Contact: Phyllis Levine at 845.896.6934 X3001 or by Email
HVTDC OFFERS TWO NEW SERVICES: LEAN SIX SIGMA & SUPPLEMENTAL EXECUTIVE SERVICES
To learn more about HVTDC’s Lean 101 training, please contact Phyllis Levine at 845-896-6934x3001, via email at plevine@hvtdc.org, or visit www.hvtdc.org.
Fishkill, New York, May 30, 2007 – HVTDC, The Hudson Valley Technology Development Center in Fishkill, is now offering two new services to manufacturing firms, and other businesses, throughout the Valley. The first is training of employees in Lean Six Sigma, the combination of two of the world’s most revered business approaches that together offer exemplary, tangible improvements and benefits. The second is the offering of experienced executives to supplement a company’s management team with objective assistance in taking new direction during various stages of that business’s development. Stages may range from rapid growth, to profit-depleting stagnation, to potential bankruptcy.
HVTDC’s Executive Director, Thomas G. Phillips, Sr., recognizes the not-for-profit business resource organization is filling two significantly important arenas for manufacturing firms today. “Our specialty is in offering Lean 101 Training. We’ve expanded that to offer today’s most sought-after training, Lean Six Sigma. We also took steps this year to initiate our Supplemental Executive Program because we recognize that companies have an occasional need for on-site, expert assistance from seasoned professionals to help them through various stages. We see this need in many of our client companies, both mature and growth stage companies.”
Phillips explains that, “Lean Six Sigma combines two intensely disciplined approaches that identify and aggressively eliminate wasteful actions, steps and activities that are neither productive nor profitable to a company. Combining the Lean Principles of Manufacturing with Six Sigma offers Herculean results.” While apart, both Lean and Six Sigma are proven, quantifiable methods for improving a company’s productivity process. Lean equals speed and efficiency, while Six Sigma equates to precision and accuracy. Merged together, they offer Lean’s exceptional speed and impact plus Six Sigma’s notable quality control and variation reduction.
“By integrating Lean’s notable speed for removing unnecessary activities from production lines with Six Sigma’s renowned success for reducing the average time to complete a project from months or more to mere weeks, companies reach their goals faster,” explains Phillips. “The overriding result of this high-powered, seamless, single-process combination is that rapid improvements are achieved at low costs.
The objective of Lean Six Sigma,” states Phillips “is to continuously and rapidly improve a company’s operations while eliminating wasteful actions or steps. It is also to instill productivity in the shortest amount of time possible at the lowest costs. Personnel are trained to look at the total process of creating something, anything from manufacturing a product to billing, and applying the Lean and Six Sigma techniques to obtain the greatest results. The goal is to have a methodology in place, plus a staff trained in using the right Lean Six Sigma tools, plus a group mindset focused on continually reducing cycle time and fixing problems that cost the company money.”
Phillips believes HVTDC is fulfilling a less recognized, but highly desired, need in the manufacturing arena’s growing marketplace, for experienced assistance in going through a business’ growing pains. “Over the course of the last few years, we identified several companies that were in need of executive management to help them through various phases of their businesses. We designed a program that allows some of our executive management consultants to literally go into a company to help direct that company through different stages and needs.”
Periodically Phillips, and HVTDC Field Services Director, Bob Winrow, select members of HVTDC’s executive management team to assist various clients. “When we become aware of the operations and needs of our clients, we match our experienced management executives with those needs. We look at both the mindset of the client company, and the mindset, experience and skills of the executive we assign to each project to best fit our client’s needs.”
The length of time supplementing a client’s needs with an on-site consultant depends greatly on what results after the advisor goes into a company. “We have no set or even estimated time frame for any project,” states Winrow. “It’s all decided after we get inside, analyze the problem and begin to develop solutions. The objective is to create a specific set of goals and objectives in tandem with the client. Then we strive to accomplish those goals within three to five months. Once an executive is inside, he gets an idea of what’s going on, and the company is usually quickly able to see the specific skills that experienced manager brings to their table.”