Proceedings of the 5th International Conference on Industrial & Mechanical Engineering and Operations

Management, Dhaka, Bangladesh, December 26-27, 2022

Edge Colouring Process Improvement by DMAIC

Methodology – Efficiency Perspective
Md. Sajib Milki
Department of Industrial Engineering (IE)
BGMEA University of Fashion & Technology (BUFT)
Dhaka – 1230, Bangladesh
Department of Industrial and Production Engineering (IPE)
Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET)
Dhaka – 1000, Bangladesh
mdsajibmilki@[Link]

Abstract
DMAIC (Define, Measure, Analyse, Improve and Control) methodology can be implemented at any stage of a system
development. The methodology has been implemented in footwear industry of Bangladesh for improving the quality
of the products. Besides the quality measure, this methodology can be applied in terms of efficiency. Hence this study
adopted DMAIC methodology to improve the efficiency of a process called Edge Colouring process in an export
oriented footwear industry of Bangladesh. The efficiency was increased 17% and the Cost of Making (CM) was
decreased 38.92%. So, the DMAIC methodology can be implemented in terms of efficiency.

Keywords
DMAIC, VSM, Spaghetti Diagram, Bottleneck and Efficiency.

1. Introduction
In 1950s, there was a revolution about Quality Control and Management in Japan. Lean Six Sigma (LSS) is one of the
good results of this revolution. It is the fusion of Lean and Six Sigma which are compliments of each other (Bloj et al.
2020). Lean increases the process velocity and Six Sigma keeps the process under statistical control (Gleeson et al.
2019). LSS DMAIC (Define, Measure, Analyse, Improve and Control) methodology is an established framework for
the improvement of any system.

LSS has been implemented in different manufacturing sectors including oil & gas, garment, automobile,
pharmaceutical, aerospace, telecommunications (Tampubolon and Purba 2021). It has also been applied in different
service sectors. For example - healthcare, shipping, education, hospital, IT, financial, public sector etc. (Tampubolon
and Purba 2021). Since LSS is applicable in both manufacturing and service sectors, we adopt it for footwear industry.
This study will focus on the implementation of DMAIC methodology in Edge Colouring process of an export-oriented
footwear industry of Bangladesh.

Few researchers have implemented the methodology in footwear industry of Bangladesh. But they have implemented
the methodology in terms of quality measure. In this study, we have adopted the methodology for increasing the
efficiency of Edge Colouring process.

1.1 Objectives
The objective of the research is to increase the efficiency of the Edge Colouring process at least 10% within 3 months.
The objective was achieved by -
• Increasing the efficiency 17% which exceeded the target
• Reducing the Cost of Making (CM) 38.92%
So, there is a huge cost savings in the Edge Colouring process. This continuous improvement process should be
continued for the survival of the industry in this globalized world.

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Proceedings of the 5th International Conference on Industrial & Mechanical Engineering and Operations
Management, Dhaka, Bangladesh, December 26-27, 2022

At first the review of the related literature has been presented. Then, the DMAIC methodology has been implemented
in the intended case. The improvements have been shown in the result section. Discussion section explains the
implications of the result. Finally, the study is concluded in the last section.

2. Literature Review
Footwear is an intermittent manufacturing industry. Like garments industry, it has three sections called cutting section,
sewing section and assembly section. Considering the complexity, there is huge potential to implement LSS DMAIC
methodology in footwear industry.

In Bangladesh's footwear industry, little work has been done using the DMAIC methodology. The implementation of
Lean, Green and Six Sigma have been explored in some leather industries of Bangladesh (M. M. Rahman and
Ogunleye 2019). Although these industries are used to some lean tools, there is a lack of motivation in implementing
the six sigma. The DMAIC methodology has been implemented in an export oriented footwear industry of Bangladesh
(Sayid Mia 2017). They have done Pareto Analysis to identify the vital few defects and also examined the quality
level by a parameter called defects per million opportunities (DPMO). A case study has been conducted at shoe
manufacturing industry of Bangladesh (Jor et al. 2018). They have implemented the DMAIC methodology to improve
the quality of the shoe. As a result, there is a lot of room for advancement in this field.

