Title: Application of Six Sigma in a small food production plant of India: a case study

Authors: Gaurav Maheshwar

Addresses: Department of Mechanical Engineering, Greater Noida Institute of Technology, Greater Noida – 201396, Uttar Pradesh, India

Abstract: Six Sigma is a highly praised methodology in the field of quality management for continuous improvements and is found to be fruitful for hundreds of companies. A food production plant of India has been continuously facing an increasing amount of defective produce. A Six Sigma project was then initiated to seek out the solutions of the problems. The project followed DMAIC phases to bring the changes in the production line. The implementation of the recommendations resulted in lowering of production defects, reduction in production time, standardisation of procedures and increased commitment from operators. Statistical approaches to the problem resulted in reduction of defects from 8.21% to 0.46% and an increase of Sigma level from 2.91 to 4.10. Process capability index increased from 0.97 to 1.37 and overall equipment effectiveness increased from 64.81% to 81.45%.

Keywords: six sigma; quality quality management; continuous improvement; lean production; DMAIC; food production; process capability index; PCI; India; small firms; overall equipment effectiveness; OEE.

DOI: 10.1504/IJSSCA.2012.053446

International Journal of Six Sigma and Competitive Advantage, 2012 Vol.7 No.2/3/4, pp.168 - 180

Published online: 22 Apr 2015 *

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