06
Industrial Manufacturing·Case 06·2023

FMCG Quality Control Redesign, Ogun State

Six SigmaStatistical Process ControlManufacturing
Alumni

Emeka Okonkwo

Process Engineer, Nestlé Nigeria

01
The Problem

Plain language

A fast-moving consumer goods plant in Ogun State was reporting an 8.2% end-of-line defect rate on beverage packaging — more than 8× the acceptable industry threshold. Root cause analysis had been attempted three times with no lasting improvement. Each investigation treated symptoms, not the system.

02
Methodology

SE approach applied

Six Sigma DMAIC framework applied at the system level: defined value stream from raw material intake to finished goods. Statistical Process Control (SPC) charts to identify variation sources. Design of Experiments (DoE) to isolate critical control variables. Revised measurement system analysis to ensure gauges were calibrated.

Disciplines Applied

Six SigmaStatistical Process ControlManufacturing
Key Outcomes
8.2%→0.9%
End-of-line defect rate
₦180M
Estimated annual savings
1 quarter
Time to full impact
03
Outcome

Impact & results

Defect rate reduced from 8.2% to 0.9% within one production quarter. Estimated annual savings of ₦180 million from reduced waste and rework. Plant subsequently adopted the DMAIC approach as its standard quality intervention method.

EO

Emeka Okonkwo

Process Engineer, Nestlé Nigeria

Alumni2023

Published by

ASES · UNILAG

Association of Systems Engineering Students