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PurposeThis study aims to present Lean Six Sigma (LSS) deployment and sustainment strategies for the healthcare sector from a multi-level perspective. The objective is to present LSS implementation insights to enable policymakers, practitioners and academicians to test and develop an LSS framework for healthcare sectors.Design/methodology/approachThe strategies identified are the result of a multi-method research design involving literature review, action research (AR) and Delphi study. Further, the AR portion of the study involved more than 10 years of projects focused on the deployment of LSS in the healthcare sector.FindingsThe strategies include a holistic view from the multi-level perspective, considering the Top Management Level, Middle Management Level and Operational Level. The authors ascertained 27 strategies across the three levels of organizational structure for the effective deployment of LSS. Further, the authors present a customized LSS “pocket guide” from the healthcare perspective for quick reference.Research limitations/implicationsThe strategies delineated in this study are based on the Indian healthcare section only; thus, further research in additional geographic contexts is needed. Also, further research is necessary to provide additional empirical validation of the effects of the identified strategies on LSS program outcomes and to verify that the strategies operate at the proposed organizational levels. Future research should also focus on identifying the interrelationships between strategies within and across levels, developing a “road map” for LSS implementation in hospitals and designing the LSS curriculum for medical schools and other medical training programs.Practical implicationsObservations of this study can contribute to developing a holistic framework for successful LSS implementation in the healthcare sector for academicians, practitioners and policymakers. This, in turn, ensures an enhanced value proposition, improved quality of life and reduced healthcare operational costs. Thus, it ensures a win-win situation among all the stakeholders of the healthcare sector.Originality/valueThe strategies put forth will enable the LSS researchers, academicians and, more particularly, practitioners to delve deeper into specific enablers and safeguard the LSS deployment from backlash. The research has two significant benefits. Firstly, it enhances the understanding of LSS from the healthcare perspective. Secondly, it provides direction for future studies with specific components for hospitals’ LSS framework, which can be further tested, refined and improved.

PurposeThe article intended to excavate the Lean Six Sigma (LSS) deployment challenges, Critical Success Factors (CSF), tools and techniques, and managerial implications in an Indian healthcare setting.Design/methodology/approachThe article illustrates a case study established using Action Research (AR) approach. Further, the case study is based on the Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control (DMAIC) phases of LSS. The performance and service quality of the Endodontics department of a dental college attached to a hospital is enhanced and sustained through the LSS strategy.FindingsThe processing time of Root Canal treatment is reduced by determining the root causes for delay and implementing sustainable solutions. The structured deployment of the LSS strategy helped the Endodontics department to reduce the processing time from an average of 116 min–84 min. Thus, the process's sigma level is enhanced from 0.06 to 4.17 and assisted in sustaining the results.Research limitations/implicationsThe case study's findings are based on the single AR carried out at an Endodontics department of a dental college hospital based on LSS strategies. Even though this study's results cannot be generalized, the deliverables of the case study can be used to develop the LSS roadmap for the dental colleges to enhance the service quality and safety of the patients.Originality/valueThe article provides step-by-step details for implementing LSS in dental college hospitals with critical analysis based on robust statistical tools and techniques. The case study provides evidence of the adoption of LSS in medical college education and provides the confidence to adopt the same through novice users. The study's findings may persuade the policymakers to add LSS in the medical education curriculum to reinforce safety and reduce errors in the healthcare system.

The article aims to produce a new class of composite material having a high strength-to-weight ratio using Al–Si alloy and SiC particles. Explicitly, the key objective of this study is associated with multi-objective modelling and optimization of a novel composite material for automobile sectors. The study is based on a structured multi-disciplinary approach by involving the principles and techniques of mechanical engineering, materials engineering, and inferential statistics. More specifically, the mixture design technique from the design of experiment toolbox is employed to ensure multi-objective optimization of the mixture components, namely, Al–Si alloy and SiC particles. The composite material is prepared using the stir casting technique with varying weight percentages of the reinforcing particles. The mechanical properties such as hardness, tensile strength, density, and impact strength of the novel composite material are studied and considered for modelling and optimization. The study assisted in developing an optimal combination of component mixtures and a predictive model to produce a composite material having higher strength through structured engineering and robust statistical methodology. The researchers can follow the modelling and optimization approach adopted in the article as a template for robust composite material development.

