semiconductor quality initiatives

THIS ARTICLE IS A CONDENSED VERSION OF AN ARTICLE FIRST PUBLISHED IN THE APRIL 2006 EDITION OF QUALITY DIGEST MAGAZINE 2006, QCI International
by Chad Kymal - Chief Technical Officer and Founder of Omnex

Semiconductor devices are the core of all electronic products we use today, whether they are phones, radios, computers, toys, or cars. For the most part, this industry and its products are hidden from view. However, as each year goes by, semiconductor devices are becoming smaller, thinner, are using less energy, and offer increased computing power. These strides in technology have fueled a boom for new products that capture the consumer's imagination, whether it be better picture quality, better communication or other factors. This industry is characterized by very high quality standards paired with rapid new technology introductions. A missed design cycle often means no growth and loss of market share.

in the semiconductor industry. Let's look at the current challenges and pressures within this industry. Quality Management Systems For the most part the semiconductor industry has completed its ISO/TS 16949:2002 and ISO 9001:2000 implementations. Many large semiconductor organizations, contract fabs, and Assembly Subcontractors who were registered to QS-9000 have managed to make the transition to ISO/TS 16949:2002. This transition was made despite the scope restrictions of ISO/TS 16949.

16949:2002 and the stringent quality systems it has come to represent. The second will be the advent of fabs and assembly houses in China and soon in India. For the most part, the systems and the people are very new in these new factories. In our opinion, there will be a reversal in hard won quality improvements envisioned in the 1980s. Fabless Semiconductor There is a third factor that will lead to overall loss of the hard won quality improvements of the 1980s. This is the emergence of the fabless semiconductor organizations. These are organizations that are designcentered and who have no manufacturing. All manufacturing is subcontracted to Contract Fabs and Assembly houses. For the most part, technology leaders who do not really understand the legacy of semiconductor quality systems lead these companies. These organizations are also ISO 9001:2000-based. Their systems may lack the rigor of the systems typically found in the larger more mature semiconductor organizations.

The implication that ISO/TS 16949:2002 only applied to Automotive Products meant that many semiconductor organizations could not make the transition from QSThese are tur9000 to ISO/TS bulent times in the These are tur16949:2002. semiconductor bulent times in the These organizaindustry, as many tions including new technologies semiconductor many assembly make their appear- industry... houses, chemical ance through vensuppliers or mask ture capital funded set suppliers who fabless semiconductors. At the were forced to adopt ISO same time new assembly hous- 9001:2000. This mandatory es and fabs are making movement from QS-9000 to ISO appearances in China, and now 9001:2000 will have severe recently in India. High growth repercussions to the semiconmarkets in China and India are ductor organizations in the years forecasted to replace tradition- to come. al markets in Europe. During these times of change, quality initiatives and improvements continue to be important. The most demanding customers and the highest quality expectations are found Will Quality Back Slide? There will be two reasons for product quality and design lead times to backslide. One could be not adopting ISO/TS

Increased Product Quality Expectations - Zero Defects At the same time as quality system rigor is scaling downward, the customer quality expectation for product quality is moving upward. It is moving from Parts Per Million (PPM) to
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FMEA's missing link is found in AQuA

LOOKING AT EXISTING CAUSES BEFORE BRAINSTORMING
by Greg Gruska, Senior Consultant-Omnex

excellence in auditor training

THE VALUE OF TRAINING FROM OMNEX
Introduction Omnex instructor-led courses are taught and delivered by experts in the field who draw upon realworld experience to provide relevant course content. These courses are in-depth and draw on realistic examples and demonstrations. The practical, hands-on instruction lets you apply new skills and knowledge as soon as you return to your organization. The classroom organization of Omnex instructor-led courses allows you to easily communicate, share, and learn from your peers. 20 student class sizes allow for ample discussion and interaction with the instructor.

One step that is in all logical problem solving approaches is "Determine the Root Cause(s)". If you have read a book on problem solving or taken a class, the chances are extremely good that you have been told to use one or more of the various "brainstorming" techniques which are available. These tools include "Cause and Effect Diagrams (aka Fishbone diagrams, aka Ishikawa Diagrams), "Group (Classical) Brainstorming and Affinity Diagrams", "Round-Robin", "Slice and Dice", "Causal Mapping", "Causal Trees", "Mind-mapping", "TRIZ", etc.

is/should not be the case among automotive sector organizations who are subject to the requirements of TS 16949:2002, PPAP and the guidelines of the APQP manual. These standards and guidelines require that the organization's Product Realization Process include a Failure Mode Effects Analysis (FMEA) process and stipulates that every product and process for which the organization is responsible must have a Design and Process FMEA (as applicable). An FMEA should include the identification and documentation of all potential failure modes and all potential causes of these failure modes. Consequently, the use of brainstorming as the initial approach to root cause identification is inefficient since it disregards documented knowledge. From a knowledge management (and Lean) standpoint this is a source of waste. If a problem occurs in the process or in the field, the first question that should be asked after the problem has been well-defined is "Did we know that this probcontinued on page 5.

