What Is KANBAN! How to implement in apparel Industry?

 

What is Kanban?

• Kanban is one of the LEAN tool.
• Kanban is a Japanese word made of Kan and Ban where Kan means visual, and ban means boards or cards.
• It is synonymous to "PULL" system.
• A kind of planning tool which is Demand Driven and used for Demand Scheduling.
• Scheduling system used in manufacturing to help companies improve their production process.
• Board represents the state of the product at any point.

What is Kanban in Apparel?

• Kanban concept is a process which ensures a regulated supply of required material based on pull concept.
• In Apparel it is used as a system in which supply of components is regulated using an instruction card sent along the production line.
• This works on regulated fixed quantity supply based on the demand from the production.
• Physical Kanban board helps to visualize the WIP in the sewing line.
• Based on this WIP and productivity the demand scheduling can be done.

The Principles of Kanban

 

IMPLEMENTING THE KANBAN

• Collect the data
• Calculate the Kanban Size
• Design the Kanban
• Train everyone  
• Start the Kanban  
• Audit the Kanban
• Improve the Kanban 

The Principles of Kanban

 

1. Make work visible (visual management)

Visual management is the display of information in the workplace to inform teams, enforce work standards, and highlight or prevent problems. There are many ways to use visual management, and this concept is deeply embedded in Lean thinking.

2. Limit work In-Progress (WIP)

Limiting WIP ensures that at any point in time there is never too much or too little work to do. You want to have just the right amount of cards on a Kanban board that can be handled by resources available.

This is achieved by implementing a pull system where new work is only ‘pulled’ in when there is enough capacity to handle it. For this to work, limits to WIP need to be set and adjusted. For example, to have a team of 20 engineers and operators build 10 cars a week.

3. Manage the flow of work

Flow refers to the movement of work items across stages of a process, as represented by cards on a Kanban board.

The responsibility lies with the project manager (or whoever is given ownership of the process). He/she needs to keep the workflow moving fast while keeping an eye on blocks, bottlenecks, and risks.

4. Make policies explicit

By having an explicit understanding of issues, operations, and rules, discussions become more rational and objective. These need to be documented and shared across the project team. The intention is to prevent emotion and subjective views from seeping into the decision process.

5. Implement feedback loops

Feedback and continuous improvements are critical for Kanban as they are for other agile frameworks. In Kanban feedback is gathered at different stages of a project: during meetings or at delivery, operational and risk reviews. 

The frequency and format of feedback depend on what has been already established by the Project Office. Any gaps are filled as Kanban identifies them.

6. Improve collaboratively, evolve experimentally

In Kanban, collaboration and experimentation go hand in hand as long as there is clarity and consensus on how to approach work and issues.

KANBAN Racks

BENEFITS OF KANBAN

Ø  Inventory reduction.

Ø  Improved material and information flow.

Ø  Preventing over-production.

Ø  Kanban helps in visualizing the system and expose problems.

Ø  It allows us to evaluate the impacts of process changes.

Ø  It allows us to identify bottlenecks and alleviate them

Prepared by: Md. Tarikul Islam Jony
Mail:jonytex073@gmail.com
+8801912885383

Way to get Maximum Efficiency in Shorter Run Orders at Garments Sewing Line.

An order of small order quantity that runs on the production line for 3-5 days called Shorter Run Orders. The order quantity for a short-run order may be different depending on the style design. Garment factories set their own criteria for considering the order short-run or a long-run order.

It is true that for short-run orders when the line reaches its pick performance, stitching get completed. When a factory compares the line performance of a short-run against a long-run order, it gets less efficiency. Normally, on the first 1-5 days of production loading, a line gradually increased its performance day by day (learning curve) and line works at optimum efficiency level after the learning curve. If the line gets a long run order, that normally runs more than half a month, the average efficiency of the order comes higher as after learning most of the days, the line works on the higher level.

