Factory Floor to ORs: Six Sigma in Healthcare.

Lean Six Sigma in Healthcare: Lessons from Eddie Conklin

Welcome to the latest episode of Why They Fail podcast. In this episode, host Kevin Clay speaks with Eddie Conklin, a veteran of continuous improvement with over 40 years of experience in both manufacturing and healthcare. Eddie shares how early lessons from factory floors shaped the way he now transforms operating rooms, sterile cores, and hospital systems.

From Factory Floors to Operating Rooms

Eddie’s journey began at just 16 years old, working alongside industrial engineers in his father’s factory. Those early experiences taught him the value of process improvement, efficiency, and safety. Later, concepts like Single Minute Exchange of Dies (SMED), originally designed for quick tool changes in manufacturing, would become powerful solutions in healthcare, reducing operating room turnover times and enabling more patients to be treated each day.

Applying Lean Tools in Healthcare

Eddie explains how tools such as 5S and Kanban improved hospital inventory systems. By rethinking sterile core storage and implementing right-sizing strategies, his team eliminated hoarding, reduced expired materials, and ensured critical sets were always available when surgeons needed them.

Visual management, daily huddles, and Andon-style signals helped frontline staff and leadership align in real time, creating a culture of continuous flow.

The Power of Data as a Myth Buster

While Lean tools streamline processes, Eddie emphasizes that data is gospel. In both steel mills and hospitals, data analysis shattered long-held assumptions, exposing root causes that intuition and tradition had overlooked. From staffing plans in central processing to infection control analysis, Six Sigma methods turned anecdotal beliefs into measurable, lasting improvements.

Building a Culture of Continuous Improvement

Beyond tools and data, Eddie stresses the importance of infrastructure and culture. Leadership walking the floor, cross-functional collaboration, and effective huddles ensure improvements are sustained. Just as in manufacturing, breaking down barriers between management and frontline teams creates trust, accountability, and results.

Key Takeaways from this Episode

⚙️ Lessons from manufacturing, like SMED, 5S, and Kanban, directly improve hospital efficiency.

Data-driven analysis is essential to bust myths, expose true root causes, and guide staffing and scheduling.

Continuous improvement in healthcare requires both quick fixes for stability and structured Six Sigma projects for long-term impact.

Culture matters: huddles, visual management, and leadership presence are as important as statistical tools.

The ultimate goal of Lean Six Sigma is continuous flow - whether in a factory or an operating room.

About Six Sigma Development Solutions 

This episode of "Why They Fail" is brought to you by Six Sigma Development Solutions, Inc., providing “Operational Excellence” Around the Globe! 

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Chapters

• (00:00:00) - Why They Fail: Continuous Improvement
• (00:01:25) - Lean Six Sigma: From Factory Floor to Operating Room
• (00:09:05) - Sterile Core Inventory Modernization
• (00:13:23) - How Six Sigma Impact on the Healthcare Process
• (00:19:40) - The thermal cycling of ingots
• (00:20:43) - How Six Sigma Works in the Hospital
• (00:28:07) - What was some of the biggest struggles at Microwave?
• (00:29:44) - Design Engineering and the Visual Factory
• (00:34:37) - What was your most unexpected obstacle to a Lean Six Sigma Project?
• (00:35:57) - WTF