World Academy of Science, Engineering and Technology

International Journal of Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering

Analysis of Six Sigma in the British Aerospace

Abstract—This paper subsidizes to the discussion of Six Sigma M. Mohd Khaled, MSc in Engineering Management, is with the
in the British Aerospace Industry. The main aim of this report is to University of Greenwich, London, United Kingdom (phone: +971-56-
study the literature review of Six Sigma emphasizing on the 3484966; e-mail: [email protected]).
aerospace industry. The implementation of Six Sigma stages are Currently, the aircrafts are kept for longer time than the
studied and how the improvement cycle ‘Define, Measure, earlier times. As there will be requirement of more
Analyze, Improve and Control cycle’ (DMAIC) and the design refurbishment as well as maintenance work should be conducted
process is ‘Define, Measure, Analyze, Design and Verify cycle’ on the aircrafts as they are getting old there is an importance for
(DMADV) is used. The focus is also done by studying how the the aerospace industry manufacturers to design aircrafts as well
implementation of Six Sigma on an aerospace company has brought as provide manuals in such a way that it is easier to overhaul the
a positive effect to the company. components and conduct the repairing that is needed to be done
without causing any damage to the other connected components
Keywords—Six Sigma, DMAIC, DMADV, aerospace. of the aircraft. This has led to a competition in the aerospace
industry in order to satisfy the aerospace airline companies for
better repairs of aircrafts as well as providing safety to the
I.INTRODUCTION passengers on board and this is also one of the keen aspects of
T HE organizations that are available presently in the
world are constantly trying to sustain the expenditure of
business activity conducted by the aerospace industries. The
aerospace airline companies looks for early delivery dates of the
quality as low, reducing the amount of waste and also aircraft as well as they need services of higher standard from the
increase the pace of manufacturing in order to accomplish and aerospace manufacturing companies. The aerospace airlines
also maintain the competition in the market. In the earlier years, prefer the aerospace companies which satisfies their needs.
there was very little competition between the commodities and There is an existence in the delay on the delivery of aircrafts
services as there was minimum pressure for the continuous from aerospace manufacturing companies. This delay increases
work at enhancing the quality. In this case, one can look at the the total overall costs of the aerospace manufacturing
industry of aerospace which is a multi-billion dollar industry. companies. This delay happens for a reason and the aerospace
Reference [1] claims that the air traffic is annually increased manufacturing companies want their customers to be happy
which is approximated to be about seven per cent involving the with the aircrafts ordered which includes by providing them
years 1995 and 2000 whereas involving the years 2000 and with a good quality aircraft in a long-term activity and also
2010 the percentage will almost be 35 per cent as the world providing safety to the passengers. The application as well as
population will increase and also there will be introduction of the importance of the principles of Six Sigma is considered at
many airlines. Reference [2] states the aviation market of the this stage [4].
Asian sector is projected to be the highest growth sector in the Over the years, elevated safety principles are pursued by the
commercial aviation which accounts in almost 28 per cent of the aerospace industry to improve the composite products in order
world population by the year 2010. In order to meet these to develop the processes involved [5]. Furthermore, the
percentages, the Asia Pacific region airlines are going through developments of the method in order to shape up intricate
widespread development of fleet as well as introducing effective products to the great safety standards are leaded by the
renewal programs. aerospace industries. The utilization of the tools that are
The economic life of an aircraft is to be about 25 years and currently being practiced by the modern enterprises of business
for the aircraft to be in an operative condition there should be such as TQM and Six Sigma have currently been tested as well
conduction of customary checks as well as maintenance are as espoused predominantly in the aerospace industry [6]. There
needed to be conducted. In addition to, this refurbishment and are plenty of case studies that have been provided on the
overhauling work engages in the removal of parts as well as implementation of Six Sigma principles in the aerospace
components from the aeroplane such as the turbine blades of the industries. Reference [7] discusses which actually provides an
engine and the landing gear. The refurbishment actions are ultimate difficulty that ascends in ABC Aerospace in the
specified by the manufacturers such as Airbus and Boeing; also, attainment of a very high level stability levels in the process of
the manufacturers specify when the refurbishment should be heat treating.
conducted. Reference [3] provides on every 40000 to 45000
hours of time of flight the Boeing 737 aircraft is required to
conduct the aircrafts maintenance.

