A King Stands Tall Above Sales, Defects, and Naysayers!
Originally Published 5.15.2021
Freddie King Guerrero, an Engineering and Technical Services Manager at Zamony Venture Corporation proved that he doesn’t need a throne to be a change leader and spearhead his company into a huge leap - not just in sales but also into discovering a storehouse of solutions that they may utilize in perpetuity. On August 8, 2018, King was crowned as one of the Certified Lean Six Sigma Black Belt in the Philippines.
It is disheartening to see Filipinos collecting certifications without application when we all know that they are capable of applying for them. Unlike the rest, this CSSBB continuously pushes professionals to stick to their will of completing a project and actually making a change regardless of their risk appetite.
What encouraged you to take the Lean Six Sigma Workshop?
“Way back in 2009, when I first heard about Lean Six Sigma, I did research and found out that this program offers huge benefits to companies who are struggling in terms of product and process defects. I also learned that having this skill set boosts career growth especially when you get certified.” King started. “So I enrolled in a Lean Six Sigma White Belt program at the Philippine Trade Training Center in Manila. To make the long story short, I joined Lean Six Sigma PH’s Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt (Wave 1) and continued to the Lean Six Sigma Green Belt Program last 2013 in iAcademy.” He recalled. “I learned a lot about the tools and how to measure the issues and analyze the situation. I’ve decided to implement some process improvement initiatives for our company and the result is really good.” King remembered, “At that time, I didn’t have the eagerness to be certified as a Lean Six Sigma Green Belt since what I initially wanted was to be a Certified Lean Six Sigma Black Belt. I did not submit a Green Belt project thinking that if I get certified as a Green Belt, it may hinder me from pursuing my Six Sigma journey further. Then 2017, I finally joined the Lean Six Sigma Black Belt (Wave 5) by the Master Black Belt, Rex “The Six Sigma Guy” Tuozo. In just one year, I already got certified as a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt.” He celebrated.
What prompted you to start your project?
“I knew that the window of opportunity had opened for me to become a Certified Lean Six Sigma Black Belt.” King explained, “I learned more of the tools and grasped extensive techniques from my Black Belt training such as effective implementation, statistical, and data-driven application to the product/process improvement initiative, measurements, and analytics. They were far more advanced.” He ended.
What was your project about?
King said, “Improving the after-sales service timeline.”
What was it like for you, starting up and executing your own project?
“It was hard!”, He exclaimed. “Gathering data was very difficult. Since the old system couldn’t even measure the performance, my big question was, ‘How can I even start not knowing where we are?’ Luckily, we were able to progress little by little. We had optimized the system and revised it to measure the performance.” King stated, “At first, I realized that there was a problem because a lot of our customers were unhappy. But how big was the issue? Informing our staff and stakeholders that there was a problem without knowing how big the issue was seemed unbelievable. However, the numbers were generated, and poof! We can finally see what was wrong and the rest is history.”
Among the action items that were done, what were the key elements that led to the success of your project?
“Key elements?” He asked. “Of course, it must start with your team. You should know how to convince them that there are issues to be resolved and processes to be improved. Involve them in the brainstorming, listen to their two cents, and analyze it. Vote if you think a suggestion will be beneficial. You wouldn’t notice that some of the ideas that didn’t even cross your mind are brilliant.” King advised. “Not to mention, the support of the management. It is also important. Before you begin, you have to get their approval so that the resources will be available.” He added, “You have to be patient because not all the implementations will work smoothly. Be prepared, make contingencies, FMEA, and Risk Management.”
What was the impact of your project on your company?
“More sales and most of all, happy customers!” King said in relief. “The financial benefit was improved sales by 11% as measured. CSAT surveys showed that customers bought their unit because we have a good aftersales.” King boasted, “How much was it? I won’t even tell. We also reduced the transportation and manpower after-sales budget by 9% by minimizing back job repairs (Repair Quality).”
What was the impact of being a certified Lean Six Sigma Black Belt on you as an individual and as a professional?
King confessed, “Job offers came rushing and my confidence in what I am doing went up because I know what I know. I was surprised when recruiters started reaching out to me on Linked In saying that they were looking for a Certified Lean Six Sigma Black Belt.” He agreed, “It also earned me a lot of respect.”
What would be your message to those who are currently planning to take the Black Belt Program and to those who are currently conducting their own projects?
“For those who would like to take the Lean Six Sigma training: If the reason why you’re reading this is that you’re doing your research about Lean Six Sigma, just go for it because it will be beneficial for both you and your company.” King nodded.
He believed, “If you’ve just finished your training, commit to your projects. It defeats the purpose of the training if you do not want to be certified. Don’t let it go to waste. I cannot see the point of not completing a project after the training. You have all the tools that you need, Six Sigma PH, is there to support you.” King reckoned, “Basically, while I was doing my project, Rex, “The Six Sigma Guy” and Arthur, “The Sprint King” guided me from start to finish; free of charge! I hope that this will inspire others to finish their project and get certified. Best of luck to you guys!”
Is there anything else that you’d like to share about your experience?
King mentioned, “The teachings of this organization are the best and the first in the Philippines. The instructors were very accommodating. The execution was so simple that even people with no knowledge of Lean Six Sigma would want to pursue a career in process improvement and they will surely understand and enjoy the training. Plus, it is not boring. I have already attended a lot of training and certifications by different organizations but Lean Six Sigma PH knows what they do.” He concluded, “It is a blend of fun and learning in a nutshell. God Bless you Six Sigma PH team!”
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