SRS Contractor Recognized for Continuous Improvement, Operational Excellence

AIKEN, S.C. — An EM contractor for the Savannah River Site (SRS) was recently awarded the Transformational and Operational Excellence Award at the South Carolina Manufacturing Conference and Expo for achievements in continuous improvement and operational excellence that generated over $42 million in cost savings during fiscal year 2023.

“This was a record year for SRS and continuous improvement,” said Perjetta “PK” Hightower, director of interface management and continuous improvement for Savannah River Nuclear Solutions (SRNS). “SRNS engaged nearly 17% of its workforce with over 180 continuous improvement initiatives, achieving over $42 million in savings — $22 million of which was hard-dollar savings to be used to increase work scope.”

The seventh annual event by the South Carolina Manufacturing Extension Partnership (SCMEP) brought over 200 companies from across the Southeast to the Greenville Convention Center. SCMEP is a nonprofit that connects manufacturing companies across South Carolina to benchmark best practices, training, Lean Six Sigma tools and continuous improvement initiatives. The Six Sigma methodologies identify opportunities for improvement within organizations by eliminating waste and increasing standardization.

“The continuous improvement team has partnered with SCMEP for nearly 15 years, so it is incredibly exciting to take home this award and to be one of the top manufacturing companies with over 500 employees,” said Lisa Steed, SRNS continuous improvement Lean Six Sigma specialist. “We will continue to transform both general employment activities and more specialized sitewide processes to be more efficient, cost effective and customer driven.”

The core continuous improvement team is comprised of certified Lean Six Sigma Black Belts and reinforced by divisional continuous improvement experts. SRS transformed many of its day-to-day operations by implementing the nationally recognized IDEAS (Individuals Developing Effective Alternative Solutions) Program for employee suggestions. In fiscal year 2023, over 250 implemented ideas streamlined various work processes and generated over $4.9 million in savings, an increase of over $1 million from the previous fiscal year.

“The final return on investment for the IDEAS Program for fiscal year 2023 was $88.63, meaning that for every dollar spent on the IDEAS Program, the return was $88.63 back to the company,” said Blake Leaphart, SRNS continuous improvement Lean Six Sigma specialist.

“These results are experienced by all — from the workers on the frontline to the senior management who report gains and savings to the Department of Energy,” Leaphart said. “We are incredibly proud of this accomplishment.”

In addition to the IDEAS program, SRS uses operational excellence to ensure the functional success of its continuous improvement programs and to identify areas of improvement. Operational excellence tools include causal analysis, corrective action program, self-assessment program, performance analysis and an independent evaluation board. 

“We will continue to strategically transform business and operation management systems to keep pace with changing needs; facilitating renewal of the workforce, missions and infrastructure at SRS to provide increasing value for the nation and community,” Hightower said.

-Contributor: Mackenzie McNabb