Assistant professor of management, Marco Lam, PhD, (left) is a Black Belt, but in the world of business, it has nothing to do with martial arts.
Lam, who teaches in the Department of Business Administration, is a Certified Six Sigma Black Belt, a professional who can explain Six Sigma philosophies and principles, including supporting systems and tools.
What is Six Sigma?
Six Sigma is a process improvement approach that eliminates causes of defects and errors by minimizing the variability in processes. "Six Sigma, for example, can be used by a company to ensure that it manufactures a part that consistently meets specifications," Lam said. "The product becomes more predictable."
This approach helps organizations improve quality, increase productivity, reduce costs and improve profitability. "Six Sigma is based on a systematic problem-solving technique – DMAIC, which stands for Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve and Control," Lam said. "It incorporates a wide variety of statistical techniques and other types of tools to improve processes."
Six Sigma is a "hot topic" in industry, including businesses in the York area, according to Eric Hostler, director of the MBA program. "To compete in today's marketplace, organizations have to reduce lead times, lower prices and increase quality," he said. "Six Sigma allows them to do that."
With expertise provided by Lam, York College's MBA program began offering a course in Six Sigma during the Summer 2009 session. A short time later, Lam and Hostler began discussing the possibility of building upon that course to develop a new concentration in Continuous Improvement in the MBA program. "The need was there, according to what we were hearing from our business partners in the community," Hostler said. "Marco provided the expertise that allowed us to go from offering a course to offering a concentration."
"York is a manufacturing hub," Lam said. "If the College is going to prepare students to compete in this environment, we have to consider the skills they need. There is an expectation that, as employees, they’ll help an organization improve its bottom line by improving its processes."
MBA students will begin graduating in May 2011 with the Continuous Improvement concentration, the only one of its kind in the region, according to administrators of the MBA program. In addition to the MBA Core (10 courses), students will also complete three elective courses including Continuous Improvement and Lean Systems Development, Six Sigma and Quality Management, and Project Management. Lam teaches the first two courses; the third, Project Management, will be taught for the first time this fall by adjunct faculty member Brian Yetter, PhD, quality manager at Volvo Powertrain in Hagerstown, Md.
All three courses require significant work on projects, which are often undertaken at the student's employer, if appropriate. "The projects are at the employer, where the students are already familiar with the processes – which can be anything from accounting and ordering to manufacturing – and can see the real-life issues firsthand," Lam said. "They have a real opportunity to improve these processes and add value to their organizations."
There are other benefits to the courses, which, like all those offered by the MBA program, are designed for working professionals. Students in Lam's Lean Systems course have the option to take the Lean Bronze Certification exam administered by the Society of Manufacturing Engineers in lieu of a final exam. "This certificate is the first step in becoming lean-certified," Lam said. "Students may use the project they completed for the class as one of the five projects required for this certification."
Students in the Six Sigma course may also choose to use the course to prepare for the American Society of Quality's Six Sigma Black Belt exam. This certification requires one Black Belt project, three years of work experience in the body of knowledge and successful completion of an exam; or two Black Belt projects and successful completion of an exam. "As part of the course requirement, students complete one project," Lam said. "We also talk about theory in the class, which helps them prepare for the exam and issues they might encounter as managers."
"Our MBA students are currently employed and in the marketplace," Hostler said. "Our Continuous Improvement concentration provides the skills to help prepare them to seek the Six Sigma and other professional certifications. This program puts them on the path to advancement and allows them to make significant contributions to the success of their employer."
About Marco Lam
Marco Lam came to York College in 2008, shortly after earning a doctorate in operations management from the University of Alabama, where he also earned a master's degree in management science. Lam also holds a master's degree in accounting from Western Carolina University and a bachelor's degree in business economics from Hogeschool van Utrecht, in his native country, The Netherlands. In addition, he is a Certified Six Sigma Black Belt, a Certified Public Accountant, and a Certified Management Accountant. He also serves on the editorial board for the Academy of Information and Management Sciences Journal.
