Page 297 - Peterson 85 Years and Going Strong

Early Six Sigma Black Belts: (L-R) Bill Bean, Tim Treat, Jeff Hoyle
on be in a different area so they get a broad under- standing of the whole company. We look at this group as a management training ground because we want our future managers to think this way in terms of using data to make better-informed de- cisions.”
LAUNCHING QUEST FOR SUCCESS
Peterson launched its Six Sigma program back in the spring of 2004 with two events. After a week- long executive download at Caterpillar, Duane Doyle Sr. and Mark Ehni presented the concept to Peterson’s leadership team. “Our theme was Hit the Target with Six Sigma,” says Ehni, “because the logo for Six Sigma is a bull’s-eye.” The event was held in March 2004 at a shooting range in Va- caville, California. Once top management bought into the idea, a second kickoff was held aboard the USS Hornet in June 2004 for the rest of Peterson’s management. They rolled it out as Quest for Suc- cess (QFS) rather than Six Sigma, to allow room for growth in the future using other tools. “Six Sig- ma is just one of the tools in our toolbox,” explains Ehni. “In the beginning, it was the only tool. Now we have others like Pre-Define, Quick Sigma, and COPAR. In hindsight, giving it a different name was a pretty long-sighted view. I’m really glad we did that.”
Peterson’s executive committee launches Six Sigma at shooting range in March 2004: (L-R, front to back rows) Chris Smith, Ernie Fierro, Keith Davidge, Mark Ehni; Tom Bagwell, Gary LeVar (Cat),
Jerry Lopus, Jeff Goggin, Rich Hasper; Duane Doyle Sr.
GAINING TRACTION
Today, Peterson is one of the top Six Sigma users in the Caterpillar dealership network. “We don’t do this just to check off a box,” says Sorgel. “We take this very, very seriously because we know that it can help Peterson grow and continue to improve. So far, the program has been very successful for us. We have saved, and made, a lot of money us- ing these projects.” In its first ten years alone, QFS saved the company over $15 million, freeing that up to invest in tooling, territory growth, and fa- cility upgrades. That’s a pretty phenomenal track record.
But it hasn’t come without its challenges. By na- ture, most people resist change and fall back on what’s comfortable and what has worked in the past. After all, if it’s not broken, why fix it? But just because it’s not broken doesn’t mean that there isn’t a better way. Getting there, though, can be a tug-of-war. “We’ve found that the best way to sell people on the Six Sigma process is to get them actively involved in a real live project,” says Ehni.
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