Reducing Process Costs with Lean, Six Sigma, and Value Engineering Techniques

A company with effective cost reduction activities in place will be better positioned to adapt to shifting economic conditions. In fact, it can make the difference between organizations that thrive and those that simply survive during times of economic uncertainty. Reducing Process Costs with Lean, Six Sigma, and Value Engineering Techniques covers the methods and techniques currently available for lowering the costs of products, processes, and services.

Describing why cost reductions can be just as powerful as revenue increases, the book arms readers with the understanding required to select the best solution for their company’s culture and capabilities. It emphasizes home-grown techniques that do not require the implementation of any new methodologies—making it easy to apply them in any organization.

The authors explain how to reduce costs through traditional Lean methods and Lean Six Sigma. They also present Six Sigma cost savings techniques from Manufacturing Six Sigma, Services Six Sigma, and Design for Six Sigma. The book also presents optimization techniques from operations research methods, design experiment, and engineering process control.

Helping you determine what your organization’s value proposition is, the text explains how to improve on the existing proposition and suggests a range of tools to help you achieve this goal. The tools and techniques presented vary in complexity and capability and most chapters include a rubric at the start to help readers determine the levels of competence required to perform the tasks outlined in that chapter.

About the Authors

Kim H. Pries (CPIM, CRE, CQE, CSQE, CSSBB, CMQ/OE, CQA) has four college degrees: B.A. in history from the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP), B.S. in metallurgical engineering from UTEP, M.S. in metallurgical engineering from UTEP, and M.S. in metallurgical engineering and materials science from Carnegie-Mellon University.

Pries worked as a computer systems manager, a software engineer for an electrical utility, a scientific programmer under a defense contract, and for Stoneridge, Incorporated (SRI), he has worked as a Software manager, Engineering services manager, Reliability section manager, and a Product integrity and reliability director.

In addition to his other responsibilities, Pries has provided Six Sigma training for both UTEP and SRI and cost reduction initiatives for SRI. Pries is also a founding faculty member of Practical Project Management. Additionally, in concert with Jon Quigley, Pries is a cofounder and principal with Value Transformation, LLC, a training, testing, cost improvement, and product development consultancy. Pries also holds Texas teacher certification in mathematics, technological education, technological applications, and special education. Pries's first book was Six Sigma for the Next Millennium: A CSSBB Guidebook (Quality Press, 2005), now in a second edition as Six Sigma for the New Millennium: A CSSBB Guidebook, Second Edition (Quality Press, 2009).

Jon M. Quigley (PMP, CTFL) has three college degrees: a B.S. in electronic engineering technology from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, a M.B.A. in marketing, and a M.S. in project management from City University of Seattle.

He holds several patents and awards.

Quigley is on Western Carolina University's Masters of Project Management advisory board.

In concert with Pries, Quigley is cofounder and principal with Value Transformation, LLC, training, testing, cost improvement, and product development consultancy.

Collectively, Pries and Quigley are the authors of the books Project Management of Complex and Embedded Systems: Ensuring Product Integrity and Program Quality (CRC Press, 2008), Testing of Complex and Embedded Systems (CRC Press, 2010), and Scrum Project Management (CRC Press, 2010). Additionally, they have authored numerous magazine articles and presentations at product development conferences about various aspects of product development and project management.