Applying Six Sigma Approach to Improve Performance in Concrete Mixtures in the Northern Governorates of the West Bank رسالة ماجستير

Abstract

Concrete is considered the second most used material worldwide after water. Regarding the industrialized countries, the production of concrete annually amounts to 1.5-3 tons per capita and is still increasing. Yet it is considered one of the main components of building materials which are used for housing and infrastructure. The Six-Sigma DMAIC can be considered a guide for problem solving and product or process improvement. Most factories start to implement Six Sigma using the DMAIC methodology. This research deals with application of Six Sigma using the DMAIC methodology in the construction sector to figure out the defects in the concrete mixtures, which directly affect the manufacturer with all the implications of costs, time and unsatisfied customer. The researcher has used a mixed-method approach. Data was collected using quantitative and qualitative methods. For data obtained through the quantitative method, the hypotheses of this study were tested and analyzed, using the Pearson Correlation Coefficient test; Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 21.0. Results showed that there was a significant correlation between performance of concrete mixture factories in the Northern Governorates and applying six sigma using DMAIC methodology, in contrast, the qualitative data of the study was obtained through unstructured interviews. Findings from this study showed that the concrete mixture factories in the Northern Governorates had a high level of DMAIC methodology especially the factories that hold an ISO certificate. VI The consistency of most findings with past studies and related theories or quality models showed that DMAIC methodology plays an effective role in influencing the company's performance. Finally, the researcher recommends any factories or organization to develop their operations through six sigma approach. This aims at adopting six sigma approach and its effect on optimizing the performance of factories and organizations.