Sigma Implementation Research Articles

Impact of Six Sigma approach on SMEs of Northern India - an empirical investigation

Six Sigma is a management approach for reducing waste by implementing DMAIC cycle. Different tools have been employed by manufacturing SMEs to improve the performance of manufacturing operations and by optimised organisational achievements. The present study is an attempt to study the impact of six sigma DMAIC approach in manufacturing SMEs by measuring the level of usage, level of difficulty of different tools of DMAIC cycle and important benefits occurred after successful implementation of this approach. The impact of DMAIC approach is investigated by measuring the impact of tools used in various phases of six sigma implementation. By investigating the role of DMAIC cycle towards performance improvement, impact of this approach on industry has been determined. The result of investigation demonstrated that manufacturing SMEs have less educated man power and also they are lacking in providing adequate training to them for effective implementation of six sigma tools. Moreover, correlation analysis indicates that DMAIC cycle is significantly used to improve the quality of product.

Designing robust model of Six Sigma implementation based on critical successful factors and MACBETH

The present study aims to investigate prioritising of critical successful factors (CSFs) of Six Sigma implementation in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Iran. Nowadays, many companies face various problems in implementing Six Sigma projects. These problems occur in all organisations whether big companies or SMEs. Hence, finding and prioritising these CSFs, which are related to implementation of Six Sigma projects, help organisations to solve their problems and implement Six Sigma projects efficiently. Measuring attractiveness by a categorical-based evaluation technique (MACBETH) was used to determine CSFs, which have high priority for implementing Six Sigma projects in SMEs. For increasing the effectiveness of Six Sigma projects and avoiding wastage of time, budget and human resources of an organisation, this ranking directs managers of companies how they can eliminate the problems of Six Sigma projects implementation and allocate their limited resources to solve the problems. In this study, these CSFs are categorised into four criteria and 15 sub criteria. The most important CSFs is perception of mangers from manager criterion and the least important CSFs is participation of staff in the staff criterion.

Evaluation of Barriers for Six Sigma Implementation in Indian Manufacturing SMEs

Evaluation of Barriers for Six Sigma Implementation in Indian Manufacturing SMEs

Designing robust model of Six Sigma implementation based on critical successful factors and MACBETH

Designing robust model of Six Sigma implementation based on critical successful factors and MACBETH

A multiple case study analysis of Six Sigma practices in Indian manufacturing companies

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the fundamental barriers/challenges, benefits, commonly used tools and techniques, organisational infrastructure and impact on organisational performance in three Indian manufacturing companies. Design/methodology/approach A multi-case study analysis using the exploratory case study research was adopted by the authors to obtain a deeper insight into the Six Sigma implementation within three distinctive manufacturing organisations in India. Interviews were conducted with relevant staff (Six Sigma Deployment Champions, Six Sigma Master Black Belts and Six Sigma Black Belts) in all three companies. Findings Some of the barriers in implementing and sustaining Six Sigma identified from the case studies include: lack of accuracy of data generated from the processes, lack of understanding of the benefits of Six Sigma in the early stages of its adoption, high-attrition rate of Six Sigma Black Belts and so on. The benefits of Six Sigma included improvement of process yield, reduction of rework and rejection, reduction of raw material inventory, improved on-time delivery, on-time availability of material for production and so on. Supplier-input-process-output-customer, cause and effect diagram, process mapping, hypothesis tests (two sample test, F-test, etc.), control charts (X-bar-R chart, individual chart, etc.), simple graphical tools such as histograms, box plots and dot plots were the most commonly used tools of Six Sigma across the companies that participated for this research. All three companies have reported that Six Sigma had a positive impact on organisational performance and moreover the study also revealed that Six Sigma had positive impact on customer satisfaction, return-on-investment, productivity and product quality. Research limitations/implications The study was carried out in three Indian companies and therefore the findings cannot be generalised. The authors are extending the study to three more companies and the findings will be reported in the forthcoming months. Practical implications The findings of the study provide a good foundation to understand the fundamental barriers, benefits, commonly used tools and whether Six Sigma is having any impact on business performance in the Indian context. Very few empirical studies have been carried out on Six Sigma implementation in the Indian manufacturing companies and this research sets an agenda for a number of studies to follow on in the forthcoming years. Originality/value In authors’ opinion, this is possibly one of the first multi-case empirical studies on Six Sigma implementation in the Indian manufacturing companies. The results of the study can be used to benchmark with similar studies in other countries to understand the good and bad management practices of Six Sigma implementation.

