Starting With a Six Sigma Scorecard Led One Small Company to Significant...
When many think of Six Sigma, they first think of massive corporations utilizing the methodology for quality and process improvement. They do not generally associate it with the mom-and-pop shop down...
View ArticleMotorola Uses Data-Driven Six Sigma Methodology to Improve Production Process
In the early 2000s, Motorola was struggling with defects in its products and a decline in customer satisfaction. In an effort to improve their business processes and regain their competitive edge, they...
View ArticleHow DMAIC and Other Six Sigma Techniques and Tools Helped B & B Ice and Water...
B & B Ice and Water in Port Arthur, Texas, had been a successful company for many years. Despite their success, the organization was finding a number of problems that they could not seem to solve....
View ArticleLittelfuse’s Journey to Operational Excellence: How Six Sigma Processes...
Littelfuse is a manufacturing company that produces electronic products for various industries. The company was facing a problem with its production process, as it was experiencing a high defect rate...
View ArticleHow Starting With a Six Sigma Scorecard Led to Significant Increases in...
When many think of Six Sigma, they first think of massive corporations utilizing the methodology for quality and process improvement. They do not generally associate it with the mom-and-pop shop down...
View ArticleHow DMAIC Led to a Nearly $950,000 Impact on RFR’s Bottom Line
Utilizing Six Sigma tools like DMAIC saved RFR $928,000 in retained sales as well as $10,000 in cost savings and $9,000 in workplace training. RFR Metal Fabrication Was Having Growing Pains RFR Metal...
View ArticleHow One Company’s Investment in Employees Led to $40K in Savings
In business, when times get tough, the knee-jerk reaction is to have layoffs. What follows is a remarkable example of one company that decided to make a further investment in its people by getting them...
View ArticleHow the Six Sigma Quality Improvement Process Practically Eliminated False...
In the early 1990s, US West was an organization that was leading the charge in telecommunications. At the time, their buildings were being plagued by disruptive false fire alarms. How it was dealt with...
View ArticleHow DMAIC Helped San Antonio Increase the On-Time Payment of Street...
We all need payment for the work that we do. It is really that simple. If contracted out to do a job by somebody, you need to be able to count on compensation for the work done on that job within a...
View ArticleHow Abbott Utilizes Six Sigma Methodology to Enhance Business Processes
Abbott, a global healthcare company, has successfully employed the Six Sigma methodology to improve various aspects of its business operations. By leveraging this data-driven approach, Abbott has...
View ArticleSix Sigma vs. Lean: What’s the Difference?
What is Six Sigma? Six Sigma is a quality control methodology that is utilized to improve processes through the elimination of defects. In practice, the methodology incorporates project management,...
View ArticleQuality Control vs. Quality Assurance: What’s the Difference?
What is Quality Control (QC)? Quality control (QC) is a product-oriented approach to quality to ensure that products or services meet specified quality requirements and standards. Quality control...
View ArticleBlack Belt vs. Green Belt in Six Sigma: What’s the Difference?
What is a Black Belt (BB)? A Six Sigma Black Belt (BB) is a professional who has achieved a high level of expertise in the Six Sigma methodology. Six Sigma is a disciplined, data-driven approach to...
View ArticleKienle + Spiess Tackles Welding Issues with Lean and Six Sigma Integration
Kienle + Spiess is a German mechanical engineering company that was looking to strengthen its welding division by reducing its rework and improving its quality. To accomplish this, the organization...
View ArticleSix Sigma vs. Agile: What Are the Differences?
What is Six Sigma? Six Sigma is a disciplined, data-driven approach and methodology used by organizations to improve their processes and reduce defects or errors. It was originally developed by...
View ArticleHow Lean Six Sigma Tools and an Acceleration Technique Reduced Baggage...
In 2016, Kenya Airways embarked on a project to increase its baggage handling efficiency. The way that it applied tools from both Lean and Six Sigma methodologies showcases how adaptable these concepts...
