Abstract:
The food processing industry plays a vital role in meeting the global demand for safe, nutritious, and affordable food products. However, the industry faces ongoing challenges in maintaining operational efficiency, reducing costs, and upholding product quality standards. The lean six sigma methodology has emerged with integrated 5S and DMAIC techniques as an improvement approach to address these challenges and drive continuous improvement within the food processing industries and assuring sustainability. This research study aims to model lean six sigma framework in the food processing industry by controlling process variations, with a focus on identifying the critical success factors and potential barriers to its adoption. The study employed a mixed-methods research design, combining qualitative interviews with industry experts and a quantitative survey of food processing industries in case of Senselet Food Processing PLC, to gain a comprehensive understanding of the lean six sigma implementation. Using purposive sampling, the study involved 18 respondents. The five-why analysis identified the top five root causes of waste in the potato processing industry: poor inventory management, waiting times, unnecessary motion, operator issues, and product defects, with average rankings of 4.90, 4.89, 4.82, 4.77, and 4.73, respectively. Following the implementation of suggested Lean Six Sigma measures, the sigma value of the potato processing line improved from 4.00 to 5.00, reflecting a 20% enhancement in sigma level. This indicates significant progress in reducing waste and improving overall efficiency in the processing operations. This result suggests that the lean six sigma manufacturing technique is an effective method for identifying the root causes of waste in a manufacturing or processing industry, thereby enhancing the company's productivity. The study employed Arena and Visio software’s to model the Lean Six Sigma framework in the food processing industry, highlighting its potential to enhance operational efficiency, eliminate non-value-added activities, reduce process variations, lower costs, and improve product quality.
Key Words: lean, Six Sigma, DMAIC, arena software, Visio software, software, Sustainability,