Lean Six Sigma program presents 31 certifications to Picatinny employees

PICATINNY ARSENAL, N.J. (May 4, 2015) -- Thirty-one employees at Picatinny Arsenal received certification as part of the Lean Six Sigma program during a ceremony April 14 at the Cannon Gate Catering and Conference Center.

In addition, 18 Lean Six Sigma (LSS) instructors received awards at the ceremony, which also served as the first Black Belt networking opportunity.

Six Picatinny employees received their Master Black Belt, one employee received an Executive Black Belt, two employees received a Black Belt and 22 employees earned their Green Belt. Training for the Master Black Belt was a two-year process.

The belts were certified from September 2014 to February 2015, resulting in a cost avoidance/saving of more than $16 million.

The awards presented to instructors recognized their mentorship and support throughout LSS classes.

All of the newly certified employees work for the Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center (ARDEC), or the Program Executive Office for Ammunition (PEO Ammo).

The event also featured a Bingo networking exercise, which served as the first Black Belt networking opportunity, and announced the launch of the Lean Six Sigma Competency Office website, which can be found on the PicaWeb employee intranet. Look under the "Quick Links" section.

The keynote speaker was Col. Donna Korycinski, a LSS instructor from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point who has a Master Black Belt.

Korycinski said the Lean Six Sigma training helps to develop "systems thinkers" and to identify areas of waste that can be eliminated or reduced.

Korycinski also brought four, first-year cadets from West Point, who are sponsored by the Lean Six Sigma Competency Office to complete a capstone LSS project to reduce Green Belt cycle time within the ARDEC and PEO Ammo LSS Program.

Lean Six Sigma projects are intended to develop potential cost avoidance and savings, improve quality and customer satisfaction and reduce risk to the warfighter.

The recipients worked in project teams on a wide range of technical and transactional projects that include developing new products and processes and improving or "leaning" existing products and processes.

"I challenge all of you to stay on this never ending journey of continuous improvement and become leaders for your organizations and competency areas," said John Finno, director of the Quality Engineering and System Assurance Directorate, and in his closing remarks at the ceremony.

"Many opportunities remain in developing advanced, reliable products for our Soldiers and to make our work environment and processes even more effective and efficient.

"You have the skills and the creativity; all that is needed is the initiative and desire to see the opportunities and take action."

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The Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center is part of the U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command, which has the mission to develop technology and engineering solutions for America's Soldiers.

RDECOM is a major subordinate command of the U.S. Army Materiel Command. AMC is the Army's premier provider of materiel readiness -- technology, acquisition support, materiel development, logistics power projection, and sustainment -- to the total force, across the spectrum of joint military operations. If a Soldier shoots it, drives it, flies it, wears it, eats it or communicates with it, AMC provides it.