Reducing the quantity of reworked parts in a robotic arc welding process

Today, the competitive environment of the knowledge age has been replaced with the competitive environment of the industrial age as the rules of the business world are changing completely. The focused issue is to reach to the knowledge as soon as possible, and to process and apply it rapidly. In this context, one of the important goals that the companies try to reach in order to achieve acceleration is the six sigma philosophy. Six sigma is a fundamental continuous improvement methodology aimed at reducing the variation and waste on processes by utilizing statistical methods and techniques efficiently. Global companies are making noteworthy profits by using this method in their processes. The six sigma methodology focuses on process excellence advantages for companies that apply it, to reach profit, to increase productivity and to have larger market share. In this paper, an application of six sigma methodology for reducing the quantity of rework parts for robotic arc welding process is given. The phases of six sigma and their results are indicated in detail. Furthermore, it is also shown how various techniques of six sigma methodology are applied to achieve financial benefits. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.