Manisha Thamke

IMPLEMENTING LEAN SIX SIGMA TO

MARINE PRODUCTS INDUSTRY IN

INDIA

Case Study of Seafood Industry "Company X"

International Business

2020

VAASAN AMMATTIKORKEAKOULU

UNIVERSITY OF APPLIED SCIENCES

Degree Programme in International Business

ABSTRACT

Author Manisha Thamke

Title Implementing Lean Six Sigma to Marine Products Industry

in India

Year 2020

Language English

Pages 70 + 4 Appendices

Name of Supervisor Kenneth Norrgård

To maintain the new high, organizations need to improve the internal and external

systems and implement the latest approaches to compete in local and international

business. Implementation of Lean Six Sigma is trending on all the platform in in-

dustries. This research focuses on utilizing Lean Six Sigma in processes.

The management's interest in introducing Lean Six Sigma in the marine process

industry and the researcher's similar interest led the project to start. The project

discussion began and got approved six months before, in the case-company X.

This study's focus was to implement Lean Six Sigma in company X; to conduct

quality and continuous improvement. It was accomplished by evaluating people,

processes, environment, equipment, and management processes that contribute to

waste and affect productivity. Analyzing and enhancing suggestions and recom-

mendations provides the case company with practical means to implement Lean

Six Sigma and its tools and use them in current and future states.

The research comprises a literature review and empirical findings. The theories

studied were a quality, waste, quality management, Lean Six Sigma, including

tools VSM and DMAIC, and continuous improvement. The method involved

qualitative interviews, the company's internal documentation- process flow chart,

reports, meeting minutes, and company profile document used to describe the op-

eration, processes, environment, and background for DMAIC analysis.

The VSM-DMAIC analysis results highlighted some crucial issues that need some

attention and some essential elements that should be measured when using Lean

Six Sigma to contribute to marine food processes. It also provided a proposal for

improvement, monitoring, and staining continuous improvement. The study pro-

posed that progress in marine food production processes is feasible by implement-

ing LSS in this sector. It also suggested that management should use a training

and communication platform that provides a foundation for change trends in the

organization and creates performance measures as an essential element in Lean

Six Sigma continuous improvement culture.

Keywords: Lean, Six Sigma, Food industry, VSM, Marine Product Process,

Process improvement, DMAIC.

CONTENTS

TIIVISTELMÄ

ABSTRACT

1 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................ 9

1.1 Background ............................................................................................... 9

1.2 Research problem and objectives ............................................................ 10

1.3 Research questions .................................................................................. 10

1.4 Structure of the thesis.............................................................................. 10

2 RESEARCH ................................................................................................... 12

2.1 Research Strategy.................................................................................... 12

2.2 Research Methodology ........................................................................... 13

2.3 Data Collection ....................................................................................... 14

2.4 Validity and reliability ............................................................................ 14

3 FACTS OF MARINE INDUSTRY INDIA ................................................... 17

3.1 Overview of the Indian seafood industry ................................................ 17

4 LEAN SIX SIGMA LITERATURE REVIEW .............................................. 20

4.1 Quality..................................................................................................... 20

4.2 Waste....................................................................................................... 23

4.3 Quality Management (QM)..................................................................... 25

4.4 Continuous Improvement........................................................................ 27

4.5 CI Methodologies.................................................................................... 28

4.5.1 Lean Management Principles ...................................................... 29

4.5.2 Six Sigma .................................................................................... 31

4.5.3 Lean Six Sigma ........................................................................... 32

4.5.4 Lean Six Sigma Tool: VSM ........................................................ 33

4.5.5 Lean Six Sigma Problem Solving Method: DMAIC .................. 35

4.6 Chapter Summary ................................................................................... 38

5 EMPIRICAL FINDINGS ............................................................................... 39

5.1 Case Company X: Marine Product Industry ........................................... 39

5.1.1 Standard Acquired by company .................................................. 40

5.1.2 Organization Structure ................................................................ 41

5.2 VSM finding ........................................................................................... 42

5.3 Defining Problem .................................................................................... 43

5.4 Measuring ............................................................................................... 44

5.5 Analyzing ................................................................................................ 44

5.5.1 Environment ................................................................................ 45

5.5.2 Workforce ................................................................................... 46

5.5.3 Process ........................................................................................ 46

5.5.4 Equipment ................................................................................... 47

5.5.5 Management ................................................................................ 48

5.6 Improving ................................................................................................ 49

5.7 Control .................................................................................................... 59

6 CONCLUSION .............................................................................................. 60

6.1 Discussion ............................................................................................... 60

6.2 Conclusion .............................................................................................. 61

6.3 Limitations and ....................................................................................... 62

6.4 Future Research ...................................................................................... 62

REFERENCES ...................................................................................................... 63

5

LIST OF FIGURES AND TABLES

Figure 1. The Thesis Structure 11

Figure 2. Fisheries and aquaculture production (source FAOSTAT) 17

Figure 3. Market wise exports 2017- 18 (Value in US$) (Source MPEDA) 19

Figure 4. Market wise exports 2017- 18 (Quantity in MT) (Source MPEDA) 19

Figure 5. Knowledge Waste Tree. (Source: Ward 2014, 43) 24

Figure 6. Lean Six Sigma Approach. (Source: Powell 2017, 5) 33

Figure 7. Current State Value Stream Map (Source: Martin 2014; Powell 2017) 34

Figure 8. DMAIC stages 35

Figure 9. Organizational Chart, Case Company X 42

Figure 10. Current State Map Company X 43

Figure 11. Cause and effect diagram, Case Company X 44

Figure 12. The relation between pre-processing and influencing factors of the

environment. 45

Figure 13. The relation between pre-processing and influencing factors of the People.46

Figure 14. The relation between pre-processing and influencing factors of the process.

47

Figure 15. The relation between pre-processing and influencing factors of the equipment.

48

Figure 16. The relation between pre-processing and influencing factors of the

management 49

Table 1. Marine product export 2017-18. ...................................................................... 18

Table 2. Quality attribute for food products. ................................................................. 22

Table 3. Critical factors of quality management. ........................................................... 26

Table 4. Lean Principles ................................................................................................ 30

Table 5. Variety of Products. ......................................................................................... 39

Table 6. The key performance improvement area: Environment. ............................... 50

Table 7. The key performance improvement area: Workforce. ................................... 51

Table 8. The key performance improvement area: Process. ......................................... 53

Table 9. The key performance improvement area: Equipment. ................................... 55

Table 10. The key performance improvement area: Management ............................... 56

6

LIST OF APPENDICES

APPENDIX I Preliminary Data Gathering Forum

APPENDIX II VSM current state mapping Brainstorming questions

APPENDIX III Interview Questionnaire

APPENDIX IV Interview Data

7

ABBREVIATIONS

BRC The British Retail Consortium

CI Continuous Improvement

CTQ Critical To Quality

DMAIC Define Measure Analyze Improve and Control

EEZ Exclusive Economic Zone

EU European Union

FAO Food and Agriculture Organization

FAOSTAT Food and Agriculture Organization Statistics

FSSAI Food Safety and Standards Authority of India

FSSC Food Safety System

HACCP Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point

IQF Individual Quick Frozen

JIT Just In Time

LAMDA Look Ask Model Discuss and Act

LSS Lean Six Sigma

MPEDA The Marine Products Export Development Authority

NNVA Necessary but Non-Value-Added

NVA Non-Value-Added

PD Peeling and Deveining

PDCA Plan Do Check Act

8

PDSA Plan Do Study Act

SIPOC Suppliers Inputs Process Outputs Customers

SPC Statistical Process Control

TQM Total Quality Management

TPS Toyota Production System

QM Quality Management

VA Value Added

VOC Voice Of Customer

VSM Value Stream Mapping

9

1 INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background

Increasing competition and making efforts towards maximizing productivity and profita-

bility have always been part of organizations worldwide. The organization's productivity

and profitability are directly or indirectly affected by the various factors; one of the ele-

ments is a different kind of waste. Organizations nowadays are practicing Lean principles,

as multiple types of research have quantified that applying Lean practices is the enhanced

technique to improve productivity by reducing time-consuming actions, which are non-

value added, which subsequently increases productivity and lowers production cost. As

productivity is an increase, it positively affects profitability. (Dave, 2019). Lean Man-

agement's primary goal is to establish and design a process that improves an industry's

productivity while identifying non-value-added practices in production or operation and

eliminating such practice to reduce waste and satisfy stakeholders' needs. "Womack and

Jones say in Lean Thinking, that lean companies figure out what value, is – what custom-

ers actually want – and concentrate on "value streams," the related activities that create

value." (Hobbs 2004, 3; Ward & Sobek II, 2014, 21; Womack & Jones 1996).

Companies are endeavoring to enhance the productivities of their operations through ad-

vancements in the processes. As the nature of the product in the food industry is perisha-

ble, time is a crucial factor, so shortening lead time and reducing wastes becomes essen-

tial. (Mahalik & Nambiar, 2010). Boosting productivity, establishing a great functioning

workforce and product quality can drive by using several initiatives, such as total quality

management (TQM) developed by William Deming, Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) devel-

oped by W. Edwards Deming, which was a revision of the "Plan-Do-Check-Act Improve-

ment Cycle (PDCA)" developed by Walter A. Shewhart, Six Sigma, Statistical Process

Control (SPC), Value Stream Mapping methodology (VSM). (Madu 1999; Eslamy &

Newman &Weinberger 2014; Nicholas 2018, 23-54).

Among the list of Lean management approaches, Lean Six Sigma is widely practice.

Where Lean tools visually present the current situation, and Six Sigma methodology an-

alyzes and suggests an improvement. There are many research cases, studied and docu-

10

mented, where organization used Lean Six Sigma to improve the flaw and unpredictabil-

ity in processes to meet the customer contentment. (Hung & Sung, 2011). Therefore on

this background, this research aims to use the Lean Six Sigma methodology to design a

framework for continuous improvements to enhance productivity and profitability at case

company X.

1.2 Research problem and objectives

The intention of this thesis is to implement the Lean Six Sigma DMAIC practice in a

marine food product company based in western India for increasing productivity and

eliminating waste. In this research, factors affecting quality in production and profitability

at case company X will be analyze using Six Sigma DMAIC to make suggestions that

will enhance production quality and productivity. These studies will be engaged in the

following specific objectives to accomplish our goals:

• Apply Six Sigma DMAIC analysis in case company X to enhance production

quality.

• Define the areas that need to upgrade to enhance production processes.

• Create recommendations that will lead to increased production processes and

profitability.

• Eliminating waste and non-value added procedures.

1.3 Research questions

To accomplish the research objective mentioned in section 1.2, the following research

questions were generated.

RQ1: What are the causes of waste?