Integration of PCA and DEA for identifying and improving the impact of Six Sigma implementation on job characteristics in an automotive industry

ABSTRACTThis study presents an integrated approach, based on data envelopment analysis (DEA) and principal component analysis (PCA) methods, to evaluate the influence of Six Sigma deployment on key job characteristics in an automotive industry. The job characteristics are defined as satisfaction, stress, and security. A standard questionnaire is designed and distributed among the employees at the company's production site, who were affected by the implementation of Six Sigma. DEA and PCA methods are applied to measure the performance of the sub-groups of employees in the company. Consequently, the most efficient and inefficient sub-groups are determined. According to the findings of this investigation, it was perceived that the implementation of Six Sigma has had the greatest impact on job satisfaction. Additionally, a design of experiment was carried out to recognize the most effective job factor, which was identified to be the overall working conditions for the related case study. This is the first study that integrates DEA and PCA toward identifying and optimizing job characteristics in terms of Six Sigma implementation. The approach, employed in this study, can be easily used in the other manufacturing systems, in order to assist them to identify and improve their key job characteristics.

Logistics services and Lean Six Sigma implementation: a case study

PurposeThis paper aims to analyze the application of Lean Six Sigma (LSS) framework for supporting continuous improvement (CI) in logistics services. Both the lean philosophy and the Six Sigma methodology have become two of the most important initiatives for CI in organizations. The combination of both alternatives – LSS – brings significant benefits for companies applying this method, and its influence in logistics services can be relevant.Design/methodology/approachA case study on the logistics services of a large consumer electronics company is performed. In this sector, high quality in logistics services is crucial. Using within-case and cross-case analyses, the paper discusses the implementation of LSS in two internal logistics processes.FindingsThe paper identifies important implementation aspects when applying LSS to logistics services, such as CI structure, strategic analysis, cross-functional teams and process management. Furthermore, the paper discusses the potential in logistics services of the DMAIC (define, measure, analyze, improve and control) approach and tools such as value stream mapping, SIPOC (supplier, input, process, output, and customer) and process mapping.Practical implicationsThe paper analyzes two logistics processes where LSS has been applied – a payment process and a request-to-ship process. The analysis of both processes offers relevant information about organizational implementation in a logistics services environment about process improvement and about the use of LSS tools.Originality/valueFirst, this paper addresses the gap in literature about LSS and logistics’ activities. Furthermore, the case company, with more than 9,000 employees and distributing its products to more than 100 countries, constitutes a valuable source of information to obtain insights into the implications of implementing LSS in logistics services.

Road towards Lean Six Sigma in service industry: a multi-factor integrated framework

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to adopt a multiple case-study approach, of three companies, in order to identify the factors affecting Lean Six Sigma (L6σ) implementation in service industry. Design/methodology/approach – Secondary data were collected through companies’ documents, written procedures and quality assurance policies. Primary data were collected through a number of in-depth interviews with managers and quality experts. Findings – The analysis of qualitative data gathered through in-depth interviews with managers in all three cases resulted in the emergence of variety of critical success factors (CSFs) regarding L6σ implementation in service industry. As it can be seen the great majority of the factors have been identified in all three cases. Moreover the analysis shows that there are two categories of factors emerged. Originality/value – This study has four major contributions. First, it provides an intergraded multi-factor framework regarding the implementation of L6σ in service industry. In particular, this study contributes with three more particular factors that influence the implementation of L6σ in services, namely, top-management active involvement, HR support activities, and practices and systems. Second, it focusses on the responses of managers, who play the critical role in the adoption of L6σ. Third, supports and expands current literature on the key success factors of L6σ application. Finally, it provides future ideas to explore and develop more the suggested L6σ framework.

Analysis Of Critical Success Factors Of Six Sigma In Pakistani Small And Medium-Sized Enterprises

Six Sigma is a widely adapted quality improvement methodology applied throughout the world. Through this paper, an attempt has been made to identify Critical Success Factors (CSF) for successful implementation of Six Sigma in Pakistani Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs). A survey methodology was used to collect the data from SMEs in Pakistan. The results of this exploratory empirical research reflect the importance of different CSFs of Six Sigma implementation in SMEs in Pakistan. On the basis of extracted factors, a framework has been proposed for successful Six Sigma implementation in Pakistani SMEs. This study will provide a base for Pakistani SMEs and future researchers working in Six Sigma implementation and help them to prepare a road map to eradicate the hurdles in Six Sigma implementation.

