A Proposed Factory Layout and Improved Process Time Using Lean Tools for FITCO Detergent Factory in Qatar.

Many factories tend to prioritize and focus on the production process that it goes through. The production process is heavily monitored in order to ensure that the output is set to the maximum. Factories can become more efficient when it comes to their productivity output through the elimination of wastes, the reduction in the total production cost, and increasing the quality of the products. It is quite often that factories face the issue of having to fulfill supply to production in a full time, full quantity, and quality target. Hence, the production process must become the focus of the factories and ensure that it is being properly carried out. In this research, the production process of FITCO Detergent Factory, a Qatari company that supplies the market with various detergent products will be studied. The company's process involves going through six stages in order to transform the raw material into the final product, liquid soap. In this paper, this process will be studied per the current state of the factory and its layout. Through the application of lean thinking, gaps will be determined and addressed accordingly to remove wastes, increase production rate at low cost, and reduce both the process and the lead times, as Lean thinking is a concept that when applied removes all kinds of redundancies or wastes in order to increase the efficiency to the required standard. Some of the tools that this method uses are: value stream mapping and the 5S tool. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]