Six Sigma experts from all over Germany met in Bad Kissingen at the beginning of March for the annual conference of the European Six Sigma Club (ESSC-D). Over 100 specialists from well-known companies as well as experts from research and science attended the two-day event. “I was thrilled by so much Six Sigma expertise and exciting discussions, and I will certainly be attending the next conference,” said Manfred Heimbürger, Lead Auditor and Master Black Belt, LRQA. “The presentations and workshops show how much potential there is in Six Sigma and how well it can be integrated into business systems,” said Herbert Theato, Chairman of the ESSC-D. The presentations and workshops focused on the future development of Six Sigma in general and Six Sigma in the context of various business systems, such as ISO9001, Business Process Management (BPM) and the European Foundation of Quality Management (EFQM). The pharmaceutical manufacturer Merck in Darmstadt, for example, is bringing Six Sigma tools to the base of the value chain by implementing improvements in small teams within production. Knorr-Bremse, the world’s leading manufacturer of braking systems, automates Six Sigma analysis processes and is thus successful in improvement projects. Other topics included the importance of leadership and its influence on change processes.
The winners of the German Six Sigma Award 2013 were honored at a festive evening event. The prizes went to Gaurav Dawande (gold), Kristin Busching (silver) and Ramona Kraus (bronze). This prize is awarded to scientific work that deals with the further development of the Six Sigma methodology.
