Yield improvement for anesthesia product at filling & packaging line

Abstract

In the manufacturing process of anesthesia, the yield for Fluxane product, manufactured at ANESTHER Healthcare, is consistently performing lower than target (2.785 bottles/kg) from tank F-SV-001 in comparison to tank F-SV-002. Based on a 12-months data review, the yield is not met for 77% of the manufactured lots, resulting in an annual loss of $115,000. The DMAIC methodology was used to determine the possible causes for the low product yield results in BDP tank F-SV-001. The following causes were identified: (1) the venting system of the tank F-SV001 was not working efficiently due to pressure valve malfunction, causing evaporation of the product; (2) calibration classification was not appropriate for load cells causing tolerance errors; and (3) lack of a standardized yield reporting method. During control phase, yield data was collected for one (1) month and results were equal to or greater than 2.785. The objective of increasing product yield in tank F-SV-001 to approximately 2.785 bottles/kg was achieved. Key Terms ⎯ Anesthesia, DMAIC, Process Yield, Six Sigma.