Application of Lean Six Sigma in the Ecuadorian Dairy Industry: Variability Reduction of the Net Weight of Cheeses.

Ecuador produces about 6.6 million liters of milk a day, of which 31% is destined for cheese production. One of the main cheese producers in Ecuador has 90% automated production lines; however, it presents problems of nonconformity with the weight of its different cheese presentations. This study describes the application of the Lean Six Sigma philosophy to reduce the variability of the net weight of cheeses through the application of the Circular DMAIC methodology proposed by Villacis and Burneo (2020). This application consists in continuous cycles within the DMAIC process. The number of quick wins obtained increase and improvements are obtained in a shorter time frame. Through data collection, statistical analysis, and application of lean tools, it was possible to reduce the variability of the cheese molding process by 83%, which was reflected in a capacity increase with a Cpk racing from 0.37 to 1.12. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]