PurposeThis article aims to study the tensile properties of a functionally graded composite structure with Al–18wt%Si alloy as the matrix material and silicon carbide (SiC) particles as the reinforcing element. More specifically, the study's primary objective is to optimize the composition of the material elements using a robust statistical approach.Design/methodology/approachIn this research, the composite material is fabricated using a combination of stir casting and the centrifugal casting technique. Moreover, the test specimen required to study the tensile strength are prepared according to the ASTM (American Society for Testing and Materials) standards. Eventually, optimal composition to maximize the tensile property of the material is determined using the mixture design approach.FindingsThe investigation results imply that the addition of the SiC plays a crucial role in increasing the tensile strength of the composite. The optical microstructural images of the composite show the adequate distribution of the reinforcing particles with the matrix. The proposed regression model shows better predictability of tensile strength. In addition, the methodology aids in optimizing the mixture component values to maximize the tensile strength of the produced functionally graded composite structure.Originality/valueLittle work has been reported so far where a hypereutectic Al–Si alloy is considered the matrix material to produce the composite structure. The article attempts to make a composite structure by using a combination of stir casting and centrifugal casting. Furthermore, it employs the mixture design to optimize the composition and predict the model of the study, which is one of a kind in the field of material science.

PurposeThe article evaluates the obstacles, lessons learned and managerial implications of deploying Lean Six Sigma (LSS) in a dental college hospital in India.Design/methodology/approachThe work adopts the action research (AR) methodology to establish a case study, which is carried out using the LSS define–measure–analyze–improve–control (DAMIC) approach in a dental college. It uses LSS tools to enhance the productivity and performance of the Conservative Dentistry Department of a dental college and to unravel the obstacles and success factors in applying it to the education and healthcare sector together.FindingsThe root cause for high turn-around time (TAT) is ascertained using LSS tools and techniques. The effective deployment of the solutions to the root causes of variation assists the dental college to reduce the TAT of the Conservative Dentistry process from an average of 63.9 min–36.5 min (i.e. 42.9% improvement), and the process Standard Deviation (SD) was reduced from 2.63 to 2 min. This, in turn, raises the sigma level from 0.48 to 3.23, a noteworthy successful story for this dental college.Research limitations/implicationsWhile the results and recommendations of this research are focused on a single case study, it is to be noted that the case study is carried out with new users of LSS tools and techniques, especially with the assistance of interns. This indicates the applicability of LSS in dental colleges; thus, the adopted modality can be further refined to fit India's education and hospital sector together.Originality/valueThis article explains the implementation of LSS from an aspiring user viewpoint to assist dental colleges and policymakers in improving competitiveness. In addition, the medical education sector can introduce an LSS course in the existing programme to leverage the potential of this methodology to bring synergy and collaborative research between data-based thinking and the medical field based on the findings of this study. The most important contribution of this article is the illustration of the design of experiments (DOE) in the dental college process.

PurposeThe purpose of this article is to demonstrate the application of the tools and techniques of Quality by Design (QbD) approach in an Indian pharmaceutical drug product manufacturing company and to understand the challenges, managerial implications and lessons learned while implementing this initiative.Design/methodology/approachThis work adopts the Action Research methodology for impurity reduction in a drug product manufacturing company in India by using the tools and techniques of QbD approach. Various QbD tools like Design of experiments, process capability evaluation and control charts were effectively utilized for the study.FindingsAs a part of QbD implementation in the organization, a specific drug product was identified and the impurity level in the product was studied. Significant variables impacting the impurity were identified and the optimum levels for the significant variables were identified through design of experiments. The solutions were implemented and the impurity levels were reduced significantly.Research limitations/implicationsEven though the article is based on a single case study related to tools and techniques of QbD in a single organization in India, the identified problem is a generic product quality related issue for any pharmaceutical drug product manufacturing company. Hence the findings of this research are applicable to pharmaceutical drug manufacturing industry in general.Originality/valueThis article illustrates the systematic usage of various tools and techniques of QbD methodology in a pharmaceutical drug product manufacturing company. The usage of Design of Experiments for process optimization and application of other tools and techniques are ready references for the practitioners and novice users in the field.

PurposeThe primary aim of this article is to ascertain the modalities of leveraging Lean Six Sigma (LSS) for Industry 4.0 (I4.0) with special reference to the process industries. Moreover, it intends to determine the applicability of simulation-based LSS in the automation of the mineral water industry, with special emphasis on the robust design of the control system to improve productivity and performance.Design/methodology/approachThis study adopts the action research methodology, which is exploratory in nature along with the DMAIC (define-measure-analyze-improve-control) approach to systematically unearth the root causes and to develop robust solutions. The MATLAB simulation software and Minitab statistical software are effectively utilized to draw the inferences.FindingsThe root causes of critical to quality characteristic (CTQ) and variation in purity level of water are addressed through the simulation-based LSS approach. All the process parameters and noise parameters of the reverse osmosis (RO) process are optimized to reduce the errors and to improve the purity of the water. The project shows substantial improvement in the sigma rating from 1.14 to 3.88 due to data-based analysis and actions in the process. Eventually, this assists the management to realize an annual saving of 20% of its production and overhead costs. This study indicates that LSS can be applicable even in the advent of I4.0 by reinforcing the existing approach and embracing data analysis through simulation.Research limitations/implicationsThe limitation of this research is that the inference is drawn based on a single case study confined to process industry automation. Having said that, the methodology deployed, scientific information related to optimization, and technical base established can be generalized.Originality/valueThis article is the first of its kind in establishing the integration of simulation, LSS, and I4.0 with special reference to automation in the process industry. It also delineates the case study in a phase-wise manner to explore the applicability and relevance of LSS with I4.0. The study is archetype in enabling LSS to a new era, and can act as a benchmark document for academicians, researchers, and practitioners for further research and development.

