Through the integration of new tools and cross-over with other process improvement techniques, Six Sigma has opened up completely new areas of application. The method originally comes from the manufacturing industry, but is now also increasingly being used by companies in the insurance and service sectors. For example, at Vodafone, a subsidiary of Telefonica. Makigami is a new tool for value stream mapping in administrative areas. Using standardized flow charts, weak points in processes can be identified and eliminated in a structured manner. Another application is Design for Six Sigma (DFSS), which was previously used to optimize existing production processes. However, DFSS tools such as Quality Function Deployment now also help to methodically translate customer requirements into process parameters. They thus support companies in meeting customer expectations in a more targeted manner and with shorter development times. But this is just the beginning. “We are driving forward the further development of Six Sigma tools and have set up various working groups in the ESSC-D for this purpose. We also promote scientific work on this topic,” says Dieter Szemkus, Chairman of the ESSC-D. The association has taken up the cause of systematically deepening the Six Sigma method in a network of experts that also includes universities. The fact that applications in the service sector have recently been on the rise is demonstrated not least by the applications for the German Six Sigma Award 2014.
Press release as PDF:
Press release 2015-06-09 Six Sigma makes inroads into the service sector
