Productivity Improvement of Bread Factory Based on Statistical Process Control (SPC) and Kaizen – A Case Study

Abstract

The enhancement of productivity within the bakery sector presents a considerable obstacle, particularly for smaller enterprises operating under constrained resources. This research aims to investigate the implementation of Statistical Process Control (SPC) and Kaizen methodologies to improve productivity of a bread factory. A case study was conducted at a small bread factory in Pekanbaru, Indonesia. The case study company faced a product defect rate of approximately 3%, primarily due to abnormal baking maturity level and insufficient dough rise with large pores, exceeding the company target of below 1%. This research employed SPC techniques to assist in the identification of product defect variability within the production process. The Kaizen philosophy provides a perpetual framework for process enhancement that enables continuous improvements in quality, technology, processes, company culture, productivity, safety, and leadership. The results of this research were suggestions for action on problems caused by several factors such as humans, materials, methods, and machines. Proposed improvements were made by adding an automatic gas ignition panel box to the oven and designing the Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) for the bread baking process. The implementation of the improvement plan resulted in a reduction in the percentage of defects to 0.93% in October and 0.90% in November.