DuPont was founded back in July 1802. They made gunpowder — their sales the first year was $15,116. Today, they are one of the largest chemical companies who make everything from additives and modifiers, to fabrics, fibers, to plastics, polymers and resins. Plus, they also developed the Tyvek® and Tychem® brands.
DuPont has always been successful, but when Six Sigma was brought in, every aspect of the company went on another level. DuPont has always been paramount in changing the world, but in 1999, DuPont’s world was about to be changed by Six Sigma.
The Year Six Sigma Came to DuPont
In February of 1999, the CEO of DuPont, Chad Holliday Jr., decided that DuPont was going to implement Six Sigma to improve the entire company. They had two frameworks in mind:
- Using DMAIC to improve an existing product, service or process.
- Using DMADV to design a new product, service or process.
DMAIC: Define-Measure-Analyze-Improve-Control
DMADV: Define-Measure-Analyze-Design-Verify
DuPont used Lean Six Sigma, incorporating the concepts of both Lean and Six Sigma and with the supply chain, they integrated the entire company with the new methodology. It’s no surprise the company was a tremendous success, so much so that as of July 2017 DuPont is worth $82.03 billion dollars. Not bad for a company that started off as a family partnership.
Important Note to Remember
Any change in a company protocol takes a team effort to make it work. No one can imagine the effort it took to change the entire inner workings of DuPont, and no doubt it was the best decision ever made for DuPont. The powers at DuPont felt that an integrated approach maximizes results, and it looks like they were right.
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