Use of Six Sigma for Quality Assurance in the Arms Industry

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to present military applications of the quality assurance method called Six Sigma. This method is applied worldwide to shape the quality. It is used by the biggest global enterprises including those producing goods for military purposes. One of the greatest users of this method is the Army of the United States of America as well as the armies of other countries. Six Sigma is the element of the strategies used in the enterprise management, in which the quality is perceived as a crucial component of improvement of competitive advantage in the market as well as the solution enabling the confrontation with the emerging threats. The functioning of an army is connected not only with the activities related to military operations, but also with other activities consisting in the purchase of military equipment and other goods, repairs of the equipment, health protection, data collection, transportation and storage. All the above mentioned areas are the potential places, where Six Sigma may be applied and where the solutions based on the experience gained from the beginning of the establishment of the method, may also be applied.