72nd Air Base Wing Public Affairs (Sept. 22, 2006): process improvement class a priority at Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center.TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. -- As another session of the Green Belt Training Course taught by The Lean Institute here shifts into high gear, Oklahoma City Oklahoma City (1990 pop. 444,719), state capital, and seat of Oklahoma co., central Okla., on the North Canadian River; inc. 1890. The state's largest city, it is an important livestock market, a wholesale, distribution, industrial, and financial center, and a farm Air Logistics Center senior managers stress the importance of the class. The Green Belt Training Course trains 20 students at a time and emphasizes Lean and Six Sigma Not to be confused with Sigma 6. Six Sigma is a set of practices originally developed by Motorola to systematically improve processes by eliminating defects.[1] A defect is defined as nonconformity of a product or service to its specifications. tools including 5S + 1, value stream mapping Value Stream Mapping is a Lean technique used to analyse the flow of materials and information currently required to bring a product or service to a consumer. At Toyota, where the technique originated, it is known as "Material and Information Flow Mapping" [1]. and cause and effect diagrams. Since October 2005, more than 100 Lean classes have been offered. "The course is meant to show us the power of process thinking and give us the basic tools to help us improve the way we do our work," said Air Force Col. Rick Matthews, OC-ALC OC-ALC Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center vice director, who is enrolled in the current class. Before a session begins, students are divided into teams and assigned a project to complete using techniques taught in the class. "The purpose of a project is to ensure the students know how to apply techniques learned in the class into a real-world situation," said Wade Wolfe, Transformation, Integration, and Process Improvements Division chief with the Plans and Programs Directorate. Projects assigned for the current session include reducing the time it takes to have a prescription refilled at the base pharmacy, improving the mobility process in the 552nd Air Control Wing, reducing the process time for the Air Force Materiel Command  Air Force Materiel Command (AFMC) is a major command of the United States Air Force. purchase request form, and developing a more efficient way to ensure the 76th MXW is paid properly for work performed when repairing engine parts that exceed technical orders limits, Wolfe said. The Green Belt Training course is a key component to meeting the challenge by Gen. Bruce Carlson, Air Force Materiel Command commander, to reduce costs and improving equipment availability, Wolfe said. Since the program's induction, there have been several process improvements implemented, not only on the shop floor, but also in the administrative areas. The F110 squadron in the 748th Combat Sustainment Group has improved the Air Force Technical Order-22 review and approval process. The benefits include an 88 percent reduction in overdue responses and a 54 percent reduction in average days open, which has lessened less·en v. less·ened, less·en·ing, less·ens v.tr. 1. To make less; reduce. 2. Archaic To make little of; belittle. v.intr. To become less; decrease. from 39 to 17 days, Wolfe said. Armstrong is with 72nd Air Base Wing Public Affairs Those public information, command information, and community relations activities directed toward both the external and internal publics with interest in the Department of Defense. Also called PA. See also command information; community relations; public information. . |
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