Bill Smith (Motorola engineer)
Encyclopedia
Bill Smith is the "Father of Six Sigma". Born in Brooklyn
, New York
, Smith graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy
in 1952 and studied at the University of Minnesota
School of Management (now known as the Carlson School of Management
). In 1987, after working for nearly 35 years in engineering and quality assurance, he joined Motorola
, serving as vice president and senior quality assurance manager for the Land Mobile Products Sector.
Bill Smith spent years convincing the higher management at Motorola about his new quality control process, Six Sigma
. Six Sigma has generated billions of dollars for Motorola. As a Motorola employee, Smith did not share directly in the profits generated by the company's Six Sigma applications. However, over the years, he and Motorola garnered numerous awards and recognition for his vital work to improve profitability in America's manufacturing sector. He was especially proud of his role in Motorola's winning the prestigious Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award
. The Baldrige Award came in 1988, two years after Motorola implemented Smith's Six Sigma principles.
Smith died of a heart attack in the Motorola cafeteria in 1993. He was the grandfather of the upcoming photographer Jamie Lynn Smith.
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, Smith graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy
United States Naval Academy
The United States Naval Academy is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located in Annapolis, Maryland, United States...
in 1952 and studied at the University of Minnesota
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...
School of Management (now known as the Carlson School of Management
Carlson School of Management
The school offers a bachelor's, MBA, and doctoral degrees, as well as executive education programs hosted domestically and abroad . Dual-degree programs include a JD/MBA, MD/MBA, MHA/MBA, and a MPP/MBA...
). In 1987, after working for nearly 35 years in engineering and quality assurance, he joined Motorola
Motorola
Motorola, Inc. was an American multinational telecommunications company based in Schaumburg, Illinois, which was eventually divided into two independent public companies, Motorola Mobility and Motorola Solutions on January 4, 2011, after losing $4.3 billion from 2007 to 2009...
, serving as vice president and senior quality assurance manager for the Land Mobile Products Sector.
Bill Smith spent years convincing the higher management at Motorola about his new quality control process, Six Sigma
Six Sigma
Six Sigma is a business management strategy originally developed by Motorola, USA in 1986. , it is widely used in many sectors of industry.Six Sigma seeks to improve the quality of process outputs by identifying and removing the causes of defects and minimizing variability in manufacturing and...
. Six Sigma has generated billions of dollars for Motorola. As a Motorola employee, Smith did not share directly in the profits generated by the company's Six Sigma applications. However, over the years, he and Motorola garnered numerous awards and recognition for his vital work to improve profitability in America's manufacturing sector. He was especially proud of his role in Motorola's winning the prestigious Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award
Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award
The Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award recognizes U.S. organizations in the business, health care, education, and nonprofit sectors for performance excellence. The Baldrige Award is the only formal recognition of the performance excellence of both public and private U.S. organizations given by...
. The Baldrige Award came in 1988, two years after Motorola implemented Smith's Six Sigma principles.
Smith died of a heart attack in the Motorola cafeteria in 1993. He was the grandfather of the upcoming photographer Jamie Lynn Smith.