Streamlining Meatball Manufacturing: Lean Principles and Efficiency Improvements

Initial observations of a meatball manufacturing company revealed inefficiencies, including defective meatballs and work-in-process accumulation. Research aimed to identify and analyze these inefficiencies, design a future state map by using value stream map, and test improvements using Flexsim simulation software. Focusing on type X meatballs, which constitute 39.63% of sales, calculations showed a total cycle time of 4951.27 seconds and a lead time of 5507.50 seconds, with a takt time of 960 seconds per batch. The drying process was identified as the bottleneck, with the current process cycle efficiency (PCE) at 88.46%, surpassing the 30% threshold for a lean process. Waste was noted in defects, inventory, and motion. The proposed improvement added one operator to the packing workstation, increasing the number to four. This adjustment reduced the average waiting time on the packing rack by 87.62 % and increased the total output of finished goods by 19.15%.