International Scholarly and Scientific Research & Innovation 7(12) 2013 3072 ISNI:0000000091950263
 World Academy of Science, Engineering and Technology
International Journal of Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering
Vol:7, No:12, 2013

II.LITERATURE REVIEW ‘Plan, Do, Study and Act cycle’ [16]. Reference [15] discusses
that there is an enhancement cycle for process and design
A.Concept of Quality
process of five-phase that is widely held in the organizations of
Quality is a substantial division of amenities and production Six Sigma. The improvement cycle is ‘Define, Measure,
in keeping the consumers contented. There is an existence of Analyze, Improve and Control cycle’ (DMAIC) and the design
various explanations and challenging views of quality by process is ‘Define, Measure, Analyze, Design and Verify cycle’
O numerous people and the co-operative section in the
pe (DMADV).
n
descriptions of business is that the product or service quality
Sc denotes to the degree of opinion which meets the consumer’s
ie anticipations of the product or service.
nc Reference [8] defines quality is that the agreement to the
e necessities or the qualifications as well as to also be
In recommended that the management of quality is done
de
effectively and need to be quantified. Reference [9] gives an
x,
M explanation that once the essential features are fulfilled by the
ec necessities than the degree of quality has reached. In addition to,
ha [10] suggests quality with numerous personalities having their
ni own individual view.
cal From the above explanations, the quality can be considered in
an
the consideration of features of the product or amenity
d
M capability for the satisfaction of a particular need that avoids
ec any sorts of error. It is also said in the previous lines that there Fig. 1 Differences between DMAIC and DMADV [17]
ha are valid requirements which are defined as conditions so that 2. Roles of Staff
tro there is a confirmation that they meet the needs of the
ni customers, the products are measurable as well as achievable to For the Six Sigma to be an effective action there is a need of
cs a high quality. Reference [11] considers quality as a ‘magic precise important roles that is needed to be applied by the
En
bullet’ which actually provides the cost to be lower, customer organizations staff members. By the help of maintenance,
gi resources and also tough leadership the high-ranking
ne service to be higher, manufacture of enhanced products as well
as attaining higher margins; the ‘quality is in the eyes of the management is eventually accountable for the project to be
eri
ng beholder’ this expression by him meant that to follow what the successful. The development of vision, tactic and also the
V customer needs. By reference [12] quality is explained on the alterations that are needed in an organization is the key role
ol: basis of the employee’s enablement. He also adds that the key played by the chief executive officer (CEO) and the other staff
7,
purpose of a firm is to enable itself to the workforces as well as members of the organization have specific roles. Reference [18]
N provides details on specific roles in an organization which are
o: customers as attractive while the profits are made for the
investors. discussed below.
12
a) Champions: The term ‘champions’ is given to the senior
,
20
B.Six Sigma managers, they are actually the project supporters and they
13 In the mid-1980s, the methodology of Six Sigma was adopted are also accountable for the success efforts of Six Sigma.
wa first by Motorola [13]. As Motorola confronted strong These senior managers encourage and lead the organization
set competition from Japanese electronics industry, this led of Six Sigma projects as they are completely qualified
.or Motorola to create a strong development in the quality levels. A leaders of business.
g/
Six Sigma is focused in the manufacturing process, quality of b) Master Black Belts (MBBs): This term is used for the
Pu
bli the product and also forms a cultural change in the organization trainers as well as consultants as they are the ones
cat by the conduction of certain enhancement [14]. Motorola accountable in the organization for the Six Sigma strategy
io dedicated the program of Six Sigma in all the actions within a to be applied, training to be conducted, mentoring and also
n/ procedure which led them to have huge benefits. obtaining the results.
99 Reference [15] discusses that Six Sigma methodology was c) Black Belts (BBs): This term is used to the ones that have
96 the main effective part in the organization as full time Six
later followed by Samsung, IBM, American Express, Sony,
68
9 Ford, Allied Signal, Honda and General Electric in the year Sigma players. The ‘BBs’ are specialists in Six Sigma as
1995 which led to the enhancement of net revenues and also the they are completely trained and also lead the teams of the
margin of operation. Moreover, the Six Sigma has actually organization for enhancement.
become the supreme noticeable trend in the management of d) Green Belts (GBs): The ‘GBs’ are controlled by ‘BBs’ in
quality. an organization to work on the projects of Six Sigma.
Six Sigma can be implemented and is clearly discussed in the
3.Training Investment
sections below:
Reference [15] discusses that training is the main element in
1. Steps to Improve order to attain victory in Six Sigma. Reference [19] provides
There is presence of many models of enhancement for the with the complete training program of General Electric which
improvement in process; moreover, these steps are based on the they have designed for the roles of the staff. This training

