Lean Six Sigma - Body Shop Repairs

About the Program

Category: County Administration and Management (Best in Category)

Year: 2017

The Miami-Dade County Internal Services Department (ISD) Fleet Management Division, in conjunction with the Miami-Dade County Office of Management and Budget, successfully launched and implemented a Lean Six Sigma project in 2016 to reduce the turnaround time for County vehicle body repairs. ISD is responsible for maintaining over 10,000 vehicles and pieces of equipment and manages the repair and maintenance of light fleet vehicles for most County departments. At the beginning of the project, the average County vehicle repair time was 39 days, which resulted in a substantial negative impact to County operations. The impact was particularly critical for the Miami-Dade Police Department since most County body repairs resulted from police vehicle incidents. The administrative process required police officers to spend approximately one (1) hour per shift completing paperwork for a loaner vehicle and unloading and loading equipment. This administrative process created a significant burden for police officers and prevented them from being able to perform public safety-related job duties. At the start of the project in May 2016, only 49% of the vehicles were being returned to service within 30 days. Using the Lean Six Sigma methodology, the project team identified causes of the delays and developed creative improvements to the County’s body repair process including changes to authority delegation, changes to the facility layout, and revisions to internal procedures. By December 2016, approximately 75% of vehicles were being returned within 30 days. Furthermore, body repairs are now completed within an average of 18 days. Process improvements implemented by the project team resulted in projected savings of approximately $150,000 annually in police officer time, in addition to savings associated with rental charges and overall reserve fleet size.