On the other hand, when an order gets finished by 4th to 5th day of loading, the average line efficiency remains low due to initial days' learning curve. When a line gets 4-5 short run orders in months, they lost the productive time on production line set-up (style changeover). This results in lower line performance during the month.

Tips that can be useful in achieving maximum efficiency in shorter run orders. Though these tips are applicable for long-run orders too to achieve better performance.

• Prepare the line layout and process workflow on paper in advance and follow that one during line set-up.
• By loading the new style back to back. This means when the previous style getting completed from the one operator, load the new style without waiting for completing style from all operations. 
• All you need to be better prepared. Keep continuous feeding to the line. Before loading the cuttings in the line, keep everything ready- all approvals related to the style, trim, and complete cutting of the order or at least two day's cutting WIP should be there.
• Train employees (sewing operators) separately, how to do the operation they are going to assign to the style.
• Supervisors need to be prepared and need to complete line set-up as quickly as possible (no waiting of operators should be there), including machine changing, an instruction to operators, quality specification, approval etc,
• Reduce bundle size. single piece flow would better for small runs.
• If possible use a shorter sewing line for small qty orders. This change will also make difference in achieving line's overall efficiency.

Collected by: Md. Tarikul Islam Jony
Mail:jonytex073@gmail.com
+8801912885383

Eight wastes of lean manufacturing

       Today, the Lean Manufacturing model recognizes 8 types of waste  within an operation; seven originally conceived when the Toyota Production System was first conceived, and an eighth added when lean methodology was adopted within the Western World.  Seven of the eight wastes are production process-oriented, while the eighth waste is directly related to management’s ability to utilize personnel.

The 8 wastes of lean manufacturing include:

1. Transportation

Poor plant design can cause waste in transportation.  It can also trigger other wastes such as waiting or motion and impact overhead costs such as higher fuel and energy costs and higher overhead labor in the form of lift drivers as well as adding wear and tear on equipment.  It may also result from poorly designed processes or processes that have not been changed or updated as often as required.

Value stream mapping and partial or full changes in factory layout can reduce transportation waste. This is a full documentation of all aspects of the production flow and not just the mapping of a specific production process. This results in changes to reduce or eliminate transportation waste.

Common types of Transportation Waste:

• Poor layouts – large distance between operations
• Long material handling systems
• Large Batch sizes
• Multiple storage facilities
• Poorly design production systems

2. Inventory

Inventory is considered a form of waste because of the related holding costs.  This is true of raw materials, WIP and finished goods. Over purchasing or poor forecasting and planning can lead to inventory waste.  It may also signal a broken or poorly designed process link between manufacturing and purchasing/scheduling. Lean Manufacturing does not just focus on the factory but also requires process  optimization and communication between support functions.

Purchasing, scheduling and forecasting can have a version of standardized work in the form of defined minimums and maximums and order points that are mapped to the process flow and takt time. Purchasing raw materials only when needed  and reducing WIP and eliminating or narrowing the definition of “safety stock” will reduce this type of waste.

Common causes of Inventory Waste include:

• Overproduction of goods
• Delays in production or ‘waste of waiting’
• Inventory defects
• Excessive transportation

3. Motion

Motion costs money. This not only includes raw materials but also people and equipment.  It may also include excess physical motion such as reaching, lifting and bending. All unnecessary motion results in non-value-added time and increases cost.

Again, referencing core Lean Manufacturing methodology, process mapping should include facility layout and optimized workplace design that includes analysis of the distance of motion within the space as well as the location of parts, supplies and tools within the space as well.  As an effective process map is developed, proper utilization of the space can be captured with well designed and documented standard work.

Common Motion Waste examples include:

• Poor workstation layout
• Poor production planning
• Poor process design
• Shared equipment and machines
• Siloed operations
• Lack of production standards

4. Waiting

Waiting can include people, material equipment (prior runs not finished) or idle equipment (mechanical downtime or excess changeover time).  All waiting costs a company has in terms of direct labor dollars and additional overhead costs can be incurred in terms of overtime, expediting costs and parts.  Waiting may also trigger additional waste in the form of defects if the waiting triggers a flurry of activity to “catch up” that results in standard work not being followed or shortcuts being taken.

