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126 SMT007 MAGAZINE I JULY 2019 Last month's column introduced the first phase of the roadmap in becoming a pre- ferred supplier, which initial phase consisted of transforming your company's culture with a Lean Six Sigma approach. Takeaways included creating a culture that embraces continu- ous improvement by creating the right mind- set of ownership, empowerment, agility, and accountability. Your Lean Six Sigma program needs to be rightly sized to your organization's structure for it to be sustainable. The second phase involves establishing the six pillars of operational effectiveness. Attaining quality systems certification to a base standard of ISO 9001 or industry-spe- cific QMS standard for medical devices (ISO 13485), automotive (TS 16949), telecommuni- cations (TL 9000), or aerospace (AS9100D) will provide you a solid foundation to your opera- tions. The next step is to build on that qual- ity systems foundation and take your factory to a higher level of performance by establish- Becoming the Preferred Supplier, Phase 2: The Six Pillars In Search of Operational Excellence by Alfred Macha, AMT PARTNERS