About Us....

What is six sigma?

Sigma is a statistical concept that represents the amount of variation present in a process relative to customer requirements or specifications.  When a process operates at the six sigma level, the variation is so small that the resulting products and services are 99.9997% defect-free.  In addition to being a statistical measure of variation, the term six sigma also refers to a business philosophy of focusing on continuous improvement by understanding customers needs, analyzing business processes, and instituting proper measurement methods. 

The six sigma philosophy uses data and statistical tools to systematically improve processes and sustain process improvements.  Process metrics are evaluated based on a comparison of average and variation to performance specification or targets. 

The methodology is a project-focused approach consisting of five phases: Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, and Control.  Projects are Defined from business, operations, and customer needs, based on their linkage to executive strategies.  In the Measure phase, tools are applied to validate the measurement system and to characterize the process.  In the Analyze and Improve phases, sources of variation are identified, a statistical relationship between the process input and output variables is established, and the process performance is optimized.  The Control phase applies traditional and statistical tools to sustain process improvements. 

Six sigma at SC2 and NuAir:

We are in the initial deployment of our six sigma program and have chartered three projects to date using six sigma processes. 

Our Purchase Order project is focused on the opportunity for marked improvement in customer satisfaction, efficiency, effectiveness, resource utilization, supplier management, and cost.  The project will identify “best case” purchasing processes for us and will create an implementation plan to achieve the most gain in aligning “best case” with realistic future procedures.

The Time and Attendance project is focused on reducing the time, steps, and materials involved in hourly time reporting while improving record accuracy. 

Our Printing and Duplication project is focused on reducing the total cost of printing and duplication.  In addition, we will improve in two other areas: machine down time and print quality. 

Please continue to check back for updates to our current and upcoming projects as well as news on our six sigma program.