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76th MXW opens 6S awards

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  • By 76th Maintenance Wing
TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. --  Although the names of the program may have changed over the years, Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center has been practicing 6S, a system for achieving order and cleanliness, for decades. With its renewed commitment to becoming a more efficient, safer, healthier, cleaner Lean manufacturing facility, the center has embraced 6S as the foundation for its enterprise transformation.

Taking the program a step further, the 76th Maintenance Wing turned this informal system into a profitable award program for the workforce. During the quarterly competition, a team of 6S experts inspect each work center entered into the contest, and all members of the winning area receive a $50 Notable Achievement Award.

To participate, a work center must perform a 6S event and self-nominate for the competition. As a method of workplace organization and visual controls, a 6S event involves starting with the first "S."
· Sort through items in the area, and appropriately discard the unusable items.
· Shine everything that remains --wash it and clean it so it shines.
· Straighten comes next. It involves organizing your files, books, desk, parts, tools, etc., and clearly labeling their new homes to ensure everyone in the workplace can easily access items and return them to their original location.
· Standardize involves positioning files, desks, cabinets, etc. in common use areas in a logical order to best fit your area or areas with like tasks.
· Finally, come Sustain and Safety, trying to continually improve your workplaces and your work processes. Nominations for the competition will be accepted until June 30. Nominations should follow these two steps:
· Perform a 6S event in your unit, flight or work center.
· Nominate your unit, flight or work cente by e-mail to the applicable group or staff 6S leader by June 30. The e-mail must include the name of the work center supervisor, name of each 6S team member actively involved and the office symbol of the work center being nominated. No written package is needed. Inspections will be held after June 30.

For more information about 6S or the 6S Quarterly Award Program, contact one of the 6S Program Managers, Paul Chalifoux at 734-0910. Group leaders are as follows: 76th AMXG, Stephen R Foster; 76th CMXG, Sophie Azma; 76th PMXG, Kim Roe; 76th SMXG, Kevin Moore; 76th MXSG, Paul Wierzchowski; 76th MXW/FM, Glenn Marcatos; 76th MXW/OB, Edith Clemons.