United States Steel Corporation recently announced the addition of Geoff Turk to its Vice President for Transformation post at its headquarters in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The fortune 200 company has recently re-organized its top leadership and is positioning the new executive teams for future long-term growth goals.
Formerly an integral leader of Caterpillar’s Six Sigma implementation, Turk brings strong executive leadership skills to his new role at U.S. Steel Corporation. He has also held transformative leadership positions in the automotive industry with General Motors and Mitsubishi, among others.
United States Steel Corporation has the annual steel producing capabilities of over 29.3 million net tons. Its manufacturing operations are located in the United States, Canada and Central Europe. Their products serve a variety of industries such as the automotive, appliance, industrial machinery and construction trades, just to name a few.
United States Steel Corporation President and Chief Executive Officer Mario Longhi commented on the addition to his executive leadership team by saying that the appointments of Turk and other recent additions will “leverage the deep expertise and leadership capability of [the] executive team.” Further, Longhi indicated that the recent changes were, “designed to accelerate [their] return to profitability while positioning [them] for the future innovation that will support successful growth.”
The specific applications of Six Sigma methodologies will be interesting to follow as this case study plays out in real time in the coming months. Diverse markets and far-reaching areas of operation offer great opportunities to apply Six Sigma methodologies to strengthen U.S. Steel profitability and improve manufacturing methods. Infusing new energy into an organization and offering a track record of success is part of the Six Sigma experience that is easy to take for granted; but it is what also helps to bring teams on board as goals are set in motion for dramatic organizational improvements.
U.S. Steel is being challenged by the record icing of the Great Lakes over the winter months, impacting plant operations and creating company losses. While no organization is immune from the extremes of weather and other climate unpredictability, having a streamlined and integrative business processes system can help mitigate the effects. Six Sigma offers organizations a way to develop processes that are more resilient. The methodologies help leaders make decisions that are data driven so that when the forces of nature challenge the fortitude of a supply chain and toss and unexpected curve ball at assembly operations, adjustment can be made more effectively and efficiently.
Using Six Sigma across corporate divisions can identify waste and offer new perspectives on where budgets and manufacturing processes can be adjusted to compensate for challenges in other areas of the organization. Using data driven decision-making can help obtain the best results in difficult times. Six Sigma leaders know how to implement projects that can drive organizational growth and secure strong bottom line performance goals across corporate divisions.
Through its proven methodologies, Six Sigma brings teams together to support the vitality and longevity of business organizations dedicated to moving forward thoughtfully and cohesively.
