2007-2008 - Cgglobal.com

In 2007-08, Six Sigma was extended to
suppliers to improve and sustain product
quality from the supplier
Six Sigma at Crompton Greaves
Crompton Greaves has defined Six Sigma as, “A
vigorous, scientific, data driven, breakthrough
methodology focused on product quality
improvement as perceived by customers.” The
objective of the Six Sigma drive is to achieve
major quality improvements and, in doing so,
bring about a cultural change from judgmental
to data-based decisions.
The journey started in June 2002 by creating
a core committee of all Vice Presidents of the
Company, headed by the Managing Director.
Business unit heads were nominated as
Champions, with the role to drive Six Sigma in
their Divisions. 22 best employees of different
Divisions were designated as Black Belts and
were trained for Six Sigma methodology by an
international expert.
The first set of Six Sigma projects have
been directed at elimination of defects
in product, as reported by customers.
Initially, 10 projects were selected involving
transformers, condenser bushings, vacuum
interrupters, motors and fans. In the first year
the improvement was from a base level of 2.3σ
to 4.8σ.
The drive was expanded to all Divisions
by training 25 more employees for the Black
Belt course. By March 2006, the Company
completed 130 Black Belt projects across a wide
range of products from all its Divisions. In 2006-
07, the Six Sigma initiative was restructured to
speed up the drive to achieve the goal of all
products being of Six Sigma quality.
A new three-step review system was
formalised to monitor the status of Six Sigma
projects. This involved fortnightly review of each
project by the Champions; monthly reviews
by the SBU heads; and quarterly reviews by the
core committee and the Managing Director. In
addition, the Managing Director visits one of
the Divisions every month to review progress of
the Six Sigma initiatives.
A web based portal has been developed in
the marketing and support services function to
collect data on product performance. Using this
data, 78 Black Belt projects were selected and
completed in 2006-07.
In 2007-08, Six Sigma was extended to the
suppliers. To improve and sustain product
quality from the suppliers, a Company-wide
activity called Supplier Quality Policy (SQP) was
begun. SQP is a process for supplier selection
and assessment based on technical parameters.
In the first phase, assessments have been
completed for 425 critical suppliers across all
Divisions; and wherever warranted, necessary
corrective actions have been taken.
During the year, the Company also undertook
the following initiatives:
$ KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT FOR SIX
SIGMA (KMSS) This software was implemented
to monitor the entire cycle of a Six Sigma
Project. It stores data, analysis and results of
projects.
$ TRAINING Crompton Greaves has started its
own Six Sigma Training Centre. During 2007-08,
20 candidates have been trained as Black Belts
and 84 as Green Belts.
$ ACHIEVEMENTS 20 Black Belts with their
Divisional teams completed 92 projects in
2007-08. Teams used the Six Sigma method to
obtain Five-Star BEE Rating for 36W Power Lux
fluorescent tube light — the first in India to
achieve this.
Improvements in product quality arising out
of Six Sigma initiatives have been recognized
and appreciated by many key customers —
industrial as well as domestic consumers.
For 2008-09, the team has planned 110 Six
Sigma Black Belt projects, and 650 Green Belt
projects.
VACUUM INTERRUPTERS UNDERGOING VACUUM BRAZING PROCESS AS A PART OF THE SIX SIGMA DRIVE FOR
ENHANCEMENT OF PRODUCT QUALITY
22 ANNUAL REPORT 2007–2008 CROMPTON GREAVES LIMITED