View ArticleBlack Belt vs. Master Black Belt in Six Sigma: What’s the Difference?
What is a Black Belt (BB)? A Six Sigma Black Belt (BB) is a trained and certified professional who has achieved a high level of expertise and experience in the Six Sigma methodology. Six Sigma is a...
View ArticleProject Sponsor vs. Deployment Champion in Six Sigma: What’s the Difference?
What is a Project Sponsor? A Six Sigma project sponsor plays a key role in Six Sigma methodology who provides overall support, guidance, and resources to ensure the success of a Six Sigma project. The...
View ArticleHow Value Stream Mapping Helped Increase a University’s MBA Enrollment by 70%
The University of North Alabama had been part of the steady decline nationally in students enrolling in MBA programs. In order to turn the tide at the UNA College of Business, a team utilized Value...
View ArticleHow Dr Pepper Embraced Lean and Six Sigma Methods, Creating an Economic...
By employing Lean and Six Sigma techniques, Dr Pepper was able to embark on a journey that prioritized Rapid Continuous Improvement, a strategy that led to a number of savings for the organization that...
View ArticleLean Six Sigma Transformation: Harnessing DMAIC to Enhance Operational...
Efficiency, Elegance, and Empowerment: Avon and Lean Six Sigma Unite In the bustling world of cosmetics, where beauty meets business, one name has stood the test of time, captivating hearts and...
View ArticleHow Lean Six Sigma Helped Grupo Bimbo Stay Relevant and Retain Global Market...
Established in 1945 in Mexico City, Grupo Bimbo became a global leader in the baking industry, known for its commitment to quality and innovation. As the company expanded its operations worldwide, it...
View ArticleHow Lean and Six Sigma Dramatically Improved InterConnect’s Kit Manufacturing...
InterConnect Wiring was constantly needing to be ahead of schedule in assembling its aircraft kits, causing unneeded stress and an unbalanced workload. By utilizing Lean and Six Sigma concepts, the...
View ArticleHow Lean Six Sigma Practices Helped Amazon Web Services Achieve Operational...
In today’s highly competitive business landscape, organizations are constantly seeking ways to improve their operations and deliver exceptional value to their customers. One such company that embarked...
View ArticleThe Five Fundamental Assumptions of Six Sigma
Some people are angry and upset about the effectiveness of Six Sigma as a problem-solving discipline. Individuals routinely call for the next new quality discipline or argue why Six Sigma will not work...
View ArticleCase Study: Increase Revenue by Decreasing Prices
A division of a diversified organization develops and manufactures samples of new drugs for clinical trials. This work entails different typical manufacturing problems for the following reasons:...
View ArticleOverview of Effective Survey Design
The survey is one of the most important data collection tools in the armament of a Six Sigma practitioner. There is no lack of research literature on the principles and designs of effective surveys....
View ArticleA Macro That Writes Macros
If you are like me, you may find yourself writing a fair number of MS Excel macros to automate repeatable tasks. One day it dawned on me, however, that several of the aspects of writing macros were...
View ArticleA Study of Estimates of Sigma in Small Sample Sizes
This paper looks at some of the methods of estimating standard deviation (which I will usually refer to as ‘sigma’). Additionally, I propose a new formula for estimating sigma for small sample sizes...
View ArticleCase Study: 5S in Practice
5S is a Lean tool that helps in workplace organization. The following is the list of five Japanese words and their translation in English. (Seiri) Sorting and prioritizing: Going through all the tools,...
View Article5 Suggestions for an OpEX Practitioner in a Digital World
The Lean Six Sigma (LSS) Green Belt and Black Belt curriculum needs an overhaul. The original operational excellence (OpEx) Lean Six Sigma methodology developed by Motorola in the 1980s and made famous...
View ArticleUse Multiple Process Improvement Methodologies to Strengthen Results
There are many process improvement methodologies – Six Sigma/DMAIC (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control), Lean, Design for Six Sigma (DFSS) and innovation to name merely a few. But with so many...