International Scholarly and Scientific Research & Innovation 7(12) 2013 3073 ISNI:0000000091950263
 World Academy of Science, Engineering and Technology
International Journal of Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering
Vol:7, No:12, 2013

program developed by General Electric stretches towards all the as well as shareholders. For the achievement of this aim, Six
staff members of the organization as the program includes skills Sigma was espoused as an organizational philosophy.
of leadership, measurement, enhancement and systematic tools, Reference [23] discusses in his paper, the program of Boeing
planning and implementation skills. The details are shown 777 had a fault as the re-circulating air fans were precluded
below for the training programs that are applied by General during its testing on the assembly line. The data gathered from
O Electric. this program concluded that there is in need of replacement,
pe a) Champions: The staff members involved here has a week therefore this increases the overall cost and also needs further
n training associated to Six Sigma improvement, leadership testing. The professionals from the various departments of the
Sc and also the plan for implementation. company were integrated to a team for investigation and the
ie b) Master Black Belts (MBBs): The staff members here are core cause was found to be foreign object debris. The parts that
nc
accountable for the training of all ‘BBs’ and ‘GBs’. were designed and intended to avert debris became debris
e
In c) Black Belts (BBs): The staff members here spend around themselves such as the caps of the ductwork and the plastic
de four to five weeks in order to obtain highly quantitative and sheeting. The process was altered by the professionals by the
x, intensive training corresponding to the DMAIC or help of Six Sigma and the problem was deciphered.
M DMADV cycles.
ec d) Green Belts (GBs): The staff members here are given III.CASE STUDY OF SIX SIGMA
ha training for about six to ten days focusing on software’s
ni Reference [24] gives detail about a machining company
cal
relating to statistics, new and enhancement tools and also possessed by a small family which grants machining services to
an on the project management skills. the aerospace industry actually wanted to reduce the cost of
d manufacturing by the reduction of cycle time of machining of a
M
particular product. The company exposed themselves to Six
ec
ha Sigma and shifts in theory in the procedures are required to take
tro place. The main Project Engineer decided to make use of
ni DMAIC enhancement procedure in order to reduce the time of
cs cycle.
En Currently the cycle time was surplus in 1200 seconds
gi
having a standard deviation of 31 seconds. It was decided
ne
eri
by the engineer to set a target of 50 per cent to reduce the
ng cycle time without the negative affect that will cause any
V sorts of variation; also, a sigma level of minimum three is
ol: set. There were several risks that were taken in
Fig. 2 The stages of Six Sigma [18]
7, consideration like reduction in overtime, reduced time for
N C.Critical Success Factors of Six Sigma assessment and also a quicker pace for business; a process
o:
Reference [20] discuss in their paper that there is in need of map was also developed. Input, process and output are the
12
, resilient practical support with the resources required that is three metrics that were classified, from the three metrics
20 delivered by the management of the top level. There is also in there were nine key metrics that were acknowledged. The
13 need of approval as well as enactment of the basic disciplines of operational descriptions were clearly noted and a fresh
wa Six Sigma’s by the staff members. Also, there should be a collection of data technique was put in a certain position.
set An analysis of Gauge Reproducibility and Repeatability
.or
relation between the innovative and substructure
accomplishments. Reference [19] says that there should be was conducted on the new system of measurement which
g/
Pu complete obligation as well as support from the management, resulted in less than five per cent in the discrepancy of
bli there should be training given to the staff members so that they study. The data gathered was investigated for stability and
cat perform the Six Sigma procedures without any flaws that is also illustrated no presence of special cause variation.
io familiarizing all the tools and techniques of Six Sigma, the Moreover, the sigma value was clearly calculated for the
n/ procedure and the result was a large negative value. The
communication must be well enough so that Six Sigma can
99 data gathered in the measure phase, the proficiency of the
96 succeed, moreover, the firm must focus on the results that are
68 obtained and also on the customer’s needs. These are the critical team member and also the statistical investigation, four
9 success factors for Six Sigma that should be considered by the considerable ‘x’ factors were authenticated as basis causes
firm. for a longer phase time. Furthermore, the data resulted in a
prospective of over forty per cent improvement.
D.Six Sigma in the Aerospace Industry
Six Sigma is used widely in the aerospace companies for the There were prospective elucidations that were produced by
enhancement of design, business, supply chain procedures and the solution generation practices and also models of Lean.
also manufacturing [21]. Reference [22] says that the aerospace The elucidations were later positioned and presented to the
company Lockheed Martin established a methodology called organization and then later piloted. The methods of
LM-21 which represents Lockheed Martin in the 21 st Century. statistical validation were utilized to demonstrate efficacy
The main aim of this methodology is to deliver the finest system of the particular solutions. In addition to, the control charts
for the attainment of superiority to the customers, staff members represented the stability of the new procedure while

