Jesse Columbus completed a summer internship where he worked on several fiber optic production and improvement projects. The main project involved improving the first pass yield of 8 fiber MPO connectors through applying lean and six sigma methodologies. Potential root causes were identified using a fishbone diagram and measurements. Hypotheses were tested and a new polisher was introduced, increasing first pass yield by 35% and reducing variation. Lean practices like pull replenishment and minimizing non-value added activities also improved throughput. Statistical process control methods are now used to monitor performance.