Gloves are used around the world for hand protection. As they are made through a series of production processes, Lean and Six Sigma aid in improving quality and reducing wastes. There are many types of gloves. We’ll look at applications for the following types: latex rubber gloves (Thailand and Colombia), golf gloves (Indonesia), and surgical gloves (India). Then we’ll finish with a video of how rubber gloves are made.
Six Sigma DMAIC Applied to Rubber Glove Manufacturing: Thailand
In a case study titled “A Case Study of Defects Reduction in a Rubber Gloves Manufacturing Process by Applying Six Sigma Principles and DMAIC Problem Solving Methodology,” authors Ploytip Jirasukprasert and others discuss the application of Six Sigma DMAIC to reduce defects in rubber glove manufacturing.
The case study includes:
- High Level Gloves Manufacturing Process
- Project Charter
- Defects Summary Before Improvement
- Pareto Chart of Defects
- Gloves Manufacturing Process: Current and Expected States
- Gloves Manufacturing Process Flowchart
- Cause and Effect Diagram for Leaking Gloves Defect
- Box Plot of Defects by Oven Temp and Speed
- Percentage of Defects Before and After Improvement
You can access the case study here.
Applying Lean to Latex Glove Production Through Simulation and Value Stream Modeling: Colombia
“In a case study titled “Production Flow valuation through VSM modeling: An industry case study,” authors Santos Hernández and others use simulation software PROMODEL and value stream mapping to apply Lean to a latex glove production process.
The case study includes:
- Process Flow Diagram
- Layout and Process
- Actual Value Stream Map
- Simulation Discussion
- Balance Workloads
- Takt Time Calculation
- Improvements Made
You can view the case study here.
Using Lean Manufacturing to Improve the Productivity of a Golf Glove Manufacturing Line: Indonesia
In a case study titled “Productivity improvement in the production line with Lean Manufacturing approach: case study PT. XYZ,” authors Halimatussa’diah, Ali Parkhan, and Muchamad Sugarindra discuss using Lean Manufacturing to improve the productivity in a golf glove manufacturing line.
The case study includes:
- Processes: Operators and Available Time
- Current State Map: Sanding
- Future State Map: Sanding
- Comparison Between Current and Future State Maps
- Proposed Improvements of Identified Wastes
The final project yielded a lead time reduction of as much as 444.4 seconds by the elimination of 17 non-value added activities. Output was increased by 21%.
You can read the case study here.
Cost-Integrated Value Stream Mapping Applied to Surgical Glove Manufacturing: India
In a paper titled “Cost Value-Stream Mapping as a Lean assessment tool in a surgical glove manufacturing company,” authors Rajesh Menon B. and others discuss the development of cost-integrated value stream manufacturing and its implementation in surgical glove manufacturing company.
The paper includes:
- Principle of Cost Value Stream Map (CVSM)
- Mathematical Model- Cost Analysis of CVSM
The authors discuss the implementation of CVSM in a case study for surgical glove manufacturing.
The case study includes:
- Process Flow Diagram
- Cost Calculations for Manufacturing Lot Size of 150,000 Gloves
- Current State Value Stream Map
- Cost Analysis for Preparing CVSM
- Cost Time Profile of all Activities
- Current State CVSM
- Future State CVSM
The authors state “The CVSM gives a direct opportunity to identify waste in the production line in respect of cost. This enables everyone, irrespective of their hierarchical position in the company, to quantify the wastages in production in cost terms.”
You can read the paper here.
Making Rubber Gloves
See how rubber gloves are made in this video from Insider.
You can watch the video here.
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