https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/81425 2026-04-05T09:01:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/84586 CASE 2 - Electronic Systems Incorporated Hallam, Cory R. A. Lean Enterprise Self-Assessment Tool (LESAT) Case Studies for Enterprise Transformation Training 2001-11-01T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/84585 CASE 1 - Advanced Composite Aerostructures Incorporated Hallam, Cory R. A. Lean Enterprise Self-Assessment Tool (LESAT) Case Studies for Enterprise Transformation Training 2001-10-01T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/82081 Warner Robins and the Buy Purchase Request Process Cohen, Jessica Lauren Throughout the United States Air Force, Warner Robins Air Logistics Center (ALC) has a reputation of being ahead of the game when it comes to lean implementation. Efforts on the shop floor have contributed vastly to that reputation. In addition, administrative accomplishments need to be recognized as a significant contribution to the lean effort at Warner Robins. At the Warner Robins Air Logistics Center (ALC), the ultimate goal of every employee is to serve the warfighter effectively and efficiently through the maintenance and repair of aircraft. The ALC’s main work is in Program Depot Maintenance (PDM) which supports aircraft sustainment operations for seven Product Directorates. Within Product Directorates are the System Program Offices (SPOs), such as C-5 or C-130, of Air Force weapon systems. Sustainment is a dauntingly complex process for the Air Force involving the Depot and PDM efforts, movement and storage of parts, and the base repair process. In 2002, Warner Robins embarked upon a lean journey to improve the reliability, timeliness and costs associated with its repair operations. Within the context of that improvement attempt, this case study examines the efforts to maximize purchase request efficiency, (i.e., shorten the time needed to acquire parts). 2004-12-01T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/82080 CASE STUDY: From Three to One: Integrating a High Performance Work Organization Process, Lean Production, and Activity Based Costing Change Initiatives Kochan, Thomas A. In 1997 Boeing’s Wichita Division and the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers agreed to launch a “High Performance Work Organization” (HPWO) process. This followed the introduction of a Lean Production Initiative in 1994-95 and an Activity Based Costing (ABC) initiative in 1996. Managers and union leaders in Wichita sought to sustain and grow each of these change and improvement efforts in ways that empower the workforce and enhance the competitiveness of the operations. Although these initiatives share some similar objectives and could potentially serve to complement and reinforce each other, to date they have been led and managed separately. Each is experiencing a slow and difficult path of diffusion. The key challenge facing management and union leaders is to decide how to best integrate these separate improvement programs into a single, focused initiative that builds broader awareness, support, and demand for its features across all levels of the workforce and the management and union organizations in the Wichita operation. Given the combination of the engineering culture of Boeing and the pragmatic orientation of the workforce in Wichita, the parties may want to shift to a more targeted task or problem specific approach that engages a broad cross section of hourly workers, engineers, and managers in specific improvement initiatives. Doing so might shift from a top-down supplier push to a distributed, demand-pull process of innovation and adaptation. 2000-01-01T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/82071 CASE STUDY: Textron Systems Cutcher-Gershenfeld, Joel For over five decades, Textron Systems has been an important contributor to the U.S. defense aerospace business. Its breakthroughs in thermal protection materials enabled NASA Apollo command modules and Air Force intercontinental missiles to successfully re-enter the earth’s atmosphere. High strength, lightweight boron composites from Textron Systems help carry the primary structural load in the Space Shuttle orbiter and today’s aircraft carriers rely on Textron’s automated landing systems. Textron highlights smart systems, including smart air and ground munitions, as its unique value add in the 21st Century global marketplace -- products that can rapidly acquire, analyze and act on real-time data inputs. The constant adaptation of its product line and business strategy is a defining feature of Textron Systems as a business. This is a significant accomplishment for the business, but a constant challenge when it comes to work organization and skill development. Textron Systems is based in Wilmington, Massachusetts, with additional facilities in three other locations. This case study is focused on the Wilmington operations. 2001-01-01T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/82070 CASE STUDY: Rocketdyne Propulsion and Power Inaba, Takashi; Barret, Betty Jo Rocketdyne is a leading producer of rocket engines and related space products facing an increasingly competitive global environment. For Rocketdyne the challenges include a shift from a heavily military focus to a more commercial focus, acquisition by Boeing, environmental and pollution concerns, and developing a lean production work organization system. A vigorous employee involvement program is a defining feature of the Rocketdyne story. However there are ongoing challenges integrating front-line innovation with line leadership and business strategy. 