In terms of quality, i.e. sigma level, DMAIC methodology has been implemented in various industries. Reddy A et al.
(2021) implemented the DMAIC methodology in the Indian shoe manufacturing industry. The sigma level was raised
from three to four. Darmawan et al. (2020) used the methodology in an Indonesian grain/fodder/forage industry. They
enhanced the raw material processing section. Ahmed (2019) adopted the methodology for improving Malaysian
healthcare performance. Rodrigues Nogueira et al. (2017) used the DMAIC methodology in the Indian textile industry.
They raise the sigma value from 2.9 to 3.1. Rahman et al. (2018) implemented the methodology in the Bangladesh
garment industry. The sigma level is raised from 1.7 to 3.4. Jirasukprasert et al. (2014) applied the methodology in
Malaysia's rubber manufacturing industry. They raised the Sigma value from 2.4 to 2.9. Gijo et al. (2011) used the
methodology in an automotive industry fine grinding process in India. They reduced the defect rate from 16.6 percent
to 1.19%. Valles et al. (2009) used the DMAIC methodology in a Mexican semiconductor company. They raise the
0.37 sigma level, which represents 1.88% unit. They used the DMAIC methodology to improve product quality by
reducing defects. However, this methodology could be used to improve production efficiency. Therefore, this study
will employ the DMAIC methodology to improve the efficiency of Edge Colouring process in an export-oriented
footwear industry of Bangladesh.

3. Methodology
‘X’ is an export-oriented company in Bangladesh. Edge Colouring is an important section of the Cutting Department.
As a new journey of the section, there is huge potential for improvement. LSS team adopted DMAIC methodology to
improve the efficiency of the Edge Colouring process.

LSS approach improves any system by reducing waste and variation. Lean increases the process capacity and Six
Sigma brings the stability (Gleeson et al. 2019). LSS improves the existing system by using DMAIC approach and
the new system by DFSS (Design for Six Sigma) approach. In contrast to Business Process Re-engineering (BPR), it
takes small step i.e. continual improvement.

DMAIC is a problem-solving methodology used in Six Sigma. It consists of five phases: Define, Measure, Analyse,
Improve, and Control.
• The define phase is used to identify the problem, establish the goals, and create a project plan.
• The measure phase is used to collect data and establish baselines.
• The analyse phase is used to identify the root cause of the problem.
• The improve phase is used to develop and implement solutions.
• The control phase is used to establish controls and monitor the process.
In the following sections, these phases will be implemented in the intended case.

3.1 Define Phase

Problem definition constructs Project Charter by analysing Voice of the Customer (VoC). VoC is the starting point of
any LSS project (Alfaro et al. 2020). Project Charter consists of the objectives, scopes and responsibilities of the LSS

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Proceedings of the 5th International Conference on Industrial & Mechanical Engineering and Operations
Management, Dhaka, Bangladesh, December 26-27, 2022

project. It also defines milestone, deliverables and timeline of the project. These elements are described in the
following sections.

3.1.1 Project Scope

Sewing section is the customer of the Edge Colouring section. According to the Production Manager of Sewing
Section “Edge Colouring section can't meet our demand at the right time.” Figure 1 shows the VoC and its impacts in
the business. Based on the scope, LSS team determines the goals and objectives of the project.

Lot of wastage of
resources
Unable to meet
the demand of the
sewing section
Customer
Impact Late shipment
Statement Low productivity
(can’t meet For 1 week delay,
customer late fine is 5% of
demand) the total cost
Company
reputation is
hampered

Figure 1. Project scope

3.1.2 Project Objectives

There are lot of benefits from the project. First of all, Edge Colouring section will meet the customer demand on due
date. Besides company will avoid losses and gain reputation. Specifically, the efficiency will be increased at least 10%
within 3 months. Figure 2 demonstrates the goals and objective of the project.

