client
Enterprise Implementation
Practice / Industry: Electronics/High Tech
Challenge
The Company suffered major setbacks due to lower cost, higher quality products offered by numerous competitors. In spite of rapidly declining profits, corporate management did not resort to panic cost cutting. Rather, the top management team devoted several months to study competitive offerings and benchmark engineering & manufacturing methods in non-competitive companies. Armed with a new strategy derived from the study of enterprise implementation, the CEO set the goal of reversing this trend and becoming the market leader.
ASI Solution
To achieve this objective, the company selected ASI-CG as a partner to help with their enterprise implementation. The first stage was to reinvent the engineering and manufacturing capability of the corporation. ASI-CG was intensely involved during the initial 5 year turnaround period. ASI-CG provided training, consulting and execution in all of the elements of what is now recognized as engineering based Design for Six Sigma (DFSS). The corporation developed a new Product Development Process based on DFSS methodology.
Achieved Benefit
The outcome was an outstanding success story in which ASI-CG is proud to have participated. Within 4 years, the corporation was delivering the highest quality, most reliable, and lowest cost office products. Happy customers helped the company regain market share, years of rapid growth, and unprecedented profitability.
Engine System Supplier
Challenge:
A major engine system supplier was attempting to expand out of the automotive market but was having difficulty translating their engine system experience from automotive applications to other engine applications. The target market was expecting complete systems exceeding the current market performance and reliability. The current engineering process was not allowing the company to be competitive in this new market.
ASI Solution:
ASI Consulting Group was called and began utilizing Robust Design for the engine system supplier for new engineering processes. Management support for this new method was skeptical at first. The group utilized the methodology on the target market products. The result for the group was that they were able to transition from 30 % below the competition in performance to 10 % above the competition. This was completed using a fraction of the resources and less than half the time of previous projects. This success allowed them to enter a new market and generate revenue that was not available previously.
Achieved Benefit:
Management recognized the power of this new process and began to expand it to other engineering groups. These groups were able to document resource and time savings of over 50 % on other engineering programs while delivering products that were far superior in performance and durability of previous released products.
Emergency Department Wait Time
Challenge:
The most frequent complaint voiced about emergency department wait time to the Hospital CEO was that new patients experience long waits throughout their experience. Long waits to be admitted, long waits before receiving treatment, and even longer waits in the overall treatment process. Reduce the total wait time experienced by patients and increase their satisfaction with the overall emergency department experience. There were no expectations of financial results for this project.
ASI Solution:
Mapping the issues that were causing emergency department wait time to be longer, ASI examine key emergency department processes. Team members were observed operations and recorded data for actual visits on all shifts. The following were discovered: inconsistencies between shifts non-value-added activities opportunities to better coordinate scheduling of procedures patients often were unaware of their status. Differences between shifts were analyzed and best practices implemented. Some of the non-value-added steps were eliminated. Blood testing and other procedures were coordinated to minimize waiting. Patients were more thoroughly advised of current activities.
Achieved Benefit:
Overall wait time was reduced by 25%, resulting in improved patient satisfaction. In addition, the streamlining of the processes yielded annual savings of $200,000 in operating expenses.
Electronic Copier
Challenge:
A manufacturer of a popular electronic copier found that their customers wanted new features and functions, but the company also knew that implementations of new features and functions tended to be very slow and often required a lot of ‘guessing’ by engineers as to which features customers would like the most. Fear of the unknown continued to slow progress in launching their new models.
ASI Solution:
Electronic copier design, like any other machine, requires that engineers understand that the Voice of the Customer, Quality Function Deployment, and Concept Development methodologies. ASI demonstrated how the company’s competitors used such methodology to turn technological marvels into products customers want. Moreover, ASI showed that Robust Optimization methods could help make the products highly reliable. The corporation established a program to get engineers out and about with customers. Engineers essentially collaborated with customers to refine and prioritize an extensive list of possible features and functions.
Achieved Benefit:
The company launched a highly successful family of digital copiers that quickly replaced optical copiers.
DFSS Helps To Achieve Company Vision
Practice / Industry: DFSS
Challenge
An Asian automotive OEM was No.8 in sales worldwide. The CEO of the company announced it is targeting to become No.5 worldwide. In order to accomplish this goal, the company’s execute vice president of engineering recognized a need to change its engineering culture. ASI-CG was called to help.
ASI Solution
DFSS (Design for Six Sigma) has been deployed before to address similar challenges. Armed with client’s vision and leadership commitment, ASI-CG transformed the culture. Changing the hearts and minds of the technical staff was a huge challenge and ASI-CG started with the top executive team. The commitment from senior management allowed for all sixty technical directors to participate in the 4-week project oriented Design for Six Sigma (DFSS) black belt training. Perception started to change as more engineers were trained. DFSS projects were carefully selected and assigned to each of the black belt candidates. Both top management and engineers were able to see and measure the success of the program.