RQ2: What are the reasons behind the causes of waste?

RQ3: How can waste be eliminated?

1.4 Structure of the thesis

The thesis structure is divided into six chapters: the introduction, the literature review,

research methodology, the empirical findings, results from analysis and discussion of the

11

outcomes, and conclusion. This research paper is base on theoretical and empirical find-

ings. The study's background, motivation, and objectives are reviewed, and present the

research questions in the introduction. An overview of the entire research provided in the

first chapter; was designed with the help of the thesis structure. (Figure 1.) Chapter three

provided some facts about the Indian marine industry, explaining the global market pos-

sibility for our case company.

The literature review of the study stated in Chapter four provides the framework and rel-

ative theories used to conduct the research and achieve the objectives. The theoretical

analysis presented is to reach a complete groundwork, including quality, waste, quality

management, continuous improvement, Lean Six Sigma tools, and methodology. The em-

pirical section in Chapter five provides a detailed investigation of the cause of nonprofit-

able activities in case company X using Lean tool VSM and Six Sigma methodology

DMAIC. The thesis outline intends to structure the empirical study and apply research or

remodel the processes based on the theoretical groundwork—the thesis framework is

structured to uncover findings using empirical study relative to the theoretical foundation.

Figure 1. The Thesis Structure

Introduction

•Background

•Research objectives

•Research questions

•Structure of the thesis

Theoretical Study

•The Indian Seafood industry

•Continuous Improvement

•Lean Six Sigma

Empirical Findings

•Data Collection

•Interviews

•Analysis of Data

Conclusion

•Discussion

•Limitations

•Further Research

12

2 RESEARCH

Research is the process of stepping towards the conclusion of a problem through inter-

pretation and analysis of the methodical and intended collected data. "Research is an art

of scientific investigation." (Kothari 2004, 1-2). As per Redman and Mory, research is a

"systematized effort to gain new knowledge" (Redman & Mory 1923, 10). According to

Clifford Woody, "the research is not merely a search for truth, but a prolonged, purpose-

ful, intensive search. It encompasses defining and redefining problems, formulating hy-

potheses by collecting, organizing, and evaluating data, suggesting solutions and making

conclusions, and at last testing the conclusions to determine whether they fit the formu-

lating hypotheses." (Woody 1927)

According to Clifford Woody, this research follows the definition, which means we're

defining and redefining the case company X's problems, formulating assumptions by col-

lecting information, evaluating by brainstorming, discussion, and interviews, to suggest

the appropriate solutions. (Woody 1927)

The research chapter states the definitions of research. The study section includes the

research strategy to direct this study, describe the research methodology used for this

study, and data collection, validity, and reliability of these studies.

2.1 Research Strategy

This study is base on complementary approaches, which is a combination of inductive

and deductive methods. Firstly, the study used deductive approaches, which means col-

lecting the theories and literature relative, to approach the case company X—further mak-

ing a framework for analyzing by gathering data using research methodology. Secondly,

using the inductive research approach means observing the collected data and further

gathering the theories that can be applied to suggest the solutions. (Blackstone 2018, 19-

22)

13

2.2 Research Methodology

Kothari stated research methods as a data-gathering technique that used is to research

conduction. There are various types of research, namely; Descriptive vs. Analytical re-

search, Fundamental vs. Applied research; Quantitative vs. Qualitative research; Empiri-

cal vs. Conceptual analysis, and some other types of research. This research motivation

is to face the challenge of finding the problem and solve them, quantitative and qualitative

research method is well suited for our research motive. (Kothari, 2004, 1-6).

Quantitative research is measurement-based, whether it is quantity or amount. It is suita-

ble for analysis that can show in numbers. Hence, this methodology focuses on using

numerical data for verification purposes; it uses methods such as surveys, questionnaires,

or historical data (Saunders, Lewis & Thornhill 2009). The quantitative approach is most

common in primary data collection in marketing research.

Qualitative research is defined as "As unstructured methodology centered on small mod-

els, aimed to provide insight and comprehension." Qualitative research is quality based,

which is concerned with qualitative phenomena such as facts related to or involved with

quality, by using this research method to discover underlying motivation and outcomes,

using group and individual interviews or both according to the purpose. There are three

main techniques exercised in this method, i.e., observation, in-depth interviews, and focus

groups. These techniques can also be blend and used. This method allows the respondents

to reflect upon the project, processes, and express their views in their terms.

As the research is about increasing productivity, profitability, and waste elimination in

the case company, the qualitative research methodology is well suited for this research.

The study is also a project for a case company with a limited audience, which means the

quantitative method matrix won't work with this research. The qualitative methods used

for this research are focus groups, observation, and interviews. The qualitative approach

will help us find out what, why, and how for our project. In brief, what is wrong and

creating waste; why it is happening, and how can we prevent it? Answers and data col-

lected will help us in our DMAIC steps to ensure consistency and improvement.

14

2.3 Data Collection

Mainly the data collection and analysis are accomplished based on an interview. Initial

brainstorming helped focus on a particular group or area in the case-company; the brain-

storming performed using a virtual platform and basic questionnaire.

Further, the researcher observed with associates' help in a focused group and studied in-

ternal documents before using the interview method. The researcher carried out Inter-

views with all the participants within a week, dated 14th to 20st October 2020, using a

virtual platform. These interviews were in open discussion form guided with interview

questions. All the participants were either from the production, process, or quality control

area; they were aware of the project and had participated in initial brainstorming. The

participants were self-motivated to participate in the project and communicate through

their best knowledge about their suggestions and opinions—the prior permission request

of recording the interview discussion. The only interview was audio-recorded, which re-

spondent's permitted to do the recording. (note: interviews performed were in the local

language where the case company is situated.) All the information gathered or discussion

made concerning this research was with the electronic and virtual platform's help. It was

the only possibility in the COVID-19 pandemic situation.

2.4 Validity and reliability

The crucial aspects of all the researches are validity and reliability, with careful attention

to these aspects creates the difference between decent and weak analysis. Validity and

reliability of research assure stakeholders to find credibility and trustworthiness in the

research project. (Brink, 1993). As this research is base on qualitative methodology, va-

lidity and reliability are sensitive in this project. Golafshani (2003) stated, "if reliability

and validity are relevant to research hypotheses, especially from a qualitative point of

view, have to reformulated to reflect the multiple ways of establishing the truth." (Golaf-

shani 2003)

Validity in research is apprehensive with the truthfulness and accuracy of findings; there

are two known effective forms of validity, internal validity, and external validity. The

internal-validity focuses on analyzing if the research is genuinely reflecting and repre-

senting reality. The second major, external validity, addresses if the results or findings or

15

reflections of reality are legitimately applicable in the context and to what extend. (Healy,

2000). Further, the validity can be divide into three subgroups; Conceptual or construct

validity; Content validity, and Criterion validity. Construct validity defines how well the

research is developed; the content validity shows how well the research method reflects

research data. The criterion validity assesses how well the value of the measurement is

reflecting the research topic.

Reliability is the extent to which the researchers' data collection and analysis methods

and techniques will yield coherent outcomes. The reliability highlights the reproducibility

of the research. In the book "Research Methods for Business Students,2009," Saunders et

al. stated possible threats to reliability and validity. There are four threats to reliability

and six threats to validity. (Saunders, 2009; Grafton, Lillis, Ihantola & Kihn, 2011; Max-

well, 1992).

The reliability threats are:

• Participant error: If the study conducted is in a different time, situation, and sur-

roundings, the participant error can occur, generating a different result.

• Participant bias: Participant bias can occur due to organization pressure or supe-

rior pressure on the respondent.

• Observer error: researcher's judgment can influence the use of the measurement.

• Observer bias: it occurs if the researcher has a predetermined outcome.

The validity threats are:

• History suggests the unrelated events that occur during the study of a group of

individuals but are not part of the processes and may affect the results.

• Maturation suggests that the previous events may affect the result physically or

psychologically of the research or participant themselves.

• Testing is the possibility that the respondent is aware of the measure and is con-

cerned about its negative effect on him, affecting the result.

• Instrumentation threat is developed in the research when there is a specific change

in policies, which plays a vital role in studies' results.

• Mortality refers to the situation where the respondent backoff or not interested in

participating in the full event or all phases of the event. It may affect bias results.

16

• Ambiguity about the causal direction suggests the effect caused by the negative

attitude about appraisal based on low-performance ratings.

(Ihantola & Kihn, 2011; Saunders, 2009)

This study has created several methods to reach the measure of validity and reliability.

The methodology used in studies is qualitative open interviews based on support ques-

tions to maintain its focus. The respondent was from the relative department with ground

knowledge of the processes on which our project is the focus. The interviews were plan

according to respondent schedule to avoid participant error, and the respondent identity

will be kept confidential to avoid participant bias. The questions were formed with open-

end discussion to prevent researcher error and prejudice. The researcher secured the stud-

ies' credibility by using the literature as a reference point for the empirical findings. The

research problem is valid and related to the actual business process. The research outcome

will be applicable in real business and continued, which shows the studies' relevance.

However, most of the threats have been taken care of; the pandemic situation can affect

the data gathering and observation of the process in particular. The virtual meeting can

prove as a positive and negative at the same time. The virtual conference is audio-based,

making the respondent feel more comfortable and staying anonymous, which will result

in accuracy and frankness in putting up their opinion.

17

3 FACTS OF MARINE INDUSTRY INDIA

The literature will commence with available knowledge on the Indian seafood industry,

clarify what is quality and waste in processes, quality management, the techniques and

practices used in quality improvement, and a general view on the successful implemen-

tation of the Six Sigma to the affected areas.

3.1 Overview of the Indian seafood industry

The Indian seafood industry is prospered with the Indian coastline of 7,516 km and 2.02

million km² of an Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). The coastline population is nearly

one billion, i.e., 20 percent; aquaculture and fisheries are a significant segment with ele-

vated growth rates and play a key role in occupation and livelihood. This sector provides

about 13 million jobs in aquaculture, marine capture, inland capture, and others, including

subsistence, with women representing 32 percent of the people employed in the sector.

(FAO 2020)

India ranked fourth globally in fisheries production, after China, Indonesia, and the

United States, but India is the third most significant producer globally in aquaculture pro-

duction. Fish production in 2017 reached an estimation of 6.2 million tonnes, and export

earnings from fish, shrimps, and fishery products accounted for about UD$ 7.2 billion.

Figure 2. Fisheries and aquaculture production (source FAOSTAT)

0

2,000,000

4,000,000

6,000,000

8,000,000

10,000,000

12,000,000

14,000,000

2014 2015 2016 2017 2018

Vo

lum

e (t

on

nes

)

Axis Title

Fisheries Aquaculture

18

During the financial year 2017-18, the export quantity of seafood 13,77,244 MT worth

US$ 7.08 billion has accomplished by India. The growth percent in quantity compared to

2016-17 has been 21.35, and in US$ has been 22.57.

