defense industry. While we expected some improvement, we truly didn’t expect the wild success that was experienced throughout the company: • Sales. Our sales have increased 58.5% over the last six years despite a sluggish economy and government threats of sequestration and deep cuts. We simply refused to partici- pate in an economic downturn. We knew there was work to be had and our keen focus on lean poised us to benefit from it.
• Parts Per Million Defects (PPM). Quality is king in A&D. Understand- ably so, too. When you’re at 30,000 feet, there is very little tolerance for failures. Hixson’s PPM rate has
Hixson’s Masking Department served as the pilot case for lean, undergoing a series of improvement events to achieve standard workstations containing zero clutter and maximizing workflow.