PurposeThe aim of this article is to demonstrate the development of environment friendly, low cost natural fibre composites by robust engineering approach. More specifically, the prime objective of the study is to optimise the composition of natural fibre reinforced polymer nanocomposites using a robust statistical approach.Design/methodology/approachIn this research, the material is prepared using multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT), Cantala fibres and Epoxy Resin in accordance with the ASTM (American Society for Testing and Materials) standards. Further, the composition is prepared and optimised using the mixture-design approach for the flexural strength of the material.FindingsThe results of the study indicate that MWCNT plays a vital role in increasing the flexural strength of the composite. Moreover, it is observed that interactions between second order and third order parameters in the composition are statistically significant. This leads to proposing a special cubic model for the novel composite material with residual analysis. Moreover, the methodology assists in optimising the mixture component values to maximise the flexural strength of the novel composite material.Originality/valueThis article attempts to include both MWCNT and Cantala fibres to develop a novel composite material. In addition, it employs the mixture-design technique to optimise the composition and predict the model of the study in a step-by-step manner, which will act as a guideline for academicians and practitioners to optimise the material composition with specific reference to natural fibre reinforced nanocomposites.

PurposeThe aim of the article is to ascertain the challenges, lessons learned and managerial implications in the deployment of Lean Six Sigma (LSS) competitiveness to micro, small and medium Enterprises (MSME) in India and to establish doctrines to strengthen the initiatives of the government.Design/methodology/approachThe research adopts the Action Research methodology to develop a case study, which is carried out in the printing industry in a Tier III city using the LSS DMAIC (Define-Measure-Analyze-Improve-Control) approach. It utilizes LSS tools to deploy the strategy and to unearth the challenges and success factors in improving the printing process of a specific batch of a product.FindingsThe root cause for the critical to quality (CTQ) characteristic, turn-around-time (TAT) is determined and the solutions are deployed through the scientifically proven data-based approach. As a result of this study, the TAT reduced from an average of 1541.2–1303.36 min, which in turn, improved the sigma level from 0.55 to 2.96, a noteworthy triumph for this MSME. The company realizes an annual savings of USD 12,000 per year due to the success of this project. Top Management Leadership, Data-Based Validation, Technical Know-how and Industrial Engineering Knowledge Base are identified as critical success factors (CSFs), while profitability and on-time delivery are the key performance indicators (KPIs) for the MSME. Eventually, the lessons learned and implications indicate that LSS competitiveness can be treated as quality management standards (QMS) and quality tools and techniques (QTT) to ensure competitive advantage, sustainable green practices and growth.Research limitations/implicationsEven though the findings and recommendations of this research are based on a single case study, it is worth noting that the case study is executed in a Tier III city along with novice users of LSS tools and techniques. This indicates the applicability of LSS in MSME and thus, the modality adopted can be further refined to suit the socio-cultural aspects of India.Originality/valueThis article illustrates the deployment of LSS from the perspective of novice users, to assist MSME and policymakers to reinforce competitiveness through LSS. Moreover, the government can initiate a scheme in line with LSS competitiveness to complement the existing schemes based on the findings of the case study.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the voice of the customer, key performance indicators, critical to quality characteristics, critical success factors, and commonly used tools and techniques for deploying the Lean Six Sigma (LSS) strategy in Indian private hospitals, with special attention to the medical records. Design/methodology/approach The study utilizes the action research methodology to obtain a greater understanding of the use of LSS in the Indian healthcare sector. Multiple case studies were designed and successfully deployed to understand and ascertain challenges in LSS implementation. Five case studies were carried out in the Medical Records Departments (MRD) of four private hospitals in India. Findings Patients perceive that waiting in queue harms their health, which can be rectified by addressing the cycle time of the system. The research also found that effective leadership, availability of data, involvement of cross-functional team and effective communication are critical to the success of LSS projects. In addition, control charts, cause and effect diagram, 5S, gemba, two-sample t-test, standardization, waste analysis and value stream mapping are some of the common tools used to improve healthcare systems. Research limitations/implications The research was restricted to studying the impact of LSS on the workflow and resource consumption of the MRD in Indian allopathic hospitals only. The validity of the results can be improved by including more hospitals and more case studies from the healthcare sector in different countries. Originality/value The findings will enable researchers, academicians and practitioners to incorporate the results of the study in LSS implementation within the healthcare system to increase the likelihood of successful deployment. This will provide greater stimulus across other departments in the hospital sector for wider and broader application of LSS for creating and sustaining process improvements.

