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Value Stream Manager

admin — Sat, 07 Jul 2012 08:50:16 +0000

In a timeless Article Written by Scott Frahm, we learn the essential nature of the Value Stream Manager:

Utilizing a value stream manager within an organization is another way to ensure success in implementing lean. The role of a value stream manager is to understand the entire flow of a product or product group through the company. This person is empowered to make changes that may sub-optimize certain departments, but optimize the supply chain. However, the value stream manager should not focus on sub-optimizing parts of the supply chain, but focus on maximizing the value of the entire system.

Selecting a value stream manager is not an easy task. The person needs the right attitude, even if the person is not technically strong in lean practices, which can be learned later. Additionally, this person must understand that the real value created on the plant floor is the people and not the technology. When looking for the right candidate, management should look for the following attributes:

Strong leadership abilities
Motivation skills
Decision making based on data, not opinion (3)

In addition, the value stream manager should possess the following abilities:

Create and manage a value stream plan
Communicate with senior executives
Demonstrate why urgent change is necessary
Interact with customers and suppliers (3)

Without support from top management, value stream managers will have little chance of succeeding. For instance, senior executives need to clarify that they will support the value stream manager when he suggests that a department perform at less than optimal levels. This may infuriate the local manager, who may outrank the value manager in authority, and ignore the recommendations to maximize the value of the system. As long as the local manager, and others know that the value stream manager has the support of senior management to enact change, then they will be more inclined to cooperate. In addition, senior level executives must understand that the value chain manager is going to make mistakes. This value stream manager should be encouraged to take calculated risks without fear of reprimand(3)

Implementing a lean program is not an easy task. It requires extensive work both within and outside the organization. But the long-term benefits, as Toyota has demonstrated with its increasing market share in the United States, can help differentiate your organization from the rest of the pack.

To read the whole Article: see The Road To Lean Manufacturing

The post Value Stream Manager first appeared on CPI Recruiting Group.

Industrial Production Managers

admin — Sun, 11 Mar 2012 18:53:06 +0000

Significant Points
• Industrial production managers coordinate all the people and equipment involved in the manufacturing process.
• Most employers prefer to hire workers with a college degree; experience in some part of production operations usually is required as well.
• Employment is expected to decline as overall employment in manufacturing declines.

Nature of the Work
Industrial production managers plan, direct, and coordinate the production activities required to produce the vast array of goods manufactured every year in the United States. They make sure that production meets output and quality goals while remaining within budget. Depending on the size of the manufacturing plant, industrial production managers may oversee the entire plant or just one area of it.

Industrial production managers devise methods to use the plant’s personnel and capital resources to best meet production goals. They may determine which machines will be used, whether new machines need to be purchased, whether overtime or extra shifts are necessary, and what the sequence of production will be. They monitor the production run to make sure that it stays on schedule, and they correct any problems that may arise.

Part of an industrial production manager’s job is to come up with ways to make the production process more efficient. Traditional factory methods, such as mass assembly lines, have given way to “lean” production techniques, which give managers more flexibility. In a traditional assembly line, each worker was responsible for only a small portion of the assembly, repeating that task on every product. Lean production, by contrast, employs teams to build and assemble products in stations or cells. Thus, rather than specializing in a specific task, workers are capable of performing all jobs within a team. Without the constraints of the traditional assembly line, industrial production managers can more easily change production levels and staffing on different product lines to minimize inventory levels and more quickly react to changing customer demands.

Industrial production managers also monitor product standards and implement quality control programs. They make sure that the finished product meets a certain level of quality, and if it doesn’t, they try to find out what the problem is and solve it. Although traditional quality control programs reacted only to problems that reached a certain significant level, newer management techniques and programs, such as ISO 9000, Total Quality Management (TQM), or Six Sigma, emphasize continuous quality improvement. If the problem relates to the quality of work performed in the plant, the manager may implement better training programs or reorganize the manufacturing process, often on the basis of the suggestions of employee teams. If the cause is substandard materials or parts from outside suppliers, the industrial production manager may work with the supplier to improve their quality.