Lam was recently selected to serve on the Board of Examiners for the Baldrige National Quality Program, which annually presents the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award. Given by the President of the United States, the award goes to businesses and to education, health care and nonprofit organizations that apply and are judged to be outstanding in seven areas: leadership; strategic planning; customer and market focus; measurement, analysis, and knowledge management; workforce focus; process management; and results.
From May to December, examiners who are leaders from business, education, health care, and nonprofit sectors volunteer their time to get trained on the Baldrige Criteria for Performance Excellence and evaluate applicants for the Baldrige Award. "They look for experts in particular areas who, put together, have the expertise to assess organizational effort," Lam said. Lam previously served as an examiner for the Alabama Quality Award.
Students Impacting Local Industry
MBA students Sandy Tompkins (right) (York, Pa.) and Matt Diaz (center) (York, Pa.) took what they learned in Marco Lam's Six Sigma course and put it to good use. Both completed projects during the course that yielded savings for their employers.
Tompkins, coordinator of the WellSpan Clinical Weight Loss Program in York, led a team whose project involved reducing blood products that were ordered from the Blood Bank by operating room (OR) surgeons and then returned. "Returning unused blood products accounted for an average of 40 additional trips per week, or about four hours per week of tech time," Tompkins said. "The goal was to reduce the return rate of blood products from the OR to the Blood Bank by 50 percent, to a 33 percent return rate, and to reduce the number of trips to the OR by 50 percent, to no more than 20 per week."
Through their work, Tompkins' team was able to bring the blood product return rate down from 66 percent to 46 percent.
The project saved WellSpan about $1,500 in wasted blood products and $14,000 in Blood Bank tech time spent transporting blood products. "Sandy's project proved that significant process improvements can be made without spending any money," said Brian Taylor, WellSpan senior performance specialist.
Diaz, a training and development specialist at IDG (an industrial wholesale distributor located in York), led a project that focused on his company's accounts payable process, specifically how much benefit IDG derived from paying invoices early to take discounts.
"In the distribution business, suppliers extend discounts to customers for early payment," Diaz explained. "Our project focused on our ability to take those discounts to increase our profits."
Diaz's team identified the top 15 suppliers who represent the largest opportunity for discounts and then determined how to maximize their discounts. Overall, Diaz's team identified more than $400,000 in potential savings.
"Our company makes sure that contributions to improvement are communicated to the top of the organization," Diaz said. "I was presented with a certificate signed by our CEO, as well as a gift certificate. For me though – and I realize that this sounds cliché – the real reward is seeing changes that associates recommended take hold. IDG trusted me with the opportunity to lead an effort that had high visibility and work with people who were the best at what they do. You really cannot ask for much more than that."
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In addition to MBA students currently employed in the marketplace, York College's MBA program is also educating local businesses on Continuous Improvement.
Members of the Department of Business Administration's Mentor Program – regional businesses that share their expertise with York College business students – enjoyed a March presentation, "Creating a Lean Culture," by Michael Carver, quality manager for CRH North America Inc. in Clanton, Ala. A Six Sigma Black Belt, Carver shared his experience on lean improvement, challenges and lessons learned. CRH North America produces seat structures for companies including BMW, Porsche, Ford, Audi, Nissan and Honda.
In October, the department will host John R. Dew, associate vice chancellor for institutional research, planning and effectiveness at Troy University and member of the 2009 Board of Examiners for the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Program. "We have a unique connection to local businesses through our mentor network companies," said Eric Hostler, MBA program director. "Sessions like this one are a way for us to give back to them for their work with our students."
Mark Your Calendar! Business Alumni Reunion Planned for October
The York College Department of Business Administration will host a reunion for graduates of its programs on Oct. 2 (the Saturday of Fall Fest Weekend) from 6-9 p.m. at the Country Club of York. Food and drinks will be served while faculty members showcase new developments in the department. Alumni will also have the opportunity to meet faculty, students and other alumni. Prior to the reunion, from 3-5 p.m., alumni can take a shuttle bus tour of new campus facilities including the new J.D. Brown Center for Entrepreneurship Small Business Incubator.
Log on to www.ycpalumni.com or contact Julie Sterner at 717-815-1423 or business@ycp.edu for more informa-tion. Save the date now and look for more details arriving in August!
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