Culture and the Methods for Solving Problems Go Hand-in-Hand

Statistical control methods are a founding concept in Japanese manufacturing. However, Six Sigma as a problem solving methodology* causes many hang-ups for Japanese managers. Many Americans seeking training in Six Sigma in Japanese organizations face resistance with little explanation as to why. This often leads to frustration and contempt towards management. They write off the Japanese resistance to the training as resistance to change, preventing growth and feeling unrepre

The production line goes down 4:30pm on a Friday. Great. Someone says “We don’t know if the gage is reliable.” Awesome. “We need to confirm the gage with an R&R study” Stop. It’s time to grab a hold of this situation, because I’m going to be home for dinner. Use Cases of Gage R&R This article is not to discredit gage R&R; at least not entirely. Gage R&R is useful to say that a gage is appropriate for a process and to measure the capability of said process. Gage R&R can also b