Industrial production managers work closely with other managers of the firm to implement the company’s policies and goals. They also must work with the firm’s financial departments in order to come up with a budget and spending plan. They work the closest with the heads of the sales, procurement, and logistics departments. Sales managers relay the client’s needs and the price the client is willing to pay to the production department, which must then fill the order. The logistics or distribution department handles the delivery of the goods, often coordinating with the production department. The procurement department orders the supplies that the production department needs to make its products. The procurement department also is responsible for making sure that the inventories of supplies are maintained at proper levels so that production proceeds without interruption. A breakdown in communications between the production manager and the procurement department can cause slowdowns and a failure to meet production schedulules. Just-in-time production techniques have reduced inventory levels, making constant communication among managers, suppliers, and procurement departments even more important.

The post Industrial Production Managers first appeared on CPI Recruiting Group.

Value Stream Manager

admin — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 16:12:38 +0000

*Company / Duties*	*Job Title / Responsibilities / Requirements*
Manufacturing Firm Ohio, Florida	*Value Stream Manager*
Summary Description	Management position responsible for all aspects of Lean Manufacturing at the facility. Management Representative with authority to identify and evaluate all levels of business problems and to recommend and initiate effective solutions and corrective actions. Directs single-site manufacturing operations through a team of supervisors. Ensures positive growth in customer and employee satisfaction while improving the efficiency of manpower, materials and machines. Person responsible for creating a future state map and leading door-to-door implementation of the future state for a particular product family. Makes change happen across departmental and functional boundaries to enhance all activities, both value added and non-value added, required to bring a product from raw material state into the hands of the customer. Bring a customer requirement from order to delivery and bring a design from concept to launch. Also see “information flow” and “hoshin planning.” By locating the value creating processes next to one another and by processing one unit at a time, work flows smoothly from one step to another and finally to the customer. This chain of value-creating processes is called a value stream. A value stream is simply all the things done to create value for the customer. A value stream is all the actions, (both value added and non-value added), that are required to bring a product through the main flows essential to nearly every product.
Duties / Responsibilities	a. Manage policy compliance in the areas of Lean Manufacturing techniques, quality, cost reduction, complete and on-time delivery, safety, customer satisfaction, employee relations, visual controls and plant performance measures. b. Provide leadership for employee relations through effective communications, coaching, training and development. c. Ensures compliance with company standards for cost control, waste reduction, quality, OSHA, safety and complete and on-time delivery at the lowest possible cost. d. Determine operation’s headcount needs and ensures compliance with company policies. e. Identifies, communicates and drive implementation of capital investments and improvement projects. f. Manage compliance with state and federal regulations. g. Establish and maintain cooperative working relationships with those in contact on a day to day basis. h. Will be required to perform other duties as requested, directed or assigned. i. Establishment of Lean Initiative Requirements through the company-wide deployment of the Client’s Production System. j. Training management personnel on requirements of the Client’s Production System. k. Training hourly personnel on requirements of the Client’s Production System. l. Interfacing with other departments to identify opportunities to effectively implement Lean concepts. m. Work with plant employees to implement and track all lean tools in order to increase throughput, improve quality and reduce costs. n. Train employees in lean techniques and tools as needed to conduct kaizen events for department/process improvement. o. Work with other subsidiary Lean personnel to implement company-wide improvement initiatives.
Qualifications	Understanding of Kaizen and Lean Manufacturing techniques. Understanding of quality control with a background in ISO 9001 requirements. Understanding manufacturing processes and MRP systems; experience with AS400/MAPICS preferred. Must be computer literate and able to effectively use Microsoft Office Business Suites and/or Lotus. Demonstrated an ability to lead people and get results through others. Must have general knowledge of OSHA, EPA, and DOT standards. Ability to read, write, comprehend, and verbally communicate simple instructions, short correspondence and memos in English. Ability to read and understand engineering drawings, blue prints, assembly drawing, schematics and other written or verbal instructions presented in English. Ability to recognize quality expected and be able to reproduce it. Ability to effectively present information in one-on-one and small group situations to other employees of the organization.
Education	BA/BS Degree with emphasis in a manufacturing discipline, preferably engineering
Experience	Minimum Five (5) years experience as a Lean Coordinator/Manager in a manufacturing environment, and preferably in an Automotive/Truck related industry.Minimum of Eight to Ten (8-10) years total manufacturing experience in a Lean Manufacturing/Six Sigma environment.
Skill	Must Have hands-on experience with managing Value Stream Maps (VSMs). This includes creating current state maps, future state maps and action plans to implement the future state. Must Have hands-on experience with standard work. This includes conducting time studies of tasks, balancing these tasks to takt time, creating and posting standard work sheets and then working with supervisors and operators on the implementation of the new standard work. Must Have experience with problem solving techniques (5 Why & Root Cause Analysis). Must Have experience with statistical techniques and data analysis. Must Have excellent communication skills with ability to interface directly with hourly employees as well as corporate level management concerning Lean initiatives and progress updates. Must Posses a high energy level with a strong work ethic. Good PC skills with knowledge of Excel, Word and Outlook. Experience with Mapics or VSM software a PLUS. Basic experience with ISO 9001:2000 Quality Systems.
Licenses/ Certifications	Certification in Lean Manufacturing; Candidate NEEDS “IDEALLY” to have either Silver or Gold CertificationAbility to obtain Six Sigma Black Belt would be a PLUS but is NOT required