•Meet customer demand on due date

Project Goal •Avoid loss
•Sustain reputation

•Increase the efficiecy at least 10% within 2

Project Objectives
months

Figure 2. Project goal and objective

3.1.3 Project Responsibility

A wide range of people participated in this project from different departments of the company. The roles of these
people are project champion, project manager, business analyst, subject matter expert and functional in-charge. Table
1 shows the stakeholders and their roles in the project.

Table 1. Stakeholders and roles

Sl. No. Name and Designation Role

1 Mr. A, Executive Director Project Champion
2 Mr. B, Industrial Engineer Project Manager
3 Mr. C, Assistant General Manager Business Analyst
4 Mr. D, Deputy Manager Business Analyst
5 Mr. E, Production Manager Subject Matter Expert
6 Mr. F, Assistant General Manager Subject Matter Expert
7 Mr. G, In-charge Functional In-charge

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Proceedings of the 5th International Conference on Industrial & Mechanical Engineering and Operations
Management, Dhaka, Bangladesh, December 26-27, 2022

3.1.4 Milestone, Deliverables and Timeline

Milestone and deliverables are certain. Timeline was estimated based on those certain factors. Table 2 shows the
schedule along with the deliverables. Project team tried the best to maintain the timeline.

Table 2. Milestone, deliverables, and timeline

Milestone Timeline Deliverable

Define January 1, 2022 to January 15, 2022 Approved report
Measure January 16, 2022 to January 31, 2022 Process data
Analyse February 1, 2022 to February 9, 2022 Improvement plan
Improve February 10, 2022 to February 20, 2022 Improved result
Control February 21, 2022 to February 28, 2022 Consistency report

This continuous improvement project achieved the objectives by utilizing the existing resources.

3.2 Measure Phase

Project team measured the existing performance in this phase. At first, Process Flow Diagram (PFD) or Process
Mapping describes the process sequentially. Then, SIPOC (Supplier, Input, Process, Output and Customer) diagram
acquaints with the process in higher level. Finally, the capacity of each step of the process were presented in the
Standard Combination Sheet. On other hand Takt time expresses the required demand. Existing performance
measurements are presented in the following sections.

3.2.1 Process Flow Diagram (PFD)

It describes each steps visually for easy understanding of the process. Figure 3 shows the PFD of Edge Colouring
process. It consists of 14 steps. SIPOC diagram also uses PFD in the process step.

Upper Part
Edge Edge Edge
Drying Collection and Drying
Colouring - 1 Roughing Colouring - 2
Sorting - 1

Upper Part
Bottom Side
Bundling - 2 Skin Print QC Check Bundling - 1 Collection and
Roughing
Sorting - 2

Roughing Colour
Repair Repair

Figure 3. PFD

3.2.2 SIPOC Diagram

It is a higher-level map than PFD but it gives brief information about the process. The SIPOC diagram for the Edge
Colouring process is shown in Figure 4. Managers can take the right decision for any problem by using the diagram.

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Proceedings of the 5th International Conference on Industrial & Mechanical Engineering and Operations
Management, Dhaka, Bangladesh, December 26-27, 2022

Supplier Input Process Output Customer

• Cutting • Strap of • Coloured • Sewing
Section Upper Strap Section
• Store • Colour
• Thongs • EVA
Section sheet
• Others

Edge Upper Part Edge

Edge
Colouring - Drying Collection and Colouring - Drying
Roughing
1 Sorting - 1 2

Upper Part
Bottom Side
Bundling - 2 Skin Print QC Check Bundling - 1 Collection and
Roughing
Sorting - 2

Roughing Colour
Repair Repair

Figure 4. SIPOC diagram

3.2.3 Standard Combination Sheet

It helps to identify the bottlenecks. Table 3 shows the sheet. Bottleneck stations are the Bottom Side Roughing and
Roughing Repair.

