Six Sigma is a data-driven methodology that aims to eliminate defects and variability in processes. It originated at Motorola in 1986 and focuses on reducing process variation. The document discusses Six Sigma's key concepts, methodologies (DMAIC and DMADV), roles, and applications in industries like textiles. It presents a case study on how a textile company used Six Sigma's DMAIC approach to improve its fabric dyeing process and reduce defects, focusing on identifying and addressing root causes of variability. Six Sigma's structured approach helped the company achieve significant quality and production improvements.

2. What is Six Sigma?
 Six Sigma is a highly disciplined process that helps us focus on developing and delivering near-
perfect products and services.
 The word Sigma is a statistical term that measures how far a given process deviates from
perfection.
 Six Sigma is a data driven methodology, and requires accurate data collection for the processes
being analyzed.
 Six Sigma's aim is to eliminate waste and inefficiency, thereby increasing customer satisfaction by
delivering what the customer is expecting.
2

3. Cont..
Six Sigma is a business-driven, multi-dimensional structured approach to:
 Improving Processes
 Lowering Defects
 Reducing process variability
 Reducing costs
 Increasing customer satisfaction
 Increased profits
3

4. Origin of Six Sigma
 Six Sigma originated at Motorola in1986 in response to achieving 10X reduction in product-failure
levels in 5 years.
 Engineer Bill Smith invented Six Sigma.
 Six Sigma is based on various quality management theories (e.g.: Deming's 14 point for
management, Juran's 10 steps on achieving quality ).
4

5. Key Concepts of Six Sigma
At its core, Six Sigma revolves around a few key concepts.
 Critical to Quality: Attributes most important to the customer.
 Defect: Failing to deliver what the customer wants.
 Process Capability: What your process can deliver.
 Variation: What the customer sees and feels.
 Stable Operations: Ensuring consistent, predictable processes to improve what the customer sees and feels.
 Design for Six Sigma: Designing to meet customer needs and process capability.
5

6. Six Sigma above all
6

7. Six Sigma- Key Elements
Six
Sigma
Key
Elements
Customers
Processes
Employees
7

8. Six Sigma- In Organization
Under a Six Sigma program, members of an organization are assigned specific roles to play, each with
a title. This highly structured format is necessary in order to implement Six Sigma throughout the
organization.
There are seven specific responsibilities or "role areas" in the Six Sigma program. These are:
 Leadership
 Sponsor
 Implementation Leader
 Coach
 Team Leader
 Team Member
 Process Owner
8

9. Extended Definitions of Roles - Belt Colors
 Many labels have evolved over the years that Six Sigma has been in use.
 The assignment of belt colors to various roles is derived from the obvious source, martial arts.
Based on experience and expertise following roles have evolved.
 The belt names are one tool for defining levels of expertise and experience.
 They do not change or replace the organizational roles in the Six Sigma process.
9

10. Green belt
Black Belt
Master
Black Belt
Skill
Level
Highest
skill level
10

11. Cont..
Black Belt
 The person possessing this belt has achieved the highest skill level and is an experienced expert in various techniques.
 The black belt holder is usually given the role of team leader, the person who is responsible for execution and scheduling.
Master Black Belt
 A person who is available to consult with the team or its leadership but who is not a direct member of the team itself.
 This may be the equivalent of the role played by the coach, or for more technical and complex projects.
 The Master Black Belt is available to answer procedural questions and to resolve the technical issues that come up.
Green Belt
 The Green Belt designation can also belong to the team leader or to a member of the team working directly with the team
leader.
 A Green belt is less experienced than the Black Belt but is cast in a key role within the team. 11

12. Six Sigma Methodology
Six Sigma has following two key methodologies:
 DMAIC: refers to a data-driven quality strategy for improving processes. This methodology is used
to improve an existing business process.
 DMADV: refers to a data-driven quality strategy for designing products & processes. This
methodology is used to create new product designs or process designs in such a way that it results
in a more predictable, mature and defect free performance.
12

13. DMAIC Methodology
This methodology consists of following five steps.
Define --> Measure --> Analyze --> Improve -->Control
 Define : Define the Problem or Project Goals that needs to be addressed.
 Measure: Measure the problem and process from which it was produced.
 Analyze: Analyze data & process to determine root causes of defects and opportunities.
 Improve: Improve the process by finding solutions to fix, diminish, and prevent future problems.
 Control: Implement, Control, and Sustain the improvements solutions to keep the process on the
new course.
13

