Lean six sigma performance improvement tool for automotive suppliers

Abstract

Automotive industry is one of the most active industries involved in the quality effort, low production cost, and continuous improvement activities. Today, lean six sigma (LSS) is integrated with strategic control system that has assisted organizations to achieve better organizational performance through high-level continuous improvement activity and better saving in terms of operation and quality cost. Analytic hierarchy process methodology was used in developing a tool of lean six sigma performance improvement to measure the performance of automotive companies. This tool was developed using a system based on Excel. Five case studies were prepared to validate this tool. The result of these case studies suggested that this tool was timely and suitable to determine organizational performance of automotive companies. Through these case studies, this tool was able to identify the strength and weaknesses that directed to where and how improvement should be done.

Keywords:

• lean six sigma
• strategic control systems
• organizational performance
• automotive technology
• analytical hierarchy process

Acknowledgments

The researches would like to acknowledge the Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE) for the financial funding of this research thought Fundamental Research Grant Scheme (FRGS), and Research Management Centre (RMC), UPSI for Research University Grant (RUG).