An FMEA should include the identification and documentation of all potential causes of these failure modes.
These techniques rely on the knowledge, experience, and creativity of the participants. As such they are very useful in cases where there is no documented knowledge about the product or process. This, however,

Consider bringing a trainer to your location for an on-site engagement.

Omnex on-site training brings the training course and instructor to you. When there is a large group of employees that need to be trained and it is not feasible to send them to a remote location for training, consider bringing a trainer to your location for an on-site engagement. When the class is at your location or at a remote site, the materials can be exactly the same as our worldclass standard materials, or they can be customized to meet your specific organization's needs.

continued on page 13.

semiconductor quality initiatives

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Zero Defects. Universally, semiconductor organizations of today have external PPM levels of between 30PPM to less than 10PPM. When working with these organizations, it is apparent that outgoing PPM levels are low but that at the same time customer dissatisfaction is high. A top ten semiconductor organization that Omnex works with has over 500 customer incidents a month just in their Asian market. A small US-based fabless semiconductor has close to 100 customer incidents a month. Both their PPMs are low when compared to the number of defects. The semiconductor industry is in a state where PPMs may not be the right metric for measuring quality. Thus the new metric may be percentage of shipments with no problems or conversely, the number of shipments with problems. The second metric may be to add the internal and external PPMs together. When internal PPMs are high, there is a good chance that a few of the rejects get shipped.

within the semiconductor industry is being championed by Delphi and Visteon respectively. These organizations are pushing semiconductor organizations to ship error-free product. The methodology adopted focuses the organization on adopting the following: 1) Focus on the highest known risks (i.e. mistakes and errors that have taken place in the last six months both internally and externally) 2) Update the FMEA and mistake/error proof the failure mode 3) Drive this control to the shop floor with good process control 4) Create a layered process audit for layers of manufacturing and support personnel to ensure control is followed. (See Figure 1.) The Zero Defects programs are yielding significant improvements within Semiconductor organizations.

organizations is the adoption of DMAIC or Six Sigma methodologies. As part of the business, these organizations have, through balanced scorecards or policy deployment, identified a large list of moneysaving projects each year. While a fair number of these projects are implemented, the problem is that they are not getting executed fast

The second important movement within semiconductor organizations is the adoption of DMAIC or Six Sigma methodologies.
enough. The DMAIC methodology combined with the Six Sigma infrastructure is yielding large moneysaving dividends for semiconductor organizations. A recent launch of Six Sigma projects within an organization operating in the US, Asia and Europe showed the following savings in each location: $7.5 million in the USA, $9.6 million in Europe, and $10.2 million in Asia. There was approximately over $800,000 savings in each individual project. Top management will have to take firm action to improve quality and reduce costs close to home and also in emerging markets like China or India. Implementing strategies that maintain customer satisfaction and improve profitability (in a good year) is what is recommended in this article.
continued on page 6

Six Sigma Methodologies Zero Defects Movement The Zero defects movement The second important movement within semiconductor

figure 1: Layered Process Audit

FMEAs missing link

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figure 1: Linkages between DFMEA and PFMEA

lem could occur?" The answer to this can only be "Yes" or "No". If the answer is "yes" the problem solving team's focus should be on whether the controls identified in the FMEA are insufficient or if they are sufficient but not being fully followed. If the answer is "no", the why question should be asked. If the problem was not identified because it was due to a new and previously unknown application, duty cycle, etc., then the root cause needs to be identified using engineering analysis or brainstorming, and the FMEA must be updated with this new knowledge. If the problem was not identified because the FMEA process was inadequate or not followed, then there are two problems to work on: the original problem which can use engineering analysis or brainstorming, and the system (managerial) problem related the FMEA process itself. In any case, looking at the FMEA can rapidly reduce the efforts applied to problem solving actions. So if this FMEA stuff is so great, why do organizations and individuals disregard the information documented in the FMEA? The usual reasons are: 1. The team applies the