Export summary reports given in Table 1 (MPEDA 2018)

Table 1. Marine product export 2017-18.

Export Details 2017-18 2016-17 Growth %

Quantity in Tons 13,77,244 11,34,948 21.35

Value in Crores 45,106.89 37,870.90 19.11

US$ in Million 7,081.55 5,777.61 22.57

Unit Value (US$/Kg) 5.14 5.09 1.01

India is looking to expand fishing activities into its full EEZ and has shown interest in

conversion and modernization in every stage, such as post-harvest activities, etc. India is

also looking further to increase its per capita fish consumption, enhance distribution sys-

tems, increase production levels, and reduce risk in this area.

Major Markets

The prominent Indian seafood was exported to the USA with a share of 32.76% in terms

of value in US$. In 2017-18 the USA imported about 2.47.780 million tonnes of marine

products from India. The second-largest importer in South East Asia with a share of

31.59% in US$, the major southeast Asian markets are Vietnam with the percentage share

of 79.29%, Thailand with the percentage share of 11.63%, Taiwan with the percentage

share of 3.12%, Malaysia with the percentage share of 2.57%, Singapore with the per-

centage share 1.68%, South Korea with the percentage share of 1.51% and other countries

from South East Asia with the percentage share of 0.20% respectively. (MPEDA, 2018).

The European Union comes third with a share of 15.77%, followed by Japan with a share

of 6.29%, the Middle East countries with a percentage of 4.10%, China with a share of

3.21%, and other countries with a share of 6.28%. (MPEDA 2018)

19

Figure 3: Market wise export in value, and Figure 4: Market-wise export in quantity,

gives the details for Indian marine products on significant markets.

Figure 3. Market wise exports 2017- 18 (Value in US$) (Source MPEDA)

Figure 4. Market wise exports 2017- 18 (Quantity in MT) (Source MPEDA)

Value in US$

SOUTH EAST ASIA

CHINA

EUROPEAN UNION

USA

JAPAN

MIDDLE EAST

OTHERS

Quantity in MT

SOUTH EAST ASIA

CHINA

EUROPEAN UNION

USA

JAPAN

MIDDLE EAST

OTHERS

20

4 LEAN SIX SIGMA LITERATURE REVIEW

4.1 Quality

Quality is not a simple endeavor to define. Quality can be determined in various ways;

the different perspectives define the quality differently. It means quality measures can be

other from manufacturing industries than service industries; academically, quality is

based differently from that of practitioners even in the same industry. According to

Shewhart, quality has two aspects, the objective aspect, and the subjective aspect. The

objective aspect refers to the quality of a thing as an objective reality impartial to a per-

son's actuality. The subjective aspect refers to quality as what the person senses, feels,

and thinks as an outcome of the empirical realism. The commercial interest is a subjective

aspect, but people typically measure the objective aspect. As per Juran and Feigenbaum,

quality means fitness or best for use for particular customer requirements. (Juran, 1970,

pp.18-27; Feigenbaum, 1951). The quality's modern definition is base on the previous

definition stated by Juran and Feigenbaum; in 1988, Parasuraman, Berry, and Zeithaml

define quality as achieving or surpassing customer expectations. (Sower, 2005; Shewhart,

1931, pp. 53-54; Parasuraman, Zeithaml, & Berry, 1988, pp. ).

The quality matter concerning the business, business demands high-quality products or

services in returns of investments. There are various stakeholders in all kinds of compa-

nies, and each has a different perspective on quality. It means other things to multiple

people, or the individual may have a different opinion based on various circumstances.

According to Gibson (1986), "Quality is notoriously elusive of prescription, and no easier

even to describe and discuss than deliver in practice." Subjectively quality is associated

with that which is excellent and worthy. One can view quality differently, such as excep-

tional products, fitting to purpose, value-added for money, unique services, or/ and trans-

formative technologies. If quality considered is to be exceeding high standards, it means

quality is identical to excellence. Excellence has two perceptions concerning quality, ex-

cellence with standards, and excellence as 'zero defects.' (Harvey & Green 1993; Gibson,

1986, pp. 128-135)

Quality, when conceptualized with food products, should consider at least four contexts.

These four contexts are production and maintenance context, social-cultural, political and

21

economic context, food production-consumption chain context, and regional context. Ac-

cording to their perspective, the production and maintenance of quality associate with

several players; they hold different definitions and quality measures. An excellent exam-

ple of this context is regulatory institutions; this institution is concerned with objective

indicators of the quality, such as applications of hygiene requirements related to food

industries. The second context, social-cultural, political, and economics, shows the con-

sumers' interest in the product, traditionally portrayed as subjective indicators, can be

well-defined as "quality such as experiential phenomena which lie in the eye of the be-

holder." From the consumer's perspective, an organization could produce quality out of

an appeal by tapping into consumers' subconscious desires in terms of texture, sense of

taste, flavors, appearance, and rates. (Ilbery & Kneafsey 2000)

A third important context is the food production-consumption chain, the continuously

cooperated nature of the concept of quality. The powerful actors of this context are, for

example, supermarkets; supermarkets claim that their products are of high quality; the

reason behind the claim is the strict health and safety standards that will impose upon

suppliers. The fourth context and final on the list are regions; quality is increasingly re-

lated to products from a specified area that uses local raw material and production meth-

ods. According to the Council of the European Communities, regulation '2081/92 notes,'

consumers are leaning to the product quality over product quantity, especially with the

food items, creating a heightened demand for the products with a recognizable geograph-

ical origin. It will give a clear picture to the consumers if the produced product were from

the region; which have high quality and tradition of hygiene in the food production pro-

cesses and are they well recognized and follow the standards such as European Councils,

US, Britain, and other country origins hygiene and food laws. (Ilbery 2000)

Definition of quality on different principles or methodologies on developing a skill set of

categorizing quality into five groups: transcendent based, product-based, manufacturing-

based, and value-based. Transcendent-based: According to Robert M. Pirsig 1999, "Qual-

ity is neither mind nor matter, but a third entity independent of the two…even though

quality cannot be defined, you know what it is." We can simply say that quality cannot

be characterized precisely; we learn to identify only through experience. The complexity

with this view is quality remains maddeningly vague. (Garvin 1988, 39-46; Pirsig, 1999,

pp 26)

22

Product Based definition: "Quality refers to the amounts of the unpriced attributes con-

tained in each unit of the priced attribute" Leffler K. 1982. In product-based illustrations,

view the quality as a precise and quantifiable variable. Product-based definitions of qual-

ity initially emerged in economic literature; the focus of early economic research on qual-

ity was entirely on durability. This approach has two apparent effects: it can achieve

higher quality only at a higher cost because quality shows the number of attributes and

attributes considered costly to produce. Second, the quality was believed an essential fea-

ture of goods rather than imputed to them. (Garvin, 1988; Leffler, 1982, pp. 956).

Manufacturing based definition: According to Crosby P., quality means congruence to

requirements. The approach focused on the consumers' interest in a product or services

that deviate from the specification. Last in the list, value-based definitions: value-based

is the quality in terms of expenses and rates. A survey on consumer perceptions of quality

in product categories such as food, clothing, beauty products, and personal care suggested

that the value-based view is becoming more common. The raw material and elements are

seen as essential quality indicators. (Garvin, 1988; Crosby, 1979, pp. 15).

Table 2. Quality attribute for food products.

Quality Attribute Subcategories

1. Food Safety

Attribute

2. Nutrition

Attribute

3. Value

Attribute

4. Package

Attribute

5. Process

Attribute

Foodborne infectious

agent Calories Size

Packaging

materials Environmental impact

Heavy metals Fat appearance Labeling Marine life protection

Sulfite residue Fiber Taste Handling Biotechnology use

Naturally occurring

toxins

Minerals &

Vitamins

Handiness of

preparation Moving Worker safety

Quality in food products incorporates various attributes, as shown in table 2 (Caswell

1998); these attributes have a different impact on benefits and cost on the product quality

and quality management. The material attributes of particular products can influence

quality definitions and the environments from which they come; these factors can play a

crucial role. The individual components and movements within commodity chains define

each other as material or supplies move throughout commodity chains, both physically

and in processes in specific ways, and correlate to physical operations and cultural and

23

economic practices. This theory shows that "the quality" of fish or marine production can

be defined differently in each production area, different areas like fish biology or raw

material, processing, technologies, and strategies. But the overall outcome of all the pro-

duction quality can be the sum in the final product. (Mansfield 2003)

4.2 Waste

Anything that obstructs the value of the stream is waste. The term waste itself indicates

the loss, the opposite of worth, so in terms of value, waste is those activities that do not

create any value but still utilize costs, time, and resources. If producers analyze the pro-

cesses and identify the waste, the waste can be something that can be used to create value

by using it differently. (León, 2013). The knowledge of "waste" will help organizations

or businesses to decide if the change is necessary and what need to be changed. Changes

that are possible to make immediately, build the case for change, identify the process or

system, tailor the method or process according to the situation, and continuous improve-

ment. Once identified, the waste allows the procedures to be improved quickly, which

unquestionably creates value. (Ward & Sobek II, 2014, 41-69).

The Toyota Production System (TPS), originator, Taiichi Ohno, addressed the issue by

asking why and answering why's, discovered the cause of a problem. The evolution of the

Toyota Production System identified seven wastes in production those were: waste of

overproduction, waste of time – it can be waiting time in processes or time which do not

add any value to operations, unnecessary processing, movement and transportation, in-

ventory, and process or product defects. The Toyota Production System had clearly

shown that eliminating these wastes can increase operation productivity entirely by a wide

margin. (Ward 2014; Ohno 1988.)

The most important findings Taiichi Ohno found were overproduction, directly or indi-

rectly generating the remaining waste. The production, which was unnecessary at that

point, created inventory, time-consuming for extra output, movement, and transportation

of additional products to the warehouse, processing, and generating defects during these

products' processing. An indispensable waste, other than these six, found by Ohno was

knowledge waste. 'Knowledge wastes' were based on three primary categories: scatter,

hand-off, and wishful thinking. Furthermore, these three categories are associated with

additional two classifications, see Figure. 5.; Scatter means the activities that make

24

Figure 5. Knowledge Waste Tree. (Source: Ward 2014, 43)

knowledge unproductive by disturbing its flow; actions such as reorganization and work-

load variations slow down the information flow to reach the right place. These further

uses increase time to carry information through channels, which creates barriers to com-

munications; additionally, a choice of inadequate tools sum more trouble in processes.

