Improvement to the freight management of ITAR controlled items using Lean Six Sigma

This paper was conducted at an aircraft spare management company located in Singapore, which support several overseas offices, including the four offices located in US. Non-compliance findings were reported by the US authorities on several occasions in the past one year with several warning being served to the organisation. To eradicate this problem, this paper attempts to identify the potential causes in the inaccuracy of the shipment preparation process using Lean Six Sigma concepts and tools. The project successfully reviewed the shipment preparation process using the DMAIC framework and identifies areas of improvement within the process, which were prioritised for review and action. The eventual outcome exceeded the initial target of improving the shipment process so as to reduce/eliminate the opportunity for error. The MRP review further improved the redistribution of spares, reducing the shipment frequency and balance out the workload distribution among the warehouses.