“Right now, the big thing is disruption. Shattering the mold, because that’s where you get gigantic increases,” John Taylor says. “Everyone is looking for the next big thing.”
Taylor teaches lean manufacturing and process improvement in the Department of Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering (IME) at the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering. He posits that while disruption might be great for designers, for engineers who work with highly repetitive processes and need consistency, disruption is not a welcome idea.
Six Sigma, a process often associated with lean manufacturing that represents a powerful method of improving efficiency and effectiveness in industry. Its history is intertwined with the “lean” process that was initiated by Toyota after World War II. The company looked to increase profits by eliminating wasted time, labor and materials involved in their manufacturing system. Toyota was so successful that everyone wanted to get in on the idea of reduced process-waste manufacturing.
Lean and Six Sigma terminology are often used interchangeably, but they are different and complementary ideas. The Six Sigma process is about reducing variability and improving quality so that the number of defects becomes so small that they are statistically insignificant. Both lean and Six Sigma processes provide a data-driven approach to measuring process performance.
Taylor says many of the statistical elements of lean manufacturing and Six Sigma methods are incorporated in IME classes, but he believes students should take advantage of additional training separate from what is taught in the classroom.
“There is a certification program that the Institute of Industrial & Systems Engineers (IISE) provides in lean manufacturing and Six Sigma that will help a student stand out from the crowd,” Taylor points out.
When a company has a job opening, recruiters comb through hundreds of resumes. If everyone has taken the same courses and equivalent GPAs, the student with additional certifications will stand out.
“If (recruiters) see an applicant who has taken it one step further and obtained a Six Sigma and Lean Certification, that person stands out,” Taylor explains. “It shows the recruiter that the candidate is prepared for the workforce.”
Corey Krueger is the president of the student chapter of IISE at FAMU-FSU Engineering. IISE provides local Six Sigma and Lean training for students and Krueger believes this can help applicants get a foot in the door.
“Six Sigma and Lean training are two different certifications that employers want,” Krueger says. “Six Sigma improves the quality in a process to make sure there is less randomness and Lean Certification is about reducing the waste in a process. I know of students who have gotten instant internships from a company because of the Six Sigma or Lean Certification.”
Members of the student chapter of IISE get a substantial discount for the training and students can take the training locally, usually over a three-day weekend in the spring semester. The group offers Six Sigma or Lean training each year. They try to alternate training so that students have the opportunity to take both courses before they graduate.
Most everyone on Krueger’s engineering senior design team has the certification. They are using the process for a senior design project at Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare.
“We are looking at Sepsis Protocol Improvement,” Krueger says. “Our group is using (a Six Sigma process) called the DMAIC process to organize the project. We’re trying to reduce the mortality rate of sepsis with a focus on early detection.”
The DMAIC process stands for define, measure, analyze, improve and control. The idea is to reduce the variation in a process, focusing on quality manufacturing. Beth Gray is a teaching professor in industrial engineering at the college and includes Six Sigma in her senior design courses. She says the tools and techniques can be applied for solving any problem.
“The concept of Six Sigma is a framework for how we run our projects in Senior Design,” Gray says. “The projects are designed to give students real-world work experience in engineering. The DMAIC process helps students learn how to identify and solve problems.”
Whether applying for a job or trying to solve a real-world problem, the addition of a Six Sigma or Lean Certification is one more tool that helps a student stand out from the crowd.
Certification training from IISE is open to all engineering students and majors. For more information on getting certified in Six Sigma and Lean, contact IISE to see when a course is available locally for a reduced cost.