Draka Communications - Americas, a leader in fiber and fiber cable solutions, is proud to announce that during 2009 its entire Americas’ Customer Care staff has been certified as Six Sigma Green Belts. Catawba Valley Community College’s Department of Corporate and Continuing Education provided the training and testing in advanced Six Sigma methodologies. This recognition is a new milestone that follows Customer Care's 2008 receipt of Yellow Belt certification.
"Six Sigma projects will help us continually improve our processes and systems. Of course this will allow us to respond quicker and better to our customer’s requests, reduce cost and eliminate waste, but this certification means much more. It represents the overall commitment Draka has to customer service and employee development", commented Sandra Mercado, Customer Care Manager.
Six Sigma is a management strategy that seeks to improve the quality of processes by identifying and removing the causes of defects and variability. It uses a set of quality management methods, including statistics, and borrows martial arts terminology to identify people who are experts. Black Belts identify projects then apply Six Sigma methodology to them. They primarily focus on project management and execution. Green Belts take up project implementation along with their other job responsibilities, often under the guidance of Black Belts. Yellow Belts are trained in the basic application of Six Sigma tools, work with Green and Black Belts throughout the project and are typically closest to the work. Each Six Sigma project follows a defined sequence of steps, called the DMAIC (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve and Control) methodology, and has quantified financial targets. DMAIC, a data-driven quality strategy, improves processes and is an integral part of Draka’s Six Sigma Quality Initiative.
Draka’s Customer Care department has been trained in the DMAIC methodology in an effort to design and manage its core business processes. In Customer Care the DMAIC methodology will be utilized to help solve customer problems, reduce internal errors, evaluate changes in processes and optimize customer service performance and efficiency.
PHOTO CAPTION: Draka’s Customer Care Department pictured here includes (front row) Jackie Childers, Sandra Mercado and Bridgette Castillo (back row) Jason Reichard, Norma Cox, Becky Heller, Ruben Macedo, Becky Wrenn, Candes Spencer and Jerry Knight.
About Draka Communications - Americas
Draka, headquartered in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, is a €2.7 billion, publicly listed (Euronext) company with 9,500 employees worldwide. Draka is divided into three Groups: Energy & Infrastructure, Industry & Specialty and Communications. Draka Communications is a world leader in the development, production and sale of optical fiber, cable and cable systems. Draka Communications clients in North America are served from Draka's unique site in Claremont, North Carolina which is home to a 125-acre corporate campus & Americas headquarters, over 1 million square feet of manufacturing space and the only integrated optical fiber and cable facility in North America.
For more information please visit www.draka.com/communications or call 1-800-879-9862.
Draka Communications - Americas Media Contact
Kim Hudson, Marketing Communications Manager
Phone 828.459.8443
Fax 828.459.8444
Kim.Hudson@draka.com