“The world is burning” – Not literally, but it’s quite the talk today. With productions taking such a big surge in such a short time, it’s bound to make an impact on the environment. And here, comes the subject of our blog – Six Sigma. I see questions like “Is Six Sigma Still Relevant?” cropping up often, so I’d like to talk about its impact on a growing concern, i.e., Sustainability.
Lean Six Sigma is meant to boost process efficiency and reduce defects. And, as we saw that production is on an endless rise, which is partly due to growing expectations from consumers and demands from investors and regulators as well.
Due to this, organizations are caught in a twist to remain profitable while ensuring environmental goals are met.
So, I say that right now Lean Six Sigma is proving to be an increasingly valuable framework for meeting sustainability goals by cutting waste, maximizing the use of resources, and thereby lowering environmental impact.
Let me break this down for you further.
How Is Lean Six Sigma Tied With Sustainability?
First, let me get the basics straight. Lean Six Sigma is a combination of 2 very powerful approaches – Lean and Six Sigma.
- Point 1: Lean focuses on reducing waste and creating value.
- Point 2: Six Sigma focuses on reducing process variations and defects through data analysis.
You can read more about these approaches, and how they combine to form Lean Six Sigma which we know of in our blog: Lean vs Six Sigma.
Now, about the connection between Lean Six Sigma and Sustainability – Both of these have common goals of reducing waste while driving efficiency.
However, sustainability is about much more than just cutting physical waste today. It also involves conserving energy, optimizing resources, and reducing emissions. It amounts to curbing the overall environmental footprint for a better future as well as present.
And, how is Lean Six Sigma relevant here? Well, Lean Six Sigma helps businesses achieve this sustainability balance by refining processes that use fewer resources and create less waste for a reduced environmental footprint.
How Lean Six Sigma Tackles 7 Types of Waste
Lean Six Sigma’s core objective of eliminating waste aligns perfectly with sustainability goals. In fact, the Six Sigma methodology identifies seven types of waste – many of which are directly connected to environmental concerns.
Here are the 7 Types of Waste and how Lean Six Sigma addresses them:
- Overproduction: Producing more than needed wastes energy and materials. LSS uses forecasting tools and demand-driven systems like Kanban to match production to actual needs, saving resources.
- Waiting: Delays in processes often lead to wasted energy. With Lean Six Sigma, automation, and predictive maintenance help keep things running smoothly, saving energy in the process.
- Transportation: Moving materials unnecessarily wastes fuel and increases emissions. Here, LSS utilizes algorithms and optimization techniques to streamline logistics, cutting down on transport distances and emissions.
- Excess Inventory: Holding too much inventory can lead to wasted products, especially if they expire. So, Lean Six Sigma promotes just-in-time systems backed by data tracking to minimize excess and reduce waste.
- Motion: Extra movement, whether of people or machines, burns unnecessary energy. Hence, LSS pinpoints and eliminates this inefficiency through process mapping and robotics.
- Defects: Faulty products waste not only materials but also energy and time. By using techniques like statistical process control and machine learning, LSS cuts down on defects and reduces the associated waste.
- Over-Processing: Extra steps in production eat up resources. For this, Lean Six Sigma frameworks help streamline workflows by ensuring that only necessary actions are taken to get the job done.
Lean Six Sigma’s Role in A Circular Economy
We’re moving towards a Circular Economy sooner than later. A circular economy aims for sustainable production, reasoned consumption, and efficient waste management. The goal is to be more sustainable and meet today’s as well as tomorrow’s needs – by recycling and regenerating resources.
So, how is Six Sigma relevant to this? Here, let me show you how incorporating Lean Six Sigma in production fits neatly into the concept of Circular Economy:
- Sustainable Production: Lean Six Sigma assists with Life Cycle Assessments (LCA). This helps organizations track and minimize the environmental impacts of their products from creation to disposal.
- Reasoned Consumption: LSS supports the refurbishment and remanufacturing of products. How so? Businesses can use analytics to predict component wearout early on. This can help them repair products before they break, thereby extending the product’s lifespan and cutting down the need for new resources.
- Efficient Waste Management: Tools like Design for Six Sigma (DFSS) enable businesses to create products that can be easily disassembled and repurposed. This helps reduce waste considerably while encouraging further usage.
Lean Six Sigma checks all the boxes of a circular economy by promoting recycling, refurbishment, and reducing overall waste production. Thus, by helping companies design products and processes that are simply better for the world, Lean Six Sigma becomes as relevant as ever!
Is Six Sigma Still Relevant?: Hear From The Success Stories
Today, many top companies have made great strides in their sustainability efforts by using Lean Six Sigma methods. Here I’ve listed some of them for you.
- 3M: 3M was able to cut VOC emissions and reduce energy consumption across many of its facilities. It did so by overhauling its adhesive production process with Lean Six Sigma using machine learning models.
- DuPont: DuPont harnessed Lean Six Sigma to optimize energy use in its plants, using real-time monitoring to identify inefficiencies. The results? A 20% reduction in energy usage! They also cut water waste further by implementing closed-loop water recycling systems.
- General Electric (GE): General Electric reduced both raw material use and energy consumption in their jet engine manufacturing process. How did they do that? They used predictive maintenance and digital twins in their LSS initiatives to improve their process control.
From Lean Six Sigma Companies In India: Why is Six Sigma Still Relevant
Indian businesses have also embraced Lean Six Sigma to reach their sustainability goals:
- Tata Motors: Tata Motors applied Lean Six Sigma Practices to slash their VOC (Volatile Organic Compound) emissions from their paint shops. For this, they employed AI to optimize production. Not just that, they also lowered their water and energy usage by making use of predictive analytics and IoT-enabled systems for LSS implementation!
- Mahindra & Mahindra: Mahindra company applied Lean Six Sigma to its automotive and farm equipment manufacturing plants. Integrating renewable energy sources like solar power and deploying advanced robotics helped them cut down energy consumption in these facilities.
- Asian Paints: Lean Six Sigma helped Asian Paints reduce their fuel consumption and emissions by streamlining their supply chain. Moreover, Six Sigma methods employed through real-time monitoring systems and predictive analytics optimized their water usage and waste production.
Conclusion: Is Six Sigma Still Relevant?
As we saw through the success stories above, companies employing Lean Six Sigma have been using advanced technologies like IoT, machine learning, and digital twins. These new tech advancements have taken process improvement to whole new heights! As companies work toward a more sustainable and resilient future, I think that Lean Six Sigma will continue to be a guiding force with its numerous methods and tools.
As professionals, it is important to note that as the focus on sustainability and environmental responsibility increases, even more companies will be adopting Lean Six Sigma. LSS provides a clear path and a structured framework to reduce waste, optimize energy, and refine processes to lower environmental impact while improving operational efficiency. The precision required for this implementation will not be possible without competent Six Sigma professionals guiding the initiatives every step of the way.
So, if you ask “Is Six Sigma still relevant today” and if it’s worth pursuing, I’ll definitely say – Yes, absolutely!
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