approach they were taught in the problem solving course, which never mentions the FMEA as a valuable resource of information. 2. The problem solving team members do not trust the information in the FMEA. This is usually due to: the organization looks at the FMEA as a necessary evil to be constructed because the customer demands it; or the organization looks at the FMEA as a development document - i.e. the FMEA is not updated when process changes occur through continual improvement actions. 3. The team cannot readily access the necessary FMEA. This can be due to the assumption that the FMEA is an engineering document and consequently is: Stored in hard copy in the engineering department's files Stored on line in engineering only folders. 4. The FMEA is readily accessible and complete. Because it is well done and documents the assumptions, discussions, and conclusions of the FMEA (APQP) team, the document can be large and it is difficult to cull out the applicable information. The reason for this is that the procedures only con-

sidered the development, storage, and maintenance of these documents and not the analysis and use of the knowledge contained in there. Points one and two are system problems which need to addressed by management. Points three and four are implementation problems. EwIMSTM can be called upon to assist the FMEA teams and the Problem Solving teams in these areas. The FMEA team can use AQuA, the APQP management and authoring module of EwIMSTM, to create and maintain the interrelated APQP documents and information including the FMEA. Because EwIMSTM is web based, this information is readily available via a browser to all individuals allowed access. Since AQuA uses a database to store the information which is used to build the FMEA and Control Plans, the problem solving team can use AQuA's search and filter capabilities on the failure mode and effects columns to isolate the information related to their problem. This information can then be sorted by RPN or Occurrence to provide a prioritized list of possible causes. If the root cause is one of these causes, the
continued on page 6

semiconductor quality initiatives

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Management Focus on Improvement The opportunities for improvement in mature organizations are as follows: 1) Implement ISO/TS 16949:2002 and the Semiconductor Supplement. Focus on the processes that were preventive in nature, including MSA, SPC, Disciplined New Product Design, DFMEA, PFMEA, and Control Plans. 2) Change the method of calculating PPMs since this metric does not capture the customer's real pain: "do not have shipments with problems". 3) Third, understand that

the overall throughput Yield may be a dismal 70% to 80% when calculated. Implement Six Sigma (DMAIC) processes to save hundreds of millions of dollars in the first three years.

Contact Omnex at gbugala@omnex.com for a complete version of this article, taken from Quality Digest.
Chad Kymal is an international trainer and consultant and is Chief Technical Officer and Founder of Omnex Inc. He has worked with many semiconductor organizations worldwide. He was the President of the Semiconductor Assembly Council (SAC) in 2004 and helped write the ISO/TS 16949:2002

Customer Specific Semiconductor Supplement. He has recently published two books, The ISO/TS 16949:2002 Implementation Guide, available through Paton Press and will soon publish the Auditor Handbook to ISO/TS 16949:2002 - A Guide to the Automotive Process Approach to Audits. Chad's interests include work with large corporations in designing effective Business Management Systems and getting value from implementing effective business strategies. He has served on the Malcolm Baldrige Board of Examiners and is an RABQSA-certified lead auditor. He has a Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering from General Motors Institute, a Master's degree in Industrial and Operations Engineering from the University of Michigan, and an MBA from the University of Michigan. He can be reached at ckymal@omnex.com.

FMEAs missing link

continued from page 5

figure 2: AQuA links PFMEA and DFMEA

can then be updated in AQuA and published. Once published and approved, all individuals who have access to the process documents will be automatically notified that the FMEA and Control Plan have been revised. Although AQuA cannot solve your process and product problems for you, it does enable your problem solving teams to make use of the organization's knowledge documented in the FMEAs and other APQP documents effectively and efficiently.

Mr. Gruska, a Fellow of the American Society for Quality (ASQ), is presently the VP of Product Development for Omnex Systems and a principal consultant in performance excellence and a Six Sigma Master Black Belt for Omnex. Mr. Gruska directed and was the primary resource for the development and initial implementations of Comprehensive Process Control Planning ((CP)2). Mr. Gruska is an active/writing member of the QS-MSA and QS-SPC Manual subcommittees of the American Automotive industry's Supplier Quality Requirements Task Force which is part of the international task force governing ISO/TS 16949. Mr. Gruska has advanced degrees in mathematics and engineering from the University of Detroit, MSU and Wayne State University. He was the Deming Memorial Lecturer at the Sheffield Hallam University for the year 2000. He is an ASQ-certified Quality Engineer, a licensed Professional Engineer (CA - Quality) and was a member of the Board of Examiners of and Judge for the Michigan Quality Leadership Award (1994-2005). He can be reached at ggruska@omnex.com.

team would then determine if the problem was due to a lack of effectiveness of the control(s) or a deficiency in their execution. If the problem is new, then the team can employ the brainstorming techniques to isolate the root cause. The FMEA

excelerated six sigma

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figure 1: excelerated six sigmaTM roadmap

Typically, the corporate objectives are called the BIG Y, and the project success factors are called the small y. In this scheme, the BIG Y of organizations is typically comprised of Profitability, Sales, Quality, and Delivery. In parallel with the BIG Y, Project y's are then identified. In other words, Six Sigma identifies projects that are strategic in nature and correlate with overall company success.

