Paper Organizers International: A Fictitious Six Sigma Green Belt Case Study. II

The purpose of this paper is to present the second part of a detailed, step-by-step case study of a simple Six Sigma Green Belt project. In the last edition of Quality Engineering, the first part of a Six Sigma Green Belt case study was presented. That paper showed the Define and Measure phases of the DMAIC method. This paper presents the rest of the case study, or the Analyze, Improve, and Control phases of the DMAIC method.     

Designing New Housing at the University of Miami: A “Six Sigma” DMADV/DFSS Case Study

The “Six Sigma” management DMADV model is used in this paper to design a new dormitory concept at the University of Miami. It is intended to provide a roadmap for conducting a Design for Six Sigma (DFSS) project.     

A framework for the integration of Green and Lean Six Sigma for superior sustainability performance

Evidence suggests that Lean, Six Sigma and Green approaches make a positive contribution to the economic, social and environmental (i.e. sustainability) performance of organisations. However, evidence also suggests that organisations have found their integration and implementation challenging. The purpose of this research is therefore to present a framework that methodically guides companies through a five stages and sixteen steps process to effectively integrate and implement the Green, Lean and Six Sigma approaches to improve their sustainability performance. To achieve this, a critical review of the existing literature in the subject area was conducted to build a research gap, and subsequently develop the methodological framework proposed. The paper presents the results from the application of the proposed framework in four organisations with different sizes and operating in a diverse range of industries. The results showed that the integration of Lean Six Sigma and Green helped the organisations to averagely reduce their resources consumption from 20 to 40% and minimise the cost of energy and mass streams by 7–12%. The application of the framework should be gradual, the companies should assess their weaknesses and strengths, set priorities, and identify goals for successful implementation. This paper is one of the very first researches that presents a framework to integrate Green and Lean Six Sigma at a factory level, and hence offers the potential to be expanded to multiple factories or even supply chains.     

Lean,Six Sigma and Lean Six Sigma: an analysis based on operations strategy

There is a growing need for operations management models that contribute to the continuous improvement of company processes, among them we highlight lean manufacturing, Six Sigma and, more recently, Lean Six Sigma (LSS). This article aims (1) to identify and analyse the differences and complementarities in the production decision areas for each one of the three models; (2) to identify the competitive priorities that lead to the best performance as a result of policies followed in the decision areas as a result of the adopted model. First, a theoretical conceptual model was developed based on a review of the literature, followed by a exploratory research questions applied to manufacturing companies that use the lean, Six Sigma or LSS manufacturing models in southern Brazil. The main results show that there are differences in the models in relation to the importance of the decision areas and the performance achieved in the competitive priorities. Individually, lean manufacturing, Six Sigma and LSS have varying degrees of importance in the Facilities, Vertical Integration and Production Planning and Control decision areas. The performance dimensions with the best performance are speed, quality, reliability and cost.     

An Application of Six Sigma to Reduce Waste

Six Sigma has been considered a powerful business strategy that employs a well‐structured continuous improvement methodology to reduce process variability and drive out waste within the business processes using effective application of statistical tools and techniques. Although there is a wider acceptance of Six Sigma in many organizations today, there appears to be virtually no in‐depth case study of Six Sigma in the existing literature. This involves how the Six Sigma methodology has been used, how Six Sigma tools and techniques have been applied and how the benefits have been generated. This paper presents a case study illustrating the effective use of Six Sigma to reduce waste in a coating process. It describes in detail how the project was selected and how the Six Sigma methodology was applied. It also shows how various tools and techniques within the Six Sigma methodology have been employed to achieve substantial financial benefits. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A “Six Sigma”© Case Study: G.E.P. Box's Paper Helicopter Experiment—Part B

This article presents an application of the “Six Sigma” DMAIC model to G.E.P. Box's famous “paper helicopter” experiment. The Improve and Control Phases are presented here. The Define, Measure, and Analyze Phases were presented in an earlier paper. The intent of this article is to present the reader with a case study for structuring a “Six Sigma” project.     

A “Six Sigma”© Black Belt Case Study: G.E.P. Box's Paper Helicopter Experiment Part A

This article presents an application of the “Six Sigma” DMAIC model to G.E.P. Box's famous “paper helicopter” experiment. The define, measure, and analyze phases are presented here, and the improve and control phases are presented in a follow-up article. The intent of this article is to present the reader with a case study for structuring a “Six Sigma” Black Belt project.     