Hand-off can be said to be the most critical waste in knowledge wastes. As we know,

having information keeps the processes going on, but if the information is useless, it will

undoubtedly adversely affect the operations. Useless information, usually generated wait-

ing, which can be the cause behind the waste of time. The third category is wishful think-

ing, which means operating blindly or concluding without data. This blindness mostly

occurs because of relying on the testing of specifications and discarded knowledge. The

example is stated in the book to make this sense. A Ford team built a control system for

door hardware, which Mazda used; before starting the use of that control system, Ford

went to standard test for a few weeks and found bugs in the system. Still, Mazda over-

looked and used the system directly, which caused them a waste. (Ward 2014.)

Kn

ow

led

ge W

aste

Scatter

Communication barriers

Poor tools

Hand-off

Useless information

Waiting

Wishful thinking

Testing to specifications

Discarded knowledge

25

4.3 Quality Management (QM)

Quality management can be defined as a management structure to supervise and manage

an organization in terms of quality. (Krifi, Ben, Bonert, Mosbah, Jaafar, Chabir & Perrin,

2013, 44-52). The straight and easy meaning of quality management is 'how organizations

managed quality.' Globalization by businesses introduces more challenges, such as prod-

ucts of superior quality from abroad. Organizations respond to this task by adopting a

comprehensive view of quality, resulting in commencing quality management in all busi-

ness phases. "Quality management is a key element in the World Class Manufacturing

approach to achieving and sustaining a competitive advantage." The definition used by

Barbara Flynn and Roger Schroeder says that quality management is an integrated meth-

odology to accomplish and sustain superior quality manufactured goods, aiming at the

maintenance and constant up-gradation of processes and preventing the defect at all levels

and functions of the organization, in order to fulfill customer expectations. (Flynn,

Schroeder & Sakakibara, 1994).

The academics and practitioners like Deming (1986), Juran (1986), Crosby (1979 and

1984), and Feigenbaum (1983) proposed many approaches to manage quality; with their

vast practical experience in the quality field, they described various technical and mana-

gerial techniques comprising the use of statistical methods, processes remodeling, em-

ployee education, and pieces of training, change in organizational culture, etc. The eight

critical factors were identified of quality management at the business division level by

Saraph, Schroeder, and Benson in 1989. The elements are listed as follows:

1. The role of top management leadership

2. The role of the quality department

3. Training

4. Product and service design

5. Supplier quality management

6. Process management

7. Quality data and reporting

8. Employee relations

26

Table 3. Critical factors of quality management.

(Source: Saraph, Benson & Schroeder 1989).

The description of these factors, presented in Table 3, covers the specific issues. Imple-

mentation of these eight areas with proper management can grant improved quality per-

formance and effective quality management in a business unit. (Benson 1991; Saraph &

Schroeder 1989; Deming 1986; Juran 1986; Crosby 1979, 1984; and Feigenbaum 1983).

While brainstorming, most of the stakeholders from the case company were focus on

processes and production. Keeping this in mind and trying to brief more from the view-

point of process management. Process management has meant to keep the manufacturing

Critical Factors of Quality

Management

Explanation of Critical Factors

1. The role of top man-

agement leadership

General Manager and department head acknowledgment of quality

accountability. Quality evaluation by top management and participa-

tion in making improvement efforts. Specifying quality goals. Com-

prehensive quality planning with an awareness of the relation of

quality with cost and schedule.

2. The role of the quality

department

Sovereignty and visibility of the quality department. Transparency

between the quality department and top management. Including

quality staff for consultation. Harmonization between quality and

other departments. The efficiency of the quality department.

3. Training Provision of statistical, trade, and quality allied training for all em-

ployees.

4. Product and service

design

Avoidance of repeated redesigns. Emphasis on producibility and

clarity of specifications by extensive involvement of all involved de-

partments in design reviews.

5. Supplier quality man-

agement

Quality based purchasing a policy. Supplier assistance in product de-

velopment. Reliance on supplier process control and supplier quality

control.

6. Process management Flawless process design. Employee self-assessment. Preventative

maintenance.Use of statistical process control with clarity of process

ownership, boundaries, and steps.

7. Quality data and re-

porting

Feedback of quality data to managers and employees to address is-

sues. Quality performance-based evaluation of employees and man-

agers. Access to quality data.

8. Employee relations Employees are participating in quality decision-making and taking

responsibility for quality. All sorts of involvement of employees in

quality circles. Constant quality awareness of all employees. Com-

pany Presenting awards to employees for superior quality perfor-

mance.

27

process operating smoothly. These results can achieve by if management concentrates on

managing the manufacturing process without missing materials, breakdowns, fixtures,

and tools. Good process management develops, defines, and documents their process pre-

cisely. Instruction for the workforce and workstations is well equipped and organized to

minimize operations errors and flexibility of operation processes. Process management

also includes cleanliness and structured work practices to avoid hazards and accidents.

(Flynn, 1994). The quality management process approach also benefits by enhancing the

ability to focus on significant processes with opportunities for improvement, predictable

and consistent outcomes. Through effective use of process management, resources can

be used efficiently, with reduced cross-functional barriers and optimized performance. It

increases the organization's effectiveness, consistency, and efficiency to provide custom-

ers' demand and confidence in stakeholders. (Wilson & Campbell, 2016).

4.4 Continuous Improvement

Will Rogers stated, "Even if you're on the right track, you will get run over if you just sit

there." (Nicholas 2018, 23) Bessant J. defines Continuous improvement as "a company-

wide process of enabling a continuing stream of focused, incremental innovation." (Bes-

sant 1994). It means making minor improvements, taking small steps, bettering, cumula-

tive innovation of short cycles of changes over time, and focusing on a particular object.

CI is a powerful tool but enabling the power of CI depends on creating a context within

organizations. The effects of strategic goals for organizations' survival and success need

to be distinctly understood; there is no need to specify the goals tightly. Still, it is essential

to communicate clearly. A clear strategy to achieve the goal and effective communication

with all employees and to recognize the process to accomplish the goal is twofold of the

CI management program. (Bessant, 1994).

A philosophy that Deming described related continuous improvement is simply as of "Im-

provement initiatives that increase successes and reduce failures" (Juergensen 2000). An-

other definition of CI is "a culture of sustained improvement targeting the elimination of

waste in all systems and processes of an organization." This culture necessitates the in-

volvement of all employees to create improvements without making enormous capital

investments. (Bhuiyan 2005; Deming 1986)

28

To acquire a better perception of continuous improvement and its philosophy to create

steady growth and innovation, we will go through some examples:

- Toyota is known for its adoption of "Lean" in many of their management prac-

tices, which lead Toyota to be the most significant manufacturing company. They

founded their production system, the Toyota Production System (TPS), which was

based on two primary concepts: one is "Jidoka," also known as "autonomation."

It means taking immediate action on the problem occurs to avoid fault production

and tackle the issue immediately. The second is "Just-in-time(JIT)," which means

production was produced when it is required. (Ohno 1988; Impruver 2020)

- Scania is designing and manufacturing buses and heavy trucks in the automotive

industry since 1930. The company started its continuous improvement journey in

the 1990s; they practice visual Management and LAMDA principles (Look-Ask-

Model-Discuss-Act), which turn out to be helpful in product engineering execu-

tive management, continuous improvement in product development processes.

(Persson 2016; Sobek 2014, 261-279)

4.5 CI Methodologies

The effectual implementation of continuous improvement (CI) methodologies is an es-

sential accomplishment for any organization. Several CI methodologies have been cre-

ated and founded on a critical quality or process improvement concept, decreasing waste,

streamlining the manufacturing processes, and enhancing quality. This methodology al-

lows the organizations to develop their own business or process framework from scratch

involving all ranks of employees; this benefits them from learning from the processes'

best practices and leveraging what has proved to work.

The methodologies are Lean Management, Six Sigma, Lean Six Sigma (LSS), Total

Quality Management (TQM), Just-In-Time (JIT), Kaizen is also known as Rapid Im-

provement Event (RIE), Hoshin Kanri (Hoshin Planning), PDCA (Plan-Do-Check-Act,

is also known as Deming Cycle), Daily Huddles, Theory of constraints, Value Stream

Mapping, Standard Work, Gemba Walks, Kanban, Poka-Yoka. All these approaches help

firms achieve a similar goal of optimizing quality, productivity, efficiency, and waste

reduction. Various research has indicated that the best known and practiced methodolo-

gies mentioned above are Lean, value stream mapping Six Sigma, and Lean Six Sigma.

29

(Bhuiyan 2005; Salah 2010; Bashar 2016; Nicholas 2018, 23-24; Rever 2019; Droho-

meretski, Gouvea, Pinheiro & Garbuio 2014)

In his article, Martichenko states that if the organization wants to improve its perfor-

mance, it should focus more on continuous improvement. The organizations' benefits that

CI delivers are satisfying customer needs and wants; employees and suppliers' involve-

ment in processes makes the environment healthy and its financial growth. (Woods 1997;

Nicholas 2018, 12-13; Bessant 1994; Goldsby & Martichenko, 2005 )

4.5.1 Lean Management Principles

Lean philosophy is streamlined around the idea of detecting and eliminating waste in its

various forms mentioned as Muda, Mura, and Muri. Muda is most commonly used for

defining Lean. Muda means a kind of "waste" where humans use resources in any activity,

which creates no value; some examples are human error in production, waiting, unneces-

sary processes, inventory, overproduction, unrequired transportation, and movement.

Scott stated Muda as "the most seen waste." Muri is the kind of waste where the processes

or employees are overloaded; the overload can be because of that the employees or oper-

ations are not working or used to their potential. Mura was defined as irregularity and

asymmetry. Muda's cause can be because of muri if the organization is focused on waste

reduction and reduce Mura and Muri significantly diminish Muda. (Womack & Jones,

1996; Smith, 2014; Nicholas, 2018, 70).

