CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT

Making the right decisions; using the right tools.

Since its inception, RL Hudson’s commitment to continuous improvement has been a driving force behind the company. It’s that commitment that has allowed the company to evolve from a simple seal distributor to a world class supplier of molded rubber and plastic components, serving some of the world’s most successful manufacturing firms. And it’s that same commitment that continues to fuel our company’s rapid growth today.

As you know, continuous improvement certainly isn’t anything new. The term itself can refer to a specific focus on linear, statistically measurable improvement within an existing process, or it can be used in a more general sense.

In the broadest sense, for RL Hudson, continuous improvement means completely understanding the customer’s needs and responding with solutions that meet or exceed their expectations. Simply put, it means making the right decisions. To do so, we must continue to invest in the right tools.

Enter Six Sigma.

Six Sigma is a powerful tool that can be used to achieve continuous improvement both inside and outside of an organization. It provides a common language and platform for fully understanding the customer’s requirements, assessing and solving issues as they arise, and ensuring that decisions are based on facts rather than emotion or biased opinion.

It also allows for deep and consistent transfer of knowledge across departments and organizations, and in training new employees — all critically important to dynamic, growing organizations like RL Hudson.

Having had the opportunity to design Six Sigma courses during the program’s infancy, I’m excited about our company’s decision to embrace this tool. While implementation is not without significant work — and, in fact, can even be a bit painful — I’ve seen first-hand the positive results that can be achieved when Six Sigma is properly employed. I’ve also seen the negative results that come from its misuse.

Companies that properly integrate Six Sigma methods throughout their organizations inspire creativity, improve quality, reduce waste, and achieve greater efficiencies. No question: companies that properly employ Six Sigma become more effective organizations, and realize even higher levels of customer satisfaction.

For our customers that already employ Six Sigma, RL Hudson’s adoption and use of this tool provides assurance that we thoroughly understand their requirements. The fact that we’ve chosen to work with a Master Black Belt will help ensure proper training, implementation and use. Professionals in engineering, sales and customer service, quality assurance, warehouse, assembly, finance & accounting, materials and information technology are all working toward Green Belt certification.

Clearly, Six Sigma will be a powerful addition to the tools already employed at RL Hudson, which include ISO 9001/2000, Quality Function Deployment (QFD), Lean Manufacturing and our own innovation program — all of which focus on customer satisfaction.

Each tool has its own purpose. Yet, ultimately, each supports RL Hudson’s commitment to continuous improvement and to complete understanding and fulfillment of our customers’ needs and expectations.
At RL Hudson, we’re committed to using the right tools, and using them for the benefit of our customers. When we do that, we know we’ll make the right decisions.

Solutions 3Q07

CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT

Making the right decisions; using the right tools.