Supporting lean six Sigma with Taguchi method and an application

Obtaining desired quality level and low costs are two main objectives in managing production systems. Companies practices various management approaches and applications in order to achieve these objectives. Lean manufacturing and six sigma are two prominent concepts among these approaches and practices, that are widely applied as a combined system of lean six sigma. These applications provide quality improvement and cost reductions through continuous improvements and the elimination of waste. On the other hand, one of the main factors restricting the improvement level of a system is the system design. Hence, it is important to design the systems in order to reduce losses and, especially, variations. Herein, robust design and Taguchi approach, which is a tool that can be used to obtain robust designs, outshine. Starting with the idea that simultaneous application of these approaches, which are applied separately or sequentially in practice, can provide more effective improvements, this study aims to suggest a four stages methodology for simultaneous application of these approaches and to support the suggested methodology with and application. Applications carried out in a rim production facility resulted in 1,35, 2,7, and 4,92 sigma quality improvements in quality characteristics involved in the selected improvement projects. It is considered that the suggested methodology can be used effectively in improving production systems.