"A set of beliefs and assumptions that force operational decisions and actions regarding

products and processes are known as Lean principles." "The general issues about what

a company should do in terms of product and process improvements are addressed in

lean principles. In general, they are worthwhile prescriptions for the conduct of any or-

ganization or business, lean or otherwise." (Nicholas 2018, 71)

The statement above can be brief as the action was taken to simplify the production or

processes, usually minimizing waste. Simplification term in lean principle means achiev-

ing the same output but with the primary way and fewer complex processes or actions

with fewer inputs. (Nicholas 2018, 71-74) Womack and Jones presented five principles

of lean in 1996; they were illustrated in a cyclical form which starts with the constant

cycle of waste removal from specifying value from customers' perspective; that leads to

30

the second step of identifying the value stream, continuing to the third principle of making

the value-creating measures flow, the fourth principle is to ponder the pull from the cus-

tomer. The fifth is to strive for perfection. (Womack & Jones 1996, 15-26)

The specifying value from the customer's perspective, the generic approach of lean think-

ing in this principle is to identify activities that add the costs but do not add any value for

the customer, is waste. Lean thinking is about eliminating this waste, which is non-value

added. Identifying the value stream demonstrates a management philosophy in a lean

principle, which focuses on enhancing the full value chain and not just the part of pro-

cesses. Steps flow, creating value by designing process with continuous flow in small lots

and right sizes; this requires considerable effort in reformulating the traditional ap-

proaches. The customer's pull necessitates an organization to stop pushing its products on

customers and reverse it to products made on customers' demand. The above four princi-

ples interact in a virtuous cycle with each other, which leads the process to its completion

with the last step, which is the strive to perfection. To remove the waste and create value,

it is essential that must follow the previous principle systematically. The importance of

the last theory of striving for perfection, we can see here. To strive for perfection aims to

the continuous improvement of processes. (Womack & Jones 1996, 15-26; Droho-

meretski, 2014)

As per the Fliedner G. (2008) journal, seven principles as shown in lean. Table 4 shows

the seven principles of Lean:

Table 4. Lean Principles

1. Reduce waste of overproduction

2. Reduce the waste of waiting time

3. Reduce waste in shipment

4. Reduce waste of processing

5. Reduce waste of inventory

6. Reduce waste of movement

7. Reduce waste of making defective products

31

This journal shows that many organizations that practice these seven principles resulted

in eliminating waste. This implementation's by-product was enhanced environmental per-

formance, even though ecological performance initiation was not into planning. Ford is a

pioneer of lean principles, but Toyoda K., and Ohno T., refined Ford's approach and led

Toyota with an upgraded concept of seven lean principles. (Moya, Déleg, Sánchez &

Vásquez 2016, 2-3; Fliedner 2008, 3321- 3322; Bhuiyan 2005)

4.5.2 Six Sigma

Six Sigma originated in the United States in the late 1980s at the Motorola Corporation

and was adopted by General Electric, Sony, Johnson, Honeywell, and other leading firms

in the 1990s. Motorola developed and executed Six Sigma to achieve a challenging target

of 3.4 defects per million opportunities. Six Sigma is defined by Pyzdek in 2003 as "a

rigorous, focused, and highly effective implementation of proven quality principles and

techniques." In explanation, Pyzdek stated that the aim of using this method is essentially

an error-free business performance. The symbol of Sigma is a letter from the Greek al-

phabet used by statisticians to measure the processes' variables. (Gershon, 2010; Hakimi,

2018; Pyzdek, 2014).

Linderman et al. (2003), in their article, stated that "a systematic and organized method

to enhance the strategic process, new production and development of service that focuses

on statistical and scientific methods to make significant reductions in customer deter-

mined defect rates." Breyfogle 1999 defined Six Sigma as, "a statistically-based quality

improvement program, which helps to enhance business processes by lowering the waste

and costs related to poor quality, and by expanding the efficiency and effectiveness of

processes." (Hakimi 2018; Hung & Sung 2011, 581; Linderman, Schroeder, Zaheer &

Choo, 2003, pp. 193-203; Breyfogle, 199)

Six Sigma has not just been commonly incorporated with manufacturing and service in-

dustries by resulting in improvement in quality and reducing cost. Still, it also gained

popularity in other business areas. Studies show the academic community discovered the

six-sigma framework's applicability and correctness for performance enhancement of

software industries. Garg et al. (2004) devised a mathematical programming problem to

design Six Sigma applications into the supply chain, resulting in fast and low-cost product

delivery with excellence. Six Sigma methodology in process design was applied by

32

Sokovic et al. (2005) to improve inventories, and process tools perform lead-time as pro-

cess maps or the cause and effect matrix. To analyze the risk associated with different

projects, Su and Chou (2008) characterized projects as Green Belt, Black Belt, or other

analytical hierarchy to processes to prioritize the tasks by their organization's business

strategic policies of VOC, the voice of the customer. Spiegel et al. (2006) suggested in-

creasing its production quality; the company should select and apply appropriate and spe-

cific quality management activities to their situation. Food industries are also interested

in adopting Six Sigma because of its outcome, such as eliminating defects and enhancing

product quality. The fast-food giant McDonald's started to learn about lean and Six Sigma

methodologies and apply them to their relative projects. (Hakimi, 2018; Hung & Sung,

2011; Garg, Narahari, & Viswanadham, 2004; Sokovic, Pavletic, & Fakin, 2005; Su &

Chou, 2008; Van Der Spiegel, Luning, De Boer, Ziggers & Jongen, 2006). It shows Six

Sigma also works effectively in the food industry.

4.5.3 Lean Six Sigma

Several multinationals businesses implemented Lean and Six Sigma to accomplish busi-

ness excellence after the success of both methods in the business world. This Lean and

Six Sigma implementation was called lean six Sigma and was known as the new meth-

odology. This methodology was created to make a more significant share of the market,

and this method was further studied in specifics. The findings of these researches were

that some organizations were practicing the Lean and Six Sigma parallel to each other for

many years, resulting in creating Lean Six Sigma, which helped the organization focus

on a single methodology for improvement. George (2002) mentioned that the sharehold-

er's value was maximized by accomplishing the quickest rate of improvement in customer

satisfaction, quality, financed wealth, the process in terms of speed, and cost by using

lean six Sigma. This combo work systematically, where lean pursues to eliminate waste,

and Six Sigma engages in reducing variation. The organization is improved to its maxi-

mum potential. The lean six sigma practice in any significant improvement area first tack-

les the waste in that area, which further focuses on variations that need to be improved or

changed. (Bhuiyan 2005; George 2002)

Lean Six Sigma came into practice in the early 2000s, whereas, in 2013, the first study

was conducted on Lean Six Sigma in the food industry. Lean Six Sigma was implemented

33

in the food industry to reduce process variation, process cost, and increase productivity

and affordability. (Costa, Filho, Fredendall & Gómez Paredes 2018). Wheat et al. (2003)

implies that six Sigma complements the lean philosophy to offering tools and know-how,

such as cause-effect diagrams, statistical process control, measurement system analysis,

design of experiments, and the particular problems, which are classified using lean. (Pow-

ell, 2017; Wheat, Mills & Carnell, 2003).

Powell et al. (2013) suggest that there are numerous Lean implementation frameworks.

As per Thomas et al. (2008) and Garza-Reyes et al. (2014), the commonly used frame-

work of Six Sigma is the Define-Measure-Analyse-Improve-Control, also known as

DMAIC. In this research, after brainstorming, we combined Lean's fundamental mapping

technique VSM value stream mapping in order to improve the focus on increased value-

added before implementing the DMAIC approach. It means we will first identify waste

using a value stream mapping tool; at this level, we are focused on just the production

department to implement Lean Six Sigma. Further, we will implement the DMAIC

method to analyze and reduce and/or remove the waste. (Powell, 2017). Figure 6 is our

VSM DMAIC Lean Six Sigma model. (Thomas, Barton & Chuke‐Okafor, 2009; Garza-

Reyes, Lee, Kumar, Rocha-Lona & Mishra, 2013; Powell, 2013)

Figure 6. Lean Six Sigma Approach. (Source: Powell 2017, 5)

4.5.4 Lean Six Sigma Tool: VSM

Value Stream Mapping (VSM) is a well-known lean management method that helps busi-

nesses document and analyzes each step of the product or service process from the pur-

chase request to its delivery to the customer. The use was wide in all kinds of value chains.

Value Stream Mapping is also be defined as the documenting and analyzing method used

Control(maintain the new standard)

Improve(apply LSS

tools)

Analyze(comprehend

the root causes)

Measure(measure the

waste)

Define(comprehend the wastes)

Value Stream

Mapping (identify the

waste)

34

in each step from end to end process in the value chain. (KaiNexus 2012; Martin & Os-

terling 2014)

Martin et al., 2014 stated, "value stream mapping (VSM) is a rational and efficient way

to observe and solve disconnects, redundancies, and gaps in how work gets executed." In

the book "Learning to see" 2003, books author Rother and Shook, introduced a process

measurement framework that was more practical than the previous methodology. It

changed the practice in manufacturing industries. The organization benefits from the

framework by documenting and measuring their performance, analyzing how they can

deliver value to customers, and maximizing their performance with innovation and de-

sign. Keyte and Locher addressed in 2004 the first value stream mapping book, and this

book focused on administrative areas. It mainly covered the manufacturing sector office

environment. Since 2004, research work and literature have intensified and broadened in

organizations in other areas and/or different sectors in businesses. Nowadays, Lean tools

(VSM) also are used in industries like education, food services, financial services, hospi-

tality, healthcare, tourism, etc. (Martin 2014; Rother & Shook, 2003; Keyte & Locher,

2004)

Figure 7. Current State Value Stream Map (Source: Martin 2014; Powell 2017)

The value stream mapping is a modified method to create material and information flow

generated by Toyota Motor Corporation. Martin et al., 2014 stated in "Value stream map-

ping: how to visualize work and align leadership for organizational transformation" that

35

value stream maps differ from process maps in considerable ways and offers an all-inclu-

sive view on how workflows across the entire system. Firstly, value stream mapping on

the macro-level helps managers and/or leadership outline strategic improvements to the

workflow. Micro-level mapping allows the people working in processes to design calcu-

lated improvements. Secondly, value stream mapping gives a visual understanding of the

full process cycle from customers' requests to fulfill the customers' request. It is executed

by creating a storyboard using the structure of the current state value stream map. This

portrait, three components workflow, information flow, and summary timeline, as shown

in Figure 7., is the initial investigating phase of our case study. VSM maintains set up

with data collection to recognize the present process; this collected data is used to create

a process flow diagram called the current state value stream map. (Nicholas 2018)

4.5.5 Lean Six Sigma Problem Solving Method: DMAIC

Six Sigma problem-solving method DMAIC is a five-stage phase of Define, Measure,

Analyze, Improve, and Control. This has also been used as an improvement cycle (see

Figure 8) to identify, improve, and control the cause of waste. Each phase systematically

steps forward with relevant tools during process implementation. (Prashar, 2020)

Figure 8. DMAIC stages

Define

Measure

AnalyzeImprove

Control

36

The process helps to remove unproductive steps by focusing on new methods and apply

them for continuous improvement. (Michael, Mark & John, 2005; Surendro, 2013; Joran

& Jeroen, 2012).

Define

In the continuous improvement road map, this is the first step of the LSS problem-solving

method. It identifies the improvement required area in the process. Patel et al., 2011 stated

that the "define phase defines the nature of the problem." Define phase tools recom-

mended are; SIPOC, project charter, customer voice, surveys, brainstorming, focus

groups, current state analysis, and benchmarking. (Sahno & Shevtshenko 2014; Patel

2011; Desai 2015; Powell 2017)

The defining phase highlights the problem statement with specific and detailed measures,

which initialize launching the team to validate the stream mapping, analyze and handle

the project, and take necessary actions. (Patel 2011, 51-58; Powell 2017; Desai 2015).