Reducing Patient Waiting Time in Outpatient Department Using Lean Six Sigma Methodology

This article addresses the issue of longer patient waiting time in the outpatient department (OPD) of a super specialty hospital attached to a manufacturing company in India. Due to longer waiting times at OPD, employees need to be away from the workplace for a longer duration. This problem was addressed through the Lean Six Sigma (LSS) methodology. The process, starting from registration of a patient to dispensing of medicine, was included in the project. The non‐value added steps in the process were identified, and actions were initiated. A cause and effect diagram was prepared for high patient waiting time, and causes were validated with the help of data collected from the process. Statistical tools such as Kruskal–Wallis test, Box – Cox transformation, Control charts, normality test, etc., were used within the LSS methodology not only to identify the causes but also to sustain the improvements. As a result of this project, the average waiting time reduced from 57 min to 24.5 min and the standard deviation was reduced to 9.27 from 31.15 min. This will help the hospital to serve patients better and faster, which, in turn, will lead to a reduction in delay of treatment and a faster recovery of patients. The productivity loss due to absenteeism of employees from the workplace could be reduced. Generally, in an Indian health care scenario, most of the activities were dependent on individual doctors rather than processes. This project has helped the clinicians and the hospital management to identify the weak areas in the process for improvement. Because of the implemented solutions, understanding the history of past treatments and medications of the patients was easy for the doctors. Also, the practical validity of deploying LSS in a healthcare scenario was justified with this study. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Winning customer loyalty in an automotive company through Six Sigma: a case study

Six Sigma is a disciplined approach to improving product, process and service quality. Since its inception at Motorola in the mid 1980s Six Sigma has evolved significantly and continues to expand to improve process performance, enhance business profitability and increase customer satisfaction. This paper presents an extensive literature review based on the experiences of both academics and practitioners on Six Sigma, followed by the application of the Define, Measure, Analyse, Improve, Control (DMAIC) problem‐solving methodology to identify the parameters causing casting defects and to control these parameters. The results of the study are based on the application of tools and techniques in the DMAIC methodology, i.e. Pareto Analysis, Measurement System Analysis, Regression Analysis and Design of Experiment. The results of the study show that the application of the Six Sigma methodology reduced casting defects and increased the process capability of the process from 0.49 to 1.28. The application of DMAIC has resulted in a significant financial impact (over U.S. $110 000 per annum) on the bottom‐line of the company. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Six Sigma in industry: some observations after twenty‐five years

Six Sigma has enjoyed considerable popularity in the industry for about a quarter of a century. While the standard contents of Six Sigma have been described and discussed widely, some little articulated aspects of Six Sigma implementation deserve the attention of serious practitioners. In this paper, a ‘5W+1H’ (What, Why, When Where, Who, How) format is used to elucidate the nature of Six Sigma in a non‐mathematical discussion, followed by observations peculiar to the usual mode of development of Six Sigma professionals. It is pointed out that Six Sigma has Statistical Thinking as its foundation; for Six Sigma and its associated frameworks such as Design for Six Sigma and Lean Six Sigma to continue to be effective, it is important that users have a clear understanding of the nature of Six Sigma and be able to address the related challenges in practice. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A Case Study for Reducing Client Waiting Time in a Health Evaluation Center Using Design for Six Sigma

Abstract:

Long waiting times in health evaluations are an unnecessary waste of resources. This case study focuses on the Health Evaluation Center in the Chang Gung Medical Center in Taiwan and demonstrates an empirical application of reducing waiting time by using the Design for Six Sigma method. We redesigned the health evaluation process and proposed a method to develop a new capable system with radio frequency identification (RFID) technology. Client waiting time and total cycle time of the process were reduced by 56% and 40%, respectively.     

The Role of Statistical Design of Experiments in Six Sigma: Perspectives of a Practitioner

Six Sigma has now been well recognized as an effective means of attaining excellence in the quality of products and services. It entails the use of statistical thinking as well as management and operational tools to bring about fundamental improvements. This article explains, in a nonmathematical language, the rationale and mechanics of design of experiments as seen in its deployment in Six Sigma. It also outlines the way in which the design of experiments has been utilized in the past for quality improvement, culminating in its important role in Six Sigma. An appreciation of the changing scope of experimental design applications over the years and in the future would provide useful perspectives on the significance of Six Sigma in an organization's quest for quality excellence.     

A new model to implement Six Sigma in small- and medium-sized enterprises

The Six Sigma approach improves the quality of products in order to ensure customers’ satisfaction. This approach has yielded to interesting results for large enterprises. However, its implementation remains difficult for small- and medium-sized enterprises (SME). In fact, the use of the same tools is insufficient to achieve the objectives when considering financial constraints and the lack of data. The regular tools are complex for SMEs which require an adapted model to implement the approach successfully. In this paper, we propose a new model having the objective to facilitate the integration of Six Sigma in SMEs by avoiding the use of Black Belts, optimising the implementation costs and period, simplifying the Six Sigma structure and enhancing the communication between staff and managers. The model includes two imbricated loops: the first offers immediate improvement actions by estimating the capability and the stability of the process, while the second provides profound improvement actions using the fuzzy logic system and the analytic hierarchical process (AHP) method. An example illustrates the application of the proposed model in an SME.     

