#Italian Army’s Employee receives LSS Green Belt Certification

Article written By Chiara Mattirolo RESOURCE: http://www.usag.livorno.army.mil/News365.asp

Marco Bassi, quality Assurance Specialist at 405th Field Support Battalion- Italy is the first Italian employee to receive a LSS Green Belt certification in his unit.

It took Marco Bassi, Quality Assurance Specialist at 405th Army Field Support Battalion- Italy, one year to complete the five phases of his Lean Six Sigma (LSS) green belt project, a management strategy studied to optimize an organization’s product and to reduce operation costs.

Bassi explained that in 2010 the unit had over 2,000 Class IX repair parts requisitions cancelled. This action resulted in an enormous waist of man-hours needed to correct the requisition requests.

“The goal was to reduce by 50% the number of requisitions and therefore to reduce the man hours by 50%,” said Bassi. “With this new process the cancellations were reduced by 69%.”

Bassi received congratulations from his higher command in Germany and even from the U.S. Army Sustainment Command in Rock Island. It was then is when Bassi realized he did something important.

“I just thought it was an interesting project, but never stopped to realize how this could affect the whole Army,” said Bassi. Bassi added that he is proud of having met his goal and he feels proud for being Italian and cover roles that traditionally are more American.

“I am proud I could contribute saving money for the US Army,” said Bassi. “This reinforces the spirit of camaraderie in our unit.”

Marco Bassi, quality Assurance Specialist at 405th Field Support Battalion- Italy is the first Italian employee to receive a LSS green belt certification in his unit.

“Bassi is the first Italian employee to receive the green belt in 405th AFSB Italy,” said Chief Teresa Czuhjewski, Chief Quality Assurance Division. “His completion of this hard project reflects great credit on the Quality Assurance and all of the Battalion.”

Czuhjewski said the next step will be to assign Bassi a black belt project so he can get his certification.

“Working on LSS projects is extremely rewarding and motivating as well as challenging,” said Bassi.