14. DMADV Methodology
This methodology consists of following five steps.
Define --> Measure --> Analyze --> Design -->Verify
 Define : Define the Problem or Project Goals that needs to be addressed.
 Measure: Measure and determine customers needs and specifications.
 Analyze: Analyze the process for meet the customer needs.
 Design: Design a process that will meet customers needs.
 Verify: Verify the design performance and ability to meet customer needs.
14

15. Some other methodologies
 DMADDD
Define --> Measure --> Analyze --> Design -->Digitize  Draw down
This analytical tool set is used to drive improvements in efficiency and speed by process re-design to
remove non-value tasks.
 TDFSS, HDFSS, SDFSS (for Motorola)
15

16. Six basic QC tools used in Six Sigma process
1. Cause and effect diagram
2. Check sheet
3. Control chart
4. Histogram
5. Pareto chart
6. Scatter diagram
16

17. Companies using Six Sigma
 Boeing
 Dell
 Eastman Kodak Company
 Ford Motor Company
 General Electric
 Motorola
 Amazon.com
 Wipro
 Mumbai Dabbawalas
17

18. Six Sigma in Textiles
 Textile is among the leading sectors in the Indian economy in terms of production, exports,
employment and contribution to the exchequer.
 Textile industry being a field dealing with a lot of variations and defects in each process is the ideal
place for six sigma application, and speedy implementation of the right method will make a
significant and successful difference in many of the companies’
18

19. Possible Areas in Textile Industry for Six
Sigma application
Textile/Fashion Houses/Export Houses or Buying Houses have potential of applying Six Sigma in following
improvement projects:
1. Reducing rejections in shipments.
2. Improving first sample approval percentages while working with buyer.
3. Improving supplier evaluation processes.
4. Improving merchandiser performance.
5. Reducing non conformances in audits by buyer.
6. Improving processes at the source (including fabric purchase and inspection, stitching, embroidery, packing and
shipping) to reduce rejections at later stages.
7. Eliminating manufacturing errors/defect.
19

20. Cont..
 About the only agreement reached is that every garment cannot be manufactured to the perfect
specification.
 However, the typical manufacturing plant is producing apparel at about a 3 sigma level with 2.5 to
4% defects. That is 4 defects per 100 not the 3.4 defects per 1,000,000 produced by a Six Sigma
manufacturer.
 The gap is wide enough that significant improvement can be made in any such plant.
20

21. Textile Companies using Six Sigma
 DuPont
 Burlington Industries
 Collins and Aikman, and PGI
21

22. Case Study: Terry Towel
Right-First-Time dyeing in Textile 22

23. Terry towel manufacturing process
23

24.  The team adopted Six Sigma DMAIC (Define-Measure-Analyze-Improve-Control) methodology for
improving the fabric dyeing process.
 Six Sigma has been an established methodology to achieve dramatic improvements in cost,
quality, and production time with focus on process improvement
24

25. Six Sigma Framework
25

26. Define
 Critical to Quality (CTQ): CTQ is a characteristics related to an assembly, sub-assembly, product
or process that has direct or significant impact on its direct or perceived quality.
 SIPOC (High level process map): A SIPOC (supplier-input-process-output-customer) is a high
level picture of process which depicts how the process is serving the customer.
26

27. 27

28. Analyze
28

29. Cause and Effect Diagram
29

30.  Hypothesis testing: In order to validate the root cause, the team formulated and tested the
following hypothesis by con-ducting experiments in the color lab:
30

31. Improve
31

32. Conclusion
 Six Sigma is a disciplined problem solving methodology for reducing process variation and
tumbling defects.
 It provides an ultimate approach for improving textile processes which generate a lot of variation
and defects due to their inherent complexity.
 The present case is apropos a textile unit facing huge production losses due to defects in fabric
dyeing process and consequential delays in delivery of material to customer.
32

33. References
1. Sung H Park: Six Sigma for Quality and Promotion, Asian Productivity Organization, 2003.
2. Michael L George: Lean Six Sigma, McGraw Hill Publication.
3. Six Sigma for the Apparel Industry by Richard Atwell, Manager of Education and Engineering
Textile Clothing Tech. Corp in Techexcange.com
4. Timothy G Clapp PhD, A Blanton Godfrey PhD, Dale Greeson, Roy H Johnson PhD, Coleman Rich
and Cliff Seastrunk: Quality Initiatives Reshape the Textile Industry, Quality Digest.
33