A Ball State University assistant professor recently received a Six Sigma Black Belt certification, not in karate but in production improvements.
Baijian Yang, assistant professor of technology, recently achieved the certification. Six Sigma is a theory that examines the production process of a certain company and finds ways to improve that process by reducing problems to reducing cost.
Before Yang earned his black belt, he became certified through the Six Sigma program, which taught the theory.
The company he worked with before Six Sigma was called Early Light International Ltd., which is the largest toy manufacturer in the world.
Yang said he and two others from Ball State visited the company, conducted research and interviews, and took analysis on the company's production process.
He said the company's problem started with the engineers. There were issues with the design, which resulted in defects of many toys produced through the company. Yang said his team created a teaching video for the engineers that enabled them to see the bigger picture before they began the engineering process.
This extensive research and analysis is how Yang earned a Six Sigma Black Belt.
"Engineers have a hard time seeing the big picture," Yang said. "They might design a good part, but that part doesn't make a good system."
He said he feels that Early Light is happy with his work for the company, but he is not sure of the overall results because the training video created cannot be used immediately.
"The company has to wait until a certain time of year when they are not as busy," Yang said.
Yang said he can apply the Six Sigma Theory for the Information Technology field, his classroom for computer technology, students and local companies. He is working with Ontario Systems, LLC, a software development company in Muncie.
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