Biography
Kai Yang 楊凱
Professor313-577-3858
ac4505@wayne.edu
Biography
September 1, 2004 Promoted to Professor, Wayne State University
September 1, 1995 Promoted to Associate Professor with Tenure
September 1, 1990 Assistant Professor, Wayne State University
Dr. Kai Yang is a Professor in the department of Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering. His research areas include statistical methods in quality and reliability engineering, engineering design methodologies and lean healthcare. He is an author of five books and over 70 research papers. After joining the Department in 1990, he has been awarded over 40 research contracts from such institutions as US National Science Foundation, General Motors Corporation, Ford Motor Company, Chrysler Corporation and Siemens Corporation. Prof. Yang has written books in the areas of Design for Six Sigma, Multivariate statistical methods, and Voice of the customer. Prof. Yang’s book, Design for Six Sigma: A Roadmap for Product Development is an influential book that provides a framework to integrate both innovation methods, and traditional statistical quality assurance methods into the product development process to improve the creativity, value and quality of the designed products. Prof. Yang has more than 9 years of professional consulting experience.
Education
Ph.D. 1980
Industrial and Operations Engineering, University of Michigan
M.S. 1985
Industrial and Operations Engineering, University of Michigan
B.S. 1982
Electrical Engineering, East China Petroleum Institute
Courses Taught
1. Undergraduate
· IE 4250 Engineering Data Analysis
2. Graduate
· IE 6210 Probability and Statistics
· IE 6270 Engineering Experimental Design
· IE 7610 Fundamentals of Six Sigma
· IE 7250 Quality Engineering
· IE 8200 Advanced Quality and Reliability
Recent Projects
1. 1991-1999, Automotive body assembly process variation reduction, new vehicle launch variation reduction, automotive dimensional quality data analysis, funded by GM, $1.1 Million. As a result of this work, my graduate students helped GM to developed a powerful software called ‘Vehicle data animation tool kits’, which visualizes the variation pattern and effectively trouble shoots the root causes. We greatly contributed in helping GM to reduce the body assembly process variation by 50%. Recently, DaimlerChrysler Corp contacted me in helping them to develop the similar system.
2. 1999-2002, computer aided quality analysis for paint operation, funded by DaimlerChrysler, $387,000. This is a software for real time computer animation of paint process based on paint quality measurement data in production process
3. 1995-1997, multistate reliability model and quality loss analysis, funded by US national Science Foundation, $200,000.
4. 1994-2004, Electronic packaging process quality improvement, wire bonding process optimization, funded by Ford/Visteon, 1996-2004, $454,000. We used a lot of DFSS methods, such as Taguchi method, TRIZ, response surface, reliability allocation and testing.
5. 1992-1994, fuel system hydro-carbon emission reduction, funded by Ford, $156,000。
6. 2005-2008, Robust Design Tool Kits development, funded by Siemens Corporation. $400,000. We are helping Siemens to develop special robust design tools in their product development process. We are helping many of their DFSS projects.
7. 2006, Design based EHPV (Engineering Hours Per Vehicle) evaluation and analysis and reduction, in this project, we helped DaimlerChrysler Corp to develop the capability to analyze and estimate and reduce man hours during design stage, estimated economic benefit to DaimlerChrysler is $1.5 million
Publications
1. Kai Yang and Basem El-Haik, Design for Six Sigma: Roadmap to product development, McGraw-Hill, 2003
2. Kai Yangand Jayant Trewn, Multivariate Statistical Methods and Quality Engineering, McGraw-Hill, 2004
3. Kai Yang, Design for Six Sigma for Service, McGraw-Hill, 2005
4. Kai Yang, Voice of Customer Capture and Analysis, McGraw-Hill, 2007
Papers and Conferences
Academic/professional activities
2003 – Present – Faculty executive Committee
2003 Ph.D Program committee
2003 Budget Committee: Chair
2002-2003 Master Program Committee
1999-present Tenure and promotion committee
1992, 1993 Vice President, ORSA/TIMS, Southeast Michigan Chapter
Other Professional Experience
Awards and Honors
Outstanding teaching award, College of Engineering, Wayne State, University, 1994, 1995
Outstanding Student Scholarship, Ministry of Education, 1982. Awarded on the basis of a highly competitive national examination
Honor Roll Scholarship, East China Petroleum Institute, 1979. Awarded on the basis of performance in GPA