Table 3. Standard combination sheet

Average Standard
Cycle Performance Required Minute Capacity
Process Step Name Manpower
Time Rating (PR) Step/Pair Value (pair)
(CT) (sec.) (SMV)
Edge Colouring-1 6 1 6 0.69 4 348
Upper Part Collection and
1 1 6 0.12 1 522
Sorting - 1
Edge Roughing 11.5 1 6 1.32 8 363
Edge Colouring-2 6 1 6 0.69 4 348
Upper Part Collection and
1 1 6 0.12 1 522
Sorting - 2
Bottom Side Roughing 11.4 1 6 1.31 4 183
Roughing Repair 13.5 1 0.84 0.22 1 276
Colour Repair 8.3 1 1.02 0.16 1 370
Bundling-1 4.8 1 4 0.37 2 326
Skin Print 5.4 1 2 0.21 2 580
Bundling-2 4.8 1 2 0.18 1 326

3.2.4 Takt Time

It is also known as heartbeat of the process. It determines the rate at which the product needs to be produced to meet
the customer demand. It is calculated for the Edge Colouring process as follows:

Net time available to work

Takt Time =
Customer demand

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Proceedings of the 5th International Conference on Industrial & Mechanical Engineering and Operations
Management, Dhaka, Bangladesh, December 26-27, 2022

36000
= sec/pair = 12 sec./pair
3000

So, hourly required production is (3600/12) 300 pairs/hour.

3.3 Analyse Phase

This phase identifies the root causes of the problem. The LSS team identifies three main problems in the process. At
first, many steps of the process do not add any value to the product i.e. non value added (NVA) work. Second, some
steps accumulate a large number of Work-in-Process (WIP) inventory i.e. bottleneck of the process. The last one is
the unnecessary motion i.e. the layout problem. Following sections describe these problems.

3.3.1 Value Steam Mapping (VSM)

It is also a process mapping tool. It not only maps the process but also separates the value added (VA) and non-value
added (NVA) work. Figure 5 shows the VSM of the process. 45.95% work of the process is NVA work. Following
abbreviations have been used in the VSM.

EC – Edge Colouring
UPCS – Upper Part Collection and Sorting
ER – Edge Roughing
BSR – Bottom Side Roughing
B – Bundling
RR –Roughing Repair
CR – Colour Repair
SP –Skin Print

EC-1 UPCS-1 ER EC-2 UPCS-2 BSR B-1 RR CR SP B-2

CT 36 6 69 36 6 68.4 19.2 11.34 8.5 10.8 9.6

sec. sec. sec. sec. sec. sec. sec. sec. sec. sec. sec.
VA

NVA

Figure 5. Present state map (VSM)

3.3.2 Bottleneck Identification

Sewing section requires 300 pairs per hour. But Bottom Side Roughing and Roughing Repair processes have hourly
capacity of 183 and 276 pairs respectively which are marked bold in Table 3.

3.3.3 Spaghetti Diagram

It visualizes the flow in the system. Figure 6 demonstrates the previous flow in the process. The flow is not streamlined
and presents unnecessary flows.

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Proceedings of the 5th International Conference on Industrial & Mechanical Engineering and Operations
Management, Dhaka, Bangladesh, December 26-27, 2022

Figure 6. Spaghetti Diagram (Existing Layout)

3.4 Improvement Phase

The team improves the process by generating, selecting, and implementing a set of solutions. Brainstorming helps the
team a lot in this phase. From the results of the analyse phase, the team has reduced the NVA activities, increased the
capacity of the bottleneck and improved the layout for smoother flow. Each of the improvements will be described
below.

3.4.1 Improving Upper Carrying System and Reduction of NVA Time

The production department used the small EVA sheet for supporting the upper. Project team made lines (like rail line)
with foam for supporting purpose. Both the previous and present systems are shown in Figure 7.

Previous System Improved System

Figure 7. Upper carrying system improvement

As a result of the improvement, cycle time was reduced 15.24 sec. or 5.4% of the total cycle time. The future state
map is shown in Figure 8.

