• Harnish Harish Thacker
• Harish Dattatray Kusekar

The application of AI has made processes, production, and execution instant across all industries. To meet the fast-growing demand of customers, manufacturing efficiency must keep pace. One such Six Sigma project was conducted at a cosmetic packaging manufacturing plant to address the evolving demand for product quality excellence. The project, titled “Actuator Machine – Automation & Throughput,” aimed to achieve operational excellence in capacity improvement, workflow integration, machine downtime reduction, and upgrading SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures). The Continuous Improvement (CI) initiative focused on operational excellence without compromising associate safety. A Six Sigma DMAIC methodology was used to streamline processes, eliminate non-value-added activities, and standardize operations through a data-centered approach. The stakeholders included the process engineer, manufacturing engineer, New Product Introduction (NPI) team, quality management team, vendor team, and operations associates. The project's outcome was transformative: scrap rates were reduced from over 15,000 parts per shift to fewer than 1,500; downtime dropped from 160 minutes to 60 minutes in an 8-hour shift; production exceeded the target of 23,000 units; and Overall Equipment Efficiency (OEE) increased by 35%. These improvements significantly enhanced efficiency, reduced waste, and enabled the system to consistently meet and surpass demand.

"NEXT-GEN PLASTIC MANUFACTURING: LED BY OPERATIONS EXCELLENCE & LEAN TOOLS", International Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (www.jetir.org), ISSN:2349-5162, Vol.12, Issue 7, page no.f81-f86, July-2025, Available :http://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIR2507510.pdf

"NEXT-GEN PLASTIC MANUFACTURING: LED BY OPERATIONS EXCELLENCE & LEAN TOOLS", International Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (www.jetir.org | UGC and issn Approved), ISSN:2349-5162, Vol.12, Issue 7, page no. ppf81-f86, July-2025, Available at : http://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIR2507510.pdf