A Lean Six Sigma Approach to Reducing Waste in Flour and Pasta Production

Food waste is a problem that transcends continents and generations, costing trillions of dollars.This case focuses on reducing food waste in X company's long pasta production process using Lean Six Sigma (LSS) methodologies.The study provides a step-by-step comprehensive approach to problem definition, analysis and solving utilizing process flow, Statistical Process Control (SPC), multiple fishbone diagrams, regression analysis, and Design of Experiments (DoE).The standardized speed settings approach was chosen through alternative comparison (Pugh matrix), which significantly dropped the ratio of waste to production from 19.0% in the control group to 10.0% in Experimental Group 1, 14.5% in Experimental Group 2, and 13.1% in Experimental Group 3. For direct material loss only, the annual cost saving of the improvements is expected to be ~82 k JOD/year ( $116 k/year).The study highlights that sustained monitoring and involvement of employees are crucial for sustaining the improvements.The company is highly encouraged to implement the second and third viable alternatives suggested and to train employees on the new principles and technologies towards cleaner production.Finally, our findings directly support several United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production), SDG 2 (Zero Hunger), and SDG 13 (Climate Action).