# WikiJournal Preprints/Investigation & Improvement of Productivity Rate for Production Line in Polypack Industry

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First submitted: 19 Jul 2022 Declined: 28 Jul 2022 Reviewer comments
QID: Q115704411
Suggested (provisional) preprint citation format: Nikhil Nimbalkar; Ashwinkumar Mahindrakar. "Investigation & Improvement of Productivity Rate for Production Line in Polypack Industry". WikiJournal Preprints. Wikidata Q115704411.
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## Article information

Authors: Nikhil Nimbalkar  , Ashwinkumar Mahindrakar
* 1 2 Department of Mechanical Engineering, MIT School of Engineering, Pune
* ↑ niksnimbalkar2000@gmail.com

## Introduction

The usage of polythene baggage for packaging is growing by the day. Polythene baggage is extensively utilized in everyday lifestyles with each family the usage of it for numerous functions of packaging and storage. They are taken into consideration being greater handy in packing merchandise. There is an ever-increasing call for polythene baggage within the market. Nowadays, all store storekeeper sealers of any merchandise use polythene baggage for packing purposes. The device for generating polythene film/roll that is used to make polythene baggage produces 45-50 kg of polythene film consistent with the hour. This film might be then used for making polythene baggage. So, as we are focusing on studying the Polypack industry parameters should be considered as the basics of necessity. Although productivity isn't everything, it is virtually everything in the long term. The ability of a country to gain momentum in its way of life over time is almost entirely dependent on its ability to increase its yield per specialist. Paul Krugman, The Age of Decreased Desires (1994) Productivity is commonly defined as the ratio of yield volume to the volume of information sources. In other words, it assesses how an economy's productively generated inputs, like labor and capital, are used to achieve a specific amount of yield.
Efficiency data, for example, is used to investigate the impact of item and labor market restrictions on financial execution. It enables examiners to determine capacity utilization, allowing them to assess the role of economies in the economic cycle and forecast financial growth. Efficiency improvement is a crucial component in exhibiting an economy's productive capacity. Extrusion is a technique in which metal or another material is forced through a sequence of dies to produce the required shape. Expulsion is used to make a lot of ceramics because the cycle allows for efficient, constant production. A screw drill continuously drives the plastic feed material through a hole or passes on in a business screw-type extruder, resulting in simple shapes like barrel-shaped bars and lines, rectangular strong and empty bars, and long plates.
Kaizen focuses on reducing waste by removing overproduction, enhancing quality, increasing efficiency, eliminating the idle time, and eliminating needless tasks. All of this adds up to cost savings and the ability to turn losses into profits (Kataria,2018). Kaizen has two aspects: flow Kaizen and process Kaizen, each addressing a distinct aspect of the organizational structure. Kaizen for continual improvement necessitates efforts in both flow and process.

## Literature Review

As we have seen this poly pack industry has only a countable number of raw products using the most appropriate contents of bitumen (with the aid of using the weight of aggregates) and Low- Density-Polyethylene (LDPE) plastic (with the aid of using the weight of bitumen) to make sure the long-time period overall performance of HMA mixtures by Asphalt-Technology & Infrastructure (Amin,2020). By referring to the Manufacturing unit we can get knowledgeable about the Bag making generally has sure principal features which make up of material feeding, sealing, creasing, gluing, drying, slicing, stacking, etc. In the Feeding section, a roll-fed flexible packaging movie is unwound from a feeder roll (Kashif,2016). The film bubble is constantly cooled by chilled air as it rises upwards from the die. To maintain the blown film aligned with the machine, it is usually directed upward through a few helper rolls. When the cylinder passes through nip rollers, it is flattened to create a 'lay-level' container of film. According to a paper by A. Moreno-Muoz et al., the pivoting tempo of the nip rolls is a crucial device for managing the rate with which the air pocket is sucked (Moreno,2009). Another extrusion procedure used to make film objects is blown film. In this case, the dust is expelled in the shape of a circle, and pneumatic force is also used to expand the film. It is cooled once it has been extended to the proper dimensions to cement the polymer (Laurence,2017).
Different methodologies are being used in this poly pack industry for the production of polythene bag rolls. Some old module-based industries still use the manual process on the mechanical setup. Nowadays semi-automated industries are also working more efficiently. Besides, completely fully automated ventures have enormous productivity rates and proficiency. Plastic expulsion is a regularly high-volume manufacturing process where a polymer material, enhanced with the ideal added substances, is liquefied and formed in a ceaseless interaction (Almahadi,2021). The approach is to be momentarily examined in the production and examination part.
The main parameters of this industry to be taken under observation would be the manufacturing unit, the wastage of raw materials as well as the output, and its production rate (Rahman,2019). Above all, Kaizen is a mindset, a manner of approaching work that enables engineers who practice it to Eliminate waste, Improve process flow, Boost productivity. The parameters like raw material, chemicals, every single machinery part, and its working are considered.