Successful? Excelerated Six SigmaTM is successful because of the design of the overall implementation process 1) Large money saving and mission critical projects important to company success are identified

2) The savings from the projects are tied to the strategy and budgets of the organization. Project success means business and budget success. 3) Top management Champions are selected, who are interested in the success of the projects and who have managecontinued on page 8.

Phase
Define

Deliverable
Project Selection and Evaluation

Tool
Project Charter Cost Justification Worksheet In & Out Frame Team Members Roles & Responsibilities Elevator or Parking Lot Speech Communication Plan Customer Requirements Worksheet SIPOC CT / Project Y Matrix Data Collection Plan Data Collection Forms Measure System Evaluation Histogram, Run Chart, Scatter Plot, etc. Cross Functional Process Map Fishbone Diagram 5 Whys Quantify the Opportunity Payoff Matrix Criteria-Based Matrix

The Excelerated process reduces classroom time of the traditional Six Sigma training by 50%...
Measure

Team Definition

Customer Requirements High Level Process Map Select Project Y Data Collection

Project Selection Projects are carefully selected not only on their correlation to the Big Y, but also on three factors: savings, time to achieve, and probability of success. Frequently, the project scope should be consistent with the goal of project completion in a four to six month time frame. The small Project y correlates with the company's BIG Y:

Analyze

Display the Data Identify Possible Causes

Improve

Quantify the Opportunity Identify and Test Solutions

Y = ya+yb+yc+ ..yz

Control

(where a to z are the projects identified that correlate to company success)

Stakeholder Analysis & Influence Strategy Refine Solution FMEA, Mistake-Proofing, Etc. Pilot Solution Pilot Plan Cost Benefit Analysis Cost Benefit Analysis Process Control Plan Control Plan Aligning Systems and Structures Alignment profile Plan & Implement Solution Rollout Plan Hand off Checklist Close and Hand-off

Why Is Excelerated Six SigmaTM So

figure 2: six sigma tools

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ment authority and resources. 4) Black Belt Candidates that command respect from their peers, who are seen as "high potential" candidates, are selected for these mission critical projects. 5) Black Belts are given 60% to 80% of dedicated time to the projects for four to six months. 6) Cross-functional Six Sigma project teams are created and given four to eight hours per week to work on the projects. 7) Black Belts are trained in the DMAIC process that takes projects systematically from the Defining phase to the Improvement and Control phases with the assistance of an experienced, mature, and expert Master Black Belts (MBBs). 8) MBBs are assigned time to work with the BBs on their project 9) Champions review the projects monthly in a set process called Toll Gate Review. 10) The Black Belt learning involves the application of tools and methods to projects. Omnex has reduced the training portion for BBs to 9 classroom days with additional project mentoring and assistance between the classes. 11) For certification, Black Belt candidates must meet specific criteria such as money savings and demonstrated competencies. 12) Black Belts are rotated back into the company after a few years for reassignment or promotion to higher positions. In our opinion, the Excelerated Six SigmaTM process cannot fail if the above 12 points are followed.

Phase, the relationship between the Project y (called the Key Output Variable or KOV) and the Key Input Variables(KIVs) is analyzed. KOV = KIVa + KIVb+KIVc This is the key to Six Sigma project success! Excelerated Six Sigma Black Belt Project Execution
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Excelerated Six SigmaTM methodology cannot fail, and companies today cannot succeed without implementing the twin methodologies of Excelerated Six SigmaTM and Breakway LeanTM in a specialized product called Unified Lean/Six SigmaTM. Company Embraces Excelerated Six SigmaTM Methodology In November of last year Omnex began working with a worldwide electronics organization to kick off Excelerated Six SigmaTM in three continentsthe USA, Asia, and Europe. We trained the 19 champions and ran 21 Black Belt projects. In the start of the project, we initially had identified $10 million in savings possible. By August of this year, the projects had already yielded results. With only 5 projects completed, the corporate finance department reported savings of $13.5 million. We found that during the Define phase, both the Champions and Black Belts were conservative in estimating the bottom line benefit of the projects.

