3300 Lake Road West
Ashtabula, OH 44004
Phone: (440) 964-3322
Class Cancellations: (440) 964-4395

Master Black Belt Certification

Black Belts are the elite problem solvers for business and industry. The Master Black Belt designation is the highest order of this respected practice. Master Black Belts are generally full-time agents for improvement, facilitators, teachers and journeyman practitioners of Lean and Six Sigma. They are efficient and effective in team facilitation and leadership. The Master Black Belt is a teacher (Sensei), communicator and motivator. The Master Black Belt must work equally well with senior leadership and the workers in order to achieve company goals. The Master Black Belt is trained in high-level strategy, business planning and the tactics that support both the strategy and planning.

Kent State’s Master Black Belt Certification is two weeks in length, offered one week each month for two months. The purpose of the program is to further develop already successful and practicing Black Belts. The primary tools of Lean Six Sigma will be reviewed prior to moving to the more advanced tools regarding statistical methods and Lean deployment. Participants will be further trained in project selection and filtering.

Whether you are in the business of manufacturing, healthcare, service or transactional, the addition of a TOPS, Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt puts you in the elite and world regions of excellence. It is necessary that the participant have earned a Kent State University Black Belt Certification as a prerequisite or admitted upon approval of instructor .

Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt Dates for 2009

Week 1:     March 16 to 20, 2009, 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Week 2:     April 27 to May 1, 2009, 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Download our informational brochure in PDF format.

Green Belt and Black Belt Certification

The value of integrating Lean strategies with Six Sigma applications can be extraordinary for organizations that aspire to achieve the highest possible return on investment. Combining these curricula into one powerful toolset for company change-agents will enable them to achieve revolutionary breakthroughs in continuous quality improvement processes. While Lean Enterprise techniques eliminate wasteful activities, Six Sigma is a disciplined method for meeting customers’ expectations and eliminating defects in any process. Implementing Lean Six Sigma principles enables companies to consider how their actions impact the customer. Investing in Lean Six Sigma training is the beginning of a new way of doing business.

Presidents, CEO’s, CFO’s, Vice Presidents of Manufacturing, Quality Managers, Operation Managers, Plant Managers, Directors of Engineering, Technicians and Supervisors are key candidates for this training. Manufacturing, healthcare, service-based industries, and higher education are examples of the organizations that will reap tremendous benefits from this program.

Topics include: Project Identification, Team Building, Introduction to Lean Thinking, Six Sigma Quality and Methods, Basic Minitab, Measurement System Analysis, Process Capability, Lean Tools, Hypothesis Testing, Comparative Analysis, Tests for Stability and Normality Data, Advanced Lean Methods, Regression and Correlation, Quick Changeovers (SMED), Advanced Statistical Tools, Design of Experiments, and Team Dynamics.

The curriculum follows a four-week approach where the class meets for one week each month for four months. Students seeking the Green Belt certification will complete the first two weeks of the curriculum and students seeking the Black Belt certification will complete all four weeks. Each level of certification also requires the completion and approval of an outside project.

Kent State University has integrated the essentials of Team Oriented Problem Solving (TOPS), Lean methods, and Six Sigma into a seamless model for continuous improvement for any organization. Both Lean and Six Sigma are at their best when projects are conducted by teams. This is why we feel TOPS is the right foundation for advance problem solving and project management.

Enlightened companies are beginning to see that the combination of Lean Thinking and Six Sigma methods deliver the necessary power for the new millennium to assure competitive position. Green Belt and Black Belt candidates will be certified only upon satisfactory completion and verification of the financial success of a project jointly selected by the student, their company and the instructor.

Who should attend?
   • Engineers
   • Technicians
   • Management
   • Quality Professionals
   • Those responsible for improvement actions

Learn more about Lean Six Sigma - download our informational brochure in PDF format.

Lean Six Sigma Green Belt and Black Belt Dates for 2009

Week One: Monday through Friday, August 31 to September 4, 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. (Green/Black Belt)

Week Two: Monday through Friday, October 5 to 9, 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. (Green/Black Belt)

Week Three: Monday through Friday, November 2 to 6 , 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. (Black Belt)

Week Four: Monday through Friday, December 7 to 11, 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. (Black Belt)

Learn more about Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt program - download our informational brochure in PDF format.

Lean Six Sigma programming at Kent State Ashtabula is held at the Kent State Center at the Lodge and Conference Center at Geneva State Park in Geneva-on-the-Lake, Ohio. Special rates are available for Lean Six Sigma attendees.