Title: Cable insulation productivity improvement using Lean Six Sigma

Authors: Fikri Dweiri; Samar Ishaq

Addresses: Industrial Engineering and Engineering Management Department, College of Engineering, University of Sharjah, Sharjah, UAE ' Kafaa Consultant, 7195 Al amir Sultan – Al Muhammadiyah, Dist. Unit No. 101, Jeddah 23625 – 2133, KSA

Abstract: Nowadays organisations are finding innovative ways to improve customer satisfaction and increase profitability. This can only be possible if they continuously and effectively improve their products and processes. The purpose of this study is to improve cable insulation process using Lean Six Sigma (LSS). Define, measure, analyse, improve, and control (DMAIC) and failure mode effect and criticality analysis (FMECA) were used to identify one of the critical problems which is break and crack in insulation layer of cables in a case company. The design of experiment (DOE) was used to reduce the occurrence of break and crack in cable insulation. Three main factors (supplier, temperature and pressure) each with two fixed levels were considered. The result showed that supplier and temperature are the only significant main factors at the 95% significance level. All interaction levels were not significant as well as the pressure main factor. The results show that risk priority number (RPN), which is an indicator for productivity improvement, was reduced from 745 to 205. Also the experiment produced fewer defects that lead to improve productivity.

Keywords: performance improvement; production line; Lean Six Sigma; LSS; failure mode effect and criticality analysis; FMECA; risk priority number; RPN.

DOI: 10.1504/IJPQM.2020.108573

International Journal of Productivity and Quality Management, 2020 Vol.30 No.4, pp.488 - 508

Received: 19 Feb 2019
Accepted: 05 May 2019

Published online: 20 Jul 2020 *

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