When the organization has the prerequisite skills in place, then the Excelerated Six SigmaTM process works as follows: Champion Training - 3 days What is Six Sigma, Project Selection, and Toll Gate Review Month 1 - Define and Measure - 3 days of training and 2 days of project work with Master Black Belt (MBB) Toll gate review Month 2 - Analyze - 3 days of training and 2 days of project work with MBB Toll gate review Month 3 - Project Work with MBB Toll gate review Month 4 - Improve and Control- 3 days of training and 2 days of project work with MBB Toll gate review Black Belt Project Presentation Certification To achieve Excelerated Six SigmaTM Certification, Black Belt candidates will have to fulfill the following criteria: 1) Usage of Six Sigma tools between two Black Belt projects (see figure 1) 2) Savings of average of $150,000 in two projects 3) 4 hour exam 4) 4 hour interview on projects, tools, and methodology In our opinion, the

This is a summary of a longer whitepaper on the subject. To obtain the complete whitepaper, contact Glenn Bugala, Omnex Communications Director, at gbugala@ omnex.com or find it in the omnex.com Resource Center.
David Lalain is Executive Vice President of Omnex Quality Solutions. Dave has over 33 years of industry experience with a Fortune 100 company. Dave is heavily involved in the automotive industry. He has served on the Board of Directors of the Automotive Industry Action Group (AIAG). Dave has a degree in Chemistry from Michigan State University and over one thousand hours of formal training in quality management.

In

the

Analyze

breakaway lean
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workshop develops the present state and future state maps. On the fifth day, the future state map with its benefits will be presented to top management. An action plan for improvement of key impediments to the continuous flow will be documented with specific actions.
figure 1: lean organizational structure

If there are severe defects, downtime, or set up issues, then it will not be practical to move toward a Lean continuous flow without first solving the manufacturing issues at hand. Achieving Zero Defects Omnex uses four different methodologies to achieve zero defects. We use the methodology and approach that works best with the issues in the value stream. Zero Setup Time SMED - Setup reduction is an important Breakaway LeanTM workshop. Long set up times usually require larger lot sizes. The key to smaller lot sizes and reduced down time is to have setups that are inconsequential.

Lean tools, and an initial scorecard has to be taken to understand the opportunities for improvement. Based on the assessment, the organization working with Omnex will create a Lean Roadmap. The assessment will also identify all the value streams in general and the initial one or two to work on in particular. Lean Organizational Structure The Lean Facilitators are corporate champions, members of top management that own the value stream, and Omnex Lean experts. Lean team leaders direct the project, while the project team is a crossfunctional group working in the value stream and support streams. Month 2 - Value Stream Map Workshop and Preparation for Continuous Flow During Month 2, the Lean facilitators, project team leaders and project teams participate in the value stream workshop. This five-day

Month 3 or Month 5Continuous Flow Workshop and Standardized Work The continuous flow workshop starts with the revalidation of the future map and Cell Layout. The new layout is implemented. Before the line can go into full production, the process and product validation takes place to reduce the risk to the organization and the customer of manufacturing poor quality product. Month 3, 4, or 5 The future state map introduced in Month 2 will have identified the need for quality improvements, SMED, or maintenance improvement.

Breakway LeanTM promises changes in six months with a known structured roadmap.
Zero Down Time The inclination would be to implement Total Productive Maintenance (TPM). However, TPM is its own methodology and
continued on page 10.

figure 2: process review method

breakaway lean
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philosophy on par with Lean or Six Sigma. Before the Continuous Flow workshop, the Lean team can study the downtime history and take corrective action to fix recurring failures.

Zero defects, downtime, or setup times are not essential to proceed to Continuous Flow, however Omnex doesnt want any obvious bottlenecks that Savings Scenario restrict flow in terms of quality, downtime or changeover issues. Revenue of Line - $12.5 Million Month 6 5 S Workshops The Omnex Breakaway LeanTM methodology suggests two different implementation strategies for 5S. One strategy is to implement it in parallel with the value stream mapping and continuous flow workshops. On the other hand, it can also be implemented in the end of the continuous flow exercise during Month 6.

improvement, Breakaway LeanTM promises changes in six months with a known structured roadmap. (See figure 3). If you implemented Lean one or two years ago it may be a good idea to revitalize it. It is possible to still meet the goals of 50/50/20 in a factory that already implemented Lean a few years ago.

To obtain the complete whitepaper, contact Glenn Bugala, O m n e x Communications Director, at gbugala@omnex.com , or find it in the omnex.com Resource Center.
Chad Kymal is an international trainer and consultant and CTO of Omnex, Inc. He has recently published a book, The ISO/TS 16949:2002 Implementation Guide, available through Paton Press. Chad's interests include work with large corporations in designing effective Business Management Systems and getting value from implementing effective business strategies. He has served on the Malcolm Baldrige Board of Examiners and as an RABQSAcertified lead auditor. He has a Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering from General Motors Institute, a Master's degree in Industrial and Operations Engineering from the University of Michigan, and an MBA from the University of Michigan. He can be reached at ckymal@omnex.com.