International Scholarly and Scientific Research & Innovation 7(12) 2013 3074 ISNI:0000000091950263
 World Academy of Science, Engineering and Technology
International Journal of Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering
Vol:7, No:12, 2013

descriptive statistics illustrated a sigma value in excess of [7] Cheng, T., 1994. A Quality Improvement Study at an Aerospace
five. Also, a reduction of twenty per cent was resulted in Company. International Journal of Quality & Reliability Management,
11(2), pp. 63-72.
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were updated and a new document was developed along Certain. 1st ed. New York: McGraw-Hill Companies.
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implementation, training plans were developed as well as Techniques. 4th ed. s.l.:Quality Management & Training Publications
O Ltd.
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Sc human factors. The control plans were put in place in order [11] Peters, V. J., 1999. Total Service Quality Management. Managing
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nc [12] Kondo, Y., 1997. Quality as a Source of Empowerment. The Quality
outlined and the outcomes were calculated. Magazine, 9(5), pp. 357-363.
e
In [13] Wiklund, P. S. & Wiklund, H., 2002. Widening the Six Sigma
de TABLEI Concept: An Approach to Improve Organizational Learning. Total
ORIGINAL TIME AGAINST IMPROVEMENT TIME [24] Quality Managemetn, 13(2), pp. 233-239.
x,
[14] Meadows, B. & Cupello, J. M., 2001. Managing Six Sigma. 1st ed.
M Description Original New
New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
ec Average Cycle Time (seconds) 1245 670 [15] Neuman, R. P., Cavanach, R. R. & Pande, P. S., 2000. The Six Sigma
ha Way. 1st ed. New York: McGraw-Hill.
Standard Deviation (seconds) 31 5.5
ni [16] Deming, W. E., 2000. The New Economics, for Industry, Government,
cal Percentage Improvement (%) N/A 46 Education. 2nd ed. Cambridge: MIT Press.
an [17] Cyger, M., 2013. DMAIC versus DMADV. [Online] Available at:
d http://www.isixsigma.com/new-to-six-sigma/design-for-six-
As can be seen from Table I, there has been an enhancement sigmadfss/dmaic-versus-dmadv/ [Accessed 20 April 2013].
M
ec in the process after the implication of Six Sigma with the help [18] Evans, J. R. & Henderson, K. M., 2000. Successful implementation of
ha of DMAIC tool. There has been an improvement of 46 per cent Six Sigma: Benchmarking General Electric company. Benchmarking:
tro on the overall procedure which have actually benefitted the An International Journal, 7(4), pp. 260-281.
[19] Sorqvist, L. & Sandholm, L., 2002. 12 requirements for Six Sigma
ni company in various ways as the cycle time was reduced and the
Success. Six Sigma Forum Magazine, 2(1), pp. 17-22.
cs overall cost has reduced further. [20] Chua, R. C. H. & Yun, J. Y., 2002. Samsung uses Six Sigma to change
En
its image. Six Sigma Forum Magazine, 2(1), pp. 13-16.
gi [21] George, M. L., 2003. Lean Six Sigma for Service: How to Use Lean
ne IV.CONCLUSION
Speed and Six Sigma Quality to Improve Services and Transactions.
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ng in the aerospace industry. The tools of each of the Six Sigma [22] Schechter, B. & Joyce, M., 2004. The Lean Enterprise - A
V Management Philosophy at Lockheed Martin. Defense Acquisition
were clearly provided thus giving a broad idea to the reader.
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7, Moreover, it can be seen that in order to manage the quality [23] Roff, R., 2005. Fans of Six Sigma: Problem-Solving Approach helps
N management there is in need of Six Sigma which enhances the team Pinpoint Solution. Boeing Frontiers, 3(10).
o: process and solves problem of the industry. Furthermore, the [24] Wright, R., 2013. SAI Global Limited. [Online] Available at:
12 http://www.saiglobal.com/Training/assurance/six-
implementation and expansion Six Sigma techniques are being
, sigma/machining.htm [Accessed 15 August 2013].
conducted widely in the aerospace industry from the last couple
20
of years. As it allows the industries to know the shortcomings
13
wa and also work on the shortcomings for a better development. As
set seen from the case study provided, the firm has benefitted by
.or the implementation of Six Sigma by the reduction on
g/ unnecessary costs and time. Also, the process of how the
Pu aerospace industry implemented the Six Sigma was also clearly
bli outlined.
cat
io
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International Scholarly and Scientific Research & Innovation 7(12) 2013 3075 ISNI:0000000091950263