Reduction of Yarn Packing Defects Using Six Sigma Methods: A Case Study

This article originated when an Indian textile company identified packing rejection of yarn cones as its major quality problem and decided to use Six Sigma methods to correct the problem. At the end of its manufacturing process, yarn is wound into conical-shaped packages called cones, and it is shipped to customers in this format. Customers were rejecting cones due to unacceptable weight variation. Pareto charts revealed the major “counts” (a measure of yarn fineness) that were experiencing this problem. Technological deliberations led to identifying variation in yarn length, yarn count, empty yarn container weight, and moisture content of yarn as the critical parameters for this rejection. Statistical hypothesis testing established that the observed weight was significantly more than the set weight of yarn at the assembly winding stage. In addition, a significant difference in gross yarn weight between left and right sides of a machine was found at this stage. This occured despite the attachment of electronic length measuring devices (LMDs) on all assembly winding machines. The gage capability analysis of LMDs, performed on the yarn length at two assembly winding machines, revealed inadequate capability. In addition, for the polyester yarn of count 4/12^'s, a relation was found between gross yarn weight and length of yarn through regression analysis. This relationship was used to arrive at the optimum parameter level.     

基于六西格玛项目选择原理的BPR核心流程确定方法

在分析企业核心竞争力与业务流程再造关系的基础上,提出了基于核心竞争力的业务流程再造模式.在这个模式中运用六西格玛项目选择原理,建立了核心竞争力的分散要素与业务流程环节之间的相关矩阵,对影响核心竞争力的业务流程环节进行综合评价,并进行优先排序,然后企业根据实际条件选择出要再造的核心流程.以实际企业为案例验证了此方法.     

工作研究用于生产线再设计:案例研究

对一条实际的生产线进行了再设计.根据从现场获得的数据,应用MOD法确定了各动作的标准作业时间.在此基础上对各个工作站的工作任务进行了重新设计,使得生产线尽可能平衡.同时对生产线的布局进行了改进.结果系统的产能提高71.9%,工件的传送时间降低26.4%.     

Influence of Green Practices on Organizational Competitiveness: A Study of the Electrical and Electronics Industry

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to verify the efficacy of green practices in influencing competitive enablers of organizations in the electrical and electronics industry. This study applies quantitative modeling, supported by a survey of 70 companies in southern Brazil and a structural equations model. The model includes four constructs: green strategy, green innovation, externalities management in green operations, and information management in green operations. The model also includes three factors influenced by the constructs that facilitate the construction of the organizational competitiveness: compliance, strategic drivers, and corporate image. The main result obtained suggests that green strategy and green innovation are more likely to influence competitiveness in the industry, and information management only partially influences competitiveness, while externalities management appears to have no influence.     

Improving the NPD Process by Applying Lean Principles: A Case Study

Abstract:

This article extends the new product development (NPD) literature by presenting a case study of a lean product development (LPD) transformation framework implemented at a U.S. based manufacturing firm. In a departure from typical LPD methods, in this article the design structure matrix and the cause and effect matrix are integrated into the lean transformation framework, allowing analysis of the underlying complexity of a product development (PD) system, and thus facilitating determination of the root causes of wasteful reworks. Several strategies to transform the current PD process into a lean process are discussed. Besides the two-phase improvement plan, a new organizational structure roadmap and a human resources plan are also suggested to support the recommended changes in the NPD process. The results of the first phase show a 32% reduction in PD cycle time due to the proposed NPD process. The article concludes with lessons learned and implications for engineering managers based on the case study.     

焊装作业时间标准的制定和生产线再设计:案例研究

对某汽车企业的焊装工艺过程进行了分析,借助模特法建立了焊装作业时间标准。然后通过重新安排各工位的操作对生产线进行了再设计。结果,提高了生产线的平衡度和生产率。例如,其中一条生产线在没有增加操作人员的条件下,生产率提高了36％。     

商用车组装线平衡及案例研究

针对某商用车有限公司组装线自动化程度不高、作业繁杂的现状,应用三项原则对其予以简化,根据组装线平衡理论进行建模,在不改变原组装线布局基础上,采用重要位置排序法初始化作业分配方案,通过作业交换和转移操作,设置合理的参数数值,进行迭代优化.所得结果可大幅提高生产率;另外通过改进组装线布局,生产率可得到进一步提高.