2001-01-01T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/82068 CASE STUDY: International Association of Machinists Boeing Joint Programs Kochan, Thomas A.; Barrett, Betty The paragraph on the title page summarizes the goals of language first inserted in the 1989 collective bargaining agreement between the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) and the Boeing Corporation. While the language in the old article called for the company and union to work together to introduce new technology and involve the workforce, in reality not much of this was being done. Nor were there resources available to support such efforts. Moreover, the union leadership was wary of entering into joint programs with the company because its international union had a general distrust of management initiated “quality circles” or other processes that it feared would erode worker rights or drive a wedge between members and their union. Both management and labor leaders, however, recognized the need to introduce and adapt to technological change to keep the company competitive and generate new opportunities. Both agreed that this was a practical and focused area of shared interest where a collaborative effort made sense. The purpose of this brief note is to describe how this joint program has evolved over its first decade of experience. It is not an evaluation or assessment of the program. Instead, we present it here only to illustrate the potential of this type of joint effort for bringing life long learning to hourly workers in a world of continuous technological and organizational change. We end by speculating about how the program might step up to the next level of development and impact. 2001-01-01T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/82065 CASE STUDY: Boeing Commercial Airplane Group Wichita Division (Boeing Co.) Paduano, Rocco; Cutcher-Gershenfeld, Joel Activity Based Costing and Management (ABCM) is one of many new financial and accounting tools aimed at providing more complete, better-aligned data on economic performance. It is important to explore early experiences with this concept since it represents a new set of “rules” that can have implications for all stakeholders in an aerospace enterprise. ABCM is of particular interest with respect to lean practices and principles since it links the cost of production or services to the relevant support activities, which is helpful in targeting continuous improvement efforts. Companies who are focusing resources on organizational learning initiatives will also find that ABCM processes add value to these efforts. This case study hopes to deepen understanding of ABCM principles by looking beyond the survey data and tracing early experience in an aerospace setting. Note that these are just pilot demonstration initiatives and do not represent full-scale implementation. In presenting this study, we are not advocating for or against this particular approach to financial accounting – just seeking to better understand its implications. 2001-01-01T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/82037 CASE STUDY: Rockwell Collins and IBEW Locals 1362 and 1634 Barrett, Betty; Long, Kevin The post-September 11th economy has confronted Rockwell Collins in Cedar Rapids, Iowa with hard choices. Faced with the need to cut costs, including laying off significant portions of the work force, the company and its unions still maintain a commitment to knowledge retention and knowledge building. This case study chronicles the efforts of this leading producer of advanced communication and aviation electronics for the commercial market and the defense industry to balance the costs of maintaining productive effectiveness while responding to market pressures. The company is faced with increased technical requirements and depressed demand for its products, which include: in-flight entertainment systems, aircraft communication systems, global positioning systems (GPS), flight deck displays (including collision alert systems and virtual landing aids), communications systems, and automatic flight controls. Survival depends on walking a strategic knife edge to sustain the bottom line and still maintain the innovation and flexibility needed to build products to market demand. 2003-01-01T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/82036 CASE STUDY: International Association of Machinists and Boeing Joint Quality Through Training Programs Long, Kevin; Barrett, Betty The International Association of Machinists (IAM) and Boeing Company Quality Through Training Program (QTTP) is playing a vital role within the Boeing Company to cope with a complicated situation: reducing the workforce, implementing lean manufacturing, and the upcoming training of a new workforce as thousands of workers prepare for retirement in the coming years. QTTP Joint Training Programs were not created with these specific uses in mind, but because the programs are already established, they provide a foundation on which to build these new roles. Internal union and management groups are now relying on the credibility and connections of the QTTP leadership to facilitate organizational problem-solving. This case study describes how the joint program has responded to new organizational needs heightened by sudden changes in the aerospace industry. The events of September 11, 2001 were devastating for the aerospace industry. One year after the tragic events, (you say below that airlines postponed or cancelled orders) business air travel had declined approximately 30% while air travel overall was off approximately 11%. The