Quality and Sustainability Management in Manufacturing ramp-up projects

Complexity and competitiveness summarize the current state of markets and businesses need to respond and adapt to changes in society's latest trends and unexpected situations. Furthermore industrial and service companies are obliged to create special values to differentiate themselves from others. They also need to be able to compete in globalized markets where it is not only about generating profits but also about conserving the environment and maintaining social balance.In this context the present work is part of a research project that aims to establish a framework and decision aid for responding to unexpected market demand increases. This involves adjusting the manufacturing system based on reliable data generated in real time and making the main influencing factors visible at the right point in time. To achieve this companies need key indicators for managing the ramp-up phase with the required quality and sustainability yet without compromising agility. The strategy chosen is based on the application of Six Sigma methodology.Applying our methodology to a company in the additive manufacturing sector we achieved significant improvements when optimizing their manufacturing system for ramp-up especially concerning its quality and sustainability performance.