Track: Lean Six Sigma

Abstract

Central Analytical Laboratory, Johor Plantations Berhad implemented the Six Sigma (SS) approach to obtain performance in terms of cost, quality, and productivity. This paper aims to implement SS in the laboratory to mitigate the high variance in turnaround time (TAT) of fertilizer analysis. The DMAIC (Define-Measure-Analyse-Improve-Control) strategy was employed as the model of problem-solving during the SS execution. A team compromising of 2 chemists, 12 analysts, and 5 general workers was formed to carry out the project. In this project, we found that multiple variables could contribute to the high numbers of variance in the TAT of the fertilizer analysis. In a phased manner, the team under the guidance of the chemist as the team leader has been able to utilize the power of simple tools such as Process Mapping, Ishikawa Diagram, SIPOC, Affinity Diagram, and others, to find root causes and take corrective actions during implementations process. Consequently, there was a significant reduction in the variance of TAT, decreasing from 2.741 days in 2021 and 2.433 days in 2022 to 1.420 days. The mean TAT also exhibited positive improvement, decreasing from 6.956 days in 2021 and 2.433 days in 2022 to a new mean of 3.018 days.