General Electric Co. became one of industry's most ardent and best-known practitioners of Six Sigma quality methodologies under former Chairman Jack Welch. Now, GE Fanuc Automation (Charlottesville, VA), an affiliate of GE Industrial Systems, is looking to cash in on GE's internal Six Sigma expertise by dispensing it to others.
GE Fanuc's newly formed Global Solutions Business will design and provide e-manufacturing systems for customers. The new business unit will provide a package of Web-centered software technology, open architecture hardware and capital financing for turnkey factory enterprise projects. But its competitive trump card is its ability to offer Six Sigma-centered solutions, GE Fanuc executives contend.