By combining Lean Six Sigma and a top$-200$ customer focus, $3$M improved

its belt fabrication processes. The improvement team reduced defects in

parts per million by a factor of $28$ times as sales increased by $54\%.$

Seven years ago, leaders in $3$M$$s abrasives business saw that customer

complaints were on the rise and belt failures were the no$.1$ cause. The

organization$$s sales representatives were spending $40\%$ of their time

handling complaints instead of pursuing sales activities. Customers

suffered and the organization lost sales, which limited business growth and

financial objectives. As one vice president declared, it was time for a quality

revolution.

About $3$M and Coated Abrasives

$3$M was founded more than a century ago with a single technology$-$

abrasives, often called sandpaper. Since then, the organization has grown

into a $$25$ billion diversified technology giant, serving customers in six

market$-$focused businesses. The abrasives division is part of the industrial

and transportation business and provides innovative products such as

tapes, adhesives, coatings, and abrasives for industrial and transportation

customers. The organization$$s coated abrasives come in many converted

forms such as portable belts, back stand belts, utility sheets, cartridge rolls,

utility shop rolls and more.

Setting the Stage for a Quality Revolution

As customers of $3$M$$s abrasives products provided feedback$-$frequently

complaints$-$to the sales, customer service, and quality teams, the need for

significant quality improvement was apparent. When the executive vice

president of the industrial and transportation unit declared the need for a

quality revolution, he noted, $$To achieve our growth goals we need a step$-$

change improvement in quality.$$ Strategic goals rolled down to every

division, factory, and product line with annual targets. Soon thereafter, the

abrasives division established the following goals:

$$ Reduce defects in parts per million $($DPPM$)$ by $25\%$ per year.

$$ Trim total complaint resolution time by $15\%$ per year.

Specifically, the business unit initiated an improvement project to reduce

belt DPPM from $12,000$ to $500.$ To spearhead this work, the Abrasives Belt

Fabrication Improvement Team was chartered.

All participants on the team are ASQ members by virtue of $3$M$$s ASQ Site

membership for its Maplewood, MN$,$ facility. Joe Pribyl, the abrasives

Quality Manager, served as a coach for the improvement team.

The project worked to create value by providing more robust products that

would perform better and longer to increase customers$$ productivity. This

coincides with $3$M$$s corporate goal: $$Growth through customer success by

building value for our customers.$$

Team members estimated that, if successful, the belt improvement project

would have a positive impact on several goals, such as:

$$ More robust products.

$$ Reduced defects.

$$ Better processes and product understanding.

$$ Increased process capability.

Using a Two$-$Pronged Approach for Quality Improvement

When a situational analysis confirmed that belt and splice complaints were

the no$.1$ quality complaint for industrial abrasives, the team developed a

two$-$pronged approach to steer improvement:

$$ Act immediately on the needs of $3$M$$s leading customers through a

Top$-200$ program.

$$ Drive long$-$term continuous improvement with Lean Six Sigma.

Identifying Potential Root Causes

To pinpoint the root causes of belt complaints, the improvement team used

process mapping, cause and effect diagrams, Pareto charts and other

quality tools. For the Top$-200$ process, the team used basic graphing, data

analysis and other communication tools to gather information from

customers. Then, they began the Lean Six Sigma approach, attacking

more chronic problems with the structured define, measure, analyze,

improve, and control $($DMAIC$)$ model to identify possible factors causing

variation in $3$M$$s products and processes.

More details about the data and data analysis were key in both the Top$-200$

and Lean Six Sigma improvement processes to help determine root causes

and relationships. First, with the Top$-200,$ complaint and belt testing

information was $$sliced and diced$$ to support analysis and conversations

with key customers about problems they experienced with belt products.

$3$M also established an extensive data collection system to gather data

from raw materials, process information, finished product testing, and

waste.

Both internal and external stakeholders provided valuable input, as sales,

technical service representatives, and end users supplied problem

information and samples. For example, team members met with a Top$-200$

customer to complete a cause and effect matrix focusing on belt life and

reasons why the belts could fail.

Engaging customers in this type of partnering activity proved to be a

powerful business tool for the organization; subsequently other business

units have since replicated this approach.

The final root causes