Self-study program can be completed in six months for Green Belt, 12 months for Black Belt
By Editorial Staff, Supply and Demand Chain Executive

Davenport, IA — November 17, 2006 — Kaplan University announced today the introduction of an online Six Sigma Certificate program for professionals interested in leading complex process improvements.

Six Sigma methodologies are designed to help businesses improve productivity and generate savings. “In today’s global economy, large companies increasingly rely on process improvement to maintain quality and manage costs,” said Kristina Belanger, vice president of continuing and professional studies at Kaplan. “As the demand for the Six Sigma method grows, so too does the demand for Six Sigma-certified professionals.”
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By Sarah Murray and Andrew K. Reese

Years of surveying and conversations with readers have shown that busy executives turn to an industry magazine like Supply & Demand Chain Executive for essentially two reasons: to learn how to solve problems that they know they have, and to learn about solutions for problems they didn’t even know they had. The mission of this magazine, then, is to provide targeted information to help corporate executives and other supply and demand chain management professionals as they enable their supply chains for competitive advantage.

As part of this mission, each year the magazine uses its Supply & Demand Chain Executive 100 feature to make its readers aware of those enablers that are leading the way in providing cutting-edge solutions and services to help enterprises address pain points in their supply chains through the application of new technologies and new processes.
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Written by CSCO Editors
Thursday, 05 October 2006

When it comes to taking a disciplined approach to reducing defects in manufacturing, many companies may say they are practicing Six Sigma, yet few are actually doing it as rigorously as they should be. That’s according to a new report from the Boston-based IT research firm Aberdeen Group, which also says that companies that fully implement Six Sigma produce on average 40 percent more savings than other companies, including those that say they are implementing Six Sigma.
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By (Chris) Jacob Abraham, Nov 15, 2006, @ SupplyChainManagement

Logistics Management has a new article titled – How does your warehouse stack up? by Maida Napolitano. The survey was conducted jointly by Logistics Management and Gross & Associates, a consulting firm specializing in materials handling and logistics – First Annual Warehousing Trends Survey.

The survey was designed to help today’s warehouse managers get a clearer picture of the challenges they face today and give them an opportunity to see how their warehouse operations compare with the industry average.
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From John Crager – APQC (WCBF Presenter)

Honeywell began its Six Sigma journey in 1995 to drive data-based decision making, ensure quality levels, and improve customer satisfaction. Through training, leadership, and senior management support, Honeywell has developed a successful Six Sigma program. However, the progress did not happen overnight and has been recently re-energized to create a more powerful business advantage that will drive productivity and growth.
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Toyota with its eponymous production system is often held up as a paragon of operational excellence. Yet for every Toyota, there are numerous companies that have tried to implement continuous improvement programs only to see less-than-stellar results.

In fact, according to an Operational Excellence study by Archstone Consulting only about 11 percent of companies have been truly successful with their continuous improvement programs. (For more details about the report, see the January 2006 article “Keep Your Eye on the Ball” from APICS magazine.) The consulting firm defined success as being able to implement an operational improvement that creates tangible results that are sustained over time.

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