Purpose Lean Six Sigma (LSS) has been accepted globally across the service sector as a management strategy for achieving process excellence. In the past one decade, the application and success of LSS in services is remarkable across Information Technology (IT) organisations. However academic research has seldom derived implications from this practitioner’s science of improving processes. The purpose of this paper is to feature the application of LSS in the system maintenance department of a manufacturing firm. Design/methodology/approach The research reported in this paper is based on a case study carried out in system maintenance department using the Six Sigma Define-Measure-Analyse-Improve-Control (DMAIC) approach and its application in reducing complaint resolution time. Findings The LSS article presented here highlights a real-world case study of how LSS DMAIC methodology help reduce the complaint resolution time from 12.5 to 8.5 h (~30 per cent improvement) and the corresponding standard deviation from 28 to 17.4 days. This study also has resulted in reducing the turn-around-time of all the core processes in the organisation. The indirect financial savings estimated as a result of this overall impact was around INR2.5m. Research limitations/implications The research was restricted to studying the impact of LSS in one organisation. The validity of the results can be improved by including more organisations and more case studies from the IT support services. Originality/value This could serve as a resource for both practitioners to derive useful implications and to academicians as it contributes to the LSS body of knowledge towards theory testing.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to provide lean and six sigma professionals and researchers of tomorrow with Ten Commandments of Lean Six Sigma (LSS). Design/methodology/approach The Ten Commandments of LSS are based on several years’ experience of four authors who act as researchers, LSS Master Black Belts, consultants, practitioners and trainers on various topics of Lean, Six Sigma and general quality management and continuous improvement. Findings The Ten Commandments in our opinion include: alignment of LSS initiative with organisational strategy, LSS project selection and prioritisation, selection of top talent for the project execution, leadership for LSS, effective training and design of appropriate curriculum for different LSS roles, development of reward and recognition system, LSS sustainability, Linking LSS with Organisational Learning and Innovation, Linking LSS with Environmental Management System Standards and finally LSS and Big Data. Research limitations/implications The key features outlined in this paper are based on the practitioners of LSS. The authors of this article are planning to pursue a global study to critically evaluate these commandments by various practitioners of LSS. Originality/value The senior managers and executives of various businesses can use these commandments of LSS as a guide to achieve and sustain competitive advantage.

The purpose of this article is to illustrate how Lean Six Sigma (LSS) methodology was applied to an Auto ancillary conglomerate in India for achieving operational excellence. The research reported ...

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to compare various methods of estimation of P(X

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the widespread but fragmented application of Lean Six Sigma within the UK public sector, providing the context of some of the challenges faced within the sector as well as some of the successful applications of Lean Six Sigma. The paper fundamentally seeks to challenge the concept that Lean Six Sigma is not suitable for use in the public sector. Design/methodology/approach A summary of the challenges facing the public sector is shown from current literature and this is presented as drivers for change. A number of successful applications of Lean Six Sigma are then evidenced demonstrating examples across areas of the public sector. Findings This paper concludes that while Lean Six Sigma is applicable to the UK public sector additional work is required to better evidence the benefits and return on investment that can be delivered as well as considering more holistic approaches on an agency wide basis. Research limitations/implications This paper seeks to contribute to and broaden the limited body of evidence of the applicability of Lean Six Sigma to the UK public sector and identifies areas for further research and review. Practical implications Understanding the applicability of Lean Six Sigma affords opportunities to public sector agencies in the current budget climate but additionally affords ways in which quality of service can be enhanced. In some cases, it provides opportunities to meet new statutory requirements around community empowerment. Originality/value The paper contributes to the body of evidence that demonstrates the effectiveness of Lean Six Sigma within the public sector and suggests opportunity for those agencies to meet funding challenges faced across the UK.