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Proceedings of the 5th International Conference on Industrial & Mechanical Engineering and Operations
Management, Dhaka, Bangladesh, December 26-27, 2022

EC-1 UPCS-1 ER EC-2 UPCS-2 BSR B-1 RR CR SP B-2

69 68.4 19.2 8.5 10.8 9.6

CT 30 sec. 6 sec. 30 sec. 6 sec. 8.1 sec.
sec. sec. sec. sec. sec. sec.

VA

NVA

Figure 8. Future state map (VSM)

3.4.2 Layout Improvement

The layout of the system was improved by removing unnecessary transportation. The improved layout is shown in
Figure 9. Now the flow of the product is smoother.

Figure 9. Improved layout

3.4.3 Bottleneck Improvement

Based on the Takt time, hourly target is 300 pairs. But the hourly capacity of Bottom Side Roughing and Roughing
Repair are 183 and 276 pairs respectively. So the LSS team increased the capacity of the Bottom Side Roughing to
320 pair per hour by adding 3 persons. The frequency of the Roughing Repair was reduced because of the improved
carrying system. So, the cycle time of the process is reduced 3.24 sec. Now the capacity of the process is 386 pairs
per hour.

On the other hand, over capacity of the Edge Colouring – 1 and Edge Colouring – 2 were reduced from 348 to 313
pairs per hour. In this process, 2 manpower were saved. One manpower was also saved from the Side Roughing

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Management, Dhaka, Bangladesh, December 26-27, 2022

process. Hence, the total manpower was conserved. Previous and present capacity of each stations are shown in Table
4.

Table 4. Comparison of capacity before and after balance

Average
Standard
Cycle
Performance Required Minute Previous Capacity Present Present
Process Step Name Time
Rating (PR) Step/Pair Value Manpower (pair) Manpower Capacity
(CT)
(SMV)
(sec.)
Edge Colouring-1 5 1 6 0.58 4 348 3 313
Upper Part Collection and
1 1 6 0.12 1 522 1 522
Sorting - 1
Edge Roughing 11.5 1 6 1.32 8 363 7 318
Edge Colouring-2 5 1 6 0.58 4 348 3 313
Upper Part Collection and
1 1 6 0.12 1 522 1 522
Sorting - 2
Bottom Side Roughing 11.4 1 6 1.31 4 183 7 320
Roughing Repair 13.5 1 0.6 0.16 1 276 1 386
Colour Repair 8.3 1 1.02 0.16 1 370 1 370
Bundling-1 4.8 1 4 0.37 2 326 2 326
Skin Print 5.4 1 2 0.21 2 580 2 580
Bundling-2 4.8 1 2 0.18 1 326 1 326

Total 5.09 29 29

3.5 Control Phase

The LSS team sustains the improvements in this phase. Following six basic steps ensure the process performance
(Alfaro et al. 2020; Jor et al. 2018).
1. The improved process need to be documented.
2. The improved outcome is verified by the accounting department.
3. Improvement must be confirmed during the working process.
4. Monitoring system need to be set up for controlling the performance.
5. The working process is organized.
6. A control plan must be created.

The LSS team has been documented define, measure, analyse, and improve phase in details. The improved outcome
is shown in result section. Improved process was maintained during the working process. The performance was
controlled by hourly production report. Daily efficiency report is shown in result section. For organised working
process, every department actively participated in the project. LSS team planned for the following control initiatives.
• Hourly production report and daily efficiency report will be maintained by the department of Industrial
Engineering (IE).
• Improved process will be maintained as standard by the production department.
• Continual improvement process will be continued by IE department.
The LSS team completed the project successfully. The result of the improvement is shown in the next section.

4. Data Collection
This study aims to increase the efficiency of the Edge Colouring process of the industry ‘X’. So the data were collected
from the industry. All of the data were collected by the LSS team under the department of IE. They collected the data
by direct observation. Therefore, all of the data are primary. Tables 3, 4, and 5 contain all of the necessary information.

