The Six Sigma DMAIC can be considered a guide for problem solving and product or process improvement. The majority of companies start to implement Six Sigma using the DMAIC methodology. The paper deals with application of Six Sigma using the DMAIC methodology in the process of product quality control. The case study is oriented on the field of metallurgical operations. The goal of the Six Sigma project was to ensure the required metallurgic product quality and to avoid an increase in internal costs associated with poor product quality. In this case study, a variety of tools and techniques like flow chart, histogram, Pareto diagram, analysis of FMEA (Failure Mode and Effect Analysis) data, cause and effect diagram, logical analysis was used. The Sigma level has improved by approximately 13%. The achieved improvements have helped to reduce the quantity of defective products and the processing costs (technology for re-adjusting). Benefits resulting from the DMAIC implementation can be divided into three levels: the qualitative, economic and safety level.

The main task of safety and health at work is to protect the most important thing we have, the health of each of us. Employers are able to anticipate and prevent risks by properly implemented occupational safety and health management systems. The basic task of the article is to describe the history of safety management systems to identify the state of implementation of the ISO 45001 system in the world. Subsequently, the article describes the ISO 45001 standard from the perspective of the PDCA cycle and describes the benefits and importance of implementing the ISO 45001 standard. The conclusion of the article deals with the development trend of the occupational health and safety management system according to STN ISO 45001:2019 in the context of occupational accidents in the conditions of the Slovak Republic.

The main mission of the internal quality system in educational institutions is to develop the importance of quality in all processes, create suitable conditions for increasing the loyalty and professional development of faculty staff, continually improve student satisfaction, and achieve recognition of educational institutions in the eyes of the public. In the Introduction, this paper covers the current state of the field of quality assurance of higher education in Slovakia. Quality management models that can be used appropriately and effectively in university conditions are identified in the next section. The aim of this overview section was to summarize the advantages and disadvantages resulting from the implementation of quality management models. The paper also includes a case study in which selected models of quality management implemented at a private university in Slovakia are described, especially the process model ISO 9001 and the common assessment framework (CAF) model. The self-assessment within the CAF model was carried out by a questionnaire survey; the obtained data were assessed by classical CAF scoring. The aim of the self-assessment was to identify problem areas and opportunities for improvement and to propose corrective actions. The specifics of the implementation of quality management models at a private university and the benefits resulting from the application are also been defined at the end of the article.

Industries demand that their products are high quality with the least number of defects due to the rapid improvement in manufacturing technology. Quality is a critical criterion for evaluation in manufacturing firms. The production of a final product that can meet customer requirements is essential in a sustainable supply chain system to reduce costs, increase productivity and provide high-quality products. The aim of the study is to identify the root cause of defects emerging in the production process of prestressed railway concrete sleepers. Ishikawa diagram and Pareto analysis were used to identify the root cause. The results showed that the cause of the faulty concrete sleeper is the breaking of the bolts, which are supplied by the external provider. Since the supplier refused to accept the complaint, chemical analysis and measuring of hardness and microhardness of bolts were realized. It showed that the hardness of the bolts does not achieve the values, which should be achieved after the declared heat-treatment. As a corrective action, the input control of bolts hardness was proposed as well as establishing the team cooperating with the supplier to improve the heat treatment process, which will be the objective of further study.

This article deals with the design of appropriate measures that had to be taken for the implemented measurement system. The measurement result was significantly negatively affected by several factors. Forty-five samples of shafts used in the production of surgical drills were measured. Measurements were performed by metrological appraisers with a calibrated digital micrometer. Measurement and subsequent data processing revealed low process capability (CP and PP indices). A large portion of the shafts had an observed size below the lower specific limit (LSL). Therefore, it was necessary to take corrective action. This paper focuses on the corrective measures implemented in the measurement system. The micrometer met the requirements of the standard and was metrologically capable. The shafts were measured by eight metrological appraisers, so attention was focused on the potential impact of the metrological appraiser. The measured data were evaluated by uncertainty analysis, paired t-tests, measurement systems analysis (MSA) and Cohen’s kappa. The number of non-compliant shafts was shown to increase with decreasing measurement capability. The measurement system was evaluated as conditionally capable, even incapable. One possibility was to identify the optimal pair of metrological appraisers. The pair of metrological appraisers E and F appeared to be the most suitable combination for most methods. Due to the relatively high %EV index, the second option was to improve the work with the measuring instrument, that is, improve the training and supervision of metrological appraisers in the measurement process. Repeated measurements by the pair with the highest capability (metrological appraisers E and F) resulted in an increase in the value of the capability indices and a decrease in the number of shafts out of tolerance for the same shafts. As the value of these indices was lower than 1.33 during repeated measurements, corrective measures had to be taken, not only in the measurement system, but also in the production system.

Organizations and laboratories tend to integrate systems based on risk management. Risk management helps to optimize laboratory processes and information flow, increase valid and reliable results, and make better decisions. This paper describes the development and present trends in risk management related to standard ISO/IEC 17025. This paper focuses on risk assessment in the accredited testing laboratories using the FMEA tool. In the basic eight defined laboratory areas, risks were identified and evaluated, and methods were proposed to minimize them.