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Problems in manufacturing have always been a hurdle for leadership, engineers, and professionals. They can lead to low productivity, poor quality, high costs, and ultimately loss of customers. Problems should be prevented by fair means and following well-established methodologies of continuous process improvement. The present paper addresses this topic, which in both academic and professional literature has been discussed from one single angle–that is, how to use a specific methodology in a certain situation. From that perspective, researchers from academia and consultancy promote the use of a particular method. One of the greatest challenges to researchers and practitioners in manufacturing is to select the right methodology for problem-solving and process improvement. The present paper attempts to address this issue from a literature review perspective. The approach followed is based on the fact that understanding the attributes of process improvement methodologies reported in the open literature and their linkages to the main phases of the continuous improvement process will provide insights on how the selection of the methodologies can be carried out in real manufacturing situations.
Problems in manufacturing have always been a hurdle for leadership, engineers, and professionals. They can lead to low productivity, poor quality, high costs, and ultimately loss of customers. Problems should be prevented by fair means and following well-established methodologies of continuous process improvement. The present paper addresses this topic, which in both academic and professional literature has been discussed from one single angle–that is, how to use a specific methodology in a certain situation. From that perspective, researchers from academia and consultancy promote the use of a particular method. One of the greatest challenges to researchers and practitioners in manufacturing is to select the right methodology for problem-solving and process improvement. The present paper attempts to address this issue from a literature review perspective. The approach followed is based on the fact that understanding the attributes of process improvement methodologies reported in the open literature and their linkages to the main phases of the continuous improvement process will provide insights on how the selection of the methodologies can be carried out in real manufacturing situations.
This paper presents a continuous improvement (CI) project based on the application of Lean Six Sigma (LSS) methodology. This project was carried out at coffee manufacturing industry located in northern area of Malaysia. The focus of this presented CI project is to improve the weight inconsistency problem of coffee powder packaging. The presented CI project was mainly guided with Six Sigma methodology of Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve and Control (DMAIC) steps, and related Lean tools applications. The step of Define summaries the overall view of CI project. In the step of Measure, current level of sigma based on defect per million of opportunities (DPMO) calculation was determined. Initially, 6% of rejected products were recorded, which it presents the sigma level at 3.1. In the step of Analyze, a series of team-based activities towards root cause identification was carried out. It included the applications of cause effect (CE) analysis and possible causes prioritization and close observations on packaging process. In the step of Improve, the related Lean tool was proposed to improve the problem under study. In the final step of Control, related supportive actions were suggested to sustain the effectiveness of the proposed solution. There are fourteen possible causes are initially identified in CE analysis and based on team’s evaluation process of possible causes prioritization four causes are collectively to be the most possible of root cause(s). Three close observation sessions were carried out to finalize the most possible root cause of the problem. Result strongly suggested that the high variation of coffee powder’s size and inconsistency is the root cause. An improvement strategy based on Lean Manufacturing approach called ‘poka yoke’ is proposed. The proposed improvement strategy was then validated based on real packaging process scenario. Result shows that the proposed improvement strategy is significantly effective to solve the problem with 0% of reject product was recorded so far, where it is not only produced the product within the acceptable weight of 215 and 208 grams, but also presents the reduction of weight fluctuation that close to ideal weight of 208 grams.
One of the major priorities for manufacturing companies in the globalized economy is the ability to offer high-quality products to customers at the lowest production cost. Globally, process improvement methods and techniques are used to reduce waste and improve product and service quality. This paper aims to propose a systematic model based on process improvement methodologies and tools to help the manufacturing companies decide on cutting tool life and other manufacturing issues. This research seeks to prove that some common industry practices, such as changing cutting tools in machining processes, can significantly affect the economics of production and the overall performance of the plant. The research is mainly based on analyzing real field data using the DMAIC methodology to identify improvements in order to achieve a balance between economy and quality in a Saudi manufacturing plant. Although the study was concerned only with changing cutting tools in the machining process in an air conditioning plant, its findings and conclusions can be generalized to all manufacturing processes.
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