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Proceedings of the 5th International Conference on Industrial & Mechanical Engineering and Operations
Management, Dhaka, Bangladesh, December 26-27, 2022

5. Result and Discussion

5.1 Numerical Results
The purpose of the study was to improve the efficiency of the Edge Colouring process. Daily efficiency before and
after the improvement is shown in Table 5. The average efficiency before the improvement was 31.16% and the
average efficiency after the improvement was 48.16%. So, the efficiency was increased 17% which is 7% more than
the target.

Table 5. Daily efficiency before and after improvements

Production Working
Improvement Status Date Manpower Efficiency (%)
(pair) Hour

14/02/22 1165 29 10 36

15/02/22 1229 29 10 38

16/02/22 1294 29 10 40
Before
17/02/22 1100 29 10 34

19/02/22 1100 29 10 34

20/02/22 1132 29 10 35

Average 1170 29 10 31.16

22/02/22 1262 29 10 39

23/02/22 1779 29 10 55

24/02/22 1553 29 10 48
After
26/02/22 1197 29 10 37

27/02/22 1747 29 10 54

28/02/22 1812 29 10 56

Average 1558.3 29 10 48.16

The CM before and after the improvement is shown below.

CM calculation before improvement:

𝐴𝐴𝐴𝐴𝐴𝐴𝐴𝐴𝐴𝐴𝐴𝐴 𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠 𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓 𝑡𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑒 𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑
𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶 𝑃𝑃𝑃𝑃𝑃𝑃 𝑀𝑀𝑀𝑀𝑀𝑀𝑀𝑀𝑀𝑀𝑀𝑀, 𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶 =
𝑁𝑁𝑁𝑁. 𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜 𝑤𝑤𝑤𝑤𝑤𝑤𝑤𝑤𝑤𝑤𝑤𝑤𝑤𝑤 × 𝑊𝑊𝑊𝑊𝑊𝑊𝑊𝑊𝑊𝑊𝑊𝑊𝑊𝑊 ℎ𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜 × 60
9731
= 𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡
33 × 8 × 60
[𝐻𝐻𝐻𝐻𝐻𝐻𝐻𝐻, 𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖 𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚 = 4 𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎 𝑏𝑏𝑏𝑏𝑏𝑏𝑏𝑏𝑏𝑏 𝑤𝑤𝑤𝑤𝑤𝑤𝑤𝑤𝑤𝑤𝑤𝑤𝑤𝑤 ℎ𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜 = 8]
= 0.61 𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡 ($ 0.00726) [𝐻𝐻𝐻𝐻𝐻𝐻𝐻𝐻, $1 = 85 𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡]
𝑆𝑆𝑆𝑆𝑆𝑆 × 𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝑀𝑀
𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶 𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜 𝑀𝑀𝑀𝑀𝑀𝑀𝑀𝑀𝑀𝑀𝑀𝑀, 𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶 =
𝐸𝐸𝐸𝐸𝐸𝐸𝐸𝐸𝐸𝐸𝐸𝐸𝐸𝐸𝐸𝐸𝐸𝐸𝐸𝐸
5.38 × 0.61
= 𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡
31.16
= 10.61 𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡/𝑝𝑝𝑝𝑝𝑝𝑝𝑝𝑝 ($ 0.126) [𝐻𝐻𝐻𝐻𝐻𝐻𝐻𝐻, $1 = 85 𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡]

CM calculation after improvement:

