improvement in an area, process, or product in as little as one week. Key to the success of these efforts is the involvement of cross-functional teams to brainstorm, define, design, and implement tangible improvements quickly. Usually beginning with “how to” Kaizen training followed immediately with a hands-on 6S effort—Safety, Sort, Simplify, Standardize, Sweep, Sustain—the team then collaborates in this full-time “blitz” to bring about rapid changes that had only been dreamed about before.
The Kaizen Event is short but intense, and might include design/building material handling or delivery carts, moving machines, changing material flows, and restructuring job responsibilities. SixthSenze™ is uniquely equipped to lead Kaizen Events.
Members of the SixthSenze™ team have personally worked on real projects with leaders from the internationally-recognized Japanese-based Shingijuitsu, Inc. consulting firm. Our extensive experience with successfully implementing Lean Manufacturing through Kaizen Events and other approaches enables us to select the best approach to meet your business goals and objectives.
The Kaizen Event is short but intense, and might include design/building material handling or delivery carts, moving machines, changing material flows, and restructuring job responsibilities. SixthSenze™ is uniquely equipped to lead Kaizen Events.
Members of the SixthSenze™ team have personally worked on real projects with leaders from the internationally-recognized Japanese-based Shingijuitsu, Inc. consulting firm. Our extensive experience with successfully implementing Lean Manufacturing through Kaizen Events and other approaches enables us to select the best approach to meet your business goals and objectives.
ACCELERATED IMPROVEMENT WORKSHOPS
Check out this ACCELERATED IMPROVEMENT WORKSHOPS presentation.
BUSINESS ASSESSMENTS
Business Assessments are conducted utilizing our focused SixthSenze™ methodology and, depending on company size and number of sites, are generally conducted in two to three weeks. The methodology calls for assessment of six primary business areas—Knowledge Systems, Manufacturing, Management Organization, Management Information Systems, Marketing, and Finance.
The goal is to commit a cross-functional team of personnel to dig out and report real data, examine alternatives, develop recommendations, and lead the implementation of process changes that generate real benefit and bottom-line profit.
In summary, our SixthSenze™ methodology employs the following steps.
Identify and form a cross-functional team with the expertise to address each business process.
Train the team members in the concepts of Lean Enterprise (the logical extension of Lean Manufacturing concepts throughout the company), and why significant customer and company value rests in the extension of these concepts throughout the company.
Document the existing process from beginning to end. This includes work step definition, information received, generated, and passed at each step, cycle times, queue times, and “inventory” (unprocessed orders or information). This step culminates in the quantification of the waste (non-value-added activity) at each step of the process.
Identify and quantify undesirable effects of the current process.
Identify root causes of the process breakdowns that result in the undesirable effect.
Develop alternative recommendations that address the root causes.
Identify and refine recommended solutions.
Out brief the client Leadership Team and gain support for change.
The next step, after the Business Assessment, is to move immediately into implementation of recommended solutions utilizing procedures, workflow reorganization, personnel reorganization or movement, and/or information systems support.
Note that throughout the Business Assessment process, SixthSenze™ personnel are focused on helping to develop a new culture of continuous improvement throughout the organization.
The goal is to commit a cross-functional team of personnel to dig out and report real data, examine alternatives, develop recommendations, and lead the implementation of process changes that generate real benefit and bottom-line profit.
In summary, our SixthSenze™ methodology employs the following steps.
Identify and form a cross-functional team with the expertise to address each business process. Train the team members in the concepts of Lean Enterprise (the logical extension of Lean Manufacturing concepts throughout the company), and why significant customer and company value rests in the extension of these concepts throughout the company. Document the existing process from beginning to end. This includes work step definition, information received, generated, and passed at each step, cycle times, queue times, and “inventory” (unprocessed orders or information). This step culminates in the quantification of the waste (non-value-added activity) at each step of the process. Identify and quantify undesirable effects of the current process. Identify root causes of the process breakdowns that result in the undesirable effect. Develop alternative recommendations that address the root causes. Identify and refine recommended solutions. Out brief the client Leadership Team and gain support for change.The next step, after the Business Assessment, is to move immediately into implementation of recommended solutions utilizing procedures, workflow reorganization, personnel reorganization or movement, and/or information systems support.
Note that throughout the Business Assessment process, SixthSenze™ personnel are focused on helping to develop a new culture of continuous improvement throughout the organization.
LEAN ENTERPRISE
Lean Enterprise is the logical extension of the powerful Lean Manufacturing techniques. To a customer, time to delivery includes not only the manufacturing lead time but the “office” lead time as well. This office lead time might include configuration checks, engineering change order processing, component availability checks, the ordering of long lead time components, credit checks, and ultimately order release. Often, these steps suffer from the same non-value-added activities as the shop floor…work-in-process, long cycle times due to interruptions, missed hand-offs, long “setups,” and more.
Actual SixthSenze™ projects in Order Processing have resulted in an 80% reduction in “office cycle time” for two separate clients. Both projects were completed in less than eight weeks.
The “Lean” techniques are not limited to manufacturing entities, either. Successful application in healthcare, office design, aerospace service, and oil and gas companies has proven the benefit across the breadth of industry.
By reducing activities across the enterprise to only those that add value, we can focus on those tasks in the Value Stream that the customer wants to pay for, providing enhanced customer satisfaction and greater profit too!
Actual SixthSenze™ projects in Order Processing have resulted in an 80% reduction in “office cycle time” for two separate clients. Both projects were completed in less than eight weeks.
The “Lean” techniques are not limited to manufacturing entities, either. Successful application in healthcare, office design, aerospace service, and oil and gas companies has proven the benefit across the breadth of industry.
By reducing activities across the enterprise to only those that add value, we can focus on those tasks in the Value Stream that the customer wants to pay for, providing enhanced customer satisfaction and greater profit too!