waste reduction – OM in the News

Lean Six Sigma in Hospitals

Although Lean Six Sigma has its origins in manufacturing, many services effectively use it. One such example is the Oncology Department at UC San Diego Health.

The Oncology Department applied a variety of Lean Six Sigma tools to produce $3.73 million in additional annual revenue.

The main source of waste was identified to be the way that several cancer drugs were used in dosing. These drugs were placed in a vial by the manufacturer with a single use dosage concept. In many […]

By Ross L. Fink, Ph.D.|2023-05-10T05:53:01+00:00May 10, 2023|Tags: 6S, healthcare, lean, process improvement, six sigma, waste reduction|

Chick-fil-A’s Three-Day Workweek

A Chick-fil-A restaurant in Miami has gone to a 3-day workweek.

As Chick-fil-A restaurants are not open on Sundays, they have created 2 groups—referred to as pods. Each pod works 3 consecutive 13- to 14-hour days, and then has 4 days off. They also have one seven-day stretch of time off per month, and rotate weekends off.

In addition to the employees that are in the pods, they have other employees that follow more traditional schedules.

The 3-day workweek appeals to many workers. While […]

By Ross L. Fink, Ph.D.|2022-11-27T21:13:20+00:00November 27, 2022|Tags: job design, lean operations, productivity, scheduling, waste reduction, work force scheduling|

The European Commission Plugs Standard Chargers

The European Commission (EC) proposed a new law mandating USB-C ports on electronic devices.

Interchangeable chargers would be more environmentally friendly and would make consumers’ lives easier. Although several manufacturers have already equipped their devices with USB-C ports and have bundled them with the appropriate chargers, Apple sees the law as a threat to innovation and to sales of its Lightning connectors.

Video Spotlight: EU Wants Universal Charger for All Devices (September 23, 2021, CityNews)

This post is based […]

By Corinne M. Karuppan, Ph.D.|2021-09-29T18:54:59+00:00October 2, 2021|Tags: product design, standardization, sustainability, waste reduction|