Rajant Corporation, the Kinetic Mesh® wireless network provider, has received Lean Six Sigma certification for eight of its Morehead-based employees following an 11-month process. Process phases, which support Rajant’s culture of continuous improvement in engineering and manufacturing, included a February 2020 operational assessment, five days of Green Belt classroom training, and three days of Kaizen training. The goal of receiving Lean Six Sigma certification is to eliminate waste and optimize efficiency in all of Rajant’s Morehead, Kentucky business facets while maximizing the value to customers of its products with the lowest possible investment.
Rajant partnered with the Advantage Kentucky Alliance (AKA) to assist them through all phases of Lean Six Sigma certification. AKA’s Scott Broughton (Center Director), Bill Rouse (Client Services Manager), and Bertram Wells (Sr. Continuous Improvement Specialist) served to introduce Rajant staffers to a myriad of Lean Six Sigma analytical tools and, under Mr. Wells’ instruction, were trained how to properly select and use the tools in identifying and correcting operational gaps. The eight-team members were assigned individual projects that were required to ultimately prove each project’s realized savings, projected savings, or cost avoidance. Projects were successfully completed and final, executive approval granted by Rajant’s Malvern, Pennsylvania-based Brad Feick, Senior Hardware Director. Total savings stemming from the projects was about $40K.
According to Mr. Wells, “It was a pleasure to instruct Rajant’s eight employees. This effort was championed locally by Dave Keeton, Manufacturing Manager for Rajant. Green Belt Recipients are Rajant’s Austin Clark, Dave Keeton, Jon Lacy, Ryan Lacy, David Mays, Travis Miller, Travis Pettit, and Zach Wagner. In the five days spent with the Rajant team members who participated in AKA’s Lean Six Sigma Green Belt training and certification program, I was impressed. Their commitment to making decisions based on verifiable data and statistical methods they learned during the training should directly impact Rajant’s future success by motivating its employees, improving customer satisfaction, and clearly focusing on measurable and quantifiable financial returns.”
Rajant Systems Engineer Austin Clark shared, “The Six Sigma Green Belt course gave me an invaluable new set of tools and critical thinking methods to use in the way I approach my everyday tasks. It allows me to view problems from multiple angles, ensuring I explore every solution to find the best possible one. Now, continual improvement is applied to everything I do. Work product outcomes are of higher quality and the timeline for completion improved. Six Sigma strengthened my leadership and ability to work as a team to solve a common goal. I am grateful for the skills retained from becoming a Certified Green Belt in Six Sigma as they will help throughout my career.”
Adds fellow Rajant Systems Engineer Travis Miller, “Certified Master Black Belt Six Sigma teacher, Bertram Wells, always made a point that it is up to me to strive for improvement and innovation constantly. Lean Six Sigma has retrained my brain into thinking more like a leader. I now analyze the entire process and how each piece of a project fits together for a more successful result. Already I have seen an increase in the quality of work and products that I am creating, and this is a life-long professional and personal windfall.”
Into 2021, four of these eight Rajant employees will go on to Black Belt Six Sigma certification with the goal of even more significant operational savings in mind.