The project charter creates the business case upholding the waste reduction's strategic

objective, creating the scope, communicating the plans, and developing a project sched-

ule.

Measure

Hakimi et al., 2018 state, measure as an assessment of the current situation and translate

the problem into a measurable parameter critical to quality. The measuring stage is the

data collection and evaluation stage to identify the process's critical defects. This method

determines the attributes that influence the performance of the process. Tools used for the

measure phase are; Value stream map, process flow diagram, check sheets, waste analy-

sis, machine speeds, process capability, and other quality management tools. (Patel 2011,

59-67; Powell 2017; Hakimi 2018).

Hung et al. stated that measure is a crucial transitional stage on Six Sigma road, which

helps the project team refine the problem and begin the search for root causes. This step

involves measuring the current performance, clear plan of process, contemplating the

hazard in the process. This process identifies key input in-process and output metrics with

37

a deeper understanding of value stream mapping. It validates measurement systems, gath-

ers baseline data, and determine process capability (Michael 2005; Surendro 2013)

Analyze

In the Analyse stage, data collected in the measuring stage is analyzed; this helps deter-

mine the gap between current performance and desire performance. This stage determines

the effect of factors and causes, which influences the (CTQ) critical to quality's behavior.

(Hakimi 2018; Patel 2011) This phase in DMAIC is crucial as the mistake in analyzing

will lead the project in the wrong direction, which may ignore the actual problem. If the

scope of DMAIC is well planned, it will help to identify influencing factors successfully.

(Joran 2012)

The analyses are performed to identify the possible reasons for the performance gap and

financial -measures and quantify the main causes of variation. It initially identifies the

major causes that create the problem, further using other measuring tools, such as; cause-

effect diagram or fishbone diagram or Ishikawa diagram, brainstorming, Pareto charts,

and tree diagram, which identify the sub causes. (Gershon 2010; Patel 2011, 68-78)

Improve

The improved stage is where the concepts for process improvement are created and exe-

cuted. The tools like brainstorming, future VSM, hypothesis testing, and poka-yoke

maybe use to generate improvement ideas. Each organization can develop its unique way

to improve their process by analyzing the problems or potential developing areas and

implementing them to achieve the planned result. (Michael, 2005). Simply improve stage

can be stated as to find out and imply the possible best solutions. (Kaswan & Rathi 2020)

Control

The control stage is intended to monitor the process to ensure the implementation applied

in the improvement stage performs according to expectation. (Sahno, 2014). Control sus-

tain the best solution. (Kaswan, 2020; Prashar, 2020). Hung et al. believe that the im-

proved process may well revert to its previous state without control efforts. To continually

maintain the improved process by eliminating waste, it is necessary to control the process.

(Gershon, 2010).

38

4.6 Chapter Summary

This chapter represents the recognized and most practiced concepts in the Lean Six Sigma

LSS. In chapter illustrates all the stages and tools used in the Lean Six Sigma method

relevant to this research. This research will follow the Lean Six Sigma VSM DMAIC

methodology for its strategic and analytical phases.

39

5 EMPIRICAL FINDINGS

5.1 Case Company X: Marine Product Industry

X Marine product industry is amongst the top marine food exporters situated in Mumbai,

India, established in 1988. The brand is well-known for its quality and integrity. The

company's mission and vision are to deliver a quality product in committed time with

stringent hygienic environments. In 2006 the company developed a new processing plant

with EU approval; they installed a fully integrated Individually Quick-Frozen Freezer

(IQF) with balancing and cooking facilities for value-added products.

Table 5. Variety of Products.

Products

Fish Crustaceans Cephalopods

Sea Caught Freshwater (wild-caught) Sea caught Sea caught

Bombay Duck Pabda Rock Lobster Cuttle Fish

Ribbon Fish Tengra Sea Tiger Squid

Pomfret (Black &

Silver)

Tilapia Black Tiger

Seer fish / Kingfish Scampi

Yellow Croaker Vannamei

Barracuda White Tiger

Red Snapper

Long Tail Tuna

Reef Cod

Horse Mackerel

Indian Mackerel

The case company X has extended the export market; it presently exports its products to

Africa, Asia Pacific, the Middle East, Europe, North America, and Latin America. The

company has marine food products in a vast range of choices, more than ten types of

40

fishes, more than five varieties of crustaceans, and Cephalopods (see Table 3). They can

deliver both marine water products and freshwater products according to customers' re-

quirements worldwide.

5.1.1 Standard Acquired by company

To cater to a successful business in a different continent and, companies are bound to

have additional certifications that incorporate those countries' laws and regulations. As

an exporter and food processing company, the case company acquires various certificates,

such as EU Certification, BRC Certification, HACCP, FSSC 22000, FSSAI, and Halal

Certifications. (APPENDIX 1)

• EU Certification: European Union Certification is an approval document from the

health and food safety of the European Commission to export fish, fishery prod-

ucts, or bivalve mollusks to the EU. This certificate is provided after examining

the product specific information on applicable national legislation on animal

health, food hygiene, the structure of the competent organizations, etc. It is man-

datory to avail of this certificate if the exporter wants to export the product to EU

countries. (EC Europa)

• BRC Certification: The British Retail Consortium Certification is an internation-

ally known index of food safety and quality. After conducting an audit by a char-

tered certification unit and obtaining conformity with the standards to ensure food

safety during the production, storing, packing, and distribution processes, it is

granted. BRC is now known as BRCGS- Brand Reputation Compliance Global

Standard. (BRCGS 2020)

• Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point: which is known as HACCP, is a world-

wide recognized approach for lowering the risk of food safety hazards. Food and

drug administration FDA operates and controls the HACCP program. This pro-

gram is designed to increase the margin of safety with a science-based system of

preventive controls for food safety. (FDA)

• FSSC 22000: Food safety system certification is based on the customary interna-

tionally recognized standard ISO 22000; it is supplemented by technical standards

such as ISO TS 22002-1 for food production and ISO TS 22002-2 for packaging

production. (FSSC 22000 - Inspecta 2020)

41

• Indian Authority of Food Safety and Standards: The organization's with turnover

above Rs. 30 crores or over 100 vehicle transporters required these licenses.

FSSAI is a sovereign body founded under the Mistry of Health and Family Wel-

fare, Government of India, which is accountable for safeguarding and supporting

public health through the law and management of food safety. (FSSAI 2018)

• Halal: Halal certification is required for the case company to export the products

in Muslim importing countries. The acquisition of halal accreditation ensures that

the products' features and quality are according to the Islamic Council's rules.

5.1.2 Organization Structure

According to Statistics Finland, the case company is categorized as small and medium-

sized enterprises, as the case company's turnover is about 50 million dollars with 150-200

paid employees. (Statistic Finland -Tilastokeskus 2018; APPENDIX 1). The organization

is a single unit with no other branches and a single hierarchy reporting structure, as shown

in the organization structure in Figure 9.

This study's unit of analysis is the production processes, which include the production

department and quality department. Different kinds of methods are practice in production;

they are according to customers' demand and type of marine product. More than 20 ma-

rine products are processed (find the list under chapter 5.1), mainly using one of the three

process flows. This study will focus on just one production process with a single product

to stay focused on reliable data collection and conclude the research problem of eliminat-

ing waste and improve productivity with the VSM-DMAIC LSS approach.

42

Figure 9. Organizational Chart, Case Company X

5.2 VSM finding

The current state map created was to align our project and set priorities to determine the

area of focus. It helped us find out the current situation of the shrimp production process.

The current state map has shown the flow of material in various processes and facilities

during the manufacturing process. Figure 10 shows the current state map production pro-

cess of shrimp at case company X.

The current state map made was focused on finding out waste and increasing productivity.

To conclude, the analysis performed was by grouping the activities by the time during the

production process in value-added (VA), non-value-added (NVA), and necessary but

non-value-added (NNVA).

43

Figure 10. Current State Map Company X

5.3 Defining Problem

The researcher discussed the research scope with the management team, who is interested

in introducing LSS in the company and finding out how it would benefit the organization.

Further, the initial project meeting held was to define the scope of work. The conference

aimed to describe a project that could explore the identified sources of waste in the com-

pany X process and products. The participant in this conference was from production and

quality area, as from the previous brainstorming, the management team concludes to fo-

cus on the production process first. Each member who attended the conference got the

opportunity to speak out their thoughts on the work and department's problems.

Further, the team defined the project's goal: reducing the waste identified in the current

state map VSM and eliminating those waste to increase productivity. The road map was

created using current state value stream mapping. The frozen raw shrimps' production

process is observed for this product is more in demand by customers and has the potential

for profits improvement. The project team examined the takt time and cycle time of the

44

complete process. Four waste were found out of twelve waste, namely- waiting time, mo-

tion, transportation, and human potential. This waste appears in two areas of the process;

the first was pre-processing, and the second was the packaging. This project focuses pri-

marily on the pre-processing site since this is one of the production process zones, show-

ing NVA factors we count as waste. In the final brainstorming-related affected section

using visual state mapping, some reasons causing the problems are stated and described.

5.4 Measuring

This section analyzes the pre-processing delays with the help of a cause-effect diagram.

The dominant waste of the delay in pre-processing was waiting-time, non-value-added

motion, and transportation, which also consisted of human potential. These problems fur-

ther were analyzed in detail using root cause analysis, as shown in Figure 11.

Figure 11. Cause and effect diagram, Case Company X

5.5 Analyzing

The interviews based on the question created to find out the root causes were the primary

database for analysis. The responses and the brainstorming on the collected information

gave a clearer knowledge of the grounds and prioritized it. The questions were to the

participants about the critical areas under five categories mentioned in the cause-effect

45

diagram to recognize which parts need to be improved to eliminate non-value-added time,

transportation, and human potential. The analysis presented in subsections below:

5.5.1 Environment

Businesses run in the environment, and the environment must be favorable to a high level

of success. (Kilani & Sturges, 1992). The project team did estimation at the time of brain-

storming and discussion regarding the environment where the cold climate inside the

working area and extended operating hours could have its adverse effect on productivity.

Supporting the proposition, the seventh question, "opinion regarding the environment,"

was asked to the interview participant.

Figure 12. The relation between pre-processing and influencing factors of the environ-

ment.

