Honeywell

From Bitter to Sweet
How one of America’s most messed-up firms became one of its best

Reshaping Six Sigma at Honeywell
In 1999, Honeywell savings related to Six Sigma amounted to more than $600 million. Year 2000 cost savings provided by Six Sigma Plus are expected to save at least as much.

Whirlpool Corporation

Welcoming the New, Improving the Old
At Whirlpool, Mr. Jones first proved the value of design with the introduction of the Duet washer and dryer. Duet’s novel, easy-to-use, energy-efficient design made Whirlpool a player in the front-loader market. After that success, he invited Whirlpool’s Six Sigma experts to help him improve design processes. They developed various new metrics — for how customers evaluate product quality, for example — that allowed designers and Six Sigma types to understand each other better.