Acme Electric Corporation is the leading electrical and electronic power conversion technology, famous for its advanced products for the most challenging of applications. Undoubtedly, Acme has accomplished a lot in the 80 years of its existence. The company thought that it has done all its best, until it embarked on the Six Sigma journey.
In a press release, it says there that “even this cutting-edge company was surprised at what Six Sigma could do for them in just one year.” The company achieves $1 million in savings and is expecting to save more in the coming years.
Rodger Fullbright, operations manager, credits Six Sigma for this new exciting phase in the company. He felt that in the face of intense competition, Six Sigma was the next logical step for the company. Through the demand of its customer base, Acme’s management team attended a Six Sigma overview offered by the Industrial Extension Service (IES) of North Carolina State University.
Since then the company never looked back. Employees were trained for Green and Black Belts. In 2003, the following projects were launched and completed in 2004:
All in all, the savings from these projects will total $200,000 the first year. On top of these tangible benefits are those things that improve the entire system of Acme.
Customer complaints for recurring defects are down and final test first-pass-yield has improved, resulting in less rework and scrap. People now use the objective, data-driven tools of Six Sigma to reach an objective fact-based opinion instead of a personal opinion. Assumptions and best-guesses are eliminated.
Acme Electric in Lumberton Uses Six Sigma