In many ways, waiting is the opposite of overproduction.  However, it can be mitigated or eliminated with many of the same remedies. Waiting is often the result of poor process design and can be addressed through proper measurement of takt time and the creation of standard work.

Common causes of Waiting include:

• Unplanned downtime or Idle equipment
• Long or delayed set-up times
• Poor process communication
• Lack of process control
• Producing to a forecast
• Idle equipment

5. Overproduction

When components are produced before they are required by the next downstream process, overproduction occurs.  This has several negative effects. It creates a “caterpillar” effect in the production flow and results in the creation of excess WIP  This leads to staging and therefore labor required to move the WIP additional times. And it can hide defects that could have been caught with less scrap if processes were balanced to allow detection earlier as earlier use of the WIP components would have revealed the defect in time to correct the issue.

Lean manufacturing systems utilize  several tools to combat overproduction.  Takt time is used to balance production rates between cells or departments.  Measured and process-mapped jobs result in reduced setup time allowing efficient small batch flow.  And in many industries, “pull” systems such as Kanban can be used to help control or eliminate WIP.

Common causes of Overproduction include:

• Unreliable process
• Unstable production schedules
• Inaccurate forecast and demand information
• Customer needs are not clear
• Poor automation
• Long or delayed set-up times

6. Over Process

Over/Excess processing is a sign of a poorly designed process. This could be related to management or administrative issues such as lack of communication, duplication of data, overlapping areas of authority and human error.  It may also be the result of equipment design, inadequate job station tooling or facility layout.

Process mapping is a lean waste elimination tool that helps define an optimized workflow that can eliminate over processing.  As a key method within lean production, process mapping is not limited to the performance of production tasks. It also includes reporting, signoff and document control.

Examples of Excess Processing include:

• Poor communication
• Not understanding your customers’ needs
• Human error
• Slow approval process or excessive reporting

7. Defects

Defects impact time, money, resources and customer satisfaction. Examples of Defects within a manufacturing environment include lack of proper documentation or standards, large variances in inventory, poor design and related design documentation changes and an overall lack of proper quality control throughout the process workflow. 

Formalized document control and design change documentation, thorough and documented quality methods in all production phases and checklists that have been audited to ensure proper adherence to the BOM are effective ways to control defect waste.  And standardized work at each production cell or point in the production line will help reduce this type of waste as well.

Specific Defect causes include:

• Poor quality control at the production level
• Poor machine repair
• Lack of proper documentation
• Lack of process standards
• Not understanding your customers’ needs
• Inaccurate inventory levels

 8. Non-Utilized Talent

The eighth waste is the only lean manufacturing waste that is not manufacturing-process specific. This type of manufacturing waste occurs when management in a manufacturing environment fails to ensure that all their potential employee talent is being utilized. This waste was added to allow organizations to include the development of staff into the lean ecosystem.  As a waste, it may result in assigning employees the wrong tasks or tasks for which they were never properly trained.  It may also be the result of poor management of communication. By engaging employees and incorporating their ideas, providing training and growth opportunities and involving them in the creation of process improvements that reflect the reality they experience and the skills they possess, overall operational effectiveness is improved. The elimination of this type of waste can improve all others.

Examples of Non-Utilized Talent:

• Poor communication
• Failure to involve people in workplace design and development
• Lack of or inappropriate policies
• Incomplete measures
• Poor management
• Lack of team training

Eliminating the 8 wastes of lean manufacturing is much easier when the production process is completely visible. Cloud computing, deep analytics and machine learning work in conjunction with devices, sensors and software adaptors to connect a factory and allow it to leverage hidden capacity for improved efficiency.  

Collected by: Md. Tarikul Islam Jony
Mail:jonytex073@gmail.com
+8801912885383

SAM Value in Production Planning and Control- How Important!