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.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to illustrate how Lean Six Sigma (LSS) methodology was applied to a medical records department (MRD) of a hospital in India to reduce the Turn-Around-Time (TAT) of medical records preparation process and thus to improve the productivity and performance of the department. Design/methodology/approach – The research reported in this paper is based on a case study carried out using LSS approach and in improving the medical records preparation process. Findings – The root causes for the problem were identified and validated through data-based analysis from LSS tool box, at different stages in the project. As a result of this project, the TAT was reduced from average 19 minutes to eight minutes and the standard deviation was reduced by one-tenth, which was a remarkable achievement for department under study. This was resulted in the reduction in the work-in-process inventory of medical records from 40 units to 0 at the end of the day. Project in-turn reduced the staffing level from the earlier level of six to a current level of four. Research limitations/implications – The paper is based on a single case study executed in IP-MRD of a single hospital and hence there is limitation in generalizing the specific results from the study. But the approach adopted and the learning from this study can be generalized. Originality/value – This paper will be helpful for those professionals who are interested in implementing LSS to healthcare organization to improve the productivity and performance.

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to study the scope of Lean Six Sigma (LSS) strategy and to explore its successful deployment in the Indian healthcare sector.Design/methodology/approach– The research reported in this paper is based on a case study carried out using the LSS DMAIC (Define-Measure-Analyze-Control) approach and its application in improving the registration process in the Health Information Department (HID) of a Medical College hospital in India.Findings– The study describes improvements in the HID through the power of LSS. Cycle time of the process was reduced from three to 1.5 minutes and the SD was reduced to 21.2 from 61 seconds. The project has shown a 94 per cent reduction in patients’ average waiting time. The study also reported a 91 per cent reduction in queue length and 48 per cent reduction in percentage of scheduled utilization of staff for the process.Research limitations/implications– The paper is based on a single case study executed in a hospital and hence there is limitation in generalizing the specific results from the study. But the approach adopted and the learning from this study can be generalized. The study is of use to healthcare practitioners seeking to implement or develop LSS further in their organizations.Originality/value– Although LSS being extremely successful in the last two decades, the application of LSS to the healthcare industry in general and HID in particular has been limited. This study illustrates how its application can improve the performance of the process and thus productivity in the department.

Purpose – The purpose of this article is to illustrate how the Six Sigma methodology was applied to a small-scale foundry industry to reduce the rejections and rework in one of its processes. Design/methodology/approach – The research reported in this paper is based on a case study carried out in an industry using the Six Sigma Define-Measure-Analyze-Improve-Control (DMAIC) approach and its application in improving the leaf spring manufacturing process of a foundry shop. Findings – The root causes for the problem of rejection and rework were identified through data-based analysis at different stages in the project. The process parameters were optimized and measures for sustainability of the results were incorporated in the process. As a result of this study, the overall rejection was reduced from 48.33 to 0.79 per cent, which was a remarkable achievement for this small-scale industry. This was leading to improvement in on-time delivery to the customer. The finance department of the company estimated the annualized savings due to the reduction in rejection and was to the tune of USD8,000 per year. Research limitations/implications – The paper is based on a single case study executed in a company, and hence, there is limitation in generalizing the specific results from the study. However, the approach adopted and the learning from this study can be generalized. Originality/value – This article illustrates the step-by-step application of Six Sigma DMAIC methodology in a small-scale foundry industry to solve an age-old problem in the organization. Thus, this article will be helpful for those professionals who are interested in implementing Six Sigma to such industries.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the use of Design of Experiments (DoE) in a higher education setting and to remove the misconception that it is only applied to a manufacturing environment. The authors demonstrate a simple case study here to illustrate its application in a typical non-manufacturing context. Design/methodology/approach – The methodology involves the execution of a simple study in the form of an experiment in the Faculty of Engineering, University of Strathclyde. The experiment was performed with the assistance of both undergraduate and postgraduate students in one department in the Faculty of Engineering. Findings – It was found from the experiment that postgraduate students prefer a case study approach of teaching with multiple speakers and prefer their classes in the morning. As for undergraduate students, similar results were obtained but would prefer their classes in the afternoon. Moreover further analysis shows that the postgraduate students prefer a 30 minutes introduction to the topic in a one hour lecture. Moreover the students prefer more time to be spent on the exercises and less time on the discussion. Research limitations/implications – The sample size of the experiment was considered small in the study although this was a pilot study to investigate the use of DoE in a higher education setting. The authors will continue to collect more data for further validity of results obtained from the pilot study. The authors will also explore the use of different designs as part of the future investigations. Practical implications – The outcome of this experiment would help everyone who is involved in teaching to understand the factors and their influences to improve students’ satisfaction scores during the delivery of teaching. Originality/value – This paper shows how DoE as a pure manufacturing technique can be extended to a higher education setting. The results of this study were quite an eye opener for the authors in terms of understanding the key factors which influence any process irrespective of the sector.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to illustrate the power of the Six Sigma methodology in improving the first pass yield of a high-precision grinding process in the manufacture of automotive products. Design/methodology/approach – The paper follows a case study approach showing how theory has been put into practice. The case study was executed in a leading automotive company based in India. Findings – The application of the Six Sigma methodology resulted in a reduction of tolerance-related problems and improved the first pass yield from 85 to over 99 per cent. A number of tools and techniques in the Six Sigma tool box have been utilised for data analysis and drawing valid and sound conclusions. The implementation of the Six Sigma methodology has demonstrated a saving of US$70,000 in addition to the customer-facing benefits of improved quality on returns and sales. Practical implications – The results of the case study have provided greater stimulus within the production facilities for wider application of the methodology as a powerful problem solving methodology. Moreover, this case study sets the foundation for many other projects within the business. Originality/value – The paper is valuable to many Six Sigma black belts, practitioners of Six Sigma and researchers in terms of understanding the systematic application of the methodology in a real world situation.

