Lean Six Sigma Consultant Cleveland Ohio 

Waste Elimination & Process Improvement for Northeast Ohio Manufacturers

What Is Lean Six Sigma?

"Lean Six Sigma" combines two methodologies to improve manufacturing operations. 

Lean focuses on eliminating waste and improving flow. 

Six Sigma uses data analysis to reduce defects and variation. Together, they create efficient, high-quality manufacturing processes.

For manufacturers, this means less time wasted searching for parts, fewer defective products, faster throughput, and lower costs.

Practical Lean Six Sigma - No Belt Factory Nonsense

I have some bad news. Maybe you're aware, or maybe you're one of the 100,000 people learning something new today. 

Traditional Six Sigma has problems. Many companies spent thousands on Black Belt certifications and complex statistical analysis, only to create bureaucracy that slowed down actual improvements. The certification industry became more focused on selling expensive training than solving manufacturing problems. I have danced in circles around multiple "Black Belts" who sat in the status quo because their capstone project was over, and they got their foil sticker.

My approach is different:

Solutions, not certifications - I fix what's broken without creating new bureaucracy 

Results, not rhetoric - Focus on immediate improvements that pay for themselves 

Simplicity, not seminars - Changes that manufacturing teams can actually implement and sustain

The useful parts are structured problem-solving and using data to make decisions. The other things - the belt hierarchies, complex analysis, lengthy certifications program - often just get in the way of actually fixing problems.

Real Results from Local Manufacturers

One manufacturer was losing money for 9 months with 267% employee turnover. Workers spent 10+ minutes searching for each new part because nothing was organized correctly.

Applied Lean principles: Created part identification system, organized materials with shelf addressing, eliminated searching waste. Result: Company went from near-collapse to $954,000/week revenue.

A luxury consumer goods manufacturer needed capacity increase. Applied line balancing, consolidated material selection, simplified assembly sequence, reduced labor time from 92 to 40 labor minutes per unit. 

WAS: 3 employees @ 30.5 minutes each.

NOW: 2 employees @ 20 minutes each. 

Result: Increased daily capacity from 12.5 to 20 units, enabling over $2 million in additional annual profit, with the previous third employee reassigned to support a different production area. 

How I Help Manufacturers

5S Workplace Organization - Sort, set in order, shine, standardize, and sustain efficient workspaces

Real example: I helped a Cleveland area manufacturer create a sustainable 5S system with training, audit teams, and tracking databases - not just a one-time cleanup.

Kaizen Continuous Improvement for Cleveland 

Kaizen means "continuous improvement" in Japanese. These are focused improvement events where teams identify and eliminate waste in specific processes. I've led Kaizen events for fabrication, welding, assembly, and line setup across Cleveland area facilities.

Value Stream Mapping for Cleveland 

Mapping the value stream is another divisive "tool" or practice that I don't always feel is important. BUT sometimes it is incredibly helpful when many steps are sequential and there is low visibility.

This visualizes your entire manufacturing process from raw materials to finished product, identifying where time and materials are wasted. I map current state, design future state, and create implementation plans to eliminate bottlenecks.

DMAIC Problem Solving - Structured approach to fixing problems - "Best Practice"

Six Sigma uses a structured approach called DMAIC: 

Define the problem, 

Measure current performance, 

Analyze root causes, 

Improve the process, and 

Control to sustain gains.

Example: Medical device manufacturer had quality issues with conformal coating (protective coating on circuit boards). Used DMAIC to analyze the process, identified root causes of bubbles and inadequate coverage, then standardized procedures - resulting in 80% reduction in rejected parts.

Manufacturing Specialties

Electronics assembly and PCB production 

Medical device manufacturing 

Industrial equipment and consumer goods 

Contract manufacturing operations

Areas I Serve

Aurora, Solon, Twinsburg, Hudson, Chagrin Falls, Streetsboro, and the greater Cleveland area.

Free Manufacturing Assessment

Ready to eliminate waste at your facility? I offer free assessments to identify immediate improvement opportunities.

mitch@MRConsult.ing

330-732-5744

Implementing proven Lean Six Sigma methods with no added bureaucracy for Northeast Ohio manufacturers since 2014

What could I accomplish? Check out recent projects. 

Startup Support, Kaizen Workshops, and Contract Engineering opportunities. 

Or sign up for your free 4 hour factory analysis - for the curious & cautious.