14-06-2012, 05:06 PM
Applying six sigma to manufacturing processes in the
food industry to reduce quality cost
INTRODUCTION
Since the early 1980s, manufacturing industries
worldwide have seen a revolution in the way they operate.
Consumers have become more and more demanding,
and the key to firm survival is the recognition of the
importance of customer satisfaction. Consequently,
companies have been forced to enhance the quality of
both their processes and products (Efstratiadis et al.,
2000). The focus of this study, the food industry, has also
become increasingly multifaceted and competitive in
recent years (Chong et al., 2001; Knowles et al., 2004;
Henchion and McIntyre, 2005; Spiegel et al., 2006;
USOCDD, 2007). In this environment, food company
managers have to deal with a number of problems.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Six Sigma
Six Sigma as an improvement program has received considerable
attention in the literature during the last few years (Harry, 1998;
Hoerl, 1998; Breyfogle, 1999; Bergman and Kroslid, 2000; Hellsten
and KlefsjoÈ, 2000; Klefsjo et al., 2001; Chen et al., 2005; Thomas,
2008; Zu et al., 2008; Leea et al., 2009; Kytösaho and Liukkonen,
2009). Motorola launched Six Sigma methods in 1987, and was also
the first firm to win the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award
(MBNQA) in 1988. Today, other companies like Texas Instruments,
ABB, AlliedSignal, GE and 3M have been striving to achieve Six
Sigma quality, and as a result they have become known as
best-in-class companies (Fuller, 2000).
Measure phase
The major activity in the measure phase is to understand
the whole situation of the project, including process
mapping, defining potential factors (also called Xs) that
affect the project index (also called Y), measurement
system analysis (MSA) and process capability analysis.
Generally, a process flow diagram (PFD) is used to
discuss the related process flow of a project, and then a
detailed process map to consider inputs and outputs of
each process step is prepared for the subsequent
cause-and-effect analysis. Figure 6 shows the process
flow diagram of the custard bun product.
Conclusions
If Six Sigma helped make General Electric Co., one of the
most successful businesses in the nation, why can not Six
Sigma work in the food industry? That is what executives
at fast-food giant McDonald's asked when they started to
work with Stamford-based GE Commercial Finance's
Franchise Finance unit to learn about Six Sigma (Lee,
2005). The commercial food processing industry has a
strong link to quality practices.