US Synthetic began their continuous improvement journey several years ago. My consultative role was to integrate Six Sigma problem solving methods into their Lean foundation. The result was a new ability to solve quality and efficiency and cost problems that had hindered their diamond tooling manufacturing for years; it gave them the improvement horsepower they needed beyond the standard level provided by Lean. They were finally enabled to conquer these persistent problems.

Rob Galloway, US Synthetic’s CEO, had this to say about CKGygi’s contribution: “Our company has sincerely appreciated the teaching and expertise of Craig Gygi on our road to winning the Shingo Prize. He made significant contributions in the advancement of our capabilities toward problem-solving and improvement. I would recommend Craig Gygi as a great source of knowledge to companies desiring to improve the capabilities of both their people and operations.”

US Synthetic’s Shingo Prize award is definitely well-deserved. I’m honored to have been an instrumental part of them winning this prestigious award.

When companies consider the merits of Six Sigma or consider embarking on a Lean Six Sigma effort, concerns and questions always arise. Many companies have heard of Six Sigma, but most have no idea what it actually is or how it works. Here’s a helpful list of the basic questions companies get wrong most frequently.

Q: Lean Six Sigma only fits large companies, right?

A: Not at all. Companies as large as GE have saved billions using Six Sigma. But small companies have actually proven to achieve similar results more quickly than larger companies. Lean Six Sigma is a key component of improvement for any size business.  (more…)