airline industry was projected to lose more than $5 billion in 2002, on top of losing $7.7 billion in 2001. United Airlines filed for bankruptcy, while most other airlines continue to post stunning losses. In response to the drop in air travel demand, the airlines reduced the number of flights – requiring less aircraft. As a result, airlines postponed or cancelled orders for new planes. Boeing’s commercial business was hit hard and the company has announced the layoff of 30,000 workers. Despite this rather bleak picture, the QTTP leaders and representatives continue to skillfully promote joint, innovative activities that are mutually beneficial to those they represent. The activities described in this case are examples of the initiatives that QTTP is promoting. Of note is the consideration and respect that form the basis upon which decisions are made within the group. 2004-01-01T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/82034 Lean Effects on Aerospace Programs (LEAP) Project: 737 Fuselage Case Study Report Ferdowsi, Bobak; Haggerty, Al The Boeing 737 “Next Generation” (NG) is the follow-on to the longest continuous production line in commercial aircraft history. The original 737 (-100) was launched in February of 1965, followed by the –200, -300, -400, and –500 models, and by completion of the “Classic” Program, in 1993, 3132 737s had been delivered. The Next Generation 737 represented a radical redesign of the aircraft, including the –600, -700, -800, -900, “Combi” (-700C), and Business Jet (BBJ) models, to be superior to competitorssuch as the Airbus A320 series and the McDonnell Douglas MD-90. The airplane falls under Boeing Commercial Airplane Company, which is a subdivision of the Boeing Company. Customers for the aircraft include major airlines around the globe in addition to customers who use the plane for cargo, such as the United States Navy. This report will describe the program and product and an overview of the whole picture—the extended enterprise. The study will continue to look at the implementation of lean, including highlights and achievements, enablers and practices, as well as external factors and developments. That is followed by a look at remaining challenges and future opportunities, and the paper is concluded with a section on “lessons learned” and final observations. 2002-03-01T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/82009 Lean Effects on Aerospace Programs (LEAP) Project: F-16 Case Study Report Ferdowsi, Bobak; Stanke, Alexis This report follows the F-16 journey of improvement over the last decade or so. Since an increase in focus on cost and quality in the early 1990s, there has been gradual but continuous progress along this journey. Most remarkable are some of the more recent changes, following the implementation of lean principles and practices across the program. 2002-04-05T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/82008 Case Study Report: The Paveway Program Transformation Hemann, Justin On a Monday in June of 1999 the Paveway production line restarted in a hastily erected tent at Raytheon's Tucson, Arizona facility. It did not look or perform like the Paveway program that had won Texas Instruments the prestigious Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award just seven years earlier. The move has been quick - four days - and executed on a shoestring budget. Photographs and sketches were used to piece the production line together like a giant jigsaw puzzle. Only 25% of the Texas Instruments personnel made the move to Arizona, so Paveway was in the hands of a new team and a new culture. Over the next four years the program would see weak morale and performance, a huge surge in demand following 9/11, and intense pressure from a competitor. Challenges like these have ended programs and entire companies, yet Paveway met these challenges and emerged as a best-in-class program and winner of the 2004 Shingo Prize. How did this transformation take place? What kind of capabilities does an organization need to survive and flourish under such challenges? This case seeks to tell the story of the Paveway program from 1999 to the present. Specifically, the purpose is to create better understanding and guidance for managers, facilitators, and participants at all organizational levels for the types of changes and change processes that enable transformation. 2005-02-28T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/82006 Lean at the C-5 Galaxy Depot: Essential Elements of Success Barrett, Betty; Fraile, Lydia Robins Air Force Base is the largest industrial complex in Georgia, employing some 25,000 civilian, contractor, and military workers on its premises. The Air Logistics Center has over 13,000 employees: about 2,000 of these are military and 11,000 civil servants. The ALC maintains and repairs the C-5 Galaxy, F-15 Eagle, C-130 Hercules, and C-17 Globemaster, as well as special operations aircraft, avionics, and electronic warfare. It is also responsible for program management and supply chain management for these and other weapon systems. The main union at the facility is the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) Local 987. The local represents some 9,000 workers at Warner Robins and has 2,600 members. This case study centers on lean change in the C-5 program. 