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Master Black Belt – Manufacturing Retail Distribution, MI –

admin — Sat, 03 Sep 2011 19:20:09 +0000

*Company / Duties*	*Job Title / Responsibilities / Requirements*
Western Michigan Industry Leader Manufacturing/ Retail/Distribution.	Master Black Belt
	Someone with hands-on tech skills, a team player looking for real career growth, with the ability to communicate with all levels of the organization.
Responsibilities	Leading complex projects using methodology to deliver significant bottom-line improvements. Providing consultation and solutions by leading cross-functional teams and deploying rigorous statistical tools to improve process capability, reduce variability and eliminate defects. Meeting customer and business needs. Facilitates, trains and coaches team members in the use of Lean Six Sigma tools. Collaborating with leaders and teams to uncover and assess Lean Six Sigma opportunities for the company and its vendors. Identifying potential process improvement projects and collaborates with business leaders on project selection. Serving as a change agent in institutionalizing Lean Six Sigma’s continuous quality improvements. Constantly seeking, sharing, and implementing best practices. Communicating team’s progress to Master Black Belt, Champions, Business Leaders and team members. Supports Lean Six Sigma training activities. Provides orientation and on-boarding to new Green Belts, Black Belts and other personnel involved in Lean Six Sigma.
Qualifications	Education: Bachelor’s degree in business or related field or equivalent work experience. Experience: (Minimum Needed): 3 – 5 years experience applying Lean Six Sigma methodology in a retail environment. Specialized Knowledge Needed For Performance of Job: Knowledge of retailing in foods, hardlines or softlines. Demonstrated ability to make sound decisions based upon a mixture of statistical analysis, wisdom, experience and judgment. Demonstrated ability to communicate clearly and succinctly to a variety of audiences from Senior Leadership to Team Members. Can get message across that have the desired effect. Demonstrated ability to listen attentively and actively. Demonstrated ability to pay attention to both small nuances and complex situations in a way that he/she figures out the process necessary to get things done. Demonstrated ability to spend his/her time, and the time of others, on what’s important; quickly zeros in on the critical few and puts the trivial many aside; can quickly sense what will help or hinder the accomplishing of a goal; eliminates road blocks and creates focus. Demonstrated aptitude to work with mathematical constructs. Ability to apply statistical concepts. Demonstrated ability to teach individuals and groups on complex matters. Is sought out to teach others and effectively teaches diverse team members with different learning styles. Demonstrated ability to provide information people need to know to do their jobs; provides accurate and timely information cross functionally. Demonstrated knowledge of customer expectations and requirements. Gets first hand customer information and uses it for continuous and sustainable improvements. Acts with the customer in mind. Demonstrated skills to manage projects, set priorities and goals, and meet deadlines. Demonstrated skill to pick up on technical issues quickly; can learn new skills and knowledge; is good at learning new retail industry subjects, product knowledge and technical knowledge; does well with technology. Demonstrated knowledge of retail environments preferred. Demonstrated ability to utilize MS Office Suite.

