Author: Alphadi Team

TPM, short for Total Productive Maintenance, is a concept developed in Japan to prevent equipment failures. It optimizes and standardizes the maintenance concept. TPM is based on the principles of autonomous maintenance, aiming to increase equipment effectiveness, but has now expanded to eight TPM pillars – including continuous improvement, autonomous and planned maintenance, quality preservation, and application in administration – with fundamental components such as PDCA, Kaizen, and 5S serving as the foundation. TPM is a holistic concept and requires the participation and support of all employees for successful implementation.

SMED (Single Minute Exchange of Die) is a Lean Management method focused on reducing setup times for machines.

Internal setup can only be performed when the machine is turned off. Activities that can be performed while the machine is running are considered external activities. When converting internal activities to external activities, ensure that all required materials and tools are prepared during the production of the preceding product.

The Validate Phase is the sixth phase in the DMAIC roadmap and follows the Control Phase. It is conducted to confirm that the project and the Control Phase are functioning successfully and that the project is sustainable. Typically, this involves a formal meeting between the project’s sponsor and controller to validate the financial results of the project. Since not all actions from the implementation plan created in the Improve phase are completed by the end of the Control Phase, the Validate Phase is a good way to assess the success of the Control Phase. It usually takes place about six months after the Control Phase. It is also common to conduct the Validate Phase twice, both six months and twelve months after the Control Phase. If the financial results are favorable, the project can be considered successfully completed, and the Green/Black Belt can fully focus on the next project.

The abbreviation SPC from Six Sigma stands for Statistical Process Control. It is a tool used to monitor and assess processes regarding their performance and effectiveness. SPC ensures that processes operate in a controlled manner, meaning they are stable and deliver the intended performance, while also identifying processes that are out of control so that corrective actions can be taken. Statistical process control uses quality control charts—known as control charts—to visualize the progress of a process and the development of critical input and/or output variables.

Smart Services in Industry 4.0 are services for Smart Products or in addition to Smart Products. In the context of digital transformation through intelligent production or artificial intelligence, services are created in the form of additional offerings. These are generated through the collection and analysis of data to provide added value to suppliers and customers. For example, modern copiers send data directly to the supplier to ensure timely delivery of toner to the customer. While these concepts are not entirely new, they already offer new potentials for companies that are often not fully utilized. Smart Services thus represent an extension of Smart Products to intelligent services. Agility and quick decision-making are crucial.

The smart factory is a vision where production facilities and systems can self-organize without human intervention. They must communicate using a common language. The concept of continuous improvement (KVP) should also be applied in this factory. Cyber-physical systems (CPS) play a crucial role in this. CPS involves the integration of mechanics and IT to control complex components. Information exchange occurs in real-time. A smart product contains its own experiential data during production and can store and communicate this data in real-time. This requires a certain level of intelligence in the components. Rapid reconfiguration and platform-independent standards must be in place.

The SIPOC Diagram is a classic tool used in the Six Sigma Define phase to delineate the process steps where the causes of the problem are suspected.

The Sigma Level is a widely used metric in Six Sigma, also known as Z-Level or Z-Score. It is used to assess process capability and indicates expected defect rates and areas for improvement. The Sigma Level represents the number of standard deviations a process can fit between the process mean and the tolerance limits, assuming all tolerance violations are one-sided. It is derived from calculating the Z-value, which indicates the distance of the process mean of normally distributed process outputs from a given tolerance limit, and by determining the proportions of under- and over-shoots using the Z-value table.

Role Allocation in Lean Six Sigma and the assignment of responsibilities for specific tasks are among the most critical success factors in Lean Six Sigma.

Project Success:

The success of the project is borne by the Sponsor, ensuring that the Green/Black Belt receives full management support.

Personnel Training:

Training for Green and Black Belts should be conducted by experienced trainers. Internal personnel usually have less experience and time.