Table Of ContentA Magnificent Journey
to Excellence
A Magnificent Journey
to Excellence
Sixteen Years of Six Sigma at
Cummins Inc.
By George K. Strodtbeck III and
Mohan V. Tatikonda, PhD
First edition published in 2020
by Routledge/Productivity Press
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© 2020 by George K. Strodtbeck III and Mohan V. Tatikonda
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Library of Congress Cataloging‑in‑Publication Data
Names: Strodtbeck, George K., 1954– author. | Tatikonda, Mohan, author.
Title: A magnificent journey to excellence : sixteen years of Six Sigma at C ummins, Inc. /
George K. Strodtbeck III, Mohan Tatikonda.
Description: 1 Edition. | New York : Routledge, 2020. | Includes bibliographical references
and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2019035230 (print) | LCCN 2019035231 (ebook) |
ISBN 9780367345730 (hardback) | ISBN 9780429328053 (ebook)
Subjects: LCSH: Organizational change. | Strategic planning. | Six sigma (Quality control
standard) | Leadership. | Cummins, Inc.
Classification: LCC HD58.8 .S786 2020 (print) | LCC HD58.8 (ebook) |
DDC 658.4/013—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2019035230
LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2019035231
Visit the Taylor & Francis Web site at www.taylorandfrancis.com
This book is dedicated to Tim Solso, Frank McDonald,
Joe Loughrey and Tom Linebarger, whose leadership
made the magnificent journey possible and to the
thousands of people whose work made it real.
This book is dedicated to my mother and father,
Lakshmi U. and Rao J. Tatikonda, whose courage
and dedication to learning continue to inspire me.
Contents
List of Figures and Tables......................................................................ix
List of Acronyms and Abbreviations ....................................................xi
Foreword—Change by Frank McDonald ............................................xv
About the Authors ...............................................................................xxi
Chapter 1 Introduction and Purpose .................................................1
Chapter 2 Interview With Tim Solso, Cummins CEO
2000–2011 ...........................................................................5
Chapter 3 Six Sigma Pre-history.......................................................15
Chapter 4 The Bottom Line: Results ................................................17
Chapter 5 S-Curves and Kano—Maturity and Sustainability ........23
Chapter 6 Interview With Frank McDonald— Cummins
Vice President of Quality (1999–2002) ...........................37
Chapter 7 S-Curve 1—Pre-launch ....................................................63
Chapter 8 S-Curve 2—Launch and First Projects ...........................75
Chapter 9 Preparing for the Next S-Curve—Cross-Curve
Analysis: A Summary ......................................................81
Chapter 10 Interview With Joe Loughrey—Cummins
President & COO (2005–2008) ........................................83
Chapter 11 Moving From First Training and Projects
S-Curve to the Building a Foundation S-Curve ............99
Chapter 12 Interview With Michelle Dunlap—Master Black
Belt, Quality Champion .................................................103
Chapter 13 Interview With Dana Vogt—Black Belt, Master
Black Belt, Quality Champion .......................................115
Chapter 14 S-Curve 3—Building a Foundation ..............................139
Chapter 15 Moving From Building a Foundation to the
Self-Supporting S-Curve ................................................145
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viii • Contents
Chapter 16 Interview With Megan Henry—Black Belt,
Master Black Belt, Six Sigma Leader .............................151
Chapter 17 S-Curve 4—Self-Supporting ..........................................161
Chapter 18 Interview With Ginger Lirette—Black Belt ..................173
Chapter 19 Moving From the Self-Supporting to the Business
Integration S-Curve .......................................................183
Chapter 20 Interview With Tom Linebarger—Cummins
CEO (2012+) ...................................................................191
Chapter 21 S-Curve 5—Business Integration ..................................203
Chapter 22 Moving From Business Integration to Continued
Growth and Expansion and Business System
Improvement S-Curves ..................................................207
Chapter 23 S-Curve 6—Continued Growth and Expansion ..........209
Chapter 24 Interview With Julie Liu—Black Belt, Quality
Champion, Six Sigma Leader ........................................213
Chapter 25 S-Curve 7—Business System Improvement ..................223
Chapter 26 Interview With Holly Duarte—Black Belt ...................227
Chapter 27 The Effect of Maturity on Organizational
Communication .............................................................239
Chapter 28 How to Use S-Curves .....................................................247
Chapter 29 Important Considerations for a Healthy Long-Term
Six Sigma Deployment ...................................................253
Chapter 30 Special Situations ...........................................................263
Chapter 31 Conclusions ....................................................................269
Chapter 32 Authors Final Thoughts .................................................273
Appendices ..........................................................................................275
Bibliography ........................................................................................301
Index ....................................................................................................303
Figures and Tables
Figure 1.1 Cummins financial performance 1999 and 2014. .............. 2
Figure 4.1 Cummins net sales and net profit 1976–2014. ...................17
Figure 4.2 Cummins revenue vs. profit 1976–2014. ............................20
Figure 4.3 Six Sigma savings as a percentage of sales. .........................21
Figure 4.4 Cummins stock performance 1972–2015...........................22
Figure 5.1 S-Curves. .................................................................................23
Figure 5.2 Six Sigma S-Curves. ...............................................................24
Figure 5.3 S-Curves: What management wants!. .................................28
Figure 5.4 Kano Model. ...........................................................................30
Figure 5.5 S-Curves with Kano Model. .................................................32
Figure 5.6 US Army education system ..................................................33
Figure 7.1 Cummins Six Sigma logo .....................................................67
Figure 9.1 Six Sigma project system ......................................................82
Figure 14.1 Chairman’s quality award brochure. .................................141
Figure 15.1 Scale and scope of Six Sigma maturity. ............................148
Figure 17.1 Six Sigma management machine. .....................................165
Figure 19.1 Bucket of basic requirements. ...........................................183
Figure 19.2 Critical supplier reference guide.......................................186
Figure 19.3 Cummins business model and operating system. ..........187
Figure 19.4 When is poor quality OK? .................................................188
Figure 21.1 Master Black Belt Star Point example. .............................204
Figure 27.1 Communication flows. .......................................................239
Figure 28.1 Six Sigma S-Curves. ............................................................250
Figure 28.2 S-Curve example. ................................................................251
Figure 28.3 Business operating system S-Curve example. .................251
Figure 29.1 Supply chain break-down. .................................................260
Figure A.1 Total quality assurance example. .......................................276
Figure A.2 Cummins production system (CPS). ................................281
Figure A.3 Common approach to continuous
improvement (CACI). ........................................................284
Figure A.4 7-Step problem solving. ......................................................287
Figure A.5 House of quality. ..................................................................289
Figure A.6 Baldrige application – 1997 ...............................................290
Figure A.7 Cummins business model and operating
system – 2014. ......................................................................291
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