3M: The Quest for Quality
Todd Nelson, 3M Statistician and Quality Engineer, works in a division that manufactures fastening systems such as tape for disposable diapers, mechanical fasteners, and porous films. In new product development, he strives to improve the division's products and processes in the manufacturing and supply channel areas. He teaches and consults internally.
3M has developed and implemented a company-wide quality program called PPU (Process and Product Understanding). The program, which is similar to Six Sigma, has four phases:
- Understanding the customer
- Understanding key quality characteristics
- Establishing capabilities
- Improving continuously
Communicating concepts and information is key to any successful quality program. 3M offers ongoing internal training on quality-related topics and the PPU program. The company's unique, closed-circuit television system, 3MTV, broadcasts pertinent information throughout 3M. Strong leadership skills are cultivated and training is provided to upper management personnel in quality methodology. 3M also offers 90-minute "Minitab Workout Sessions," which are short classes on graphing basics and data manipulation. Nelson has appreciated Minitab's online Help and documentation. "StatGuide is a really nice tool that has been helpful in teaching fundamentals of experiments to our engineers. We also really appreciate having the documentation in pdf (Acrobat) format. We have found that Minitab is software that just about anyone can sit down and use almost immediately," said Nelson.
When asked what factors contributed to the success of PPU, Nelson replied, "I think we have had excellent leadership that has effectively brought all the people on board and has put the necessary systems in place to support the initiative. I also think that good training - the kind that teaches people how and when to use the tools - is essential. In my opinion, project management skills are also critical for a successful outcome."
Engineers, manufacturing technicians, quality assurance, and research and development personnel use Minitab. Minitab is also being used in transactional areas such as human resources and sales.
Nelson asserted, "Minitab has been an instrumental tool for reducing costs and improving efficiency in my division. 3M uses a wide variety of Minitab tools including DOE, SPC, capability analysis, and Gage R&R. Minitab has recently been used by our engineers in a line speed project. We were able to set up a designed experiment (Box-Behnken design) and ultimately were able to improve efficiency by 30%. We also have used Minitab's mixtures functionality to develop and improve our product formulation for elastic materials. We have appreciated Minitab's responsiveness to our company's ever-changing needs."
