Reducing bag defects using six Sigma methodology: A case study in a cement industry

Abstract

An increase in cement production capacity made by the management of XYZ Cement Company in recent years has affected the number of bags of cement produced by the bag factory of XYZ. The addition of a new production line is one of the efforts made by the factory pouch pockets to be able to meet increased demand. However, the increase in the quantity of production of cement bags has not been in lined with the improvement of its quality. A large number of non-conformance products are still produced and the production cannot achieve the minimum defective bags allowed by the company. It showed that the quality of processes and products is still relatively low. Therefore, it is necessary to formulate an improvement action and a better quality control for products and process. This study begins with a proper identification of the condition of the system and then continues with a performance measurement system focusing on Lean Six Sigma and process capability measurement. The next step is to identify the sources and root cause analysis of non-conformance products by using Fishbone Diagrams and Failure Mode and Effect Analysis (FMEA). Then it proceeds with the formulation of the proposed improvement of the system based on the results. The study concluded with an improvement control plan that can be done. This study found that the sigma level of cement bag production in four production lines is 4.7 DPMO values of 710 and the possibility of defects per unit of 11 possibilities.