## Methods and Findings

* As from this literature we have seen the actual implementation in industry and the various reviews on the different types of techniques being used.
* Kaizen can help most to solve the issue of wastage so implementation of kaizen with process procedure is necessary.
* Eliminating any form of waste in a facility will assist to increase production, and the Kaizen methodology encourages a clean and tidy workspace to keep workers moving around the facility more effectively.
* The gaps from referring to this literature can be considered as more as the implementation of automation and decreasing the labor work.
* Scope of work in the actual field is also a part of our project which is to be found out with the help of this literature.

### Kaizen Phase I

The first obstacle is determining an acceptable target region for quick plant improvement. A small Kaizen event for the team was arranged. The task of identifying the wastage of raw product parts in the initial operation of mixing LDPE and LLDPE was completed in the production area where substantial delays occur (Flores,2009). A more particular "waste elimination" concern within that area is picked for the focus of the kaizen event once a suitable manufacturing process or location in a facility has been determined (i.e., the specific problem of mixing raw materials needs improvement, such as lead time reduction, quality improvement, and production yield improvement). After deciding on a problem area, study suitable alternatives and automation.

### Kaizen Phase II

At the individual/team level, Process Kaizen entails taking tiny, targeted measures to increase efficiency, productivity, communication, and transparency. Practice Kaizen is available to everyone trying to improve their performance, regardless of whether their firm is through a Lean initiative because it is just the process of creating incremental improvements (Gupta,2014).
Wastage reduction was not the only important factor in increasing production in this project; automating the manual setup was also crucial. Kaizen, or continuous improvement, is at the heart of lean production. Small, incremental changes made regularly and sustained over time result in big benefits, according to this viewpoint. The kaizen strategy tries to bring together all important changes required.

### Objectives

* Implementation of Kaizen to Improve Productivity.
* Kaizen strategy or plan that is to be implemented should go through the Plan > Do > Check > Act (PDCA) Cycle.
* Improvement in the rate of productivity using Automation wherever required and by a collection of data from step to step.
* Improvement in speed w.r.t gauge adjustment
* Atomization in Winder for Reducing the Wastages with Kaizen Lean Production.
* Adding a mixing machine from Kaizen for less labor work and time utilization with hygiene mixing (ISO Purpose).
* Increase in productivity rate by using Automated Air shafts instead of trim winders for rolling the blown film.

#### Installation of Polymer Mixing Machine

As a part of the improvement in productivity rate with eliminating wastage and for hygiene mixing to follow the norms of ISO Mixing machine needs to be installed. Initially, we were mixing granules with our hands and appropriate mixing may not be done as dust particles can be mixed up while mixing with our hands (Laurence,2017).
Mixing machines minimized the time required for the input of granules, eliminated raw material wastage, and did not need to stop the machine in an extra load of work or continuous work. The vertical mixing machine's functioning concept is that the barrel surrounds the mixer drum screw. For smooth rotation, the screw shaft is connected to the motor on top and placed in a bearing on the bottom. The Screw revolves, lifting and dropping the material from the top. Inside the drum is a Heater Chamber that is connected to the Heater and Blower to eliminate moisture from the material. The quantity of moisture inside the material determines the cycle time.
Fig 4. Newley Installed Polymer Mixing Machine
The material lifts off both the tray and the interior barrel, allowing for more efficient mixing. The material will also pass through the shutter above the tray, which will be elevated by the screw once more. Shutter with a hinge at the bottom of the screw to make it easier to clean the material with air. The height of the tray makes loading the material a breeze. The mixer includes an output shutter from which the drum may be readily filled.

#### Replacing Trim Winders with Pneumatic Winders (Air hafts) for Automation

As earlier we were using a trim winder to roll the films which used to take more time and skilled laborers are needed for that fitting purpose.
Fig 5. Newly Installed Blown Film Winder
Now Trim winders need to be fitted on a rolling panel with Allen Key and the core needs to be adjusted manually every time. Replacement of the pneumatic winder the automation is done as we already have a compressor unit we just require to choose and implement the Pneumatic winder which fits the core accordingly and much easier to carry the rolls of film.
* Blown Film Winder Description: Plastic Film Blowing Machine's Extrusion Blown Film Winder is the final step in the production of plastic film products. The job of the Extrusion Winder in a Plastic Blown Film Line is critical for maintaining film tension and making it easy to utilize for post-processing. Ensure that the film that came from the Take-Up Unit is of the flat type and that the final step keeps the film stable and free of unevenness. Winder for the film. Additionally, the line speed (take-up speed) is the key control device for film thickness and stability.
* Functions and Working: The film become incredibly flat after processing in the Take-Up Unit, and it reaches the first phase of the Extrusion Blown Film Winder. The main purpose is to gather the film perfectly on the collecting roll without any uneven edges. The purpose of a high-precision blown film winder is to keep the average air content value between each layer of film constant to avoid uneven and irregular locations. The film initially travels through Surface Winding, which is constructed of rubber and steel bars, in the Blown Film Winder process. The film is stretched to retain its tension by the interaction of these two bars. The film then adheres to a spinning roll known as the online Roller, which collects it. To wind the plastic sheet, you must lead it in the right direction. The Shifting Forks then take up the position of the Standby Roller for the next winding when the online roller reaches the required meters or wound-up diameters. Knives are frequently used to cut the well-wrapped roll down at this point. In addition, the Extrusion Film Winder will be equipped with a Slitting Knife and a Side Open Knife to cut film for various applications. For items like cling wrap and shrink film, the Side Open Knife divides the film into two sections. The Slitting Knife, on the other hand, cuts the film into strips according to the size requirements. Furthermore, the possibility of an automatic system boosts the Winding Unit's efficacy.

