Originally Published 6.19.2021

Hazel Asutilla, Engineer 2 of Emerson Electric bagged her Green Belt Certification last August 2020 after making things easier for Engineering to understand the critical parts of her organization’s process.

We have seen massive companies rapidly revolutionizing the technological world. But we don’t really pay attention to the people behind that exponential growth. Today, we bring you one of them. A Filipina who chose to make a difference.

Which industry do you belong to?
“Emerson is an OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) whose products are being used as components in the products of another company. Emerson in the Philippines is a back office in which we are supporting the whole Emerson, Globally.” Heys began.

What is your current position in the company?
She replied, “Engineer 2, Component Engineering.”

What prompted you to take the Lean Six Sigma Workshop?
“Back in 2018, I was looking for Career Growth. That's why I’ve decided to take the Lean Six Sigma training. Years before that, I was also interested in process improvement. Making our day-to-day tasks easier and finishing our deadline ahead of time so we could also have a work-life balance.” Hazel explained.

What prompted you to start your project?
She disclosed, “After the training, I wanted to apply all the learning that I gained from the training. I also believed that if I did not start the project as soon as possible, I might forget those lessons and start at zero.”

What was your project about?
“My project is about the NPD projects we are receiving from our R&D. Our task is to scrub the BOM. Though the project is a new product, some approved parts in the BOM are already Obsolete/Declined and sometimes Non-RoHS during our initial assessment.” She added, “Also, this is an opportunity for us to have a cost reduction.”

What were the results of your project?
Heys cited, “We’ve been able to mitigate the risk of having shortages or production stoppage by releasing the Bill of Material to production that has EOL or declined parts. We’ve developed an automated tool to assess the health of the BOM and to make it easier for Engineering to understand the Critical Parts.”

 What was it like for you, starting up and executing your own project?
“To be honest, it was scary. I got pressured.” She confessed. But by having a very supportive Supervisor and a team that is very cooperative, we made it. By the end of the project, I realized that I really improved. There were things that I thought I couldn’t do, but through that time I did not realize that I was able to do it. Maybe it became easier because of my team.”

Among the action Items that were done, what were the key elements that led to the success of your project?
Hazel proudly answered, “Teamwork, Open Communication, and understanding the strength and weaknesses of each member of the team. I think this helped us to finish the project, successfully.”

What was the impact of your project on your company? 
“We’ve been able to decrease the average Single Sourced parts from 35% to 7%. We also have a Potential Cost reduction of $44 million with Realized Savings of $13,000.” She said with gratitude.

What was the impact of being a certified Lean Six Sigma Green Belt on you as an individual and a professional?
“For me, it’s gaining the respect of my colleagues and the trust of my Superior. After the success of our project, I got promoted and another opportunity of leading another project came in.” Heys emphasized, “All the efforts and learning from the training didn't go to waste.”

 What would be your message to those who are currently taking or planning to take the Green Belt Program or those who are currently conducting their own projects?
“To those people who are planning to take the training, remove all your worries, because it's worth it. Let’s invest in ourselves, not just with other money investments. Our career growth is unto us and not from the company we are working for. Not even not from our Superior. They are just on our side to guide us, but we are the ones who will decide where we will be in the next years of our career.” She wonderfully said.

 Is there anything else that you’d like to share about your experience?
Hazel ended, “At first, I was hesitant to take the training and it took me two years to finally take it. After finishing the project, I realized that I should have gotten my certification earlier if I weren’t afraid and trusted that I could do it. So, for anybody out there who is afraid to take the first step, trust yourself, and believe that you can.”

Take the leap of faith. You might be scared for now but it’s just a reminder that there are people who care like your team and Six Sigma PH who will guide you through the rough roads to success.

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