This article discusses the successful implementation of Six Sigma DMAIC (Define–Measure–Analyse–Improve–Control) methodology along with Beta correction technique in an automotive part manufacturing company. The implementation of Six Sigma approach resulted in reduction of process capability-related problems and improved the first pass yield from 94.86 % to 99.48 %. After studying the baseline performance of the process, a brainstorming session was conducted with all stakeholders of the process for identifying the potential causes of the problem. Data were collected on all the identified potential causes and various statistical analyses like regression analysis, hypothesis testing, and Taguchi methods were performed for identifying the root causes. Solutions were identified and implemented for the validated root causes, and results were observed. The Beta correction technique was introduced for monitoring the process in the control phase. Implementation of Six Sigma methodology with Beta correction technique had a significant financial impact on the profitability of the company. An approximate saving of US$87,000 per annum was reported, which is in addition to the customer-facing benefits of improved quality on returns and sales. This study contributes uniquely by elucidating the synergistic impact of Beta correction for greater effectiveness of Six Sigma programmes in the engineering industry.

Silicon-based photovoltaics (PV) plays the dominant role in the history of PV due to the continuous process and technology improvement in silicon solar cells and its manufacturing flow. In general, silicon solar cell process uses either p-type- or n-type-doped silicon as the starting material. Currently, most of the PV industries use p-type, boron-doped silicon wafer as the starting material. In this work too, the boron-doped wafers were considered as the starting material to create pn junction and phosphorus was used as n-type doping material. Industries use either phosphorous oxy chloride (POCl3) or ortho phosphoric acid (H3PO4) as the precursor for doping phosphorous. While the industries use POCl3 as the precursor, the throughput is lesser than that of the industries’ use of H3PO4 due to the manufacturing limitations of the POCl3-based equipments. Hence, in order to achieve the operational excellence in POCl3-based equipments, business strategies such as the Six Sigma methodology have to be adapted. T...

Purpose – Six Sigma as a powerful business strategy has been around for almost a decade and has grown exponentially in healthcare industry during the past five years. During the last five years or so, many leading healthcare institutions have implemented Lean and Six Sigma methodologies with remarkable results in terms of reducing ER cycle time, increasing timely completion of medical records, increasing bed availability, improving patient flow, enhancing patient safety, increasing capacity of the theatres, reducing medication errors and so on and so forth. The purpose of this paper is to reduce patient waiting time in a pathology department of a super-specialty hospital attached to a manufacturing company. The average waiting time for patients was estimated to be around 24 minutes with a standard deviation of 17.5 minutes. This was not acceptable in the eyes of patients, and hence, it was highly desirable to understand the reasons for excessive waiting times as well as the root causes of variation in the waiting times. Design/methodology/approach – The Six Sigma DMAIC (Define-Measure-Analyze-Improve-Control) methodology was adopted for reducing the average waiting time and variation in waiting times. Findings – During the execution of this case study, a number of non-value added activities were identified within the process and actions were initiated to systematically eliminate different forms of waste using the principles of Lean thinking. Cause-and-effect analysis was carried out to identify the potential causes for unacceptable waiting times and data were collected to validate these causes. The tools such as hypothesis test, box plot, dot plot etc. were used to analyse the data through Minitab statistical software and conclusions were made. As a result of this project, the average waiting time reduced from 24 minutes to 11 minutes (i.e. over 50 per cent reduction), the standard deviation reduced from 17.5 minutes to 10.04 minutes(over 40 per cent reduction). Originality/value – This paper highlights the use of data driven and scientific problem solving methodology such as Six Sigma with the involvement of hospital staff members like nurses, clinicians and technicians. The results of the case study have provided greater stimulus among the senior management team for deploying the use of DMAIC methodology for tackling process and patient care related problems in the hospital.

