Controlling the occurrence of defects is a major challenge for manufacturing organizations that are seeking to enhance their competitive position in today’s global market. The focus of this research is on the lamination process of adhesive tapes which are based on nip rollers. Percentage of defects and particularly defects critical to customers in the lamination process of adhesive tapes is high and implementation of an automatic inspection system is necessary. The Six Sigma-DMADV methodology is a potential approach to ensure that an optimised automatic inspection system is developed for the process. However, previous researches indicate the traditional DMADV method has certain drawbacks. Hence, for this research, a hybrid approach based of DMADV, LEAN, FAHP and TRIZ is applied for the development of the automatic inspection system. Analysis indicates that major defects that are critical to the customers are sourced from the lamination machine nip roller problems. Further, the LEAN approach is applied on the FAHP for the selection of best fit design among multiple design alternatives considered, whereas, the TRIZ is applied on the DFMEA method to improve the design selected. Verification of the developed automatic inspection system prototype reveals that the developed prototype has optimised performance and function. It was found that the Six Sigma with DMADV, TRIZ and FAHP approach facilitates a more structured and systematic design compared to the traditional DMADV approach.
