Six sigma: program characteristics in eleven companies located in the metropolitan region of Porto Alegre

Six Sigma combines managerial factors with statistical tools and is deployed in many enterprises today. Rio Grande do Sul is a Brazilian state that has a great industrialization, especially in the metropolitan area of Porto Alegre. Some of these industries have deployed the Six Sigma program. The aim of this paper is to present characteristics of the Six Sigma program in companies located in this region, through an exploratory study. A literature review subsidized the development of the questionnaire. Eleven companies participated of research in July and August 2008. It used statistical tools and qualitative analysis to analyze the results. Most of the companies that participated is classified as large and uses the DMAIC method to implement Six Sigma. The principal cause of program implementation was process improvement. In only one company the Six Sigma is implemented in all sectors, including administrative areas. Another result is the lack of clearly criteria for defining the career of Belts and the discrepancy of academic formation of these specialists