식스 시그마 품질경영활동이 기업의 재무적 성과지표에 미치는 영향연구: 경향점수매칭을 이용하여

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to study whether the adoption of Six Sigma quality management by a firm positively affects its financial performance. The correlation between the duration of Six Sigma implementation period and the financial status of the firm is investigated as well. Methods: We conduct the analysis using data from Manufacturing Industry Productivity Panel Survey 2013 provided by Korea Productivity Center and Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. Propensity score matching is used to reduce sample selection bias of observational study. Furthermore, we use multiple linear regression in order to study the relationship between the implementation of Six Sigma quality management and financial performance. The return on assets and ratio of net income to net sales are considered as dependent variable and implementation of Six Sigma as independent variable. Results: The indication of this analysis is that implementation of Six Sigma quality management does not significantly enhance financial status. The firms that adopted Six Sigma quality management were categorized into three groups according to the implementation period. Comparison of each group with the firms that do not adopt Six Sigma quality management does not show statistically significant enhancement of financial status. Conclusion: In conclusion, both adoption and duration of six sigma quality management do not affect financial performance significantly. Key words: Financial performance, Propensity score matching, Quality management, Six Sigma

The underlying factorial structure and significance of the Six Sigma difficulties and critical success factors

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to determine the underlying structure (latent constructs) of the difficulties and critical success factors (CSFs) of Six Sigma implementation in manufacturing companies. Determining the significance Greek manufacturing companies give to the Six Sigma difficulties and CSFs is also an aim of the present study. Design/methodology/approach – A research study was carried out in 91 ISO 9001 certified Greek manufacturing companies through a structured questionnaire. Exploratory factor analyses are applied to determine the underlying structure (latent constructs) of the Six Sigma difficulties and CSFs, while their significance is determined through descriptive statistics. Findings – Three latent constructs of Six Sigma difficulties are extracted, namely, “implementation patterns of Six Sigma methodology”, “absence of human interest and support”, and “low quality management level”. These difficulties are not considered very significant by the sample companies. Three latent constructs of Six Sigma CSFs are also extracted, namely, “understanding the implementation patterns of Six Sigma and its interface with the company”, “company culture and organisation”, and “prioritising Six Sigma projects based on stakeholders and company performance”. The role of these critical factors for the success of Six Sigma is very significant, according to the sample companies. Research limitations/implications – The small sample of the responding manufacturing companies, the diversity of the business sectors represented in the sample, and the subjective business evidence obtained from the company quality managers are the main limitations of the present study. Based on these limitations, future research studies are suggested. Practical implications – By eliminating the negative influence of the difficulties and simultaneously by enhancing the positive influence of the CSFs, a robust internal business environment can be created for the successful implementation of Six Sigma. Originality/value – This study fills the literature gap and contributes to the literature by determining the underlying structure and the significance of the Six Sigma difficulties and CSFs. This is the first research study in the field of Six Sigma that has been carried out in ISO 9001 certified manufacturing companies operating in the Greek business environment.

Lean Six Sigma, strategic control systems, and organizational performance for automotive suppliers

Purpose The aim of this paper is to develop a model that incorporate lean six sigma (LSS) implementation, strategic control system (SCS) and organizational performance (OP) in Malaysian automotive suppliers. Design/methodology/approach A survey through questionnaire was conducted to determine the level of LSS implementation, SCS and OP measurement. In all, 252 sets of questionnaire were successfully collected that brought to 64.3 per cent response rate. Structural equation modeling (SEM) technique was adopted to analyze the data gathered from the survey. Exploratory factor analysis, reliability analysis and confirmatory factor analysis for testing the construct validity, test for reliability and model measurement were carried out. Findings This study has provided a comprehensive measurement instrument to implement the LSS practices, SCS and OP for Malaysian automotive suppliers. As a result, seven LSS constructs, four for SCS and four measures for OP have been identified. This research model is a mediator model in which it investigates whether the presence of SCS mediates the relationship between LSS and OP. The analysis result through the SEM method showed that SCS does not affect the relationship between LSS and OP. However, SCS is improving OP when coupled with LSS. Research limitations/implications This study has only focused on the structured relationship between LSS Construct, SCS and OP measures. It is possible for other factors in the LSS practices to be studied in future experiments such as total productive maintenance, culture change, role structure and project management skills. Originality/value Future researchers could apply the LSS, SCS and OP measurement as a benchmark for use and can be replicated in other industry or country in the world with minor modifications on the critical factors necessary to suit the goals of the organization, culture and business environment. It could also be used as a business excellence and supplier selection tool for practitioners and researchers.