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.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to apply Six Sigma methodology, a systematic and structured approach for quality improvement in wind energy sector. This paper discusses the development of sustainable wind farm roads for an organization engaged in manufacturing, installation and servicing of windmills in India.Design/methodology/approachThis paper illustrates the Six Sigma DMAIC approach and its application for development of sustainable wind farm roads.FindingsThe systematic and data driven approach of Six Sigma methodology identified many root causes for road damages and solutions were implemented to ensure sustainable wind farm roads.Originality/valueSix Sigma has been successfully implemented world over in different business processes ranging from manufacturing to service and health care. However its application is very uncommon in areas like road construction. This article demonstrates the applicability of Six Sigma methodology in uncommon areas.

This article discusses the application of Taguchi's robust parameter design RPD approach in the design of a motor in a large electrical company in India. There used to be specific customer requirements related to temperature rise and low efficiency of the existing model of motor, which the organisation was unable to meet. Taguchi's parameter design approach was successfully applied to derive the optimum design. Orthogonal arrays were used to design the experiments with 13 control factors, each at 3 levels and 2 noise factors. The experimentation was carried out by a computer simulation and the data were analysed using signal-to-noise ratio method. From the analysis of variance along with main effect plots, the optimum factor level combination for the new product was reached. As per the optimum design, prototype was made and tested with respect to the customer requirements and was found to give satisfactory results for all performance characteristics. This approach has given the result in just 10 weeks' time, whereas the traditional design approach used to take 12 to 15 months to arrive at the optimum design values.

Crystalline silicon solar cell technology continues to be dominant in the photovoltaic (PV) technology due to its novel process flow and the clear understanding of the material. Being a mature material-based technology; on the one hand, it has quite a few opportunities for improvement, on the other hand, the expansion of solar energy should depend on this technology. Due to increase in the global energy consumption and high competition level in the market, it has become necessary to show significant improvement in the performance of the present process/product. The demand for high efficiency solar cells at low costs with shorter cycle times forced the manufacturing industries to improve their processes by applying systematic methodologies such as Six Sigma. This paper illustrates the importance of anti-reflective coatings (ARCs) on the silicon solar cell processes and the successful implementation of Six Sigma to improve the efficiency of the silicon solar cells. The different phases of the Six Sigma DMAI...

Six Sigma is a data-driven leadership approach using specific tools and methodologies that lead to fact-based decision making. This paper deals with the application of the Six Sigma methodology in reducing defects in a fine grinding process of an automotive company in India. The DMAIC (Define–Measure–Analyse–Improve–Control) approach has been followed here to solve the underlying problem of reducing process variation and improving the process yield. This paper explores how a manufacturing process can use a systematic methodology to move towards world-class quality level. The application of the Six Sigma methodology resulted in reduction of defects in the fine grinding process from 16.6 to 1.19%. The DMAIC methodology has had a significant financial impact on the profitability of the company in terms of reduction in scrap cost, man-hour saving on rework and increased output. A saving of approximately US$2.4 million per annum was reported from this project.

Six Sigma is a systematic method for process improvement. It relies on statistical and scientific methods to reduce the defect rates and achieve improved quality. A case study carried out for a green sand casting manufacturing company. Here, Six Sigma methodology is used for the part: bearing bracket 3809. Define-measure-analyse-improve-control (DMAIC) methodology along with Taguchi method is used to minimise the defects in the bearing bracket 3809. The major tools used in this work are the project charter, process map, statistical graph and cause-and-effect diagram. Use of design of experiment (DOE) and analysis of variance (ANOVA) techniques are combined to determine statistically the correlation of defects with the mould hardness, moisture content, green strength, permeability of sand, pouring rate and pouring temperature and also to find their optimum values needed to reduce/eliminate the defects. The experimental results were statistically analysed and modelled through Taguchi analysis. Based on the findings, the optimised process parameters are taken for experiment and better performance obtained in the production process was confirmed. The comparison between the existing and the proposed process has been attempted in this paper and the results have been discussed in detail.

Robust design is an engineering methodology for improving productivity during research and development so that high-quality products can be developed and produced quickly and at low cost. A large electrical company was developing traction alternators for a diesel electrical engine. Customer requirement was to obtain very high efficiency which, in turn, was influenced by several design parameters. The usual approach of the ‘design—build—test’ cycle was considered time-consuming and costly; it used to take anywhere from 4 months to 1 year before finalizing the product design parameters as it involved physical assembly and also testing. Instead, the authors used Taguchi's parameter design approach. This approach took about 8 weeks to arrive at optimum design parameter values; clearly demonstrating the cutting edge of this methodology over the traditional design—build—test approach. The prototype built and tested accordingly gave satisfactory overall performance, meeting and even exceeding customer requirements.

