IMPROVEMENT OF QUALITY AND WASTES CONTROL OF SOAP MANUFACTURING USING SIX SIGMA ANALYSIS

Abstract

This research investigates the use of Six Sigma methods for the quality improvement and waste minimization of soap production processes. Other focuses of the research using the Define-Measure-Analyze-Improve-Control (DMAIC) approach are the causes of inefficiencies in the production process such as high level of defects and excessive wastage of raw materials. The research used leather production processes such as material handling, mixing, curing and packaging to gather data. The analyses achieved a decline in defect ratio from 19.9% to 7.1% and a 41.2% raw material waste minimized. Improvements were also made in the process efficiency in terms of reducing the cycle times by 26.1%. Six Sigma approach also advanced the improvement of process capability with Cp and Cpk values of 1.45 and 1.39 respectively. Financial analysis indicated that 43.6% of the production costs were cut due to lower levels of waste and rework. The findings of the research affirm the methodology of process improvement using Six Sigma approach in the soap industry with benefits of efficiency improvements, cost savings and higher product quality. The results are encouraging for other industries in particular where the targeted improvement is in the performance of processes with an emphasis on waste and quality management. Further investigations would assess the relationship between Six Sigma and Industry 4.0 integration for improvement of production processes.