Bottled water is produced and bottled in a series of process steps. Lean and Six Sigma have been applied to reduce wastes and defects and improve efficiency. We’ll look at applications from Nigeria, Indonesia, and Greece and finish with a video of a water filling line in China.

 

Lean Six Sigma Applied to Reduce Costs and Wastes in a Water Bottling Process: Nigeria

 

In an article titled “Waste and Cost Reduction for a Water Bottling Process Using Lean Six Sigma” authors Ovundah King Wofuru-Nyenke, Barinyima Nkoi, and Felix Ezekiel Oparadike authors detail the use of Lean Six Sigma to reduce waste and reduce costs in a water bottling process.

The article includes:

  • Current State Value Stream Map
  • Cause and Effect Diagram for Wastes
  • Pareto Chart for Major Waste Sources
  • Future State Value Stream Map

“After implementation  of  the  proposed  solutions,  manufacturing  lead time  and  cycle  time  are  expected  to  reduce  by  approximately 42.1 per cent and 22.2 per cent respectively, with a reduction of 2 quality inspectors in the bottling process, leading to a drop in labour cost.”

You can read the article here.

 

Using Six Sigma to Address Bottled Water Production Quality Problems: Indonesia

 

In a paper titled “Analysis of Quality Control of Production of Bottled Water” authors Agustina Hotma Uli Tumanggor, Kurniawan, and Rianti Indah Lestari discuss the use of Six Sigma to address quality problems in a glass bottle packaging production line.

The paper includes

  • Detailed List of Issues Found in Define Stage
  • Pareto Diagram of Defects
  • Defect Data Over 12 Months
  • Fishbone Diagram for Leaking Lid
  • FMEA Table
  • Proposed FMEA Improvements

FMEA results revealed that a seal disc is dirty when the production process is running. The recommended improvement is to check the condition of the sealing unit before carrying out the production process and sand the sealing unit once a week on an uneven surface.

You can read the paper here.

 

Applying Six Sigma to Increase Efficiency in a Water Bottling Company: Greece

 

In case study titled “Application of Six Sigma methodology in efficiency enhancement and scrap reduction in a water-bottling company” authors Eleftherios-Stamatios Telis and others discuss the use of Six Sigma to increase efficiency in a water bottling company.

The case study includes:

  • Project Charter
  • Pareto Chart for Line Time Availability Losses
  • Pareto Chart for Shrink Wrapper Machine Availability
  • Identification of Micro Stoppages and Mechanical Problems
    • Labeler Machine
    • Shrink Wrapper Machine
    • Filler Machine
    • Blower Machine

After the project the 0.5L-bottle line was able to upgrade efficiency from 78% to 84% within a three months period.

You can read the case study here.

 

Video of a Water Filling Line at Tech-Long: China

 

See the water filling line for Sierra Water in a video from Daniel Liu

You can watch the video here.

 

 

 

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