FOREWORD
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Six Sigma is a company-wide
management strategy for the improvement of process
performance with the objective of improving quality
and productivity to satisfy customer demands and
reduce costs. It is regarded as a new paradigm
of management innovation for company survival
in the 21st century. The initiative was first
launched by Motorola in 1987, and with companies
such as GE, TI, ABB, Sony, Samsung, and LG introducing
their own Six Sigma programs in the mid 1990s,
a rapid dissemination of Six Sigma took place
all over the world.
This book has three main thrusts. The first
gives an overview of Six Sigma, its framework,
and the applications. The second introduces the
Six Sigma tools, other management initiatives,
and some practical issues related to Six Sigma.
The third focuses on the implementation of Six
Sigma, with real case studies of improvement projects.
Although this book was prepared to give corporate
managers and engineers in Asia a clear understanding
of Six Sigma concepts, methodologies, and tools
for quality and productivity promotion, it will
also be useful to researchers, quality and productivity
specialists, public sector employees, and other
professionals with an interest in quality management.
THE AUTHOR
Professor Sung H. Park, a prominent scholar
in Asia, has been actively involved in the promotion
and enhancement of quality and productivity in
Korea since 1977. He has published more than 30
books on statistics and quality control including
two books in English; one titled "Robust
Design and Analysis for Quality Engineering"
(Chapman & Hall), and the other called "Statistical
Process Monitoring and Optimization" (Marcel
Dekker). Dr. Park graduated from Seoul National
University, Korea, in 1968 with a Bachelor of
Science in Chemical Engineering. In 1970 he went
to the USA to study Operations Research for his
Master of Science Degree, and Statistics for his
Ph.D. degree at North Carolina State University
(NCSU). After graduating from NCSU in 1975, he
went to Mississippi State University to teach
statistics in the Business School as an assistant
professor, and then returned to his country, Korea,
in 1977. Since 1977 he has served as an associate
professor and then as a professor of statistics
at Seoul National University. He was the president
of the Korean Society for Quality Management as
well as the president of the Korean Statistical
Society. In 2000, he received the prestigious
gold medal from the President of the Korean Government
for his contribution to quality management in
Korea. Recently, he has served as the Dean of
the College of Natural Sciences, Seoul National
University.
He is a Six Sigma pioneer in Korea. He has written
two books on Six Sigma, and his books are now
best-sellers for Six Sigma lovers. He is now the
president of the Six Sigma Research Group in Korea.
He has also served as the chairman of the evaluation
committee for the National Six Sigma Award of
the Korean Government. He also participated in
APO activities for the promotion of Six Sigma.
He became a lecturer for the Symposium on Concept
and Management of Six Sigma for Productivity Improvement
sponsored by APO, which was held in New Delhi,
India, during 7–9, August 2001.
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