Sager Electronics and a team of students from Harvard University’s School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) recently joined forces to conduct a case study on accuracy and its role in quality.
Sager, which targets an accuracy rating of 99.9% as a key performance indicator of quality, and the Harvard students were looking for solutions with the goal of improving order accuracy at the company’s primary distribution facility in Massachusetts where they met.
“Following our internal efforts identifying areas for improvement, we engaged with Harvard SEAS to assist in developing cost-effective and easy-to-implement solutions designed to help us consistently achieve 99.9% in order accuracy,” remarked Shannon Freise, Vice President of Operations for Sager Electronics.
Participating students learned the ins and outs of a large distribution operation, then developed solution plans, which impressed Freise and their instructor, Jeffrey Paten, Lecturer on Engineering Sciences.
“I was proud to see the students of ES 96 embrace the engineering approach and commit to thoroughly understanding Sager’s processes and how to best achieve their continuous improvement goals,” Paten said of the study. “I was happy to see the students exhibit excellent communication of ideas and demonstrate healthy consensus building while developing their comprehensive solution plans,” he said. “I hope they remember how unfamiliar the problem felt at the onset and how they have all the tools needed to take on any challenge in the future.”
