Using Lean Manufacturing Approach for Improvement in Food Manufacturing: Case Study from Egypt

This research focuses on Lean implementation in manufacturing processes. It discusses different tools used to help in implementing this approach in any organization. Lean Six Sigma is now widely used all over the world and its principle is based on balancing between lean methods and six sigma's Define-Measure-Analyse-Improve-Control (DMAIC) methodology. There are some important tools used in Lean Six Sigma, such as 5S, Value Stream Mapping, Single Minute Exchange of die, Systematic Plant Layout, and many other tools. The purpose of the research was to select suitable tools to be applied according to the needs of the company. This study applies Lean Six Sigma for food industry in t. The focus in this case study was on processed meat lines to make improvements on it. Tools like Value Stream Mapping, Single Minute Exchange of die and 5S were used to apply the improvements. After applying Single Minute Exchange of die, it was found that changeover time was reduced from 18 to 11 min, leading to an improvement almost equal to 38% in the total cycle time. For the automated line, a reduction from 10 to 5 min was achieved which represents improvement by 50% in the transportation time. By applying 5S training through kaizen planning, the workers worked faster, easier and in a tidy place. This led to reduce the unpacking cycle time to 8 min instead of 12 min. Also, the lead time was reduced by 0.5% of the total lead time. The originality of this research is the application of lean manufacturing tools and value stream mapping in a complex production line of food industry, and thereby fills the gap between the theory and practice in the optimization of food production lines. This is a relatively new application area in the Middle East.