 PPC department can’t be performed below without having garment SAM value-

• Production execution and monitoring. 
• Order booking based on factory capacity for different types of products.
• Determining the capacity of the factory and capacity of the individual sewing lines in terms of how many pieces (product specific) factory can make in a certain time period with existing machines capacity. 
• Allocating of styles to the lines
• Determining production lead time for each order (styles)
• Process scheduling.

Roles of SAM Value in Production Planning includes

1. Order booking:
During order booking, we need to consider capacity availability in a certain period. In such cases, we can use how many minutes we need to make the new orders using garment SAM value and compare the same with how many production minutes are available in our factory for the defined period.

2. Line Capacity Calculation: 
Method of calculating the production capacity of a line is to use standard time (SAM) of a garment. So, to determine the production capacity of a line (for specific products) in pieces we need to know garment SAM.

3. Lead Time Calculation:
Based on the production capacity, order allocation is done for different lines. A planning guy also needs to calculate how long a style would run in a line if loaded in a single line. If you need to complete the order in less time, calculate how many lines to be considered for an order.

4. Process Scheduling:
Time & Action calendar (T&A) or production process scheduling of each order is done by the planning department. Again to schedule a list of tasks, you need to know the capacity of each process per day (or a predefined period). Based on the capacity of each process you allocate no. of days for the process. Like for the sewing department, you determine the sewing capacity of your line (or multiple lines) and according to that, you set how many days to be given to the sewing department for production.

5. Order Execution and Production Monitoring:
Standard minutes help planners to set a target for sewing lines. Mutually agreed and calculated target given to line supervisors. On a daily basis when you check production status you can compare actual production with target production. In case production is getting delayed you can push the production team based on the given target.

6. Labor Cost Estimation:
One most important task is the labor cost estimation of a specific order. To estimate how much labor cost to be considered for an order (style), you can’t make labor costing without having garment SAM value.

By considering all above, we can say that garment SAM plays a big role in production planning and controlling function in garment industry. But as I know, many factories in Bangladesh are not considering SAM/SMV for Order booking/Capacity Planning.

Collected by: Md. Tarikul Islam Jony
Mail:jonytex073@gmail.com
+8801912885383

Lean Manufacturing tools series 20 (Hoshin Kanri)

Every organization exists for a reason. One of the main reasons is to earn profits. There can be other reasons for existence as well. On the other hand every organization has their resources like capital, organizational structures, processes, and people. You may be a follower of lean or not, but I am sure you will agree with me, it is very difficult to align all your resources to achieve what you want to achieve, especially when your organization is larger. If you are working with only handful amount of people it is mighty easy to achieve your goals. You can see each other working. You have a direct control. But when your organization is large, you will have different clusters, departments and divisions etc, etc. there will be hundreds or even thousands of people who are working for you to achieve your goals. Everyone needs to be pulling in same direction in order for you to achieve your goals effectively. But I am sure you would know, it is not easy as it sounds. 

Only very few people in an organization would be aware of the goals of the organization. Even if they know it only a handful would know how your organization is going to achieve them, or your strategies. Even if they know how they are going to be achieved, most of you will not know what is the part you will have to play in order to achieve your organization goals. Sounds familiar isn't it. Best part is, even if you know what you want to achieve, you wouldn't know how you, yourself and others are going to measure it.

So every organization has to answer few questions when they set up their goals and cascade them down the chain.

1. What is our goal? For an example “we want to be the #1 car manufacturer in the world”

2. How are we going to achieve our goal? For an example “we want to sell x million units of cars to become the #1 car manufacturer of the world”

3. What do we want to achieve the target? For an example “We are going to manufacturer the world's lowest cost car so that everyone can afford it”

4. How are we going to measure whether we achieved our objective? For an example “Have sold y number of cars in this year as per our plan”

There may be several answers for the questions above depending on the goal you may set. But I guess you get the idea.

