By some estimates, there are more than 2,000 different types of cheese in the world.* The global cheese market size was valued at USD 187.42 billion in 2023 and is projected to grow from USD 191.94 billion in 2024 to USD 287.12 billion by 2032** We’ll take a look at Lean and Six Sigma applications in cheese production and finish with a video of different cheeses from around the world.

*Source

**Source 

Moldy Cheese Cause Identified Through Six Sigma

In a master’s thesis titled “Using Six Sigma Methods to Identify Root Cause of Moldy Cheese” author Cassandra A. Ferguson discusses how a company used Lean and Six Sigma methodologies to identify the

root cause of moldy cheese and implemented an action plan for its reduction.

The thesis includes:

  • Pareto Chart of Nonconformance Notifications for Defective Raw Material
  • Project Charter
  • Process Map
  • Cause and Effect Diagram for Moldy Cheese
  • 5 Whys
  • Room Layout Before and After Improvements

You can access the thesis here.

Applying Six Sigma to Minimize Risk of Rejection of Cheese Product

In a paper titled “Application of six sigma method to minimize risk of rejection product: A case in cheese industry of company X” authors Machfud and N Atika discuss the use Six Sigma in the analysis of dominant risks and the subsequent mitigation actions re: cheese product rejection.

The paper includes:

  • Research Framework
  • Defects by Production Line
  • Production Risks by Process
  • Security Risks: Events and Effects
  • Occurrence Level of Risk Agents
  • Pareto Charts 
  • Mitigation Actions

You can read the paper here. 

Variability Reduction of Cheese Net Weight Through the Application of Lean SixS Sigma

In a paper titled “Application of Lean Six Sigma in the Ecuadorian Dairy Industry: Variability Reduction of the Net Weight of Cheeses” authors Yuvinne Guerrero and others discuss he application of Lean

Six Sigma philosophy to reduce the variability of the net weight of cheeses.

You can read the paper here.

Cheese Around the World

See the different cheeses from around the world in this video by Insider Food.

You can watch the video here.