Contractor Work Preparation Process Improvement Using Lean Six Sigma

To ensure the health and safety of their workforce and protection of their assets and the environment, a global oil and gas company operating in Indonesia requires comprehensive identification and evaluation of job hazards that were included in work permitting process prior work execution in the field. Based on 20 data points obtained in August 2013, start-working time for contractors who worked for Capital Project Management (CPM) Team in Facility B was in average at 09.05 a.m. The aim of this paper is to present how the firm implemented Lean Six Sigma to reduce non-added value activities while fulfilling to its safety requirements and to share lessons learned from practical and theory testing perspective. The methodology used is Lean Six Sigma’s DMAIC (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control) as mandated by the corporate policy of the firm. This research adopts a mix-methods approach, by using both qualitative and quantitative data. This study was a one year longitudinal study of the Lean Six Sigma implementation to improve contractors’ work preparation process. The improvement resulted in reduction of non-value added activities and successfully increased the available working time per day by 59.3 minutes in average. The results of this case study reconfirm Lean Six Sigma as a good management theory since it shows a consistency between the theory and the real practice in a global oil and gas company in Indonesia.

Why Do Lean Six Sigma Projects Sometimes Fail?

Lean six sigma has been a tremendously successful business and quality improvement initiative. Literally, thousands of organizations, large and small, spanning a wide range of businesses from manufacturing to services, public sector, and government organizations, including health care, financial services, and even educational institutions have successfully deployed lean six sigma and reaped the benefits of more efficient operations, reduced costs, higher quality, and more satisfied customers and employees. Yet not everything works perfectly every time. Some lean six sigma implementations are not very successful, and some lean six sigma projects do not turn out achieving the expected results. Based on my experience, I believe that there are several very specific reasons for this. Without these components in place, success will be very difficult to achieve, and project failures will occur much too often. I am sure there are other sources of failure. I did not intend this list to be comprehensive. But these are some of the ones that I see all too frequently. Douglas C. Montgomery Editor-in-Chief QREI

Operational Guidelines for Six-Sigma Implementation: Survey of Indian Medium Scale Automotive Industries

Large scale Indian manufacturers started implementing Six Sigma to their supply core to fulfill the endless need of high quality products. As well, they initiated encouraging their suppliers to apply the well-ascertain SS management practice and kept no resource for supplier enterprises, generally small midsized enterprises to think for the admittance of Six Sigma as a quality promotion drive. There are many issues to study for requisite changes before the introduction of Six Sigma in auto SMEs. This paper converges on impeding factors while implementing SS drive and also pinpoints the gains achieved through successful implementation. The result of this study suggest some operational guidelines for effective implementation of Six Sigma from evidences acquired through research questionnaire and interviews with industrial professionals, apportioned to assort auto sector mid-sized enterprises (MSEs) in India. Keywords—Indian automotive SMEs, quality management practices, six sigma imperatives, problems faced in six sigma implementation, benefits, some guidelines for implementation.

Assessment of Lean Manufacturing and Six Sigma operation with Decision Making Based on the Analytic Hierarchy Process

In this paper, an AHP model was used for determining the optimal method and the most efficient methodologies of lean manufacturing and six sigma in various industries based on three criteria. These criteria are financial performance, operational performance, and innovation performance. Study results show the impact of three categories that are based on the implementation of a specific method. Findings show that companies implementing lean and six sigma were more effective than companies that implemented either lean manufacturing only or used limited tools of lean six sigma across operational and financial performance. Meanwhile companies that used limited tools of lean six sigma gained minimal performance improvements. Additionally, the results illustrated that automobile industries followed by service and electronics industries have the most effectiveness in innovation, operational and financial performance. Moreover, this study shows struggle of lean manufacturing and/or six sigma implementation with transportation and health industries. Bibliographic investigation showed there is limited scientific research focusing on lean manufacturing and six sigma implementation within French industries.