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Operations Engineer – Lean Six Sigma Implementation – Staunton VA

admin — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 12:27:19 +0000

*Company / Duties*	*Job Title / Responsibilities / Requirements*
Successful medical products manufacturer Shenandoah Valley (Staunton), VA	Operations Engineer – Lean Six Sigma Implementation
	Our client has a unique opportunity for an engineer with desire to advance onto operations management track. Starting salary to the mid $90s. Relocation assistance is available and the selected candidate should be open to relocation for advancement worldwide within 5 years
Requirements	B.S. in Engineering, 5 to 10 years of manufacturing operations experience Knowledge Lean Manufacturing, and Lean Six Sigma Implementation Ability to work in cross-functional teams in pursuit of Lean Six Sigma Implementation Project Engineering Experience
Responsibilities	You will lead the organization towards Lean Six Sigma Implementation Identify and execute improvement projects through application of Six Sigma and lean manufacturing principles, techniques, and tools to improve product and process quality, reduce costs and improve customer service. Project Management: Design and develop projects with plans of action and timelines in an application such as Microsoft Project. Show applications of Six Sigma/Lean tools and results, and project cost savings. Train team members in Six Sigma/Lean principles, problem solving tools, and procedures. Apply Six Sigma/Lean tools and Processes to eliminate identified root causes of non-conformances, waste, and product and process variation. Cross Functional Team Leadership: Lead cross-functional process improvement and corrective action teams in support of Lean Six Sigma Implementation activities. Identify requirements to support continuous improvement projects. Review Capital Plan, Unit Cost Improvement and Technical Development activity to ensure most efficient utilization of technical resources.

The post Operations Engineer – Lean Six Sigma Implementation – Staunton VA first appeared on CPI Recruiting Group.

Senior Process Engineer – Engineering Medical Device Firm

admin — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 02:49:04 +0000

*Company / Duties*	*Job Title / Responsibilities / Requirements*
Engineering Medical Device Firm	Senior Process Engineer
	Allegiant International is an indispensible engineering firm specializing in the medical device and life science industries; specifically focusing on the well respected orthopedic industry. Allegiant employees are proud to positively impact the quality of life of people and communities. Additionally, Allegiant employees enjoy the many benefits of working for a growing, stable, successful company, including competitive total rewards programs to accompany a top notch career.
Position Summary	The position is to work in a team environment, while managing individual tasks, in relation to a new product launch. This will involve acting as a cross-functional departmental contact within the company in relation to the projects in which are assigned. As such, the incumbent must be hands-on and technically competent in multiple disciplines including manufacturing, quality, and technology.
Principal Duties & Responsibilities	Conduct feasibility studies to estimate product cost and analyze capital equipment, capacity, and capability requirements affecting the make versus buy decision. Establishing process methods which meet performance and quality requirements. Leads and participates in projects, involving cross functional teams, using project management methodologies. Implements appropriate methodologies to ensure project remains on target. Seeks and interprets information to develop project schedule and to assess progress to schedule. Assists in the development and implementation of project timelines. Identifies future potential roadblocks and keeps management informed of solution options. Manage and confronts issues as they arise in a professional manner. Ensures that processes and reference tools provided are utilized effectively and efficiently.
Expected Areas of Competence	Minimum of 7(seven) years experience in a manufacturing environment, specifically supporting a combination of processes, such as: Machining: CNC turning, CNC milling, and CNC grinding. Polishing: both manual and automated, and polymer molding. Cleaning, blasting and other support operations. Familiarity with a variety of materials including Cobalt Chrome, Titanium, and Polyethylene highly preferred. Documentation capabilities to include: creating routers, bills of materials (BOM), visual work instructions. Advanced documentation capabilities preferred: create and execute validation protocols (IQ, OQ, PQ), statistical analysis (SPC), and Design of Experiments (DOE’s) Ability to manage small to moderate projects using currently available tools. Coordinate timeline activities with outside resources, including tool design, tool build, CNC programming, and production operations. Have skills to work in a cross functional environment. Background in Lean, sufficient to layout production cells and optimize workflow. Willing to work through the duration of the project; from the initiation phase through completion.
Education/Experience Requirements	Minimum of Bachelor’s degree (4 year accredited university degree) required. Degree preferred in Mechanical Engineering, from a top tier university. Minimum 3.0 GPA required. 3-5 years prior experience in life science, medical device, or orthopedic products preferred, although, alternative industries are considered when candidate can display an impressive track record of completing tasks/projects/launches or if candidate possess “specific” skills of interest (ie. Clean room, heat treat, vacuum furnace, process flow plan mapping, Kaizen, 5S, technical writing, CNC or Robotics).
Location	Warsaw, Indiana
Other Requirements/Restrictions	Must be willing to complete Background/Criminal history check & Drug Screen, Confidentiality Agreements, and Non-Disclosure/Employment Agreements.

