The construction and application of Six Sigma quality indices

Abstract

Process quality is the primary factor in facilitating product sales. In accordance with the concept of Six Sigma, numerous studies have employed process capability indices for the determination of process quality levels. Unfortunately, existing indices present only a range of quality levels rather than a specific quality level value. This paper aims to propose Six Sigma quality indices for the assessment of quality levels associated with unilateral as well as bilateral specifications. To ensure the reliability in process assessment, we employ the lower confidence limit of the indices to serve as a standard and develop a process quality analysis chart for the simultaneous evaluation of larger-the-better, smaller-the-better and nominal-the-best quality characteristics with the aim of identifying the causes of sub-standard quality. The resulting chart also provides a valuable reference by which to guide efforts aimed at improvement. Finally, we present three cases and numerical experiments to demonstrate the practical applicability of the proposed method.