What is Six Sigma & why is it valuable?
Six Sigma is a highly disciplined, data-driven improvement program that helps companies focus on eliminating defects in any process and delivering near-perfect products and services. Six Sigma methodology is rapidly becoming part of best practice standards in the industry and utilized by many of our clients in all sectors.
Lean Production is considered to be an operational strategy oriented toward achieving the shortest possible cycle time by eliminating the “muda” or waste. It is derived from the Toyota Production System and its objective is to increase the value added to the process by eliminating waste and reducing redundant work. This methodology often decreases the lead time between a customer order and shipment, and it is designed to radically improve profitability, customer satisfaction, throughput time, and employee morale.
Tools and Methods used by PwC in implementing Lean Six Sigma:
- Work cells
- 5S
- Value stream mapping
- Kanban
- Spaghetti Diagram
- Visual factory (visual management)
- Process mapping
- One piece flow
- SMED (Single Minute Exchange of Dies)
- Takt Time assessment
DMAIC vs DMADV
For Six Sigma, there are two separate improvement methodologies that project leaders can use: Design for Six Sigma (DMADV) helps create new processes that don’t exist or redesigns those that are too broken to improve. DMAIC is designed to eliminate defects and improve existing processes. Both have 5 distinct steps.
SMED study saved 50% of changeover time
This reduction was made trough 3 main methods:
- Identifying internal and external activities which were than accordingly planned
- Detailed work analysis during the changeover
- Organizing the workplace
- Introducing new progressive tools
With this method the time needed to do a changeover decreased even on the bottlenecks of the manufacturing process which increased the throughput of the whole factory.
Benefits of implementing Lean Six Sigma
- Improved shop floor organization
- Clear material flow, identified waste throughout the process
- Eliminates unnecessary movements within the operation
- Shorter changeover times, eliminate unnecessary changeovers
- Takting the operation to full potential, higher OEE
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