Achieved Benefit
The business impact of the DFSS program was significant. There was a 200X return on investment. ASI-CG laid the groundwork needed for the corporation to create a multi-billion dollar gain. The company is now well position to achieve its vision and the market trends have reflected this.
DFSS Helps Leverage New Market Opportunities
Practice / Industry: DFSS
Challenge
The Company was attempting to expand out of the automotive market but was having difficulty translating their engine system experience from automotive applications to other engine applications. The current engineering process was not allowing the company to be competitive in this new market.
ASI Solution
DFSS (Design For Six Sigma) was first introduced in 2005 by ASI. The client’s new engineering group needed new engineering processes; ASI-GC utilized its extensive knowledge of DFSS. Management support for these new methods was skeptical at first. The group utilized the DFSS methodologies on the target market products. The result for the group was that they were able to transition from 30 % below the competition in performance to 10 % above the competition. This was completed using a fraction of the resources and less than half the time of previous projects. This success allowed them to enter a new market and generate revenue.
Achieved Benefit
The success did not stop with that one application of DFSS, Management recognized the power of this new process and began to expand it to other engineering groups. These groups were able to document resource and time savings of over 50 % on other engineering programs while delivering products that were far superior in performance and durability of previous released products.
DFSS Aids New Product Development
Practice / Industry: DFSS
Challenge
An office product company was examining digital electronic copier implementations. New electronic implementations created problems with new features and functions. How could the thousands of potential new features and functions be narrowed down to those that were important to future customers? This seemingly unknown answer slowed development while competitors were preparing to launch their digital copiers.
ASI Solution
DFSS has been an ASI tool since the first book on the subject: Design For Six Sigma in 2005. Using DFSS methodology, ASI-CG helped the corporation understand that the Voice of the Customer (VOC), Quality Function Deployment, and Concept Development Methodologies could help turn technological into products customers want. They also learned that through DFSS and Robust Optimization methods, their products would become highly reliable. The corporation established a program to get engineers out and about with customers. For the first time engineers collaborated with customers to refine and an extensive list of possible features and functions. The result created a product that was well received by customers and hepled the corporation ‘leap frog’ its competition.
Achieved Benefit
The company launched a highly successful family of digital copiers that quickly replaced optical copiers. The principles of DFSS helped the company to create a full range of digital copiers customers purchased in preference to competitive offerings.
Customized Curriculum Development
Challenge:
A large global Construction and Mining Equipment Manufacturer wanted to increase their market share and product quality.
ASI Solution:
Customized curriculum development was the solution that the ASI team settled on. Our executives and Master Black Belts worked with this client to develop their skill set, delivering the training and mentoring their Black Belts. We continued our engagement and certified internal Black Belts to become Master Black Belts.
Achieved Benefit:
The customized curriculum development approach worked. ASI Consulting Group played an integral part in training and mentoring nearly 150 Master Black Belts and 1700 Black Belts. The client’s financial benefit from this engagement exceeded $800 million.
Corporate Deployment Robust Engineering
Challenge:
A multi-billion dollar Tier 1 automotive supplier was struggling with poor product quality and reliability. Automotive OEM customers were not confident the company could meet their stringent quality requirements. The company recognized that poor quality – redesign, returns, warranty and cancellation of contracts – were costing them several million dollars. The company leadership, decided to focus on Engineering. They realized that quality designed into a product or a process, creates lower costs.
ASI Solution:
Seeking robust engineering experts, the company selected ASI Consulting Group as its partner to achieve the new mission. ASI Consulting and others within the company collaborated on an extensive review of the company’s engineering practices and closely examining areas that have short and long-term impact on the company. Robust Engineering was applied. Although initial projects were focused on fixing urgent problems (firefighting), projects gradually shifted from “problem-solving” to “advanced development”, focusing more and more on problem prevention as opposed to fire fighting. The application of Robust Engineering precluded firefighting and helped engineers to focus more on strategic aspects.
Challenge:
Several hundred projects have been completed. The average result of the projects was 50% reduction in variation and the total financial benefits have already been over $100 million.
Compressor
Challenge:
The company manufactures compressors for the refrigeration industry. The refrigeration industry is under pressure to reduce or even eliminate the emission of all compounds with a significant ozone depletion potential and/or a global warming potential. There is a great need to develop a more efficient compressor for the refrigeration industry in order to satisfy the growing worldwide demand.
ASI Solution:
ASI Consulting Group optimized the design process of valve parts that affect the energy efficiency ratio of compressors.
Achieved Benefit:
The new design for their compressor reduced variance by 50%, and improved efficiency by 3.3% (which is very significant for this industry). The new compressor design is robust against oil variations and satisfies needs of society to control environmental pollution. A series of studies resulted in compressor designs that were regarded as grade ‘A’ internationally. Before these developments, compressors from this company were regarded as grade ‘C’.