The findings from this question were that even cold climate negatively impacted the op-

erations; they are essential to maintain the product quality. Which cannot be changed, so

what are other possibilities that can lead the environment to support productivity. As per

respondent 3,6 and 7, appreciation, motivation, and training are missing. Discussing this

with upper management, we understood that the coaching is provided just in the initial

phase. Respondent 2 spoke about the indirect pressure arise on some occasions. Mainly

all levels of employees spoke about the extended working hours are tiresome.

Environment Pre-processes

Cold climate

Extended

working hours

Pressure from

superior

R all (-) R 2,3& 6

(-)

R 2

(-)

Note: “R” in figure

represent Respondent

46

5.5.2 Workforce

Question 8 relates to influencing factors in employees' performance. From a management

perspective, the low education level and less interest in learning cause management to

provide essential training and not detailed training. According to respondent three, five,

six, and seven, employees seek motivation, appreciation, training, and returns in means

of an increase in pay and/or incentives. Statement by respondent seven was "knowing the

process can help me to deliver my best."

Figure 13. The relation between pre-processing and influencing factors of the People.

5.5.3 Process

Question number five answers narrowed our findings in pre-processes. The production

manager and production supervisor interview responses were based on the data collected

and observation made during the time of this project. The production manager pointed

out the PD shrimp process as a problem area, whereas the production supervisor centered

the peeling and deveined processes from the same area. For detailed analysis, the inter-

view was performed with the employees working in PD shrimp processes. The outcome

of these interviews was, as per the workers' statement, respondent five stated, "the process

is manually performed without using any tools," whereas, according to respondent two,

"there are no tools available for this process." Respondent six quoted, "It takes more time

than any other process in pre-processing." During the research, it has been observed that

the number of employees was less than required in the peeling and deveining cells. Also,

People Pre-processes

Motivation Training

Low Salary

and incen-

R 3 & 6

(-)

R 4 & 7

(-)

R 5

(-)

Note: “R” in figure

represent Respondent

47

some non-value-added movements were recorded. Responded three, brief about waiting

time because the other section needs more time to process the chores. All the factors from

the process, which negatively affect the pre-processing and cause the delay are shown in

Figure 13.

Figure 14. The relation between pre-processing and influencing factors of the process.

5.5.4 Equipment

Equipment, if used, precisely ensure smooth and high performed processes. (Kilani,

1992). To find out how the equipment can adversely affect the operation and recognize

the measure which can be taken care of, the sixth question from our interview question-

naire gives us the view. According to respondent 3 and 7, the equipment provided in their

working area is efficient, and they do not have issues in their daily operations. Whereas

respondent 1 and 4 were more concerned about the raw material's delicate nature, still

showed interest in innovations. Respondent 2, 5, and 6 were more specific of the problem

occurred in the process and need for change. Respondent 6 pointed out the need for effi-

cient hand gloves, which will help the employees keep a grip on the shrimps while peel-

ing; respondent two address the same information. Respondent 5 also stated, "Maybe

some sharp tools can help us peeling and deveining shrimps faster."

PD Shrimp

Process Pre-processes

Peeling and

deveining time Less workers

Tools

R1,2&6

(-)

R 2 & 6

(-)

R5& 6

(-)

Note: “R” in figure

represent Respondent

Nonvalue added

Movement

Observations

(-)

Waiting time

R 3

(-)

48

Figure 15. The relation between pre-processing and influencing factors of the equipment.

5.5.5 Management

"Management strategies the approaches and action plans for every set of actions in prod-

ucts and service operations. They are essentially responsible for carrying out the business

process as well as fulfill the demand. Their efficiency is the strength of the organization.

We tried to understand by discussing the ninth question from our interview questionnaire.

What initiative management needs to take to improve productivity? As we stated above,

management efficiency is the organization's strength, which shows organizations must

have efficient management. First Respondent, who is part of the executive team, said that

the organization's board keeps enhancing the strategies and increasing interaction and

communication with all level employees. According to respondents 2, 3, and 6, there is a

need for employees' involvement in all possible ways; communication in management

and employees should convey a clear goal and expectations. Respondent three also com-

mented that supervision must immediately address issues in the standard way to avoid

further hazards and improve performance.

Equipment Pre-processes

Hand gloves Sharp tools

Trolleys

R 6 & 2

(-)

R 1, 4

(-)

R 7

(+)

Note: “R” in figure

represent Respondent

Shrimps head

cutting tools

R 3

(+)

49

Figure 16. The relation between pre-processing and influencing factors of the manage-

ment

5.6 Improving

In this stage, we are focusing on necessary information to create and develop an action

plan, for improved functioning of the organization, in the PD shrimp process area. The

possible solutions for the vital performance area will be present and practiced. Interview

data provided an excellent opportunity to identify the needed improvement in critical ar-

eas better. The tables below give an overview of the areas that need attention; also, the

improvement suggestion and solution suggested to solve the problems based on their root

causes. The suggestion will be applied on the analyzing scale to confirm the validity and

accuracy before using it on a large scale.

Improvement and Solutions Suggestions in the PD shrimps process: shown in tables

below

Management Pre-processes

Conveying Clear

goals

Frequent

meeting

No direct

Communication

R 2

(+)

R 1, 5 & 6

(+)

R 1,2 & 3

(-)

Note: “R” in figure

represent Respondent

50

Table 6. The key performance improvement area: Environment.

The performance is-

sues were addressed

by observation and

interviews.

The improvement and solutions

proposed based on theoretical

studies knowledge and operational

needs.

How to sustain im-

provement to

achieve continuous

improvement

1. The cold climate:

Cold climate harm

individual perfor-

mance; the em-

ployee's experi-

ence that continu-

ous cold weather

makes them feel

low in energy.

The cold climate is necessary for

product quality, so we cannot change

it. But we can provide a worker with

thermal wear or make some changes

in a three-piece suit; i.e., jackets,

hood, and pants provided can prevent

cold.

The organizations

can evaluate the per-

formance of new

suits provided and

its effect on employ-

ees.

2. The long working

hours: Extended

working hours are

very tiresome, and

it creates a stress

impact.

Placement of the required number of

employees at the required place and

cutting down the non-value-added

and not necessary movement will re-

duce the cycle time, resulting in min-

imal working hours. Still, if the pro-

cess requires a long working hour in

a few activities, extra payment for

those working hours in a reasonable

percentage per hour will keep the

employees satisfied. If the long hours

result from employees' lousy perfor-

mance, the evaluation will make it

straightforward for non-payments.

The management

can assess a new

proposal made for

working hours and

its outcomes.

51

3. The pressure

from superiors:

Stress appears un-

knowingly be-

cause of the pres-

sure from supervi-

sors and upper

management.

The pressure from superiors can

overcome by enhancing management

coordination and communication.

Evaluating monthly

meetings will ensure

that the expectation

is made clear in ad-

vance to avoid pres-

sure.

Table 7. The key performance improvement area: Workforce.

The perfor-

mance issues

were addressed

by observation

and interviews.

The improvement and solutions

proposed based on theoretical

studies knowledge and opera-

tional needs.

How to sustain improve-

ment to achieve continu-

ous improvement

1. Motivation:

Lack of mo-

tivational

words and

appreciation

from superi-

ors.

The word does not cost extra bucks.

Encouraging words motivate peo-

ple to perform at their best. If the

employee appreciated for its excel-

lent performance, this would in-

spire others to achieve well. It will

help management to stay well

scheduled if the performance ex-

cels.

Management introducing

"the star of the month/quar-

ter" concept, where employ-

ees are rewarded for posi-

tively influencing the pro-

ject. It will positively in-

spire individuals to improve

their performance on a

monthly or quarterly basis.

52

2. Training:

Training is

provided

only at the

initial

stage.

The initial training is essential,

but if added training on some in-

tervals or continuous coaching

provided will help know the pro-

cess and quality well. It will result

in the elimination of small mis-

takes or errors.

Providing continuous training

or coaching can be hard to

manage, but not impossible. If

planned well with distributing

responsibilities equally, such

as the operation managers and

supervisor take responsibility

for training a group of people

in one or two from each cell.

These skilled people will fur-

ther take responsibility for

their cell members to be

skilled. Each cell member

should get the opportunity to

attend at least one such kind of

training to maintain equality.

This system will make provid-

ing training easy, affordable,

and effective.

3. Low sal-

ary: Low

salary, no

incentives,

or incre-

ment is an

inadequate

percentage.

The salary can adjust to a funda-

mental payment law without any

bias—the increments proposed on

the percentage per year based. In-

centives are considered on a per-

formance basis, but it is essential

to keep the individual salary se-

cret to avoid chaos. An organiza-

tion can also use other means such

as a lunch benefit or health insur-

ance.

Set up a committee to review

salary structure and salaries;

this committee will review the

salary at regular intervals to

ensure that wages reflect

changing economic conditions.

The system is reasonable and

impartial.

53

4. Evalua-

tion: Em-

ployees

need evalu-

ation fre-

quently,

which is

performed

seldom.

If performed weekly or monthly,

the evaluation will boost the em-

ployee's interest in learning and

get acquainted with the processes

and system. It will also help man-

agement to know the necessity for

additional training.

The organization can arrange a

monthly team-based evaluation

and personal evaluation for

each individual. The review

can be used as a base for "the

star of the month/ quarter."

There should be clear criteria

mentioned for the evaluation—

for example, individual perfor-

mance, risk-taking in solving

problems, performing as a

team member, etc.

Table 8. The key performance improvement area: Process.

The performance

issues were ad-

dressed by observa-

tion and interviews.

The improvement and solutions

proposed based on theoretical

studies knowledge and opera-

tional needs.

How to sustain im-

provement to achieve

continuous improve-

ment

1. Time: Peeling

and devein uti-

lized more time

in this process

area.

Using VSM, it was evaluated that

peeling and deveining use the extra

time in the pre-processing stage

than other pre-processing activities.

As per the Lean insight, we can

maintain cycle time by including

more workers in this area to reduce

the extra time acquired. The bottle-

neck in this area mitigated using an

increased number of employees

Recording cycle time

for evaluating the out-

come and precepting

the decision of includ-

ing more workers in the

cell pays off. Keep

practicing VSM-

DMAIC at a specific

interval and analyzing

it.

54

2. Workers: We

sense that fewer

workers are uti-

lized with the

time and work-

force used in the

peeling and

deveining pro-

cess than needed.

As stated in the "time" improve-

ment phase, increased employee

numbers in some activities can re-

solve the problem. At the same

time, we are looking towards the

organization's capacity for employ-

ment. It is also necessary to deter-

mine workers' excessive placement

in other areas to balance the num-

ber of employees and place it ac-

cording to need.

VSM-DMAIC practice

at specific intervals will

take care of such areas,

and analysis will make

continuous improve-

ment.

3. Tools: Lack of

tools for peeling

and deveining.

Because of the delicate nature of

raw material, it is harmful to intro-

duce sharp tools in this activity. It

can harm the quality of production.

