In its Lean Six Sigma programs, Rath & Strong incorporates a deep and long history of Lean and Six Sigma implementations with its newest approaches and tools. Clients quickly discover that Lean Six Sigma delivers faster results as it establishes baseline performance levels and focuses powerful statistical tools where they will have the most impact.

Lean Six Sigma to Eliminate Waste, Decrease Lead Times, Increase Velocity, Reduce Variation, Achieve Near-Perfect Quality, and Lower Costs

Typically, once companies eliminate steps that don’t have value, or the noise, from a process using Lean methodologies, they discover the need for even more advanced methods of uncovering the root cause of abnormalities or variation. And they look to Six Sigma. Or they discover that every problem is not a Six Sigma problem, and that Lean is necessary to identify and eliminate the non-value aspects of organizational activities and the waste inherent in their business processes.

Lean Methods look at the entire Value Stream in terms of time and flow. We use the elimination of waste as a basic principle to reduce the time it takes to produce the product (a product can be a physical product or a service), which increases the flow of the product through the process. As you look at the flow of the product, some of the delays will invariably be quality problems that cause rework, scrap, and extra cost. Six Sigma problem-solving tools are needed to solve these quality problems (reduce variation and defects).

Rath & Strong’s integrated Lean Six Sigma consulting and training, designed around the common problem-solving framework of the DMAIC method (design, measure, analyze, improve, and control), leverages the combined strengths of Lean and Six Sigma and brings to bear statistical tools so that potential causes are not overlooked, and effective solutions to chronic problems can be implemented. The benefits include lower costs, less time/quicker response/greater flexibility, and greatly improved quality.

Pioneering Innovation in Lean and Six Sigma Sets the Foundation

Rath & Strong's work in the areas of Lean Six Sigma is built on the experience we gained in the 1980s and 1990s helping clients eliminate the waste and inefficiencies of their processes. We integrated JIT/Process Redesign with Total Quality very early, and we were first to bring Lean and Six Sigma into service environments and to apply the tools to service, transactional, and office business processes.

Rath & Strong brought Lean methods (Toyota Production System) to the U.S. and created important innovations that adapted Lean to Fortune 100 companies. Rath & Strong consultants invented Value Added Flow Analysis and defined Value Added, among other achievements. In the Six Sigma arena, Rath & Strong pioneered statistical engineering, Advanced Diagnostic Tools, and Planned Experimentation, approaches critical to the innovations of Pre Control, Random Balance, and statistical-based process improvement, all crucial to the success of Six Sigma.

Learn more about Rath & Strong's Lean Six Sigma Training courses today!