A KNOWLEDGE-BASED APPLICATION OF A SIX SIGMA-DMAIC TYPOLOGY IN PROCESS IMPROVEMENT: A CASE OF CABLE MANUFACTURING IN NIGERIA
Keywords:
Six Sigma-DMAIC, Community of practice, MSA, PCA, Experimental DesignAbstract
The case organization has, over the years, been plagued with a variety of production issues in the form of high rejection % of cable after extrusion owing to insulation surface faults, failed insulation thickness, low conductor diameter, and variability in cable dimensions, etc. Even though the case organization had previously employed several consulting firms to assist in resolving some of these issues, the problems continue to exist and threaten the business. This study examined the possible advantages of integrating the Knowledge Management (KM) approach into the Six Sigma-DMAIC (SS-DMAIC) implementation methodology in an organizational setting, even though hundreds of studies have already been done to examine different facets of Six Sigma. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze the collected data. Measurement System Analyses (MSA), Process Capability Analysis (PCA), Analysis of Variance (ANOVA), and Design of Experiment (DOE) with central composite design (CCD) were used in the study. The study's completion resulted in a peak improvement in process capability, with a significant reduction in Defects Per Million Opportunities (DPMO) from 13,900 to 10, improving the Sigma level from 3.7 to 5.2. The number of non-conformed cables rejected due to insulation surface flaws was reduced by 57% from the baseline value of 22,256 meters to 9,570 meters within the observed production quarters
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