Application of DMAIC in overall equipment effectiveness improvement: A case study of terumo BCT Vietnam

Abstract

The purpose of this dissertation is to apply Lean Six Sigma DMAIC along with the framework of Six Big Losses analysis to study and find the most practical and cost saving ways to improve the current Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) of a semiautomatic machine in one of the biggest medical equipment manufacturers in the world. This project also aims to find ways to improve and solve the urgent problems not only in normal time but also during brutal events like COVID-19. The study revealed the current capability of meeting only 80% of the demand of the machine in the last 5 months of 2021. Further investigation based on DMAIC and through the three main factors of the OEE reported that the low capability of the machine was mainly caused by labor shortage (Availability), slow cycle time (Performance), and the quality rate was not satisfied (Quality). Among them, slow cycle time was pointed out as the main character that limited the machine’s OEE which contributed to the Performance of only 69.88%. Hence, after determining the problem and its root causes, the project aimed to find the most optimal ways based on their effectivenesses, time-frame, human sources, and company’s budget. After successfully coming out with the feasible solutions and 3 lots of the Engineering Build that were used to applied the new methods. It is reported that the OEE of the machine could increase by 20%, from nearly 60% to 80%. The OEE improvement of this machine could help the whole station’s OEE increase by 4%, from 76% to 80%. In addition, the dissertation also suggested methods that help to maintain and control the improved process once it is officially applied in mass production.