Implementing the QSS Model in Terry Towel Industry for Reduction in Rejection: A Case Study

The Indian textile industry is facing two major issues, the under-utilization of resources and low labour productivity. ISO certified companies were experiencing a marginal level of impact on productivity improvement. Very few efforts were observed for the implementation of Six Sigma in the textile industry. ISO and Six Sigma have their benefits and they complement each other. Six Sigma’s DMAIC steps can be mapped with ISO clauses. So an integrated model ‘Quality Six Sigma (QSS)’ was developed to gain benefits of both ISO-QMS and Six Sigma. QSS uses the company’s existing ISO-QMS for overall productivity improvement. A case study was carried out to evaluate the effects of QSS implementation on productivity at Vishwa Industries, Solapur; an ISO certified terry towel manufacturer. Results of the case study have shown improvement in process sigma level from 2.4 to 2.9 and increased average profit of INR 1,60,000 equivalent to $2171 per month.