Baxa Corporation Completes Six Sigma Training for Problem-Solving and Process Improvement
Baxa Corporation announces the completion of a pilot training program in the Six Sigma methodology. Funded by a government grant, Baxa trained a select cross-functional team in the process and practices of Six Sigma to kick off a broader-based program. The ten-week course recently "graduated" its attendees to move on to create measurable results through hands-on implementation of the program's tools and methods throughout the company.
Englewood, CO (PRWEB) June 11, 2004 -- Baxa Corporation announces the completion of a pilot training program in the Six Sigma methodology. Funded by a government grant, Baxa trained a select cross-functional team in the process and practices of Six Sigma to kick off a broader-based program. The ten-week course recently "graduated" its attendees to move on to create measurable results through hands-on implementation of the program's tools and methods throughout the company.
'Sigma' is a statistical term representing standard deviation, or the amount of variation in a set of process measurements. 'Six Sigma' is a methodology that measures processes in terms of defects. At the six sigma level, a process has only 3.4 defects per million opportunities. Six Sigma is also a tool for eliminating defects through understanding, measuring and improving processes.
"US manufacturers operate at about three to four sigma quality," states Steve vanEngen, VP of Operations. "Our goal is to use the Six Sigma management tools to systematically root out and eliminate process defects, approaching a quality level of zero defects." This allows manufacturers such as Baxa to not only satisfy, but exceed customer expectations. The underlying statistical tools and methodology to Six Sigma lead to greater profitability and increased market share.
There are five phases to Six Sigma: Definition, Measurement, Analysis, Improvement and Control.
The initial participants in the Six Sigma training at Baxa have been charged with identifying six projects for implementation of the technology that align with Baxa Corporation's strategic goals and will provide tangible results for the rest of the organization. The eighteen participants -from Quality, Operations, Finance, Engineering, Information Systems and Technical Support - completed the program over the course of the first half of this year, with the assistance of a Certified Six Sigma Master Black Belt.
Baxa plans to continue Six Sigma training throughout all levels of the organization, focusing on program and process overviews and the use of the tools for general problem-solving and process mapping. "Six Sigma gives us practical solutions that impact the bottom line," acknowledges Greg Baldwin, Chairman and CEO. "Our expectation is that this means of process review and waste elimination will become part of our culture of delivering customer satisfaction and value, while at the same time improving profitability."
Rather than focusing on individuals achieving "Black Belt" status under Six Sigma, Baxa is working to complete some initial projects to give the program momentum. Individuals will be 'certified' competent in the use of the Six Sigma tools and in training others. Using this approach, the program will be rolled out to as many Baxa associates as possible to allow the greatest impact for implementation. Success of the Six Sigma initiative will be measured in true performance improvement. Metrics for this, and other key objectives, are posted monthly in highly visible work areas at Baxa, including the associates' lunchroom. As with other Baxa programs, Six Sigma is performance-oriented and its progress will be communicated through process improvement, profit enhancement and goal achievement.
About Baxa Corporation:
A leading provider of devices and systems for the preparation, handling, packaging, and administration of liquid medications, Baxa manufactures and markets a wide range of healthcare products for use in hospitals, critical care units and alternate-site pharmacies. Headquartered in Englewood, Colorado, Baxa has subsidiaries and sales offices in Canada, the United Kingdom; Denmark, and Germany; and distribution partners worldwide. Further information is available at http://www.baxa.com.
About the Colorado Center for Professional Development:
The Colorado Computer Center is the community leader in computer training for corporate and individual customers in the Denver area, featuring qualified instructors and the highest-rated courseware. Affiliated with Arapahoe Community College, the Center offers offer courses in a wide range of general business and professional software applications and certifications. Further information is available at http://www.coloradotraining.com.
About Six Sigma:
Six Sigma is a statistical methodology that developed from work done at Motorola in the 1980s. It measures and reflects true process capability and correlates it to the probability of success or failure. There are a wide variety of consultants and resources available that provide comprehensive background and training on Six Sigma. Selected further information is available at http://mu.motorola.com, http://www.6sigma.us and http://www.6sigma.com.
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Contacts:
Marian Robinson, Vice President, Marketing, Baxa Corporation: 800.567.2292 ext. 2157 or 303.617.2157
Email: marian.robinson@baxa.com
Maggie Holben, Absolutely Public Relations: 303.984.9801 or 303.669.3558
Email: maggie@absolutelypr.com
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