Lean Six Sigma

The Lean Six Sigma method is the common theme throughout the business operation of Oldenburger|Fritom. We are ISO 13053-1 certified, and all our employees are trained according to the international standards of the American Society for Quality (ASQ). In other words, our logistic management is focused on the needs of you as our customer. This is expressed in our pursuit for operational excellence and continuous improvement.

About the Lean Six Sigma method

The Six Sigma management philosophy can be traced back to 1986 when Motorola wanted to compete with the Japanese Kaizen business model in the United States of America. The management philosophy was shared by Motorola with AlliedSignal, then later, Honeywell. AlliedSignal in its turn used Six Sigma to get the company out of its negative spiral.

This didn’t go unnoticed by Jack Welch, CEO of General Electric at the time. In 1995 he applied Six Sigma very successfully to his company. The Lean Six Sigma concept was then introduced in a book for the very first time: ‘Leaning into Six Sigma: The Path to Integration of Lean Enterprise and Six Sigma’ (2001).

DMAIC model

In Lean Six Sigma two improvement methods are combined. Lean offers tools mainly based on best practices. Six Sigma offers a project-based approach with quantitative analyzes. Together they are used to improve and innovate processes in a systematical manner. Structured according to the DMAIC model, which is central to our ISO 13053-1 certification:

Define
Measure
Analyze
Improve
Control

During the first stage CTQs (Critical To Quality) are defined to provide insight in the Six Sigma process performance. Based on this, influencing elements are analyzed. As soon as these have been identified, actions can be taken to improve performance, according to the Lean Six Sigma method.

Six Sigma roles in the organization of Oldenburger|Fritom Logistic Solutions.

Training according to ASQ

In lean logistics we continuously strive to improve and innovate. That is why all the employees in our logistic knowledge organization follow a Lean Six Sigma training. These trainings meet the international standards as set by the American Society for Quality (ASQ) and have a belt certification:

Master Black Belt
Black Belt
Green Belt
Orange Belt
Yellow Belt
White Belt

The White Belt training is followed by our colleagues on the shop floor. This training consists of an introduction and is practice oriented. The Yellow Belt training also consists of an introduction and is intended for our office staff. For our colleagues who wish to develop further in the method, there is the possibility to achieve the Orange Belt level. The same applies to Green Belt, the level of our management team. Some of them have obtained the Black Belt level.

Our in-house expert is Master Black Belt certified according to ASQ and guides our organization in the methodology and develops training courses for this. Our Master Black Belt provides this for the levels White Belt up to and including Green Belt. Together with our Black Belts and Green Belts, our Master Black Belt leads our improvement projects.