Building a Measurement System

Six Sigma companies save millions of dollars by using hard data to eliminate scrap, waste and rework in their business practices.

To build this data-driven culture, you need cost-effective ways to collect and manage the critical data that drives Six Sigma. This is where Hertzler’s GainSeeker® Suite can help:

  • Reduce costs and cycle times of Six Sigma projects by automatically collecting critical outcome data (critical Y) and the inputs that drive those outcomes (critical x)
  • Focus attention on improvement goals through innovative Defect Improvement charts in service and manufacturing businesses
  • Quickly uncover hidden sources of variation using GainSeeker 's automated statistical tools
  • Drill down into data to quickly identify significant opportunities for improvement
  • Build your enterprise database with reliable data for Six Sigma initiatives
  • Connect with other information systems to streamline and reduce operational costs
  • Share data easily with MINITAB and other systems for advanced statistical analysis

GainSeeker is built to serve the needs of companies in a variety of industries, including:

Discrete manufacturing

  • Electronics
  • Aerospace
  • Plastics
  • Metals
  • …and much more

Process industries

  • Foods
  • Packaging
  • Oil & Gas

Services & transactional

  • Manufacturing back office
  • Financial services
  • Sales & Marketing
  • Call centers

GainSeeker enhances MINITAB

Many Six Sigma experts already use MINITAB, the leader in advanced statistical software.

GainSeeker adds significant value to your MINITAB deployment by automating data acquisition from multiple sources and putting that data directly into MINITAB.

As J.P. Mulley, MINITAB Product Manager explains: "The number one enhancement request that falls outside our core development expertise is automated, real-time data acquisition. Hertzler has an excellent package for this and we’re pleased that they provide an easy-to-use link to MINITAB."

No matter if your data is stored in other databases, XML, Excel spreadsheets, an ERP system, or an OPC Historian, GainSeeker can connect. It can provide charts and analysis on your existing data repository, or it can harvest data from your existing sources to build a central, standardized data repository for charting and analysis. With special links to MINITAB Corporate Edition, this data is even more readily available for MINITAB analysis.

The first implementations of GainSeeker occurred in the traditional environment of manufacturing SPC. However, as more companies expand their Six Sigma efforts into the front office, GainSeeker is increasingly used on transactional data such as cycle times, on-time delivery percentages, and profit margin numbers.

Quotes

"We’re very excited about Hertzler’s integration with MINITAB Corporate Edition. They're the first vendor to take advantage of the Corporate Edition's new open integration and customization capabilities, and they've created tremendous value for their customers." J.-P. Mulley, Product Manager, Minitab Inc.

"I needed to automate my data collection system because doing it by hand was killing me. With GainSeeker I have a measurement system in place that has driven dozens of projects and saved my company hundreds of thousands of dollars." Master Black Belt, Financial Services Company