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***image1***The 21st Theater Sustainment Command is leading the way in U.S. Army Europe in the Army’s deployment of Lean Six Sigma, a quality control system widely used by civilian companies.
LSS is a combination of two separate quality control concepts. In the Lean method, a project manager identifies all of the steps in a process, and then identifies either steps that do not add value to the process or steps that can be improved. Six Sigma is a system that involves implementing controls over a process in order to ensure that as few mistakes as possible are made in the process. The higher the “sigma level” the more control implemented over the process.
“It’s basically common sense,” said Gerd Sprissler, a quality management representative at Maintenance Activity Kaiserslautern, who has used LSS to improve operations at his unit by replacing conventional wrenches with one that automatically torques and records the action, thus eliminating two entire steps from the process.
LSS can be used to improve everything from major logistical operations to the way people work at the office. The improvements might be simple, but can add up to significant cost savings or advances in quality.
Some of those LSS projects include a software program developed by Ron Stanley, a civilian with the 21st TSC, to help the G1 track changing personnel allotments and the IG communication upgrade, where Maj. Joseph Gadea, deputy inspector general for the 21st TSC, improved information output on the IG’s website to reduce the amount of time spent answering phone queries.
Just as LSS saved time and money, it can also be used to improve intangible quantities such as Soldiers’ quality of life.
In one LSS operation, a joint service team from the 21st TSC and the 723rd Air Mobility Squadron, led by Meredith Weber, 21st TSC LSS manager, collaborated to find ways to deploy Soldiers more efficiently and with less stress. About 285,000 personnel are processed by the 723rd AMS through Ramstein Air Base each year, said 1st Lt. Cody Honeycutt, the unit’s passenger services officer. Before those troops get there, they must go through the Deployment Processing Center on Rhine Ordnance Barracks.
The team reduced the overall length of the process from six hours to five hours. It also reduced the amount of time Soldiers spend waiting for their planes at the Joint Mobility Processing Center on Ramstein, which is smaller and not as well-equipped to accommodate the potentially jet-lagged servicemembers than the DPC.
The 21st TSC’s civilian component, Theater Logistics Sustainment Center Europe, also is embracing LSS to improve its logistical operations. Markus Mueller of the TLSC-E’s LSS Core Team conducted a series of projects to reduce bottlenecks in operation at Supply Activity Kaiserslautern, and eliminate backorders.
Eric Wilking at MAK led an LSS team in a project that led to the Humvee repair line being moved from TLSC-E to ROB. The result was 800 square meters of workspace being cleared up at MAK, so that the unit will be able to conduct repairs without leasing and equipping a facility that could have had a six figure price tag.
It just so happens that LSS is also a very inexpensive method.
“In terms of the expenses, there really are none. The greatest expenditure is time.” said Ms. Weber.
With less than one year into the development of its LSS program, 21st TSC is already changing the way it does business.