The post Senior Process Engineer – Engineering Medical Device Firm first appeared on CPI Recruiting Group.

Senior Principal Implementation Consultant – Healthcare Industry

admin — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 21:21:33 +0000

*Company / Duties*	*Job Title / Responsibilities / Requirements*
Atlanta GA or Fresno CA	Senior Principal Implementation Consultant
	The Senior Principal Implementation Consultant is responsible for providing project planning support with overall support to the Healthcare Performance Improvement program and performance improvement initiatives company-wide that are focused on organizational strategic priorities. Person also serves as a deep improvement expert and faculty for company improvement skill development program with a responsibility for revising curriculum content and delivering training across company’s eight regions. This individual provides technical support in the Department of Care and Service Quality, primarily for performance improvement initiatives and systems. The scope of work projects will be broad and comprehensive and include development of performance improvement capacity educational tools that will support promotion of the Department of Care and Service Quality and National Quality Committee priorities to improve clinical performance.
Essential Functions:	• Implementation of Company’s Performance Improvement (PI) model to include lean and six sigma applications and rapid improvement events. • Assisting facility improvement advisors and teams with the development of improved standardized work flows, instructions and procedures. • Development and implementation of key quality systems including: assisting facilities with configuration management systems, corrective action and human resources support, SPC, web site portals for metrics, projects and communication across facilities. • Training of company personnel on quality improvement principle; assessing strategic priorities and mapping systems, Identifying cost savings / standardization opportunities within operations; Analyzing the cost drivers of systems and high priority levers of improvement; Scoping portfolios for 90-120 day cycles of improvement with sequencing of portfolios and initiatives. Leading complex programs for change and driving change in all facets of the care delivery system. • Development of key business operational metrics for both process control and management reporting. • Introduce, via working in a collaborative process with other functional areas, robust processes that assist in building the product brand name of Kaiser. • Travel required for medical center level support and events and participation as faculty in the improvement Institute • Use Quality Engineering principles, tools, and practices to develop and optimize systems and processes that are aligned with the overall business and the Quality vision. Ensure that these systems and processes provide a measurable impact to quality, cost, customer value, cycle time and Throughput. • Identify opportunities to continuously improve quality, cost, and time factors, consistent with business objectives. • Establish appropriate business metrics. Identify the most significant business issues and prioritize for action. Support the facility improvement advisor in his/her ability to lead, sell, and implement improvement opportunities and problem solutions. • Ensure robust processes are transferred to Operations at a facility level. • Facility level initiatives will be reviewed first for effectiveness in translating KP’s strategies into specific objectives and then for meeting the organizations goals for process improvements and efficiencies. • Manages individual and organization resistance to change. • Facilitate decision-making, target setting, result expectations and prioritization of improvement efforts. • Provide expertise and facilitation to improvement advisors and operational managers in the planning and managing of projects and tasks related to analysis and redesign of business processes. • Work with internal and external clients to develop departmental evaluation and measurement tools in support of documented, and collaboratively developed, service level agreements. • Where appropriate, conduct metric and process benchmarking activities with other organizations within and outside the industry. Establish and maintain superior client relationships at all levels of the Medical Center. Demonstrate expertise in managing up with multiple stakeholders and senior leaders.
Basic Qualifications:	• A minimum of 15 years of related recent experience. • Advanced knowledge (broad expertise or unique knowledge) of PI policies, practices and systems. • Develops advanced concepts, techniques, and standards • Develop new applications based on professional principles and theories. • Viewed as functional expert in field within the company, but doesn’t come off as a “Know-it-all” or has to be right all the time • Applies advanced principles, theories, and concepts • Contributes to the development of innovative principles and ideas • Master Lean Six Sigma Black Belt with the successful completion or mentoring of over 100 projects or at least 10 major portfolios of projects/initiatives. • Teacher and mentor to LSS or PI students with proven results • Successful application of a Quality Management System • Master’s degree in related field (e.g., business, operations management/research, engineering, technology, sciences) • Master BlackBelt in Lean Six Sigma
Preferred Qualifications:	• 15 years with at least 10 years as a Master BlackBelt (MBB) with proven change management, program/project management, and client relationship skills. • Healthcare Industry working experience (especially in hospitals) is a plus but not required.