View ArticleUnderstanding Permutations and Combinations
In Six Sigma problem solving, it is often important to calculate the likelihood that a combination of events or an ordered combination of events will occur. Understanding some of the basic concepts of...
View ArticleCalculate Capability Indices with Only One Specification
Capability analysis is an essential tool for statistical process control (SPC) and process improvement, applicable to a variety of environments from hospitals and labs to assembly and manufacturing....
View ArticleUnderstand the Difference Between Verification and Validation
Many people use the terms verification and validation interchangeably without realizing the difference between the two. Not understanding that difference can lead to many models that do not truly...
View ArticleAvoid Two Common Mistakes in Measurement System Analysis
Measurement system analysis (MSA) determines whether the measurement system is adequate and confirms that significant error is not introduced to the true value of a process characteristic. MSA is the...
View ArticleSix Steps to Effectively Plan for Lean Six Sigma Efforts
Some of the complaints commonly levied against continuous improvement deployments is that they focus on the wrong issues, and that projects take too long or require too much investment (time, training...
View ArticleUnderstanding Process Sigma Level
Six Sigma is a data-driven approach to quality, aimed at reducing variation and the associated defects, wastes and risks in any process. This article explores the basics of Six Sigma process quality –...
View ArticleShort-Run Statistical Process Control Techniques
Short production runs are a necessity in high-mix, low-volume manufacturing environments. The trend in manufacturing has been toward smaller production runs, with production runs – as well as products...
View ArticleProject Examples from an LSS Deployment for Cultural Transformation
My company benchmarked against other manufacturing businesses before starting its cultural transformation change. They formed a team and visited companies including Toyota, GM, Milliken, Caterpillar,...
View ArticleU.S.A.F. Uses Continuous Process Improvement on the B-2 Bomber: Part 1
In this case study, the 509th Maintenance Group of the U.S. Air Force used an eight-step continuous process improvement approach to balance its resources and meet both flying hour program requirements...
View ArticleUse a Classification and Regression Tree (CART) for Quick Data Insights
In the Analyze phase of a DMAIC (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control) Six Sigma project, potential root causes of variations and defects are identified and validated. Various data analysis tools...
View ArticleU.S.A.F. Uses Continuous Process Improvement on the B-2 Bomber: Part 2
In this case study, the 509th Maintenance Group of the U.S. Air Force used an eight-step continuous improvement approach to balance its resources and meet both flying hour program requirements and...
View ArticleProcess Capability – The Basics: Part 1
In Part 1, we explore the concept of process capability, including how to calculate it and what to do with non-normal data. The post Process Capability – The Basics: Part 1 appeared first on...
View ArticleUse “Light” Lean Six Sigma When the Textbook Approach Is Not Possible
Practitioners cannot wait to use their newly acquired knowledge after they have finished Lean Six Sigma (LSS) training. They want to immediately apply the framework to their real-life projects. But...
View ArticleProcess Capability – Surface Finish Example: Part 2
In Part 2 we look at failure rates and material conditions for a surface finish example. The post Process Capability – Surface Finish Example: Part 2 appeared first on isixsigma.com.
View ArticleThe Road to Success: How KPIs Support Goal Achievement
Key performance indicators (KPIs) are critical to ensuring a project team has the performance data it needs to sustain improvements. With KPIs, a team can evaluate the success of a project against its...
View ArticleCase Study: Using Six Sigma in a Non-Six Sigma Culture
Anyone who has worked in manufacturing has probably experienced some level of finger-pointing when shipments fall short of expectations. Though there could be multiple reasons for a missed customer...
View ArticleIncorporate Lean Six Sigma in Automation Process
Lean Six Sigma can assist organizations determine which processes are the best candidates for automation as well as make those processes more automation ready. The post Incorporate Lean Six Sigma in...
View ArticleProcess Improvement in the Age of Smart Manufacturing
Process improvement projects have typically been a labor-intensive and imprecise process. Labor-intensive in that capturing the as-designed vs the actual current-state process required facilitated...
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