Track: Industry Solutions

Abstract

The tapioca starch industry is critical to Thailand's economy and is constantly developing to meet global market demands. Tapioca starch producers must refine their delivery strategies to align with customer demands efficiently, with a specific focus on optimizing the container-loading process, which plays a vital role in enhancing product delivery. Therefore, the objective of this study is to determine more efficient methods to load products into containers using the Lean Automation concept. In this study, the researchers examined the shipping process of a tapioca starch factory and found that the current loading process required 82.89 minutes per container. To enhance efficiency, the researchers employed tools such as Value Stream Mapping (VSM), Cause and Effect Diagrams, and the FlexSim program to simulate the loading process and identify areas for improvement. The results of the simulation modeling of the container loading process revealed that after implementing improvements, the loading time for goods into containers could be reduced from 82.89 minutes per container to 77.73 minutes per container, indicating a decrease of 5.16 minutes per container or a 6.23 percent improvement.  When loading products into two containers simultaneously, the manpower required can be reduced from six to five. Additionally, it was determined that the number of forklifts in use could be reduced from two to one. The findings of this study offer valuable insights for planners engaged in warehouse and logistics operations. They can serve as a practical guide for improving the efficiency of loading goods into containers.