tipical case of DFSS

ONE COMPANY’ EXPERENECE:
______ HOW General Electric Used Six Sigma To Design a Multimillion-Dollar Product

Perhaps no corporation has integrated six sigma in its operations as widely and thoroughly as General Electric GE uses Six Sigma to identify and carry out projects that “focus on improving our customers’ productivity and reducing their capital outlays, while increasing the quality, speed and efficiency of our operations,” according to GE’s 1997 Annual report. In its first twenty-four months, six sigma produced dramatic results in productivity in many of GE’s divisions, as discussed earlier. In this chapter, we will follow the Breakthrough Strategy in solving a different problem at GE’ Medical Systems division(GEMS), To better illustrate how the Breakthrough Strategy is applied to a specific problem in improving a key product.
One of Medical System’ key products is a high-speed computed tomography scanner (or computed axial tomography scanner),commonly known as a CAT scanner. An expensive piece of equipment, costing appropriately 1.2 million dollars, it is able to generate X-ray images from computerized cross-section views of soft tissue like the brain, lungs, and liver. It works by emitting electromagnetic waves through a patient’s body and reading the amount of energy different tissues absorb. Since various tissues and organs absorb the electromagnetic waves differently, the waves that emerge from the body after passing through a target area can offer a reliable image of soft-tissue structures. In an age when the cost of medical technology is a major factor in health care economics, a CAT scanner is a necessary but costly investment for hospitals and other medical technology institutions. In order for an institution to amortize the large investment represented by a CAT scanner, the machine must have a very high use rate, and minimal maintenance and operating casts. The hospital suffers significant lost income during any downtime due to a malfunction.