Control Phase

Control Phase

Now that we have Improved the process and achieved our goals we must now put our changes under Control and make them part of our process going forward.


The following changes have now been verified and implemented by the relevant departments

• The IT Department have approved a SWAT update to allow the Spray and Wet Weigh work steps accommodate more than one Batch at a time.                                                                         (Time Saving of 7 minutes)                                                                      

• The Engineering Department has approved the changes to replace tubing only when a formulation change occurs and allowing for a more standardised method to be used among Technicians.(See Fig 1 and 2 below)                                                                                              (Time Saving of 7 minutes)

• The Training Department along with the help of Operators and Quality Personnel have agreed on changes to the Operating Procedures to allow for a more smooth transition between batches. (Time Saving of 13 minutes)

Fig 1 below shows work instructions BEFORE changes made

FIG 1

Fig 2 below shows work instructions AFTER changes made

FIG 2

Financial Savings

This Project has exceeded its goals regarding a Financial Saving.

The Original Target time of a 17 minute reduction in changeover time has been exceeded by 3 minutes and now stands at 20 minutes.

The Financial implications of this are detailed below..

20 minutes saving                             1200 seconds

5 changeovers per week                   6000 seconds

48 weeks in year                          288,000 seconds

Tact time per unit    divide by               75 seconds

Total units per year                           3840 Units

3840 units x 20 Euro*            =    76,800 Euro

* Estimated cost of unit at stage of production

( Figure provided by Finance Department) 

Conclusion

Being involved in this project has been challenging but ultimately rewarding as it has been a new experience, one that I have not experienced before.

At first I was concerned whether i could handle the level of expectation needed for the project, but on reflection I  found that breaking the project into the 5 different stages using the DMAIC method made the whole experience much more structured and organised and ultimately helped the project achieve its goals.