Cost of Sales - $11.275 Million - material and operational cost Inventory on Hand - 3 weeks - value approx $600,000 Operating Costs - $6.9 Million Savings: Productivity Improvement - 50% will create a savings of $2.3 Million for the same volume Inventory savings with Holding Costs of 40% - $120,000 Minimum savings of 20% Operating Costs - approx. $1.4 Million

Breakaway LeanTM The key to the Breakaway LeanTM methodology is the structured methodology of Lean events that allows for immediate action. In a time of cost

This is a summary of a longer whitepaper on the subject.

10

figure 3: the lean roadmap

10

06-07
US schedule nov 06- mar 07

OMNEX

Training Schedule is subject to course load requirements; dates may vary. All courses below are offered from our headquarters in Ann Arbor, Michigan except where specified otherwise.

training
November 6-8, 2006 January 29-31, 2007 March 5-7, 2007

ISO 9001:2000 for the Service Sector

Understanding and Implementing ISO 9001:2000
December 4-5, 2006 February 12-13, 2007 (San Jose) March 26-27, 2007

>iso

ISO 9001:2000 Internal Auditor Training for the Automotive Sector (ISO/TS 16949:2002)
November 6-8, 2006 December 4-6, 2006 January 24-26, 2007 February 5-7, 2007 March 5-7, 2007

ISO 14001:2004 for Environmental Mgmt.

Internal Auditor Training for ISO 14001:2004

Internal Auditor Training for ISO 9001:2000

November 6-8, 2006 February 12-14, 2007 February 14-16, 2007 (San Jose) March 28-30, 2007

Customer Specific Requirements and Core Tools - Effect on Process Approach To Auditing
Sign up for this course along with our internal auditor training above and receive a $100 discount! November 9, 2006 December 7, 2006 January 27, 2007 February 8, 2007 March 8, 2007

Lead Auditor Training for ISO 14001:2004

February 19-23, 2007

ISO 13485:2003 for Medical Devices

Understanding and Implementing ISO 13485:2003
November 6-8, 2006 February 5-6, 2007

Lead Auditor Training for ISO 9001:2000

December 11-15, 2006 March 5-9, 2007

ISO/TS 16949:2002 for Automotive, Semiconductor and Hi Tech Industries

ISO/TS 16949:2002 Update
December 4, 2006

ISO 9001:2000 Lead Auditor Training for the Automotive Sector (ISO/TS 16949:2002)
November 13-17, 2006 December 4-8, 2006 (San Jose) December 11-15, 2006 January 22-26, 2007 February 19-23, 2007 (San Jose) February 19-23, 2007 March 12-16, 2007

Internal Auditor Training for ISO 13485:2003

December 4-6, 2006 January 24-26, 2007 February 7-9, 2007 March 5-7, 2007

ISO/IEC 17025:2005 for Laboratories

Laboratory Quality Systems with Reference to ISO/IEC 17025:2005
January 29-30, 2007

Understanding, Documenting and Implementing ISO/TS 16949:2002

December 4-6, 2006 February 5-7, 2007

Advanced Auditor Training for ISO 9001:2000 and ISO/TS 16949:2002

January 29-31, 2007

Internal Auditing for ISO/IEC 17025:2005

Jan 31-Feb 2, 2007

11

06-07
US schedule nov 06- mar 07

OMNEX

Training Schedule is subject to course load requirements; dates may vary. All courses below are offered from our headquarters in Ann Arbor, Michigan except where specified otherwise.

training
AIAG - Lean for Executives and Champions
January 22, 2007 - Southfield, Michigan

>core tools
Core Tools Training
Take as one course or just take a segment: Day 1: APQP/DFMEA Day 2: FMEA/Control Plan Day 3: PPAP Day 4: SPC Day 5: MSA
February 12-16, 2007

Zero Defects Using Layered Process Audits

December 4-5, 2006 March 19-20, 2007

OHSAS 18001 Overview

November 29, 2006 February 12, 2007

AIAG - Lean Project Team Leadership

January 22-23, 2007 - Southfield, Michigan

APQP Product Workshop

Includes Overview, Program Management, DFMEA, DVP&R and Risk Analysis
March 12-13, 2007

Understanding, Documenting and Implementing Integrated Mgmt. Systems (ISO 9000, ISO 14001, OHSAS 18001)
January 22-26, 2007

AIAG - Lean Tools Overview for Practitioners

OEE, TPM, SMED & Mistake Proofing
December 7-8, 2006 - Southfield, Michigan March 13-14, 2007 - Southfield, Michigan

