Program

Track Descriptions

The following track descriptions go into further detail about the topics and resources that attendees will be able to explore during the Engineering Lean & Six Sigma Conference.

Industrial Engineering & Lean Six Sigma

Lean and Six Sigma have their roots in industrial engineering. Lean tools are traditionally developed by industrial engineering to improve productivity and eliminate wastes while Six Sigma tools are originally used by engineering to improve quality, reliability and defect level of products and services.

Sub-categories within this track include:

Measurement – Process improvement methodologies lean for speed and Six Sigma for stability and accuracy. It should include successful project execution with the use of Lean Six Sigma Methodology and have a direct measurable impact on the following metrics: customer satisfaction, employee growth, profitability, productivity and revenue generation. Lean efficiency, efficacy and lean matrices can be covered with theory and/or practice.
Simulation – Simulation track is solicited on theoretical and application aspects of modeling and simulation of lean and Six Sigma systems in any area, including manufacturing and transportation systems, engineering, ecology and environment, education, etc. It will also include simulation based optimization, decision-making, agent based systems, etc.

Lean Six Sigma Case Studies

Case studies are stories with an educational message. A case is a description of an actual situation, commonly involving a decision, a challenge, an opportunity, a problem, or an issue faced by a person or persons in an organization. The decision-maker faced with the situation described in a case can choose between several alternative courses of action, and each of these alternatives may plausibly be supported by logical argument. In this track, lean practitioners will share real world cases of Lean Six Sigma (LSS) deployment and present in depth analysis of the challenges faced and the results obtained.

Lean Six Sigma Industry Practices

These presentations share how viable Lean and Six Sigma are applicable to all types of businesses to generate a sustainable advantage in cost, quality, speed, eliminate waste, process improvement, reduce inefficiencies in freight movement, material handling, inventory control and customer service to achieve world-class performance in a wide variety of applications and industries. The target audience of this track is primarily industry practitioners and researchers in supply chain management, manufacturing, measurement, warehousing, transportation, retail, and health care systems.

Sub-categories within this track include:

Business Law – Lean Six Sigma has found innovative applications in the services sector over the past decade. The purpose of this track is to share the innovative applications and fundamental challenges, success factors, and benefits in the implementation of LSS within Business Law. The speakers of this track will present the applications of lean or Six Sigma methodologies and the key results achieved from the implementation.
Energy – Identifying and eliminating non-value adding activities in the energy value chain is very important to achieve efficiencies and competitive pricing. Energy value chain is quite diverse as it can include oil and gas production and distribution, traditional power generation such as hydroelectric, nuclear or coal, or renewable energy production. The purpose of this track is to share the innovative applications and fundamental challenges, success factors, and benefits in the implementation of LSS within the Energy Value Chain. The speakers of this track will present the applications of lean or Six Sigma methodologies and the key results achieved from the implementations.
Government – The government has recently announced and has already implemented many initiatives to reduce operating costs. While lean Six Sigma is already being practiced, the government has greatly increased LSS efforts. This track aims to present case studies and lessons learned that can help practitioners succeed in their own agency’s initiatives. Further, discussions will allow members to collaborate and receive feedback from different perspectives, all with the knowledge and understanding of the requirements and challenges that are unique to government.
Healthcare – The purpose of this track is to share the fundamental challenges, success factors, benefits in the implementation of LSS within Healthcare Sector. The application of various appropriate lean and Six Sigma tools and techniques in the context of healthcare are also welcome. The speakers of this track can also present the applications of lean or Six Sigma methodologies and the key results achieved from the implementation.
Manufacturing – Showcase how industrial engineers affect the manufacturing world using such tools as lean and Six Sigma. Industrial engineers work to eliminate wastes of time, money, materials, energy, and other resources, as well as to eliminate waste due to variation and rework. How do industrial engineers identify the challenges faced in the everyday application of lean and Six-Sigma in manufacturing? What did those industrial engineers do to overcome those challenges? What was the business case to tackle these challenges? Real world examples are shared by those who experienced them.
Non-profit – Non-profit organizations face the same challenges as the for profit sector regarding quality and productivity. But the non-profit world has constraints that are not present in the general business world. This track aims to present case studies and lessons learned that can help practitioner succeed in their own agency's mission. Discussions will allow members to collaborate and receive feedback from different perspectives, all with the knowledge and understanding of the requirements and challenges that are unique to the non-profit sector.
Retail – Retail is among the most competitive of businesses. Successful organizations need every advantage possible, including those provided by lean and Six Sigma in order to be profitable. Retail also has a very close proximity to its customers. This track aims to present case studies and lessons learned that can help practitioner succeed in the retail environment. Discussions will allow members to collaborate and receive feedback from different perspectives, all with the knowledge and understanding of the requirements and challenges that are unique to the retail segment of our economy.
Supply Chain – Today’s logistics & supply chain industry suffers from inefficiencies in freight movement, materials management, inventory control, quality sustainment, information management, and many other areas. Lean Six Sigma application in the supply chain sector has the potential to revolutionize this industry. This track will invite industry experts and cutting edge researchers from various segments of the supply chain sectors, who will share their successful lean Six Sigma implementation stories and "know-hows" with the conference participants.

Future of Lean Six Sigma

The future of continuous improvement methodologies has been questioned under a common concern, which is that current methodologies are losing inertia within academia and industry leading to an opportunity of promoting innovation in the field. Industrial engineering has been considered the main field of knowledge to embrace continuous improvement due to its technical capability, which in essence, is not being used fully by methodologies like lean and Six Sigma. This track is focused in creating a stage for new ideas both in academia and industry for the development of successful tools and methods in the area of lean and Six Sigma. Practitioners in academia and industry with an innovative approach for continuous improvement using lean, Six Sigma or other methodologies are welcome.

Sustaining Lean Six Sigma Efforts

Lean implementation represents a fundamental change and most businesses have embraced lean transformation as agent of change. However, many lean implementation efforts begin with much fanfare and fizzle out without realizing anticipated results. This track presents strategies, tools and technologies that are necessary to develop sustainable and reliable lean systems. The target audience is business improvement researchers and business leaders; managers and industrial experts who are at different levels of business leadership but not limited to those that have successfully implemented lean processes.

Teaching Lean Six Sigma

As organizations roll out lean and six sigma processes employees must be trained. Successful organizations have determined the most effective ways to present these materials so that the lean Six Sigma efforts can be sustained. This track aims to present case studies and lessons learned on the development, implementation, and evaluation of successful training programs in both the business world as well as the academic community. Discussions will allow members to collaborate and receive feedback from different perspectives, all with the knowledge and understanding of the requirements and challenges that are unique to the training environment.