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Director of Operational Excellence – Six Sigma Recruiting Firm

admin — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 14:35:30 +0000

*Company / Duties*	*Job Title / Responsibilities / Requirements*
Six Sigma Recruiting Firm	Director of Operational Excellence
Role and Responsibilities	Plans and manages the staff development of a highly technical staff. Establishes performance standards and service levels for client customer support. Continuously evaluates processes for improvement and increased effectiveness. Support the sales effort at clients with the Account Managers and Solution Architects Participate in the development and execution of improvement opportunities Support senior leadership’s strategic and transformational initiatives Recommend commitments to the number of resources, timing, and scope of projects Diagnose business client problems, develop innovative solutions to theme, and implement recommendations
Client Development	Identify and develop additional opportunities within key client accounts, drawing on the rest of the organization including the sales organization and product development specialists Identify and support ad-hoc opportunity conversion for clients outside of account plans. Maintain, deepen and nurture exiting client relationships, and seek to apply client value propositions and services to existing personal network of clients.
Project Delivery	Identify consulting client leads and support their conversion through to proposal and sale Take the lead in delivering projects, both as part of the team and working independently Apply industry understanding of Business Process Improvement Commercial expertise, analytical insights and consulting skills to deliver high value projects to clients Deliver high quality work and service to ensure client expectations are met or exceeded.
Building Consulting Organization	Support and contribute to the ongoing development of the company. Actively seek to represent and build awareness of the the company consulting team internally in order to demonstrate value to the broader corporation Take an active role in client account planning and development of client account strategies for increasing account penetration Contribute to the development of innovative and differentiated proprietary consulting approaches, methodologies and tools Contribute to the development and packaging of industry insights including thought leadership POVs (Point of Views) that can be taken to market Contribute to the external representation of the company consulting services and capabilities to build presence and credibility on the market place.
Developing People	Act as a line manager for assigned consulting resources and take responsibility for their performance management and professional development Coach and develop junior consulting team members in their understanding of client issues and challenges within the client Business Development and Commercial operations areas Share personal experience and knowledge with the clients with which we collaborate in order to develop the solutions development capability of the broader organization Direct resources and participants in client operational improvement projects to assist team members in the improvement of their economic and business performance. Develop and maintain strong relationships with client business leaders and engage members to drive continuous improvement processes and systems Utilize “best of class” leading practices, tools and data to communicate performance improvement opportunities with client executives, management and other leaders Develop detailed plans for increasing the visibility and utilization of company Performance Improvement offerings Develop and produce proposals, deliverables; i.e. analyses, presentations, reports and case studies Develop systems, methodologies and procedures for data and information collection and data mining Create and deliver presentations, reports, analysis, and advises clients on business strategic recommendations Consult with client internal and external resources/customers to define project scope, design and implementation strategy Maintain industry knowledge on quality, performance excellence and innovation

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