APQP Manufacturing Workshop

Includes Process Flow, PFMEA, Control Plan and PPAP
March 14-16, 2007

Integrated (ISO 9000, ISO 14001, OHSAS 18001) Lead Auditor

January 22-26, 2007

AIAG - Understanding Workplace Organization (5S)

January 26, 2007 - Southfield, Michigan

AIAG - Value Stream Mapping for Lean

January 24-25, 2007 - Southfield, Michigan

Improve New Product Development Using Product Lifecycle Mgmt. (PLM)

January 31, 2007

Survival Strategies for Quality Professionals

January 29, 2007

AIAG - Six Sigma Executive Training

January 23, 2007 - Southfield, Michigan

SPC Workshop
January 15-16, 2007 March 1-2, 2007

Cost Improvement Strategies for Quality Professionals

January 30, 2007

AIAG - Six Sigma Champion Training

January 24-26, 2007 - Southfield, Michigan

FMEA Update
January 17-18, 2007 February 27-28, 2007

>other
QOS
QOS Implementation and Improvement for Manufacturing or Service
October 30-31, 2006 January 18-19, 2007 March 29-30, 2007

Innovation, Improving Quality and Reducing Lead Time using EwIMS

March 1-2, 2007

>i.t. quality
Now Omnex offers over 40 courses in I.T. Quality and Security. For a complete list, contact Omnex at 734-761-4940. The following are our standard open enrollment courses in I.T.

>lean & six sigma

Six Sigma Overview
February 26, 2007

Introduction to CMM
March 26, 2007

CMM Overview Training

March 27-28, 2007

Team Problem Solving

November 30-December 1, 2006 March 21-22, 2007

12

Omnex Training at AIAG Headquarters

AIAG - Lean Overview
December 6, 2006 - Southfield, Michigan March 12, 2007 - Southfield, Michigan

Introduction to PCMM
March 29, 2007

Overview of eSCM
March 30, 2007

excellence in auditor training

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Satisfaction It would be easy to say that Omnex students experience a high satisfaction rate from their training. However, results speak for themselves. An evaluation that is based on 18 different qualities regarded as essential industry guidelines and metrics is provided at the end of each training event, whether the course is an on-site or public offering. The results of these training figure 1: Omnex auditor training satisfaction evaluations are collected, es, and also the 14001 Lead analyzed, and reviewed on a Auditor course. The total averweekly basis as part of the age rating achieved for these Omnex process, in order to courses was 4.1, which exceeds locate areas of improvement and a challenging milestone rating of to monitor overall satisfaction. 4.0, indicating that the courses Among the key factors tracked in our analysis are the student's satisfaction towards the instructor, whether their objectives were met, and the overall course experience. Omnex evaluates those results against our own determined goal of 4.2 on a scale of 0 to 5. A rating of 4.0 is difficult to achieve, since any low scores received on the evaluations will bring down the overall average. A 4.0 rating on the Question Overall this was an excellent course is a tremendous testimonial. However, Omnex frequently achieves ratings higher than a 4.0, many times receiving a 5.0 ("Strongly Agree") in the various categories, because of the high satisfaction with the training and instructor. This of course, drives the average up and over the 4.0 threshold. The chart pictured above reflects the results of the ratings of the 75 Auditor courses delivered between January 2005 and now. The courses were comprised of ISO and TS 16949 Internal and Lead Auditor cours-

exceeded an above average rating. The scores also indicate satisfaction with the instructor's skill, delivery, knowledge, and that the course has metand many times exceededthe student's objectives and expectations. Lastly, the results of the evaluation tracking are reviewed by top management at Omnex. When a score is less than our standards, every effort is made to understand the events and circumstances that resulted in such an unsatisfactory score. These are then utilized for counseling or corrective actions to ensure that we ourselves learn from those events. Fortunately, situations such as these are the exception rather than the rule at Omnex. Of course, recognition is provided when the Omnex instructors do an outstanding job on any of our many training engagements. Kudos Additionally, the evaluations collect vital feedback related to the students course experience,

with fields for comments on areas for improvement, as well as general comments. The comments are too numerous to mention here, but the students frequently share comments such as "Excellent Instructor!", "Very Educational Course!", "Great value for the money!", and sometimes, just a heartfelt "Thank you". Our Approach Our auditor training uses a layered approach for auditors. At Omnex we understand that just taking one auditor training class does not make a great auditor. If it is sequential training alternating with performance of audits, then, an auditor can become great. (See figure 2 on page 15.) We recommend that auditors sequentially train in internal, then lead, then advanced auditor training. The advanced auditor training (shown in the training calendar on page 11 of this newsletter) is Omnexs top class, and provides high level instructions and practical exercises to test auditor skill and knowledge. Some of the responses from our recent San Jose session included:
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news from omnex