Six Sigma implementation in a manufacturing unit - a case study

The Six Sigma approach has been increasingly adopted in the manufacturing sector in order to make the process robust to quality variations, thereby, improving the quality and performance. In any manufacturing industry, Shainin Six Sigma methodology is highly adopted because of lesser data collection required for the study. Six Sigma improves the process performance of the critical operational process, leading to better utilisation of resources, decrease in variations and maintaining consistent quality of the process output. The DMAIC approach has been followed here to solve an underlying problem of reducing process variation and the associated high defect rate. This paper describes an application of Six Sigma define, measure, analyse, improve and control (DMAIC) methodology in a manufacturing unit, which provides a framework to identify, quantify and eliminate sources of variation in an operational process to improve the quality. The current investigation focuses on using DMAIC methodology to reduce the rejections in the pasting process during product X manufacturing, resulting in a saving of Rs. 3.96 lakhs per annum

Six Sigma implementation in a manufacturing unit - a case study

The Six Sigma approach has been increasingly adopted in the manufacturing sector in order to make the process robust to quality variations, thereby, improving the quality and performance. In any manufacturing industry, Shainin Six Sigma methodology is highly adopted because of lesser data collection required for the study. Six Sigma improves the process performance of the critical operational process, leading to better utilisation of resources, decrease in variations and maintaining consistent quality of the process output. The DMAIC approach has been followed here to solve an underlying problem of reducing process variation and the associated high defect rate. This paper describes an application of Six Sigma define, measure, analyse, improve and control (DMAIC) methodology in a manufacturing unit, which provides a framework to identify, quantify and eliminate sources of variation in an operational process to improve the quality. The current investigation focuses on using DMAIC methodology to reduce the rejections in the pasting process during product X manufacturing, resulting in a saving of Rs. 3.96 lakhs per annum

Impact of lean six sigma process improvement methodology on cardiac catheterization laboratory efficiency.

Operational inefficiencies are ubiquitous in several healthcare processes. To improve the operational efficiency of our catheterization laboratory (Cath Lab), we implemented a lean six sigma process improvement initiative, starting in June 2010. We aimed to study the impact of lean six sigma implementation on improving the efficiency and the patient throughput in our Cath Lab. All elective and urgent cardiac catheterization procedures including diagnostic coronary angiography, percutaneous coronary interventions, structural interventions and peripheral interventions performed between June 2009 and December 2012 were included in the study. Performance metrics utilized for analysis included turn-time, physician downtime, on-time patient arrival, on-time physician arrival, on-time start and manual sheath-pulls inside the Cath Lab. After implementation of lean six sigma in the Cath Lab, we observed a significant improvement in turn-time, physician downtime, on-time patient arrival, on-time physician arrival, on-time start as well as sheath-pulls inside the Cath Lab. The percentage of cases with optimal turn-time increased from 43.6% in 2009 to 56.6% in 2012 (p-trend<0.001). Similarly, the percentage of cases with an aggregate on-time start increased from 41.7% in 2009 to 62.8% in 2012 (p-trend<0.001). In addition, the percentage of manual sheath-pulls performed in the Cath Lab decreased from 60.7% in 2009 to 22.7% in 2012 (p-trend<0.001). The current longitudinal study illustrates the impact of successful implementation of a well-known process improvement initiative, lean six sigma, on improving and sustaining efficiency of our Cath Lab operation. After the successful implementation of this continuous quality improvement initiative, there was a significant improvement in the selected performance metrics namely turn-time, physician downtime, on-time patient arrival, on-time physician arrival, on-time start as well as sheath-pulls inside the Cath Lab.

An empirical investigation of the relationship between Six Sigma practices and organisational innovation

Both Six Sigma and innovation play key roles in improving competitiveness. While there is abundant research on Six Sigma and innovation from many perspectives, rigorous empirical research investigating the impact of Six Sigma on organisational innovation has been limited. The purpose of this paper is to explore the relationships between Six Sigma practices and different types of organisational innovation including product innovation, process innovation, and administrative innovation. Empirical data were collected from 249 firms in China which had implemented Six Sigma as a formal programme in their organisation. Structural Equation Modelling was used to test the hypothesised relationship between Six Sigma practices and innovation. The results show that Six Sigma management, infrastructure, and core practices have a positive relationship with product, process, and administrative innovation. This study contributes to a better understanding of how firms can take advantage of the Six Sigma implementation to improve their capacity in innovation.