Research on the application of Six-Sigma's method to Supply Chain Management

Supply Chain Management is a management of goods, capital and the information flowing in the network composed of providers manufacturers, distributors and customers. The supply chain starts and ends with the customer. Six-Sigma simply means a measure of quality that strives for near perfection. Six-Sigma is a disciplined, data-driven approach and methodology for eliminating defects (driving towards six standard deviations between the mean and the nearest specification limit) in any process — from manufacturing to transactional and from product to service. Under the background of the economical globalization, to ensure that the supply chain is operating as efficient as possible and generating the highest level of customer satisfaction at the lowest cost, companies have adopted Supply Chain Management processes and associated technology. In addition, a brand-new management pattern implements in the American Motorola and the GF which has got the quick and effective results. This management has gradually aroused various enterprises' high interest in the Europe and America, and this management is Six-Sigma pattern. Six-Sigma is a strict strong and effective management method which can improve enterprise flow quality and implement principles. Six-Sigma has contained the multitudinous front cutting edge achievement of management. Six-Sigma comes to achieve the remarkable promotion of financial result and the significant breakthrough of enterprise competitive power by reducing, to large extent, the quality cost in terms of the perfect commercial pursue. This article shows the Six-Sigma quality process's operation pattern, and the differences between Six-Sigma quality process and the traditional management method. This article will reveal the application prospect of Six-Sigma management in supply chain by using abundant cases and detail data.