Data Analysis Key to PolyOne''s Lean Six Sigma Success

Like many businesses, after the U.S. economy entered a recession in 2008, PolyOne looked to combat the economic slowdown with Lean Six Sigma as a major element in its strategy. But in embarking on an enterprise-wide deployment that included many employee roles, business units, and locations, PolyOne was faced with the challenge to quickly train a large proportion of its full-time workforce in Lean Six Sigma, while also selecting the most valuable projects and beginning to execute them. PolyOne set a five-year target goal to have 20% of all full-time associates formally trained in Lean Six Sigma, with different groups trained as project leaders requiring Black Belt, Green Belt, or Kaizen Leader designations.

While Minitab''s ease of use has contributed to the success of PolyOne''s Lean Six Sigma and statistical training, that''s just the start. After they''ve been trained, the software helps Lean Six Sigma teams complete the data analysis at the heart of their projects.

PolyOne used Cluster analysis was also used to determine if similar properties existed in over 100 grades of raw materials purchased for the production of polymers. This analysis of key material characteristics provided a starting point for quality teams to investigate opportunities to consolidate purchases and reduce complexities in the current purchasing process.

With more than 180 Six Sigma projects under way at any one time, PolyOne''s project teams have come to trust the versatile power of Minitab Statistical Software for the analysis of all types of project data. "From transactional to manufacturing-based process improvement projects, Minitab helps us analyze data and deliver bottom-line results," says Warland.