Canada
Omnex Canada Inc. would like to share with you a real life success story of an implementation of the Omnex Breakaway Lean trademarked approach to implementing Lean. Over six months Omnex worked diligently with a large automotive Tier One supplier with remarkable breakthroughs. At the end of eight initial average bi-weekly Lean/Kaizen manufacturing events, the following improvements were documented: WIP down 25%, change overtime reduced by 46%, number of checking steps down by 43%, overall distance traveled reduced by 30%, handling (touch points) reduced by 11%, cycle time improved by 6%, and several safety risks eliminated. Other improvements occurred in the 5S housekeeping program, floor space reduction, reduction of spare parts and storage containers, and a true establishment of additional key baseline for the number of value added tasks, the true value add time, and the amount of resources used for the future state. Over 300 employees were directly involved in this success transformation. Each member of this Lean / Kaizen team will remain the key components of the upcoming series of Kaizen events and activities.

SHORT FEATURES FROM OFFICES WORLDWIDE

David Watkins and Arun Kumar meet with Dr. Anwar Eshki (Maj. Gen. Retired) Mr. Fahad Alshammari, Dr. Abdullah Bahattab and another of KSA. KSA is our representative agency in Jeddah.
approved by the Institute to improve their plans, people and processes across marketplaces like heavy manufacturing to telecoms and financial services institutions. Furthermore, The Automotive Industry Action Group (AIAG) and Omnex Inc. announced the formation of a global training and consulting partnership between the two companies to offer Lean/Six Sigma training in Asia. As part of the agreement, AIAG will operate out of Omnex India offices in Chennai, Bangalore, Delhi and Pune. Omnex will deliver AIAG-accredited training programs in China, India, Thailand and the Asian market. In tandem with this agreement, AIAG and Omnex headquarters in the USA agreed to a similar partnership in the US.

USA
The Automotive Industry Action Group (AIAG) signed an agreement with Omnex whereby Omnex will serve as a training provider for Lean and Six Sigma courses for AIAG in the United States. Scot Sharland, AIAG's executive director, said about the agreement, "We are very pleased that Omnex can offer these Lean/Six Sigma courses for AIAG, and we feel that Omnex's involvement will benefit our members tremendously." Courses are being taught by Omnex consultants in AIAGs Southfield Michigan offices.

David Howells, Director of the Renault-Nissan Institute with Arun Kumar, Omnex India Country Manager and VP of Omnex Asia.

India
There has been a lot going on in Omnex India lately. First of all, our Indian office has plans to create the Omnex Academy (India), dedicated to the development of quality standards professionals in India. The Academy will instruct business professionals in the intricacies of quality management standards and methodologies and ensure that companies who hire Omnex Academy graduates have hired fully qualified quality professionals. Further information will be found at www.omnexacademy.com. Also, the Renault-Nissan Institute has signed a Partnership Agreement with Omnex India to help all Mahindra-Renault Pvt Ltd. suppliers to improve their quality. The agreement gives select suppliers access to Omnex experts who are trained and

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Representatives from AIAG and Omnex at the signing include (from left to right), Michael Xu, Manager of Omnex China; Arun Kumar, VP of Omnex Asia; J. Scot Sharland, Executive Director of AIAG; Pat Snack, General Motors' Executive Loan to AIAG; and Dr. Yilong Chen, AIAG's General Director of Asia Pacific Affairs and Chief Representative in China

excellence in auditor training

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and value to the student and organization receiving the training. Both the courses and instructors regularly score high satisfaction ratings, which are tracked, monitored, and analyzed for continual improvement, and then reviewed by top management. All of these factors go into delivering a best-inclass value for clients that have received Omnex training.

figure 2: what makes a good auditor?

I learned a lot from this course. It opened my eyes to pay attention to details and review TS standards. I got oneon-one feedback from Chad that will even help me out to be an experienced auditor. Over the years Ive taken several ISO courses. The advanced class brought it all

together--from the audit readiness pre-work stage to the final audit. I walked away feeling like I finally understood the process!

Summary Omnex instructor-led courses provide great satisfaction

For more on Omnexs approach to auditor training, email us. For an article on advanced auditing requirements, write to Communications Director Glenn Bugala at gbugala@ omnex.com

DRIVING WORLDWIDE BUSINESS EXCELLENCE

315 E. Eisenhower Parkway Suite 110 Ann Arbor, MI 48108 Phone: 734/761.4940 Fax: 734/761.4966 Email: info@omnex.com Web: www.omnex.com

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