Lean Six Sigma in the Aerospace and Defense Industry
Since the 1990s, the aerospace, defense and aviation industry has been one of the most active adopters of Lean Six Sigma methodologies, driven by intense competition, high safety standards, and the need for precision and efficiency. The roots of Lean thinking and the Toyota Production System—were already influencing aerospace manufacturers by the late 1980s.
Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and Northrop Grumman began experimenting with Lean principles and the Toyota Production System (TPS) to reduce waste and streamline production lines to meet the demands of the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD), while Six Sigma tools provided the statistical rigor to improve quality and reduce defects in highly complex manufacturing processes that were “pushing the envelope” on technological advancements as early as the 1990’s.
By the mid-1990s, Boeing’s 777 program had become a landmark example of Lean adoption in aerospace. The company integrated Lean principles into design, assembly, and supplier collaboration, achieving significant reductions in cycle time, rework, and inventory levels. Around the same time, Six Sigma was being introduced to aerospace suppliers and defense contractors as a means to reduce variability and improve reliability in both manufacturing and maintenance operations. Boeing developed their Advanced Quality System (AQS) D1-9000 program in the late 1990’s which drove Six Sigma tools in the design and manufactuing of products for their suppliers. Specific programs with high-volume production and complex manufacturing were being asked to adopt these methods to ensure consistent product deliveries, reduced variation in performance and reduced year-over-year costs.
Combining data-driven decision-making with the continuous improvement mindset led to a combined Lean Six Sigma approach in the early 2000’s. The U.S. DOD also began encouraging Lean and Six Sigma practices across its supplier base and within its internal operations, accelerating their adoption industry-wide in the early 2000’s. Considered one of the largest deployments of Lean Six Sigma, the Army, Navy and Air Force rolled out their own improvement programs that resulted in billions of cost savings for taxpayers. Lean Six Sigma also became a standard part of operational excellence programs throughout the aviation sector, extending beyond manufacturing to areas like maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO), logistics, and administrative processes. Airlines such as Delta, United, and Southwest applied Lean Six Sigma to streamline maintenance scheduling, improve turnaround times, and enhance customer experience. Aerospace component manufacturers and service providers leveraged these methods to meet increasingly stringent regulatory and quality requirements (such as AS9100 and ISO standards) while reducing costs.
Today, Lean Six Sigma remains deeply embedded in the aerospace and aviation industry’s DNA. Digital transformation initiatives, including Industry 4.0, Agile/Scrum software development and advanced analytics, have expanded how these principles are applied. The result is an industry that continues to pursue operational excellence, safety, and innovation through a disciplined approach to problem solving and process improvement.
My career began in the aerospace industry with Rockwell Collins, a manufacturer of communication and navigation equipment that increased safety and connected aircrafts to each other and to airports more seamlessly. They also were involved in early GPS devices to improve communications amongst soldiers and improve accuracy of weapon deployment. My role would end up being an 18-year career (1999-2017) to deploy Lean and Six Sigma methods into the entire global organization and culture, with dedicated efforts at 4 different facilities across the US.
My early years were focused on statistical and quality support, including design of experiments (DOE) setup and analysis, regression analysis, and training development for methodologies like Statistical Process Control (SPC) and Root Cause Analysis and DOE. Our Root Cause Analysis training was deployed across the entire company. One major Six Sigma project resulted in $8 million in cost avoidance and cost savings utilizing Lean and Six Sigma tools, which launched the Six Sigma Green Belt training program, and was elevated to an Enterprise-level initiative in May 2007. He was also an early developer of the database system used to parse and analyze test data for Six Sigma analysis. I also supported Lean Six Sigma and Advanced Product Quality Planning (APQP) training at key suppliers.
I supported the Engineering and Technology, Research and Development, Human Resources and Service and Support organizations, along with Operations in Cedar Rapids (Iowa), Coralville (Iowa), Melbourne (Florida) and Wilsonville (Oregon). I taught all Lean core courses, Six Sigma Green Belt, and developed and managed the company’s advanced certification program.
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