We have suggested the sufficient

possibility of devices under the

"equipment" section.

No one knows what to-

morrow brings. Getting

this is a positive way;

we hope some technol-

ogy or tools are mod-

ernizing to make this

procedure easy and ef-

fective.

4. Movement: In

the stage, remov-

ing the head and

peeling and

deveining, the

shrimps are

transferred from

one cell to an-

other. It is a non-

value-added

movement

With the help of VSM, we found

out the number of non-value-added

and possible to change activities.

One of them was the movement or

transport performed in these two

activities. After a discussion with

team members, we came out with

the possibility of merging two cells:

'head removing of shrimp' and

'peeling and deveining,' which can

result in dropping this unnecessary

movement during this process.

VSM analysis keeps

track of non-value-

added actions.

55

5. Waiting: After

workers remove

the shrimps-

head, the mate-

rial is kept wait-

ing to go through

a further peeling

and deveining

process, which

results in waiting

time.

The same possibility stated in the

movement phase and worker phase

above will result in eliminating the

waiting time.

VSM analysis will help

this area too.

Table 9. The key performance improvement area: Equipment.

The performance is-

sues were addressed

by observation and

interviews.

The improvement and solutions pro-

posed based on theoretical studies

knowledge and operational needs.

How to sustain

improvement to

achieve continu-

ous improvement

1. Hand gloves: The

hand gloves used

in the process do

not keep a grip on

the shrimp while

peeling.

By identifying the nature of the activ-

ity, the hand gloves can be revised to

better grip, followed with quality

measures in the marine product indus-

try.

The project in-

charge can keep

measuring the ef-

fect of changes

made at proposed

intervals.

2. Sharp tools: Is it

possible to use

sharp tools in the

peeling and

deveining pro-

cess?

As per the statement above in the pro-

cess tools section, sharp tools can

damage the product. It is not viable to

use for peeling and deveining. Maybe

proper gripped hand gloves will solve

some difficulties.

The previous

measures will help

to know the out-

comes.

56

3. New tools: Is

there any possibil-

ity to add some

tools for peeling

and deveining?

For peeling, we are not able to come

out with any solution. There is ma-

chinery available for peeling and

deveining, but SME industries like

case company cannot afford to make

such a significant investment. But

there are possibilities to use tweezers

for deveining; the project team is fur-

ther researching the particular require-

ments or designs that will not harm the

product. But with sufficient training

and wellness practice, it is possible to

apply in realistic.

The organization

can introduce twee-

zers in the devein-

ing section with

good training pro-

vided in advance,

track the event, and

analyze it for the

outcome.

Table 10. The key performance improvement area: Management

The perfor-

mance issues

were addressed

by observation

and interviews.

The improvement and solutions proposed

based on theoretical studies knowledge and

operational needs.

How to sustain

improvement

to achieve con-

tinuous im-

provement

1. Coordina-

tion: coordi-

nation be-

tween work-

ers and man-

agement is

unclear.

Management must take some efforts to improve

the coordination on each level. It will help the

process and information flow smoothly; man-

agement can add Kanban tools to maintain

good visual coordination. It will help them to

monitor the production line and maintain opti-

mal system output. The training of using these

tools will benefit both the ends with better

knowledge.

Open door pol-

icy, use of Kan-

ban tools, and

monthly meet-

ings evaluation

will measure the

effect.

57

2. Visual

training

aids: No vis-

ual training

aids are

practice in

the current

training

model.

Visual impacts are better than words. As stated

by management, the education level of employ-

ees is minimal. We can assume that the docu-

ments provided at the time of training or the

process flow chart shared in practice will not be

well understood by all the participants. But the

video of the process displayed at the time of

classroom training and testing offered on the

real ground will maximize training outcomes. It

can also help in training workers for Kanban

like tools.

Evaluate the ef-

fect of visual

training aids and

the use of Kan-

ban tools on

trained people's

performance.

Appreciate the

achiever to mo-

tivate others.

3. The Fewer

meetings:

The meeting

is arranged

very rarely

when the

management

feels the

need for it.

Management should practice monthly meet-

ings, which will help achieve various goals,

such as coordination between team members,

open communication on the needs and wants

from both ends—sharing evaluation and opin-

ion. The assessment must be discussed pri-

vately so that the atmosphere stays unharmed.

The meeting is a platform with various possi-

bilities and essential for resulting in productiv-

ity.

Gauge effect of

the monthly

meeting and

regular general

meetings on in-

dividual and

team perfor-

mance. An-

nouncing imple-

mentation strate-

gies for raised

concerns topic.

58

4. No direct

communi-

cation: com-

munication

platform is

inadequate

for the or-

ganization to

add value.

Fewer meetings are cause for no direct commu-

nication or management style can also add

some effect to it. Direct communication opens

a broad prospectus for better outcomes if man-

agement can directly communicate clear goals

and expectations to the employees and tell

them how they contribute to the company mis-

sion; this makes employees feel their responsi-

bility in the organization. When an employee

realizes how each person's effort impacts the

bottom line, they take more possession to set

individual metrics and goals to align the busi-

ness productivity.

Open door pol-

icy by manage-

ment will main-

tain an honest

determination of

matters and con-

tinuous perfor-

mance improve-

ment.

59

5.7 Control

How the entire Lean Six Sigma process can be controlled was proposed to the organiza-

tion's project team and management to ensure these studies can be applied to other de-

partments in the organization to achieve continuous improvement in the organization. It

is not a one-time process to maintain the results and constant improvement; the Lean Six

Sigma must be practiced without interruption.

As significant findings in this project were found in the pre-processing area and were

majored using value stream mapping, also analyzed by DMAIC, using different tools. A

suggestion will be applied for analysis and measured for its outcome. If the result is, ac-

cording to the expectation of productivity improvement, it can be used further in a loop

to improve other areas and the organization's continuous improvement.

60

6 CONCLUSION

6.1 Discussion

This study set out to address three research questions: 1) What are the causes of waste,

2) What are the reasons behind the causes-of-waste, and 3) How to eliminate waste in

company X. It was also about introducing LSS in the company.

The first research question addressed by adopting a Lean Six Sigma approach we refer to

as VSM DMAIC. The values stream mapping is a lean process mapping tool that we used

to identify the waste and where it occurs in company X's value stream. Further, the

DMAIC, which is Six Sigma’s improvement cycle, was applied to analyze and measure

the cause of waste. The value stream mapping enabled two areas in the PD shrimp pro-

cessing with four kinds of wastes. Company X has several production processes accord-

ing to customers' demand. We preferred to study the PD shrimp process as the customer-

demand for PD shrimps covers a significant part of exporting. Our finding of two process

stages where waiting time, unwanted motion, and transportation of the material and hu-

man potential were causing waste leads us to further research question; the reason behind

the cause.

The issue further investigated using the DMAIC methodology, which indicates other

problems that result in waste in certain areas. These issues uncovered were using a cause-

effect diagram. The findings were that environment, equipment, process, workforce/peo-

ple, and management profoundly influenced waste. These findings provided the platform

for monitoring, upgrading, and sustaining suggested improvements that led to improved

productivity and waste elimination. The problems were multidimensional, and each main

area had more than one concern. In the improving stage, the main sections and relative

situations have been briefly addressed. To summarise the issues according to their prior-

itize of improvement, they are listed below:

• In the PD shrimp pre-process to mitigate the waiting time between head removing

of shrimps and peeling and deveining.

• The activity peeling and deveining cycle time needs to decrease.

• Find tools for peeling and deveining for reduction of time.

• Not enough training provided to the employee.

61

• Cold climate reduces work efficiency.

• No coordination and communication.

The issue prioritized will lead to prioritizing improvements to ensure that suggested so-

lutions will lead to productivity improvement.

6.2 Conclusion

This work's significant contributions are anticipated to the novelty of applying the Lean

Six Sigma method in the marine food processing industry to eliminate waste and improve

productivity and the empirical testing of the VSM DMAIC methodology in the marine

product process industry. Applying VSM DMAIC analysis in Company X to make rec-

ommendations that will enhance productivity and eliminate waste; by creating a continu-

ous improvement framework at the organization. Process waste is possible to reduce if

the proposed solutions are given attention and applied to the degree of outcomes sug-

gested—the priority implementation of the recommended resolution of problems identi-

fied.

• Merging of head removing of shrimps and peeling and deveining processes in the

PD shrimp pre-process will mitigate the waiting time.

• Increasing workers in this activity of peeling and deveining will reduce the cycle

time.

• Introducing the ‘tweezer’ as a tool for deveining will help to the reduction of time.

• An increase in training will create a compelling and enhanced workforce.

• For decreasing the cold climate adverse effect on work, employees should provide

thermal suits.

• Open door concept and increased face to face meeting are an effective solution

for good coordination and communication.

Even though these suggestions are the priority for consideration, the organization is

recommended to implement as well as to practice all the advice and solutions provided

as outcomes of this research study to realize the improvement made and continue to

seek out additional improvement.

62

Lastly, the organization needs to create a monitoring group to review improvement

and sustainability. Management should utilize the peoples' power to create a Lean Six

Sigma culture and sustain it with continuous improvement.

6.3 Limitations and

The study focused on the PD shrimp pre-processing in company X, and it may have some

limitations. Even if the case company benefits from recommended solutions, it does not

guarantee; other marine product industries can follow the same research as the solution

and suggestion were base on the observation in company X.

The interview planned was for one week with 11 participants. The external audit started

on 19th October, continuing till 23rd October, obligating to change our plans. The re-

searcher has to compromise on the seven interviews completed before 19th October. The

limited-time of research does not permit the researcher to wait for the remaining respond-

ent to get interviewed. The possibility of more talks could have provided more data, opin-

ion, ideas with other options.

An Additional critical limitation was the duration used to conduct the research; it was a

significantly shorter period that the researcher did not get the opportunity to observe the

implementation phase. The researcher did not land to analyze or measure; if the solution

and suggestion recommended were working in the pre-processing area as researchers ex-

pectation.

6.4 Future Research

The study has applied LEAN SIX SIGMA – VSM DMAIC analysis to PD shrimp pre-

processing issues in company X, intending to eliminate waste and increasing productivity.

The study in-depth analyzed the peeling deveining activity and suggested solutions after

concluding the measures. Further research should be conduct to find how successful the

implementation of the recommended solution was. Did this project succeed in eliminating

waste and enhancing productivity in company X? The study might be performed on im-

plementing LEAN SIX SIGMA in other areas of company X.

63

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APPENDIX I

1

APPENDIX II

APPENDIX III

APPENDIX IV

APPENDIX IV

APPENDIX IV

APPENDIX IV

APPENDIX IV

APPENDIX IV

APPENDIX IV