2005-03-23T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/82005 Letterkenny Army Depot: The Army Teaches Business a Lesson in Lean Six Sigma Harvey, Roger K.; Labedz, Chester S., Jr. Letterkenny Army Depot: The Army Teaches Business a Lesson in Lean Six Sigma is a case study of Letterkenny Army Depot, one of five Army maintenance depots. Letterkenny recapitalizes missiles, HMMWV's, generators, and other equipment for the United States Army. Recapitalizing equipment means completely disassembling the system, cleaning and/or replacing every component, subcomponent and part, and reassembling and testing the equipment. Col. William Guinn was assigned as depot commander in July 2002 only to find the depot was in deep financial and operational trouble. Letterkenny had experienced an operating loss of $31 million on revenues of $120 million, work flows that were dysfunctional and inefficient, the highest hourly wage rates among all the depots, and an infrastructure that was badly in need of repair. Additionally, the depot faced possible closing by the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) Commission in 2005. This case documents Col. Guinn’s Lean Six Sigma deployment at Letterkenny Army Depot from 2002 to 2005. Using the principles and tools of Lean, Letterkenny’s commander, senior leaders, managers, and employees successfully transformed the depot from the Army’s worst to its best performing depot in terms of productivity and cost efficiency. Three years after the depot’s Lean journey began, the 2005 BRAC Commission not only recommended keeping Letterkenny open, but also assigned it additional programs. In the same year, Letterkenny won the public sector Shingo Prize for applying Lean to its Patriot Missile recapitalization program. 2006-05-23T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/82003 Letterkenny Army Depot: Finance Innovations Support Lean Six Sigma Success Harvey, Roger K.; Labedz, Chester S., Jr. As a result of significant dollar savings to the Army and U.S. taxpayers, Letterkenny Army Depot received widespread public recognition in 2005. The depot received a public sector Shingo Prize for applying Lean principles and tools to its PATRIOT missile system recapitalization program. While Letterkenny was Leaning its production systems, the depot implemented two innovative and effective financial incentive systems: one to reward employees, the other to reward customers. The reward systems were innovative because they occurred in a not-for-profit organization and effective because they motivated customers, employees, and unions to embrace Lean. First, the commander of Letterkenny Army Depot introduced a mechanism for immediately recognizing surplus Net Operating Results (“NOR”) funds generated by Lean savings. Rather than following prescribed budgeting procedures, Letterkenny made sixty percent of auditable surplus NOR available to customers within the current fiscal year. With Lean savings immediately put “back in customers’ hands”, the customers usually chose to repurchase Letterkenny services with their Lean savings checks. The additional services performed by the depot at essentially no cost to the customer provided combat-ready weapon systems to the Warfighter, over and above the quantities planned for the current fiscal year. The depot reinvested the balance of its NOR surpluses in improvements to its facilities and equipment, helping to promote Lean buy-in among civilian employees and their unions. Second, Letterkenny negotiated a revised process for awarding NOR-related bonus checks to its employees. To further promote Lean buy-in, the depot established a “threshold” approach to determine the size of the employee payments. Letterkenny awarded payouts of $200/employee for each $1 million increase in NOR, up to a maximum of $5 million. By reaching annual Lean-enabled NOR of at least $5 million each year, Letterkenny employees could and did receive annual bonus checks of $1,000 in three successive years. The case describes the organizational conditions leading to these innovations and the responses to them among its customers, unions and headquarters. 2006-09-15T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/82002 United Technologies Corporation: Internal Audit Department (IAD) Case Study: A Case Study of the UTC ACE Operating System Roth, George This study of United Technologies Corporation's Internal Audit Department (IAD) examines how stability and change are important factors in how this department functions and improves. IAD is a leader in the adoption of United Technologies Corporation's (UTC's) continuous improvement methods in non-production settings. IAD has achieved and maintained significant improvements in quality, on-time delivery, customer satisfaction, employee satisfaction, and productivity from 2001-2007. 2008-08-11T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/82001 Pratt & Whtiney: Homogenous Metals,Inc. (HMI) Case Study: A Case STudy of the UTC Ace Operating System Roth, George; Colatat, Phech Homogenous Metals Incorporated (HMI) is a pioneer in adopting and demonstrating value from United Technology Corporation's (UTC's) ACE operating system. ACE stands for Achieving Competitive Excellence. The first story is what we studied and report on this case: HMI's efforts and their results through 2006. Up through 2006, the graph confirms HMI's steady and consistent improvement progress. The second story is what the figures show beyond the time of our study when economic conditions dropped dramatically. It is less one of continuous improvement, but an adjustment and restructuring based on different market settings. 