ALBANY, Ga. - William J. Cuff, continuous process improvement specialist, Operations Division, Marine Depot Maintenance Command, was recognized for his superior achievement July 19 in attaining Lean Six Sigma Black Belt certification during a ceremony held at Marine Depot Maintenance Command, here.
According to Professor Jiju Antony, author of “Lean Six Sigma: Research and Practice,” as well as dozens of other publications on the topic, Lean Six Sigma is a set of tools, techniques and strategies used for process improvement and business strategies.
Lean Six Sigma seeks to improve the quality of process outputs by identifying and removing the causes of errors and minimizing variability in manufacturing and business processes.
“It’s been a lot of work, but working with people who want to make changes and improvements made it a lot easier,” Cuff said.
The achievement of receiving the first black belt certification for a MCLC civilian-Marine was recognized by Michael T. Madden, executive deputy, Marine Corps Logistics Command.
“Thousands of hours go into the training that leads up to this moment,” Madden said. “Having a black belt within our command brings a disciplined thought process, and a change that will have a lasting value within the organization.”
Upon joining the organization in 2009, Cuff has served as the lead continuous process improvement specialist at MDMC.
“He has done an outstanding job as a mentor, coach and facilitator while serving as the lead for continuous process improvement in the Marine Depot Maintenance Command,” Pamela W. Dervan, director, Logistics Capabilities Center, MCLC, said. “I am very proud of Mister Cuff and all that he has accomplished.”
In addition to implementing changes where necessary, having a black belt allows Cuff to impart his knowledge to others completing Lean Six Sigma training regimens.
“A black belt provides a mentoring capability and is a valuable resource to the command,” Madden said. “In order to improve and go forward as a command, we must be forward thinking.”