Abstract—In this paper discusses the quality and productivity improvement in a manufacturing enterprise through a case study. The paper deals with an application of Six Sigma DMAIC (Define-MeasureAnalyze-Improve-Control) methodology in an industry which provides a framework to identify, quantify and eliminate sources of variation in an operational process in question, to optimize the operation variables, improve and quality performance, viz., process yield with well executed control plans. Six Sigma improves the process performance (process yield) of the critical operational process, leading to better utilization of resources, decreases variations and maintains consistent quality of the process output. In this Paper identifies the root causes of failure for a welding process at a manufacturing plant and proposes to use Operational Six Sigma technique to eliminate the problem. In contrast to other method which measure and identify the nonconformance through destructive testing, a technique is proposed to use a mathematical model, which is later charted using SPC technique. The control chart for the mathematical model identifies the failure of the process in real time and will reduce/eliminate the testing process.

Index Terms—Quality Management, Six Sigma, DMAIC Process, Statistical Process Control

Cite: Shashank Soni, Ravindra Mohan, Lokesh Bajpai, and S K Katare, "Reduction of Welding Defects Using Six Sigma Techniques," International Journal of Mechanical Engineering and Robotics Research, Vol.2 No.3, pp. 404-412, July 2013.