What is Six Sigma?

Six Sigma these days can be described as: a vision; a philosophy; a statistic; a methodology; a symbol; a metric; a process; a goal; Traditionally SPC refers to the width of a "Normal Curve" , a statistical measure, which can be used to describe a number of naturally occurring measured variation. Studies by Walter Shewart in the 1920s showed, that for a process with variation that conforms to the bell shaped Normal curve, 99.73% of parts will fall within + or - 3 Standard Deviations of the average. Six Sigma is a new approach for process improvement, achieving a process with variation, where + or - 6 Standard Deviations fit between the Specification Limits. Six Sigma allow you to shift +/- 1.5 Standard Deviations around Nominal Value, corresponding to 99.9993 % of parts inside Specification Limits. By applying an approach to remove causes of variation and reduce the Six Sigma variation to within the Customers acceptable specifications will improve your bottom line by:

  1. Achieving customers requirements and satisfaction
  2. Minimizing cost of giveaway
  3. Increasing efficiency and reducing downtime

APC's statistical tools are the cornerstone of a Six Sigma program. One mnemonic, used to describe the steps to achieving Six Sigma goals is DMAIC. Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve and Control.

Define your measures then use APC Quality Assurance (QA) to Measure and Analyze both Variable and Attribute data. Instantly identify when Special Causes of variation are in operation in your processes. Improve your processes by removing the Special Causes of Variation and keep your processes in Control with APC QA.

APC Production Analysis (PA) will Measure and Analyze your production effectiveness and downtime performance and help you determine if your limitations are due to quality issues or are other factors limiting your plants from achieving their full potential. Apply Six Sigma methodology and measures to non-traditional areas of your operation to achieve reduction in variation and increase control over your processes.