Process improvement in an office environment using Lean Six Sigma

Abstract

This project aims to analyze the current state and provide improvement proposals for the Ocean Import Department at Panalpina in Gothenburg, Sweden. The department is currently experiencing a heavy workload and feels that there is a need for a new way to improve their processes since they are lagging in performance when benchmarked against other departments within Panalpina. By using Lean Six Sigma the project could connect to an ongoing global continuous improvement program within Panalpina as well as the local interest for Lean Six Sigma. The project was executed according to the DMAIC cycle known from Six Sigma theory. The first part was dominated by the measurements of the current state and different workshops, with the goal to map the process and frame problems and causes to variation in the process. During the second part of the project focus shifted towards Lean thinking as this turned out to be the appropriate course for this project. It was realized that the greatest improvements lied in continuous improvements instead of heavy data analysis. Information and communication became the main themes in the project, both excess and lack of them is causing a stress on the operators, partly due to Panalpina´s worldwide operations which create room for many cultural differences and makes it hard to standardize processes. But even communication within the office has room for improvements, and waste is created as the customer is not always in focus. Two models were developed that are meant to guide the future work with continuous improvements by identifying problem areas and providing guidance for how to handle them. Future measurements are recommended on variables inside the process, using process charts. This is a resource efficient way of measuring a process that gives easy analysis and a possibility to predict problems so that suitable countermeasures can be applied.