𝐴𝐴𝐴𝐴𝐴𝐴𝐴𝐴𝐴𝐴𝐴𝐴 𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠 𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓 𝑡𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑒 𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑
𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶 𝑃𝑃𝑃𝑃𝑃𝑃 𝑀𝑀𝑀𝑀𝑀𝑀𝑀𝑀𝑀𝑀𝑀𝑀, 𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶 =
𝑁𝑁𝑁𝑁. 𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜 𝑤𝑤𝑤𝑤𝑤𝑤𝑤𝑤𝑤𝑤𝑤𝑤𝑤𝑤 × 𝑊𝑊𝑊𝑊𝑊𝑊𝑊𝑊𝑊𝑊𝑊𝑊𝑊𝑊 ℎ𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜 × 60
9731
= 𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡
33 × 8 × 60
[𝐻𝐻𝐻𝐻𝐻𝐻𝐻𝐻, 𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖 𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚 = 4 𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎 𝑏𝑏𝑏𝑏𝑏𝑏𝑏𝑏𝑏𝑏 𝑤𝑤𝑤𝑤𝑤𝑤𝑤𝑤𝑤𝑤𝑤𝑤𝑤𝑤 ℎ𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜 = 8]
= 0.61 𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡 ($ 0.00726) [𝐻𝐻𝐻𝐻𝐻𝐻𝐻𝐻, $1 = 85 𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡]

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Proceedings of the 5th International Conference on Industrial & Mechanical Engineering and Operations
Management, Dhaka, Bangladesh, December 26-27, 2022

𝑆𝑆𝑆𝑆𝑆𝑆 × 𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶
𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶 𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜 𝑀𝑀𝑀𝑀𝑀𝑀𝑀𝑀𝑀𝑀𝑀𝑀, 𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶 =
𝐸𝐸𝐸𝐸𝐸𝐸𝐸𝐸𝐸𝐸𝐸𝐸𝐸𝐸𝐸𝐸𝐸𝐸𝐸𝐸
5.38 × 0.61
= 𝑡𝑡𝑘𝑘
48.16
= 6.48 𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡/𝑝𝑝𝑝𝑝𝑝𝑝𝑝𝑝 ($ 0.077) [𝐻𝐻𝐻𝐻𝐻𝐻𝐻𝐻, $1 = 85 𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡]

The CM was reduced 38.92%.

The LSS team has reduced the NVA activities, improved the layout and smoothed the flow. Therefore, the efficiency
was increased and consequently reduced the CM.

5.2 Graphical Results

The trend of the efficiency is not clear from the numerical result. The daily efficiency and the trend are shown in
Figure 10. So, the trend is positive.

Efficiency (%) Improvement

55 54 56
48 48.16

38 40 39
36 35 37
34 34
31.16

Figure 10. Efficiency before and after improvement

5.3 Proposed Improvements

At first, the Edge Colouring process was acquainted with the help of SIPOC diagram and PFD. The NVAs were
identified with the help of VSM. The LSS team developed the upper carrying system to reduce those NVAs.

Then, the product flow was improved to reduce the unnecessary motion and transportation. Spaghetti diagram showed
the previous flow of material. The improved process layout reduced those unnecessary motion and transportation.

Finally, the capacity of the bottleneck processes was increased to meet the customer’s requirement. Required capacity
was calculated by Takt time. The bottlenecks were identified by Standard Combination Sheet. The process line was
balanced by allocating the manpower properly.

In future, DMAIC methodology can be implemented in other industries in terms of efficiency. The DFSS methodology
can be implemented to improve the Edge Colouring process.

© IEOM Society International

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Proceedings of the 5th International Conference on Industrial & Mechanical Engineering and Operations
Management, Dhaka, Bangladesh, December 26-27, 2022

6. Conclusion
The DMAIC methodology can be implemented not only quality perspective but also efficiency perspective. We
improved the efficiency of the Edge Colouring process by adopting DMAIC methodology. At first, the NVA activities
were reduced by improving the upper supporting system. The unnecessary transportation has been reduced by
improving the layout. Finally, the LSS team removed the bottlenecks for the smoother process flow. As a result of the
improvements, the efficiency of the process was increased 17% and CM was reduced 38.92%. Therefore, the DMAIC
methodology can be adopted in terms of efficiency.

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Biography

Md. Sajib Milki is a Lecturer of Department of Industrial Engineering (IE) at the BGMEA University of Fashion &
Technology (BUFT). He earned his [Link]. in Industrial & Production Engineering from Rajshahi University of
Engineering & Technology (RUET). His research activities include the area of Quality Control, Circular Supply Chain
Management and Data Analytics. He has supervised some under-graduate students in these areas.

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