Browsing by Author "MARAWANAGODA, S.B."

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    EVALUATION OF DEFECTS AND THEIR ROOT CAUSES IN TEA BAG PRODUCTION
    (Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka, 2012) MARAWANAGODA, S.B.
    Tea bags are one of the most popular value added forms of tea products. Tea bags are made in a semi-automated process carried out in the production floor. Tea bagging, floavouring and packing processes are interlinked to produce the end product as tea bags in packets. The process flow of tea bag manufacturing comprises of various sub process making it a complex process. The research was intended to find out the main defects in the process flow of tea bag production, to identify the root causes for the deviation in the production process and to provide recommendation and suggestions to overcome the weaknesses during the operation undertaken in the packing room. The research was conducted through the observation production process. Problem prevailing in the production section were identified through the analysis of the quality claim report send by the consumers. Major problems in the production section were identified as per the pareto analysis of quality claim reports. They were thoroughly analyzes using the root cause analytical tools i.e. fish bone diagram, five why method. The major identified problems in the tea production section were, mismatching of flavor content of the same blend in different shipment, defective tea bags, mismatching of inner cartons with tea bags and damage master cartons. Major factors affecting for above problem can be categorized into people, method, measurements, machine, materials and environment. Negligence, less orientation to perform the task, lack of proper documentation, lack of specific protocols, improper tool for the measurements, improper maintenance, old machine, incorrect input material for the job, messy congest environment, poor storage conditions were some of the major root causes identified in the study. Key words- tea bagging, defects in process, quality claims, root cause analysis