Aberdeen Group: Few go 100% Six Sigma
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Manufacturing News, Source : The Manufacturer US
Published : 23 Oct 2006 14:25
An interesting Aberdeen Research survey (“The Lean Six Sigma Benchmark”) finds that of those companies Aberdeen surveyed – and there were 400 of those companies, on the order of Boeing, Glaxo SmithKline, GE, and GM., only 16 percent of Six Sigma adherents hold true to the six sigma principles.
Yet those who do, even if imperfectly, produce on average 40 percent higher savings to date and 65 percent more savings per project.
Aberdeen found few companies achieving the expected quality levels, but those who took a more technology-enabled approach fared much better in lowering defect rates. Among survey respondents, Minitab and SAS JMP customers produced the most impressive levels of quality, in some instances rivaling or surpassing best-in-class performance.
"Adapting to the rigors of Six Sigma requires a significant cultural change for most companies, and many find it a challenge. Yet not all challenges are cultural. Six Sigma methodologies are dependent on data, so data collection can present significant obstacles. Automated data collection and IT solutions can play a key role in resolving these obstacles," says Cindy Jutras, Vice President, Manufacturing & ERP Research at Aberdeen.
Jutras offers manufacturers recommendations for Six Sigma strategies:
Apply metrics of DPMO (Defects Per Million Opportunities) across all business processes in all industries, not just manufactured products and parts.
Identify and prioritize business impact projects according to anticipated savings and improved throughput. Look first for low-hanging fruit and act now for immediate benefit.
Integrate data collection with analysis - connect disparate sources of data and alert users
Companies like the heavyweights who took part in the survey likely had initiatives of their own in place before the Six Sigma craze, which they left in place and augmented with Six Sigma.
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