2009-10-06T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/82000 Process Improvements in Pratt & Whitney's Deficiency Report Investigation Process: A Case Study of the UTC ACE Operating System Colatat, Phech This case study describes Pratt & Whitney's process improvement activities on its deficiency report (DR) investigation process for the F100 engine program between 2004 and 2006. The DR investigation process is a customer service function that addresses anomalous, "non-conforming" technical problems discovered in fielded military engines. Investigation of these problems is critical because it produces important operational information for users of the engine. In 2004 at the behest of the United States Air Force (USAF), it's largest customer, Pratt & Whitney began process improvement activity to address the growing number of overdue investigations - investigations taking longer than 120 days. Military Customer Support, an organization within Pratt & Whitney's Military Engines division, began an effort to drive down the number of overdue investigations and put in place a more robust process for managing DR investigations. In addition to providing description of and insights on DR investigation improvements, one question this case will attempt to address is: what were the mechanisms that led to improvement in the DR investigation process metrics and customer satisfaction with USAF. 2010-06-17T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/81998 United Technologies Corporation: Achieving Competitive Excellence (ACE): Operating System Case Study Roth, George United Technologies Corporation (abbreviated UTC, NYSE ticker symbol UTX) is a large, industrial conglomerate that designs, manufactures, and services a broad range of products, ranging from air conditioners and elevators to jet engines and helicopters. At the end of 2008, UTC's sales were $58.7 billion, its market capitalization over $50 billion, making it the 39th company on the Fortune 500 list. What is ACE, how did it develop, and how is it evolving? What lessons might other corporations, leaders, and managers draw from ACE for improving their businesses? These questions are investigated and reported in this case study. 2010-11-30T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/81996 CASE STUDY -- LEAN 94-01: Integrators, not Generalists Needed: A Case Study of IPD Teams at Textron Defense Systems Klein, Janice; Maurer, Patrick The following case study examines an organization that essentially eliminated traditional functional groups and assigned all employees to cross-functional product or process teams. Although the organizational and cultural change occurred throughout the enterprise, this case will focus primarily on the structure of teams and the management of skills and capabilities within the integrated product development (IPD) core process. In the IPD area, multi-disciplinary teams were established with the expectation that individuals would both retain their own area of expertise and broaden their understanding of the functional expertise of their fellow team members. In essence, team members were expected to become “integrators,” as opposed to “generalists.” Although a major cultural change has occurred over a two-year time period, the change to date is considered as only the first step in an evolutionary process. The transition of this organization from a traditional matrix with strong functional hierarchies to a team-based structure highlights a number of human resource implications, including team selection, performance evaluation and rewards, and career paths. The study will conclude with a summary of lessons learned and the applicability of such an organization to the defense aircraft industry. 1994-01-17T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/81994 CASE STUDY -- LEAN 94-02: A Case Study of Self-Directed Work Teams at Boeing Defense and Space Group - Corinth Klein, Janice Boeing Defense & Space Group - Corinth (BD&SG-C) is a self-directed team based unionized facility in the defense and commercial aircraft industry. The plant was a greenfield start-up in 1987. Due to the nature of the defense business environment, the facility has weathered a changing product mix and surges and plateaus in its employment. The case illustrates the applicability of self-directed work systems in the defense aircraft industry and will identify lessons learned in the start-up and maintenance of such systems, including how experience in developing a labor-management partnership can be carried over to developing a partnership between DoD contractors and their defense contract administrators. 1994-02-24T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/81993 CASE STUDY 95-04: Operator Certification: A Case Study in Operator Self-Inspection Cowap, Stacey; Schoonmaker, James Operator certification is the process where production workers are trained, authorized, and given the necessary resources to inspect their own work. This case study evaluated operator certification systems in the manufacturing process at three major aerospace companies during the Spring of 1995. Within the manufacturing area, operator certification was observed in such operations as high volume machining operations, certain processing operations-such as leak testing, balancing, and painting-and production of high volume detail parts. This case study was initiated as a result of the data from the human resources focus group’s survey in 1994. Prof. Jan Klein found that the airframe sector had a significantly lower percentage of plants where production workers perform inspection tasks as compared to the engine and electronics sectors. While operator certification is not a new concept, it appeared to be a best practice within two of the three sectors of the aerospace industry. This case study was performed to investigate these high potential payoffs. 1996-02-22T00:00:00Z