Those successful efforts resulted in a reduction throughput time of 56%-from 4.5 days to two days.Īfter workers at the depot saw how valuable LSS implementation was to that particular process, other workers began reviewing operations in their areas and analyzed ways to improve performance. Prior to LSS implementation, each employee assembled an entire module of the M1 from start to finish in typical vehicle maintenance “bay style,” in which workers are assigned to and focused on the equipment they’re working on.Īfter analyzing, organizing and reviewing operations, the Anniston Army Depot determined that a one-piece flow operation could reduce assembly time by 2.2 man-hours for each module and staffing requirements from five to four workers. One of the most successful cases of Lean Six Sigma (LSS) implementation is the improvement of the Army Depot’s M1 Abrams tank assembly line. The depot’s workload increased from 4 million direct labor hours in 2004 to 6.3 million hours in 2006. Due to the current state of war in the Middle East, the depot needs to support a higher demand in workload for receiving and returning equipment to war fighters.

Of the budget so equipment can be returned to the war zone quickly at the lowest possible cost to the taxpayers. The depot’s bottom line is to continually process high-quality products on time and within constraints. OK, you need a definition of ‘Sustainability ? Get this…Dupont was founded 215 years ago and is consistently one of the highest revenue and earning generators the world.Īt the Anniston US Army Depot in Alabama, successful Lean Six Sigma implementation resulted in processes that are more cost effective and less demanding in terms of man-hours. Dupont employs approximately 50,000 people worldwide and its 2015 revenue was US$ 25 billion. For this reason Dupont now refer to the total set of principles and tools as ‘Lean Six Sigma’. Bailey and others in Dupont of the key role that Lean principles and tools also play.

Since that time there was a recognition by Steven P. In 1999 the CEO of Dupont, Chad Holliday, said “There is one way to execute growth strategies (do things the right way): Six Sigma”. He has a PhD in Statistics and was President and Chairman of the Board of the American Society for Quality (ASQ) 1997-99 In a presentation to the National Lean and Six Sigma Forum, Costa Rica, March 24, 2017, Steven communicated how he saw Lean Six Sigma as a critical part of Dupont’s model for Sustainable Growth. Bailey recently retired from Dupont after 36 years working for the company.

Six sigma sales success stories