As you can see, setting the goals and cascading them down one step is hard enough. How about cascading your goals to thousands of employees. It will not be easy. But this is where Hoshin Kanri comes to play.

Hoshin Kanri is a very important tool used in lean environment. It is known as a good policy deployment tool. It basically systemizes the process of passing information level by level so that all the components of your organization would be completely aligned to the overall goals of your organization.

Every department will have their objective set by the Hoshin plan for their organization. Every sub divisions of the department will have their objectives set based on the goals their departments need to achieve. It will cascade down to the employee, and will clearly tell your employee what he or she has to do in order to achieve the goals of your organization. Isn't this cool?

Again it needs to be said however, this process is not easy either. It requires mindset changes, thorough follow up and dedication. No one is 100% in this regard. But there is no need to be 100% in your hoshin efforts to realize its benefits. You may realize it on the go.

Collected by: Md. Tarikul Islam Jony
Mail:jonytex073@gmail.com
+8801912885383

Stitch Classification - Various Types Stitches Used in Garment Making

 In textiles, a stitch is a series of repetitive single turn or loop of threads or yarns through interloping, intra-looping, or interlacing. It is the fundamental element for sewing, knitting, embroidery, crochet, and needle lace-making whether by hand or machine. It can be formed by any of the following three methods:

• Interloping: It is formed by passing the loop of one thread through the loop of another sewing thread. E.g. Stitch type 401
• Intra-looping: It is formed by passing the loop of one thread through the loop of the same thread. E.g. Stitch type 101
• Interlacing: It is formed when one thread passes over another thread. E.g. Stitch type 301

Based on this, there are more than 70 types of stitches out of which around 18-20 types are used most frequently and for ease of identification all the types have been grouped to 6 classes based on the number of the needle, direction of sewing, the form or shape of the stitch, purpose of the stitch, etc. The 6 classes of stitch are mentioned as: 

1. Class 100: Single Thread Chain stitch

The stitches formed here are from one or more needle by the method of intralooping. Thus, one or more loops of the needle thread are passed through the fabric and secured by looping with the next loop of the same thread after they are passed through the fabric. This type of stitch is very insecure as each loop is dependent on the next loop and a single thread breakage can pull apart the entire stitch.

These look similar to that of lock stitch on the face side with the loops on the back. The added advantage of these loops is that it makes the stitch elastic and thus can be used where the fabric needs a little stretch such as in back neck tape in t-shirts. Also, with easy removal of stitch, it is used in basting operations in tailor-made garments. This kind of stitch is often not preferred for seaming operations but is widely used in multi-needle machines, as temporary stitch and blind stitch. 

Stitch type 101 or single needle chain stitch is the most common of them along with a 103 single thread blind stitch. The front and back of all the other types are given below 

 

2. Class 200: Hand Stitch

These types of stitches are hand stitches that are used for decorative purposes. These are formed by a single sewing thread and the stitch is held by a single line of thread passing from one side to the other side of the fabric. This is mostly used for casual fitting with a simple sewing needle and thread as domestic needs but is also found as topstitch in high-priced garment due to its perfect finish. This can also be done on automatic machines called pick stitch sewing machines but are very slow and are rarely in use. The front and back of all the other types are given below.  

 

 

 

 

3. Class 300: Lock Stitch

Lock stitch is the most common form of stitch in ready-made garments and is formed when the thread or threads are introduced from one side of the material to interlace with thread or threads introduced from the other side of the material. The top thread is called the needle thread and the bottom thread is called the bobbin thread. The interlacing of the threads makes the stitch secure and difficult to unravel makes it the most appropriate for a wide range of seams. Also, lockstitch has adequate strength for most purposes with a correct combination of thread and fabric.

 
The main disadvantages of lock stitch are

• Limited bobbin thread length makes it necessary for changing of the bobbin from when it gets finished.
• Multi-needle stitching with many closed space needles is not possible due to limited space for bobbin. So, at most two needles can be used in a lock stitch machine.
• The interlacing of thread limits the elasticity of the stitch and is unsuitable for edge neatening.
• It is not suitable for knitted fabric due to lack in elasticity.