The strength of any concrete structure depends on the components of the concrete and their proportion in the mixture. To get the required workability, a chemical known as a plasticiser is added to the concrete mixture. A study was conducted to identify an optimum quantity of water and plasticiser in a concrete mixture for getting optimum strength and workability. An experiment was planned and conducted by varying the quantity of water and plasticiser in the mixture, and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was performed on the data to identify the significant factors. Since the ANOVA result was giving contradicting levels for strength and workability, the problem was modelled as a non-linear constrained optimisation problem and optimum solutions were identified.

Six Sigma implementation is spreading to many organizations the world over and success stories are increasing every day. In several cases, impressive financial benefits have been recorded, whereas in a few organizations, the implementation of this methodology has not given the expected benefits. In this article, the authors discuss various hurdles faced by the organizations from their experiences, and give a few recommendations for Six Sigma implementation.

[This abstract is based on the author's abstract.]The application of statistical methods is demonstrated in the solution of a problem of high rejection and rework due to variation in the machining process. Pareto analysis of shop floor rejections permit..

A plant making subassemblies of deskjet printers in India was in need of localizing the plastic parts required for the deskjet printer by developing small-scale vendors. As part of this mission, th...

[This abstract is based on the author's abstract.] There was a high defect level (about 6000 ppm) are a plant that makes printed circuit assemblies through the wave soldering process. Because of the high defect level, 100% inspection and much rewo..

This article discusses the successful implementation of Six Sigma methodology in a high precision and critical process in the manufacture of automotive products. The Six Sigma define–measure–analyse–improve–control approach resulted in a reduction of tolerance-related problems and improved the first pass yield from 85% to 99.4%. Data were collected on all possible causes and regression analysis, hypothesis testing, Taguchi methods, classification and regression tree, etc. were used to analyse the data and draw conclusions. Implementation of Six Sigma methodology had a significant financial impact on the profitability of the company. An approximate saving of US$70,000 per annum was reported, which is in addition to the customer-facing benefits of improved quality on returns and sales. The project also had the benefit of allowing the company to learn useful messages that will guide future Six Sigma activities.

Management of manpower and other resources is one of the most important tasks to be carried out in any business organisation. Various approaches are followed for the planning activities in industry and business. This article discusses the manpower planning and allocation problem in a call centre, working round the clock for handling emergency telephone calls related to ambulance services. The organisation under study provides ambulance services to take care of the emergency needs of the people in one of the Indian states. As a first step in the manpower planning process, we develop time series models for forecasting the call volume. Time series models were used to explain the evolution of hourly and daily call volume data. As the series was showing seasonality, seasonal ARIMA models were fitted for these data. The adequacy tests confirm that the selected model performs well for the data. The short-term forecasts computed using the model seen to be very close to the corresponding observed values. These forecast values will be helpful in manpower and resource planning.

This article discusses a case study on yield improvement of a manufacturing process through the application of various statistical techniques. The process was having very high rejection and rework, as the process capability was only 0.10. Various statistical techniques like measurement system analysis, design of experiments with Taguchi method, analysis of variance, dot plot, etc., were used to analyse the data and conclusions were made about the process. As a result of the study, process capability index, Ppk, was improved from 0.10 to 1.05. This has reduced the rejection and rework of the process significantly, which intern helped the organisation to cater to the needs of the customers on time.

A tea packaging company in India was implementing supply chain planning process to improve its delivery performance. For this purpose the company was interested in forecasting the monthly demand for tea from its depots across the country. Time series data on demand of tea for 57 months were available. This series was modelled by Box-Jenkins seasonal auto regressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) model. Adequacy of the fitted model has been tested using Ljung-Box test criteria followed by residual analysis. Thus, the most appropriate model was used to forecast the monthly demand of tea. This model has helped the organisation to plan the production activities more efficiently so that shortages or excess production can be avoided.

This article addresses an approach based on Taguchi method for optimising the ingredients of green sand in a foundry. Permeability and compression strength were the important characteristics of green sand. Optimisation of these characteristics was done through the application of Taguchi method of experimentation. Three factors were identified and experimented in an L9(34) orthogonal array. Signal-to-noise ratio method was used to analyse the data and the best levels for these factors were selected. As a result of the experimentation, in addition to the identification of optimum levels for the ingredients, the proportion of Bentonite and coal dust were reduced considerably. This was leading to a large financial benefit for the company.