Six Sigma application in small enterprise

Abstract

Six Sigma has been used by large companies to improve the performance of their manufacturing processes. However, the interest and the application of this methodology in small- and medium-sized enterprises is something emerging, despite being little widespread in the literature. This article shows the applicability of Six Sigma in a small Brazilian company, explaining the application strategy and its impacts. This work presents a revision about Six Sigma and DMAIC (define, measure, analyze, improve, and control) method, which had been mostly successfully used by large-scale industries and it is suitable for this case, and approaches the particularities of small business that could have some impact in this application. Then, it details the application of Six Sigma with DMAIC in a small surface treatment company of mechanical components. This article shows the feasibility, applicability, and impact of Six Sigma in this small company, which obtained a rework reduction of approximately 20% on their zinc coating process.