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Lean Six Sigma (LSS) is a methodology that integrates two strategies used for continuous improvement by organizations: lean manufacturing and Six Sigma. LSS helps to optimize processes by focusing on reducing waste and defects and improving quality. This paper presents a study on the implementation of LSS in a small furniture company. A company diagnosis was done to identify manufacturing process problems and opportunities for improvement. Also, a Six Sigma design, measure, analyze, improve, control (DMAIC) approach was used to quantify opportunities, show evidence for improvement, and show potential benefits to be gained. Results show that with the application of LSS there is potential for the firm to reduce defects by 25 percent, reduce waste by 13 percent, and increase sales productivity by approximately 14 percent in the first year. These findings suggest that LSS strategy implementation could be useful for small wood furniture companies. The key challenges to applying LSS methodology in the case firm were associated with a poor quality management system, lack of formality, lack of procedures, and quality records. We propose a training program emphasizing theoretical knowledge for managers and employees as the first step to implementing LSS.

Key words: continuous improvement, DMAIC, innovation, process mapping, quality, wood furniture

Wood manufacturers have been pressured to adopt new manufacturing practices and management approaches to reduce production costs and delivery times, and increase quality to remain competitive in an increasingly globalized market (Czabke, Hansen, and Doolen 2008). For the wood products industry, continuous improvement fosters an ongoing effort to enhance quality and productivity (Pirraglia, Saloni, and van Dyk 2009). Over the last decade, Lean Six Sigma (LSS) has been adopted by many companies in the restructuring of their manufacturing processes based on monitoring of production yields and reducing costs and cycle times (George 2010; Anderson and Kovach 2014; Ismail etai. 2013).

LSS is a strategy for improving business performance that combines two methodologies: lean manufacturing and Six Sigma. Lean manufacturing, or lean, is a systematic approach to identifying and eliminating waste through continuous improvement. Six Sigma is an improvement methodology used for reducing variation, defects, waste, and economic losses, and increasing process quality (Andersson, Eriksson, and Torstensson 2006). Combined, these methods focus on increasing quality, reducing variation, and reducing waste in an organization...

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