ArvinMeritor: AMPS, Lean and Six Sigma

ArvinMeritor is a global supplier of integrated systems, modules and components to the automotive industry. They began their lean journey in 2000 with a pilot initiative at the Asheville, North Carolina (USA) plant. Then only a year later the senior leadership team deployed the “ArvinMeritor Performance System” (AMPS) and “S3” (S-cubed) throughout the company:

“AMPS is a combination of lean manufacturing principles and best practices designed to empower teams of employees to drive out waste, eliminate non-value-added tasks and improve production and administrative processes.

“The ArvinMeritor 'S3' program, which stands for Six Sigma, Shainin and Solutions, was also launched this year. S-Cubed thinking is helping us to create a problem-solving culture that is not only focused on customer needs, but also on delivering products on time, at lower costs. To date, the application of S-Cubed programs have resulted in approximately $100,000 in savings per project.”

2001 Annual Report

Six Sigma and Lean continue to be successful driving improvements at ArvinMeritor. In the 2004 Annual Report, Charles McClure, Chairman, CEO and President stated:

“We are also proud to say we reduced costs and improved quality, achievements that were recognized with an impressive list of customer and industry awards. One of those awards was the coveted Shingo Prize bestowed on our exhaust systems facility in Columbus, Indiana (USA), for reaching world-class lean manufacturing status. Another was the Nissan Quality Master Award, which honored ArvinMeritor’s Queretaro, Mexico, facility for commitment to quality and continuous improvement.”

Articles and Links

ArvinMeritor: A Lean Culture, InformationWeek, April 19, 2004

Lean at ArvinMeritor, Manufacturing Engineering, Sep 2004

The Struggle to Get Lean, Fortune, December 29, 2003

ArvinMeritor’s Quality Initiatives Lead to Competitive Excellence, ArvinMeritor Website, November 8, 2001

ArvinMeritor Elects Debra Shumar to Senior Vice President, Continuous Improvement and Quality, ArvinMeritor Website, July 17, 2002

ArvinMeritor Motion Control Systems Uses Continuous Improvement Tools to Drive Production Excellence, Higher Quality, ArvinMeritor Website, May 31, 2002

About ArvinMeritor, ArvinMeritor Website