Publication

Abstract : Lean manufacturing is an emerging concept in the Indian manufacturing scenario. Many small and medium scale enterprises in the country are aiming for fastest rate of improvement in customer satisfaction, cost, quality, process speed and invested capital. This paper is an outcome of a study carried out in a food processing industry in south India, with major focus on the production and packaging processes. The main objective of the study was to identify and eliminate the bottlenecks in these processes, and to improve the production by applying various techniques such as DMAIC (Define, measure, analyze, improve and control), SIPOC, VSM, ANOVA and 5S methods. Based on the findings of study, suggestions were given to improve the overall equipment efficiency, to improve the productivity and to reduce the production fluctuations through lean and six sigma initiatives.