Page 167 - DMGT524_TOTAL_QUALITY_MANAGEMENT

Total Quality Management

Notes

Case Study Mission: Quality

ipro Corp. is one organization that decided to change its tolerance level.
A diversified conglomerate headquartered in Bangalore, India, the company
Wreports that using the Six Sigma methodology during the past 15 months
eliminated unnecessary steps and decreased rework, leading to an eightfold gain over the
investments made.

It wasn’t a difficult decision for the organization, notes Subroto Bagchi, corporate vice
president of mission quality. “Our international software services’ customers depend on
us for mission-critical applications, which we run on their behalf from halfway across the
globe via satellite links,” he says. “In the Indian market, we make soaps, computers,
hydraulic cylinders and computerized tomography scanners. Which customer is willing
to live with a defect? There’s no question of delivering anything less than perfect.”

Wipro executives had heard about Six Sigma via the company’s partnerships with General
Electric Co.; so Bagchi attended a quality briefing at Motorola University in Chicago.
Afterward, in November 1996, an MU team visited India to conduct a business systems
analysis.
Results were shared with top management from Wipro’s five divisions, and they developed
an 18-month plan. The chairman and senior management participated in a six-day training
retreat. Then 12 facilitators, chosen from among successful line managers, were trained.
Together with MU personnel, these facilitators trained nearly 800 people between May
and November 1997. This year, about 1,000 more employees will be trained.
“The entire scenario is like the fractal geometry exhibited in the petals of a flower,”
observes Bagchi. “Certified trainers train people who, in turn, train others, bringing a
whole new change in the way we think and work.”
Wipro’s corporate goal is to reach Six Sigma in every process concerning customer
satisfaction by the year 2002.

Lofty, but not Impossible
Six Sigma is a stretch goal intended to spur continuous improvement. Success doesn’t
come by radically restructuring a company or pumping new money into it; Six Sigma is
attainable through time and strong dedication.
New Thought and Manufacturing Processes

Thinking outside the box also is important. “Before Six Sigma, we were interested in
continuous improvement, but we tended to accept quality levels that merely mirrored
our competitors’,” notes Craig Erwin, quality engineering manager at Motorola
Semiconductor Products Sector in Phoenix, Arizona. “We were somewhat internally focused
and accepted the argument that things couldn’t be made better.” understood that our
management team was serious about it, we accepted the challenge.”
It’s part of the SPS culture now. All new employees receive Six Sigma training during their
orientation. For those who went through training years ago, the company also offers
them an opportunity to recharge their commitment through a combination of classes and
a renewed emphasis by senior management. Various customer satisfaction activities reward
ideas and implementation.
Contd...

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