UNLOCKING EXCELLENCE: A COMPREHENSIVE SIX SIGMA STUDY ON PROCESS OPTIMIZATION AND PERFORMANCE IMPROVEMENT
Abstract
Six Sigma, a powerful data-driven quality management methodology, has gained significant recognition across industries, including the automotive sector. In the face of quality, cost and compliance challenges, the automotive industry strives to mitigate breakdowns, which lead to costly delays, customer dissatisfaction and reputation damage. This study delves into the transformative application of Six Sigma methodology within a German automotive company located in western Romania. Multiple hypotheses were carefully considered and analyzed using a set of statistical tools, including interval plots, box plots, trend analysis, and time series plots. Additionally, quality tools like the Ishikawa diagram and Pareto analysis were employed within the DMAIC (Define-Measure-Analyze-Improve-Control) model. The findings were highly significant, as the implemented improvement actions demonstrated a pronounced impact by substantially reducing breakdown minutes by 93%. These results underscore the efficacy of the applied corrective measures in mitigating breakdowns and emphasize the potential of Six Sigma methodology in enhancing the reliability and operational performance of automotive processes.
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