Applying DMAIC for Cost Savings at Molding

The Manufacturing Industry in Puerto Rico is dedicated to designing, molding, and distributing products. It highly values outstanding customer service that meets and surpasses expectations, guaranteeing prompt deliveries. However, over the past year, the molding area has seen a notable increase in scrap, nearing the 2023 waste limit of $76,000 by approximately 15%, resulting in material and productivity losses, leading to delays in product delivery and rework. XYZ Corporation aimed to reduce scrap, enhance production quality, and reduce manufacturing costs. They achieved this by implementing preventive and corrective actions, including using dummy sheets to prevent scratches on the last piece. In response to an unforeseen increase in a short period, the Manufacturing Industry in Puerto Rico applied the DMAIC methodology to effectively address the problem, ensuring that neither the company nor its customers are further affected. By the end of November 2023, a more precise data collection system was provided in the Molding Area, targeting a 5% reduction in scrap, equivalent to approximately $2,930 monthly. This initiative aims to enhance efficiency in material usage, productivity, and delivery times. Data analysis has highlighted operator errors as the primary contributor to scrap production, with operators depending on engineers and mechanics to halt production when defects are identified, causing the continued production of defective batches. It was recommended to count, register, and analyze nonconformities batches; and train the operator to follow quality standards, stop and fix and manage the MS Access database.