Stitch type 301 is the most common type of stitch with uses in joining garment components, top stitching, etc. Also, buttonholing, button attaching, blind stitching falls in this class of stitches. The front and back of all the other types are given below.  

 

 

 

4.Class 400: Multi-thread Chain Stitch

It is a multi-thread chain stitch type where loops formed in one set of sewing thread is passed through the fabric and are held by interloping and interlacing with loops formed by another set of threads called the looper threads. It looks like that of a lock stitch on the front side of the fabric but has a double chain effect created by the looper thread on the backside. Compares to lock stitch, a 2-thread chain stitch is much stronger and since no threads are interlocking with each other within the fabric there are lesser chances of having a puckering in the seam. Another advantage of this is that both the needle and looper thread runs from large cones on the top of the machine unlike that of the limited sewing thread inside bobbin. Also, it runs much faster than that of a lock stitch machine at 8000rpm. 
Stitch type 401 is the most common of them all and is used in sewing jeans and trousers and is also used with over lock as a safety stitch. Stitch type 406,407 are used for joining lace, braid, elastics with the garment. The front and back of all the other types are given below.  

                            

5. Class 500: Over-edge Chain Stitch

It is mostly known as overlock stitch and is formed by one or more sets of sewing threads with at least one set of thread going around the raw fabric edge. All the stitch in this class has high elasticity which does not unravel on thread breakage. Also, the machines are equipped with a trimming knife to make the edge neat before sewing. The width of the stitch may vary from 3-5mm. Overlock stitches are classified according to the number of threads used for sewing such as 1,2,3,4 or 5 thread stitches. Each of these stitches is different in appearance and their respective benefits are:

• 1 thread overlock stitches are used for butt-seaming.
• 2 -3 thread overlock stitches are used as edge neating seam in woven and knitted garments.
• 4 thread overlock stitch also known as mock safety stitch provide extra strength while retaining flexibility.
• 5 thread stitch has two needle threads known as safety stitch which forms stronger seam.

Also, the speed of the overlock machine is similar to that of chain stitch machines and can go up to 8000rpm. Stitch Class 504(3 thread overlock) is the most common of all and is used for securing the raw edges of the fabric and for heavy fabric such as denim 514 (4-thread mock safety) is used. This is because 3-thread stitches are prone to seam grinning when the seam is pulled at a right angle to the seam. The front and back of all the other types are given below.  

 

6. Class 600: Covering Chain Stitch

It is mostly known as Flat lock stitch and is formed by three sets of sewing thread namely, needle, looper, and spreader. Apart from the needle threads, the other two sets cover the top and bottom part of the stitch. It is the most complicated of all types with up to a total of nine threads including four needles and rest looper and spreader thread. 

These are mostly used for attaching tape, lace, braid, elastic to the knit fabric, etc. It can also be used as a decorative stitch. Stitch type 602 is mostly used for the above functions and hemming in t-shirts. The front and back of the rest are given below.  

 

 

 

Stitch classification may not be of so much importance when it comes to knowledge but a clear understanding of it is very much important when there is a requirement of identification of stitching to be done in the garment especially in the tech pack. The stitch type then acts as a code at letting the reader know what stitch has to be done over that part of the garment.    

 

 

 

Collected by: Md. Tarikul Islam Jony
Mail:jonytex073@gmail.com
+8801912885383

 

                                                        

Lean Manufacturing tools series 19 (Six Sigma)

 Six sigma is the strategy concerned with reducing the amount of variation concerned with completing a process on a repeated basis, so that the overall product can function at a level that is acceptable to the customer. It is also the practice of constant improvement by identifying defects that can be brought under control in order to improve the functionality of the end product. While it may seem like six sigma is a highly technical skill, in reality it is used in many different sectors. It is not uncommon to see six sigma practices implemented into marketing, sales, and customer support organizations as well.

