Speakers at parallel sessions evaluate various aspects of Six Sigma


Dubai, October 02, 2003: The Six Sigma quality management system will be the focus of several papers being presented at the parallel sessions at next week’s World Congress for Total Quality Management in Dubai. The Department of Economic Development (DED) is organising the Congress at the Jumeirah Beach Hotel from October 6-8, 2003.
 
Six Sigma, developed at Motorola in the 1980s, is increasingly being used by leading organisations such as Allied Signal, General Electric (GE), Johnson & Johnson, Bank of America and others to achieve accuracy and speed, reduce cost and time and increase customer satisfaction and profits.
 
Six Sigma takes its name from the Greek letter “sigma,” which is used in statistics to indicate standard deviation. Six Sigma’s target is to achieve less than 3.4 defects or errors per million opportunities and hence the name.
 
Some of the prominent speakers on the subject at the Congress include Dr. David Bigio from the USA, Dr. Rodney McAdam from the UK, Dr. R S Chalapathi from India, Mr. Sunil Thawani from the UAE and Dr. Osama Hasan Arif from Saudi Arabia.
 
“The emphasis on Six Sigma by so many international speakers reflects the increasing interest in the system across the world,” said Mr. Essa Kazim, Co-ordinator General of the Dubai Quality Award and Director General of the Dubai Financial Market. “As a measure of quality that strives for near perfection, the Six Sigma process is closely aligned to the quality and excellence objectives of the DED. It is also of particular significance to the growing manufacturing industry in the Emirate,” he added.
 
Six Sigma uses data and rigorous statistical analysis to identify “defects” in a process or product, reduce variability and achieve as close to zero defects as possible. The speakers at the Parallel Sessions of the Congress will illustrate several aspects of the system.
 
Using Six Sigma's structured define-measure-analyse-improve-control (DMAIC) improvement approach Dr. David Bigio will examine strategies and tactics employed with respect to Information Technology Internet Library (ITIL) Service Delivery. The particular emphasis of his paper will be on “define, measure and analyse” (DMA) with suggestions for improvement.
 
In his paper entitled “Six-Sigma in a high technology mass-manufacturing environment” Dr. Rodney McAdam from the University of Ulster, UK will examine the principles and practices used in the implementation and operation of Six-Sigma. Using a case organisation he will also critically evaluate the application of Six-Sigma at various levels.
 
Dr. R.S. Chalapathi from the Institute of Sigma Learning, India will attempt to provide a practical method of defining a six-sigma organization, and propose a  “Six Sigma competency maturity model”. Delegates at the World Congress will also receive a copy of his book, Developing Six Sigma Competencies.
 
In addition, copies of the ISO Management Systems magazine with an international review of ISO 9000 and ISO 14,000 and UK Excellence the membership magazine of the British Quality Foundation will also be distributed to the delegates.
 
While each of the international speakers will focus on various aspects of the Six Sigma system, the UAE speaker Sunil Thawani from the Union National Bank will define the Six Sigma methodology that organisations are using as one of their strategies for growth.
 
Commenting on the Six Sigma methodology, he said: “It has been estimated that less than Six Sigma quality, i.e., the two-to-three Sigma levels, that are average for most companies, can cost a company as much as 10-20 per cent of its revenues. Research data shows Six Sigma initiatives have saved the companies from 1.2 per cent to 4.5 per cent of revenue. For a $30 million-a-year company, it can translate into between $360,000 and $1,350,000 in bottom-line-impacting savings per year, which is significant and should catch the eye of any CEO or CFO.”
 
Dr. Osama H. Arif from King AbdulAziz University, Saudi Arabia will explain the quantile approach for Six Sigma. His paper will show how measurement of the performance of the process using the common technique can be misleading because some of the processes do not follow normal distribution patterns.
 
-Ends-
 
Note to Editors:
About Department of Economic Development (DED):
The Department of Economic Development (DED) was established in March 1992, with the objective to organise, regulate and boost trade and industry within the Emirate of Dubai. The DED has moulded its mission of building a futuristic establishment, in accordance with the vision of the Government of Dubai and in the light of globalisation and the requirements of a digital economy. One of its key functions is to encourage local and foreign investments in commercial and industrial projects, and create the appropriate environment for investors.
 
The DED’s other functions comprise a wide range of regulatory activities including the preparation and maintenance of a commercial register and the supervision of all organisations. The DED is responsible for regulating the affairs of commercial agents and brokers and commercial advertising offices, in addition to overseeing and controlling the insurance industry in the Emirate. Examining the participation of the government in the private sector and representing the government in companies where it has a stake, also comes under the purview of the DED.
 
For further information, please contact:
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ASDA’A Public Relations                   
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Dubai,
UAE
Tel: +971-4-3344550,
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© Press Release 2003