The application of Lean Management and Six Sigma tools in global mining enterprises

The article aims to present the currently most important two methods for production process streamlining, namely Lean Management and Six Sigma, and Lean Six Sigma, which combines the benefits of the preceding two. Lean, which originated in the Japanese automotive industry, is at present the most well-known and widely applied concept for the business cost reduction. It is also known as Lean Manufacturing or Lean Production. The system's main objective is to focus on cost-cutting in operations which did not add value for the customer. Six Sigma method seeks to ensure quality, or minimize variability, in processes so as to eliminate errors even before they appear. Six Sigma applies process execution methods that exclude the possibility of defects. A combination of these two methods provides a complete set of tools to improve the speed and efficiency of each process. The paper outlines cases of implementation of these methods in the world's mining industry and its financial effects. The synergy produced through a combination of Lean Management and Six Sigma is extremely powerful in this sector.