 Initially created and implemented by Motorola, most companies have implemented some sort of version of a six sigma program in most of their departments. There are some companies that even require all personnel to be trained in six sigma implementations and policies. It uses statistical methods integrated with quality and lean processes to measure the possible and recognized improvement in the process. If implemented properly, entire teams and sub organizational structures (i.e. black belts, green belts, etc) are implemented to guide personnel in the proper conduct of the six sigma process and bringing the culture to the workplace successfully. 

The idea behind six sigma is revealed in the name of the process… through identification of sources of variation and cost, teams are formed to find what the sources are, and then the variation is measured and plotted. It is then analyzed to see if there are other, uncontrollable aspects of the data that may be effecting the way that the parameter is measured.

 All of these are taken into consideration, and then the corrective action that is supposed to bring the process to within six sigma of the target value is implemented, or in other words, the process is improved. Over time, the process is conducted with the corrective action in place, and the parameter, once again, is measured. 

This measurement is plotted, just as it was prior to the corrective action implementation, and the corrective action is analyzed for its effectiveness. The team then discusses what actions can be implemented to ensure the quality improvements are maintained and the progress is not lost by a lack of control over the corrective action. 

The beauty of six sigma is that it can be used in any application, in any business, at any time. As stated before, there are plenty of documented case studies that show how six sigma can be effectively used inside of everything from sales and marketing to very complex manufacturing procedures. With the proper training and teams in place, the sky is the limit with regards to the amount of improvement an organization can realize by implementing the six sigma infrastructure.

 

                          Figure 1

As can be seen in Figure (1), there are five basic steps to completing a six sigma project. The first is “Define”, in which the parameter in that will be the focus of the project is identified. Additionally, the impact to the bottom line of the business is discussed and the potential savings is measured. It is at this point in which the company will decide whether or not to pursue further action in the improvement of the parameter, and whether the time and funding spent toward the improvement will pay off in the end. 

Next, the parameter is measured in the “Measure” phase. Statistic relevance is taken into consideration as well as other sources of variation such as gage error. It is determined how well the actual parameter can be brought under control by measuring it with respect to the sigma value of a normally distributed curve. 

Take, for example, a process that has 1000 opportunities for a defect. Of these opportunities, 2 defects emerge. This obviously means the process has .002 DPO, or defects per opportunity. From that, we can figure out what our DPMO, or defects per million opportunities. To do this, we simply multiply the DPO x 1 million. Our process has a level of 2,000 DPMO. This means that for every million pieces of this product we produce, 2,000 of them will be defective.

From the DPMO and our DPMO/σ table, we find that our σ value is 4.37. By looking at Figure (2), you can interpret this to mean that you will have a 99.73% chance of having between 1,987 (-3σ) and 2,014 (+3 σ) defects for every 1,000,000 parts produced.

 

 

                                           Figure (2)

Once this is completed, the team comes together and analyzes the data in the “Analyze” phase. If the previous two phases were correctly conducted, it will show where the greatest room for improvement exists, and the corrective actions are identified with the estimated improvement calculated.

Improvement is measured after the corrective action is implemented in the “Improve” phase. This phase is almost identical to the “Measure” phase, but more strong influence is placed on the corrective action‟s impact on the final parameter variations.

Finally, the last stage is “Control”, in which the corrective action is either modified or changed such that a long term realization of improvement is shown. Many times the corrective action is temporary in nature and must be modified to be able to sustain the improvement.

While anyone can be taught to brainstorm and start six sigma projects, it should be noted that without a focused and well trained team, there is a very large possibility for failure inside of the six sigma project. It is recommended that a dedicated team be placed in charge of every project and assist the champion in making the project run smoothly.

Six sigma has been proven to set companies apart from each other with its effectiveness. It is practiced in almost every major corporation and almost always results in a better, leaner, and more proficient company.

Prepared by:Md. Tarikul Islam Jony
Mail:jonytex073@gmail.com
+8801912885383