Analyzing Production Efficiency: Recommendations Based on the DMAIC Cycle

Abstract

Lean Six Sigma is a combination of two methodologies that are used globally to develop processes and improve quality. At Swedish Match, Lean and Six Sigma are integrated into daily operations, and they have a well-established team working specifically with it. Therefore, Six Sigma is the methodology that have been used during the project, more specifically, the DMAIC-cycle including five different phases: define, measure, analyze, improve, and control. The purpose of the improvement project is to analyze production efficiency at one of Swedish Match largest production lines and develop clear improvement proposals that can increase productivity, minimize waste, and optimize material flow. In addition to existing data, supplemented information and data was gathered through interviews, observations, and some frequency measurements. Together, this information and data collection developed a comprehensive overview of the problem area and the problem definition. All the problem areas were analyzed in an FMEA, where every input was evaluated and scored based on severity, detectability, and occurrence. Based on the FMEA and the researcher’s own analysis, thirteen improvement proposals were developed. These improvement proposals were then evaluated using a Pugh Matrix to compare them and rank them with a weighted score based on the different criteria. This project has already led to implementation of four improvements by the company, while others are planned for the future.