Spectral Systems Applies DMAIC Strategy to Improve Processes

Spectral Systems, located in Hopewell Junction, NY, was founded over 30 years ago by Frank Wesley. The company began making specialized optics for infrared applications focusing mostly on polishing services. Today the company is a leader in precise infrared optical components, coatings, systems integration and services. Spectral Systems has a strong commitment to their customers, with the long-held belief, “we succeed when your customers succeed”.

In June 2016, Spectral Systems began struggling with high rejection rates on their Germanium product line. These were due to an unknown contamination that resulted in staining of their product. The high rejection rates caused by the stained products were impacting their ability to meet delivery times. By the fall of 2016 the contamination had only gotten worse and the staining became more noticeable after coating. Reworking after coating added 50% to their production labor cost. Because of Spectral Systems’ dedication to high quality and consistency, they knew this problem had to be solved.

Phil van Oss worked closely with the team at Spectral Systems to implement a data-driven, quality strategy using the DMAIC cycle: Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, and Control. They started by clearly defining the problem, then tackled the challenge of identifying variation sources to get to the true root cause. Spectral lacked a standardized measurement procedure, which made the contamination hard to manage. With guidance from MTEC, they wrote and formalized a new procedure to stabilize production and eliminate future problems.

This strategy not only improved their current processes, but created a foundation for long-term continuous improvement. Since implementation, Spectral has retained critical sales and improved delivery performance from 50% to 100%, while dropping pre- and post-coating rejection rates to near zero.