Understanding Matt Tinaglia

Six Sigma Meets Middle-earth

KGK International is based in Buffalo, IL but has a facility in Suwanee, GA

Upon leaving college life, Matt joined KGK International in 1993, where he worked as an Applications Engineer doing CNC programming on Okuma & Howa Machine Tools. Computer Numerical Control programming allows machine operators to cut and shape precision products: turning, milling, grinding, machined tools and components, etc.

The machines literally carve new components or sections of components out of blocks of raw materials. The technology was developed by large aerospace manufacturers and other industries requiring precision stamping and cutting processes in the 1960s and 1970s.

The CNC programmer plays with the latest technology in a world of 3-D schematics, complex computer processing, and strategic product design technologies. The programmers teach machines how to cut and carve the raw materials. Matt and his peers are modern industrial craftsmen, computer-age technical artists who create unique precision tool and component designs that simply cannot be made by hand.

His background in programming computer-driven machine tools certainly gave Matt a strong foundation for his present career course, but he also required extensive post-collegiate training and certification. The "PE exam and preparing for it is probably the hardest thing I've ever had to do educationally or professionally," Matt says. Matt became a registered Professional Engineer (PE) in Georgia in 1998.

He earned his Six Sigma Blackbelt status in 2005, and in early 2006 took on the first project as a Six Sigma leader for Nordson. But though his professional work has been demanding (and rewarding), Matt has found time for other pursuits, including raising a family with wife Greta (who graduated from Tech's arch-rival, the University of Georgia). They have three children, all boys: Connor, Keith, and MJ. Matt coached Connor's soccer team for two seasons as well.

And, of course, Matt found himself buried in Michael Martinez essays one year after innocently asking, "When are you going to publish a sequel to Visualizing Middle-earth?" Matt's involvement with science fiction and fantasy is mostly restricted to being a fan, but he has left an indelible imprint in online fandom's literature with his editorial work on Parma

Endorion, which was named the top download of 2002 by eBooks'n'Bytes. More than 1 million copies of the eBook have been downloaded in several languages (English, Spanish, and Italian).

Matt didn't just edit the eBook; he created the actual .PDF files for the English and Spanish language editions, selecting the fonts, designing the layout, and producing a professional-looking product.

All before he qualified for Six Sigma Black Belt.

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Leading the way with Six Sigma
Six "Sigma" is inspired by the Greek letter Sigma, used to measure a standard deviation in statistics. One Sigma is the average distance from the average score for all scores. For example, say we collect donations from 50 people. Most people donate 75 cents to $1.25; but some donate 2 dollars and some donate a dime. The average donation is $1.00. The standard deviation is 25 cents (above or below a dollar). The largest donation of 2 dollars is 4 Sigmas from the average.

Industrial processes have been closely scrutinized since Henry Ford organized the first automobile assembly line. Henry realized that his workers would build more cars if each man specialized in adding one component rather than building a car all by himself.

Industrial processing has never been the same since. But though productivity has gradually improved, manufactured product quality has often been challenged. Lawsuits have bankrupted some companies. And superior quality products, if mass-produced, can drive older products into obsolescence.

Six Sigma collects data about all aspects of an industrial process. Any frequently used actions and components constitute a process. Six Sigma's goal is to reduce defects in large production runs to no more than 3.4 parts per million. If you produce 1,000,000 cars, you want no more than 3.4 bad cars to come off your assembly line. That is six Sigmas from the average.

Engineers collect and analyze data about all aspects of a process. Quality improvements help achieve the Six Sigma goal. Engineers who only devote part of their workload to Six Sigma process analysis are called Green Belts. Team leaders and engineers who invest all their time in the Six Sigma process are called Black Belts. The teachers and mentors for the team leaders are Master Black Belts.

Six Sigma can be applied to virtually any repetitive process. Quantifying results in millions of parts and altering your processes accordingly, you can implement the Six Sigma methodology. A Six Sigma Black Belt may reduce costs by an average of $320,000 per project and complete 4 to 6 projects per year. General Electric has reportedly saved as much as $10 billion over a five-year period with Six Sigma.

Understanding Matt Tinaglia, Page 3

Six Sigma Meets Middle-earth

Leading the way with Six Sigma

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