## Numerical Methodology

As part of the production line, the numerical methodology plays the most important role. Numerical methodology decides the actual status of a company. In this chapter, we will see the data collected from the industry while accrual working.
In this methodology part, we have taken readings of the number of experiments and production of different products on an actual basis. As shown below in tabular form we can see the actual production rate of the company for different products of different microns. We have considered actual readings from several attempts while experimenting and on industrial production time.
Graph 1. Actual vs Expected Output

### Output of the Extruder before Kaizen

The output below is taken before the implementation of the kaizen method in the plant. The investigation part was done before it and testing were taken of the output at normal conditions.
Table I. Actual Output of Extruder
| Product | Hourly Production (Average till date) | Microns | Gauge (microns*4) |
| Shrink Film | 65 kg | 85-90 | 340-360 |
| Dairy Film | 67kg | 75-80 | 300-320 |
| LD Film | 70kg | Above 50 | 200+ |
| Anti-Static | 63kg | Around 100 | Around 400 |
The above Table I. shows the actual output of the extruder on an hourly basis. The different products Shrink Film, Dairy Film, Normal LD Film, and Anti-Static take different times to produce as per the microns
Graph 2. Actual Output of the Extruder before Kaizen
Average Output = 65+67+70+63 / 4
=66.25 Kg/Hr.

### Output of the Extruder after Kaizen

Below is Table II. shows the output of the extruder after Kaizen on an hourly basis. The different products Shrink Film, Dairy Film, Normal LD Film, and Anti-Static take different times to produce as per the microns.
Table II. Actual Output of Extruder
| Product | Hourly Production (Average till date) | Microns | Gauge (microns*4) |
| Shrink Film | 70 kg | 85-90 | 340-360 |
| Dairy Film | 72kg | 75-80 | 300-320 |
| Normal LD Film | 75kg | Above 50 | 200+ |
| Anti-Static | 68kg | Around 100 | Around 400 |
Graph 3. Actual Output of the Extruder after Kaizen
Average Output= 72+73+77+68 / 4
=72.5 Kg/Hr.

## Result and Discussion

Plastic ejection is a high-volume fabricating procedure in which a polymer material is dissolved and shaped. A continuous process after being advanced with the appropriate additional chemicals. So, with the use of automation, we must deliberately identify areas for Productivity Improvement and other enhancements to be one for the good of the industry.
Studying in this field can improve the Automation and PLC knowledge as well as help in the improvement of productivity rate. So, the expected outcome is to be knowledgeable in this industry and help the Polypack production plant to improve the Productivity Rate.
Graph 4. Comparison Output of the Extruder before and after Kaizen

### Percentage Increment in Production Rate

Productivity Rate (% Increment)
= Avg. before Kaizen x 100
Avg. before Kaizen
= 62.25 x 100
77.5
= 8.62%
The Overall Improvement in Productivity Rate is 8.62% more than the previous output.

## Conclusion

From this project, we conquered that Kaizen is a way of thinking about continuous improvement that is founded on the premise that little, consistent positive adjustments can add up to big results. Implementing Kaizen to any industrial non-industrial issues can make a huge improvement. Studying in this field has improved the Automation and PLC knowledge as well as helped in the improvement of productivity rate.
We got a chance to analyze, research, and implement the procedure in the poly pack industry has given us an 8.62% of increment in productivity rate which was more than expectations also the wastage of raw material and output is reduced almost totally. Significant results in reducing Production time, lowering Production cost, decreasing Labor cost and efficient system has been done through this project.

### Acknowledgements

Words cannot express my gratitude to my professor Ashwinkumar Mahindrakar and for his invaluable patience and feedback. I also could not have undertaken this journey without my chair committee, who generously provided knowledge and expertise. Additionally, this endeavor would not have been possible without the generous support from the Department of Mechanical Engineering, MIT Art Design and Technology University towards my research. I am also grateful to my industrial mentors for keeping faith in me. Thanks, should also go to the librarians, research assistants, and study participants from the university, who impacted and inspired me.
Lastly, I would be remiss in not mentioning my family, especially my parents. Their belief in me has kept my spirits and motivation high during this process.

### Competing interests

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of this article.