We are proud to announce our newest partnership with the London-based, European Division of the Six Sigma Management Institute.

The SSMI was originally founded in 1994 by the principle architect of Six Sigma Dr. Mikel J. Harry and is world renown for its Lean Six Sigma training programs offered to organisations of all sizes.

The negotiation which began several months ago was concluded this March in London by our CFO Martin Higgs who met personally with SSMI - Europe's President & Executive Director Fabrizio Majorana. On site at SSMI, Higgs presented the TOPP TI value proposition highlighting our dedication to quality business automated solutions supported by our team's rich experiences in leadership and business consultancy across multiple sectors.

Complementary skill sets & synergies: How the collaboration will work

Majorana, a Certified Executive Master Black belt with a degree as a mechanical engineer and a well known speaker at important industrial events will support the TOPP team by offering the Six Sigma training services of SSMI in collaboration with TOPP TI clients. Of the many services offered by SSMI, TOPP TI will now have accessibility to a wide variety of trained professionals and resource materials available to partner with TOPP clients. Some services include: EMBB (Executive Master Black Belt Certification) - The highest level of Six Sigma leadership training for value management, digital (online) Lean Six Sigma Training at all levels using SSMI's MindPro software platform, Six Sigma project coaching, consultancy for program and strategy, certification for Lean Six Sigma managers at all Levels, simulator for products and processes (Industrial and Finance).

Reciprocally, SSMI will begin promoting to their clients our business management solution PRESTO and its supporting services offered by TOPP consultants. PRESTO, originally created in Italy within a multinational financial institution as a Lean Six Sigma process measurement tool used to identify and reduce wastes and risks resulting from inefficient business process interactions has since been developed to offer end-to-end continuous improvement automated functionality through its 'Kaizen-based' algorithm and its project management Kanban-style user interface.

Why this is a good fit

Similar to our recent partnership agreement with Italian operational excellence consulting firm Newconsulting Srl, the partnership with SSMI will also allow for PRESTO to be assessed by industry experts from the SSMI team with the scope of enriching our product even further and expanding its functionality to span across multiple business sectors including production and manufacturing.

Six Sigma Management seeks to maintain the high standing of its brand throughout the entire world, in particular in Europe, its key market. The core business of the SSMI, is the research, application and continuous development of the Six Sigma method itself and the ongoing dedication to building product awareness in organisations of all sizes. For TOPP TI this visibility will offer insight into market trends and allow us to better position our products and services in the market segments which are seeking innovative and disruptive Lean Six Sigma solutions.

Majorana, has worked at Allied Signal, General Electric, Ferrari, Maserati as a manager of quality processes and products, and at Unicredit Bank, following his experience managing the Formula One quality method.

As COO at Unicredit Bank he developed a complete quality programme, and as quality manager at Ferrari Formula One, he won 8 world championships. He is the author of the book written in 2012, "Lean Banking".