Using Six Sigma to Drive Energy Efficiency Improvements at DuPont

Since 1999, DuPont has been applying the Six Sigma problem-solving methodology to a broad array of business, technical, transactional, and process problems across the corporation. One benefit of this culture change has been the way that business units approach energy efficiency. The structured Six Sigma approach, with its strong focus on statistics and data and a proven method for controlling improvements long after they are made, is ideally suited to help drive energy efficiency excellence. Using Six Sigma tools to analyze energy conversion processes such as steam boiler, turbine generator, central refrigeration, compressed air, and HVAC systems, DuPont has been able to capture and sustain remarkable energy savings. Six Sigma has also been applied to energy utilization processes such as manufacturing process heating and refining. Individual Six Sigma energy project savings of over $250,000 per year are not uncommon. To further boost the savings from energy-related Six Sigma projects, DuPont’s Energy Technology Network has aided the global sharing of successes by sponsoring routine “virtual workshops” over the DuPont wide area network. This paper will briefly discuss the Six Sigma methodology and present case studies of several energy efficiency projects that used Six Sigma to succeed. The virtual workshop concept for leveraging successes and key learnings will also be presented.