Reducing rejection and rework by application of Six Sigma methodology in manufacturing process

This article discusses the implementation of Six Sigma methodology in reducing rejection and rework in a honing process in an automobile part manufacturing company. The Six Sigma DMAIC (define – measure – analyse – improve – control) approach has been used to achieve this result. This article explains the step-by-step approach of Six Sigma implementation in a manufacturing process for improving quality level. This resulted in reduction of rejection and rework, and thus, improved the first pass yield from 88% to 100%. During this study, data were collected on all possible causes and statistical techniques like regression analysis, hypothesis testing, Taguchi methods, etc., were used to analyse the data and conclusions were made. Implementation of Six Sigma methodology has resulted in large financial savings for the company. Due to reduction in rejection and rework, the approximate savings from this project was $US 124,000 per annum.