Applying Lean Six Sigma Methodology to a Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Facility: A Case Study

Abstract

This research examines a case study on the implementation of an effective approach to advanced Lean Six Sigma problem-solving within a pharmaceutical manufacturing site which manufactures acetaminophen (paracetamol containing pain relief) tablets. Though this study was completed in a single manufacturing company, the implementation of this study delivers important application and results that can be deployed in other such manufacturing companies. The manufacturing site faced backlogs in customer orders due to increased demand. Increased demand is due to brand popularity and recognition, product efficacy and a COVID 19 pandemic that intensified the demand for pain relief tablets in an already very busy site. With increased demand, to ensure timely deliveries, customer satisfaction and minimize delays, sources of site productivity losses and wastes needed to be analyzed and reduced or eliminated. Manufacturing Packaging line downtime was identified as one area of concern. The goal of the research was to introduce a problem-solving technique to reduce downtime within a manufacturing site without affecting the production required to fulfil customer demand while increasing product quality. The research utilized an integrated LSS methodology which identifies, stratifies and effectively eliminates non-value adding (waste) activities, by following a 7-step customized problem-solving methodology which resulted in complete elimination of the issue under investigation and savings of just under half a million dollars. The learnings are being deployed and leveraged worldwide across the pharmaceutical organizations parent site and sister sites. The presented results demonstrated that Lean Six Sigma methodology and tools are effective for accurate root causing of problems and enablers of implementation of continuous improvement.

Indoor Positioning Systems Can Revolutionise Digital Lean

“…The proposed method is embedded into the concept of continuous development. The structured DMAIC (Define-Measure-Analyze-Improve-Control) approach utilised in Six Sigma methodology also follows the concept of the Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) cycle [48], which has been proven effective in reducing non-value-added activities in the supply chains and assembly lines [49].…”

Algorithm to Use Some Specific Lean Manufacturing Methods: Application in an Industrial Production Process

“…The implementation of the Lean Manufacturing method depends on the size of the enterprise, the nature of the industry and the degree of technological development of the country. Most industries tend to implement 5S and other visual management tools, Value Steam Mapping for waste identification, and designing process for better flow [22], while Australian companies do not use Kaizen and Kanban. According to Roslin [23], it is easy to say that Lean Manufacturing can be easily implemented anywhere and anytime, regardless of the industry.…”

An Agile System to Enhance Productivity through a Modified Value Stream Mapping Approach in Industry 4.0: A Novel Approach

“…VSM also improves production and work planning; therefore, it reduces Though all of these techniques have shown their usefulness in the improvement of productivity, value stream mapping (VSM) has proven its suitability for more complex production systems [9][10][11]. The VSM technique is highly preferred over all other process optimization techniques because other production management techniques can only be applied to eliminate certain types of NVAA [12,13], whereas VSM can be implemented to improve any type of production condition [14]. Production condition here denotes a type of problem that is responsible for lower productivity levels, which can include higher production times, lower quality, an excess of defective products, higher inventory level, mismanagement of types of equipment, and inefficient manpower [15][16][17][18].…”

“…the calculated values of TCOT, TIT, NVAT, and TCT are 450 min, 650 min, 1100 min, and 7005 min, respectively. (14) After the analysis phase, a decision-making phase takes place, which involves the planning of production. This activity is required to achieve the desired productivity.…”