DIRE DAWA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

SHOOL OF MECHANICAL AND INDUSTRIAL

ENGINEERING
POST GRADUATE PROGRAM
IN
INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERING
(PRODUCTION ENGINEERING)
TERM PAPER ON

TITLE: IMPROVEMENT IN PROCESS INDUSTRIES BY USING WORK

STUDY METHODS:
(A case study of Dire Dawa Food Complex SC)

PREPARED BY: ASHEBIR ABDO

ID NO: DDU1300803

SUBMITTED TO: Dr.K.BALASUNDARAM

JUL 15, 2021

DIRE DAWA
 Contents
ABSTRACT....................................................................................................................................................3
1. Introduction.........................................................................................................................................4
1.1. Justification of the Study.............................................................................................................4
1.2. Problem Statement.......................................................................................................................5
1.3. Objective of the study..................................................................................................................6
1.3.1. General Objective................................................................................................................6
1.3.2. Specific Objectives..............................................................................................................6
1.4. The Scope of the study.................................................................................................................6
1.5. Limitation of the study.................................................................................................................6
2. Literature Review................................................................................................................................7
2.1. Productivity and its concept.........................................................................................................7
2.2. Productivity Improvement...........................................................................................................8
2.2.1. Different Types of Productivity Measures...........................................................................8
2.2.2. Purposes of productivity measurement................................................................................9
2.3. Work Study................................................................................................................................11
2.3.1. Role of Work Study in Improving Productivity.................................................................11
2.3.2. Work Study and Ergonomics.............................................................................................12
3. Methodology.....................................................................................................................................16
4. Result and Discussion........................................................................................................................17
4.1. Current system of the company.................................................................................................17
4.2. Analysis.....................................................................................................................................20
4.2.1. Selection............................................................................................................................20
4.2.2. Recording Facts.................................................................................................................20
Transporting the cutted pasta to packing machine.................................................................................24
4.2.3. Proposed Method..............................................................................................................25
Transporting the cutted pasta to packing machine.................................................................................28
5. Conclusion and Recommendation.....................................................................................................34
5.1. Conclusion.................................................................................................................................34
5.2. Recommendation.......................................................................................................................34
Reference...................................................................................................................................................35
ABSTRACT
In Ethiopia, food processing products sector plays a vital role for economy development.
Productivity improvement can be helped to enrich profit of a food products industry by
minimizing Unsafe working environment, Unnecessary movement, Poor Scrap utilization, Poor
material handling system, Lack of standard time for operations, Lack of safety materials and
Lack of awareness of PPE and developing new method for particular operation. Now a day,
productivity improvement is a popular topic for any kinds of industry. So that improving
productivity is one of the main concerns of food Products Company. Work study is most
important tools that can help to increase productivity in dire dawa food complex sc. Hence, this
study helps to identify the bottleneck and suggest appropriate system to improve productivity.
For this purpose, method study has been carried out by applying questioning techniques concept
where recording and critical analysis of all related information has been performed in particular
production line of pasta. As a result considerable amount of work content is reduced in the new
improved method. Then time study has been taken by stopwatch and determined the basic time
for all operation sequences and the capacity of each workstation per day has been calculated. By
applying method study and work measurement in the industry at production line-pasta
productivity has been improved to have better quality inspection also increased and standard
time for proposed method is developed.

Keywords: Production; Productivity improvement; Work study; Method study; Work

measurement; food products; Application in assembly line
 1. Introduction

1.1. Justification of the Study

Now a day’s or country is expanding the industries in order to be a more influential and leading
in regard to economy in the east of Africa as well as in the Africa. To do so the government is
trying to make different Industry Zone with full facility shades in different cities of the country
i.e. Mekelle, Addis Ababa, Dire Dawa, etc. For those industries that are operating in the country
the local competition and global competition is among the challenges.
DDFC is among the industries dealing with the production of flour, different types of past,
wheat, bread, biscuit and some bi-products. The factory is located in Dire Dawa city 515 Km far
from Addis Ababa. The company is the first organization in Ethiopia to be HACCP and quality
management system ISO 9001:2000 certified for its flour, pasta, biscuit and bread production
processes complying with the organized SANS10330:2007 standards of the internationally
accredited certification body. SABS having those systems implemented maintained and
continually improved. The company has also certified with EMS ISO14001:2004. Now the
company has implemented ISO 22000:2005. Although the factory is first to get ISO certification,
that only will not work as a guaranty for winning the local market because now a day’s more
industries are getting into the market with the same products and may be with more quality. As a
result, the great deal of effort is required in DDFC factory for effective production that includes
less production time and higher efficiency to win the competition.

Work study is a generic term for those techniques, particularly method study and work
measurement, which are used in the examination of human work in all its contexts, and which
lead systematically to the investigation of all the factors which affect the efficiency and economy
of the situation being reviewed, in order to effect improvement. Work study is thus especially
concerned with productivity. It is most frequently used to increase the amount produced from a
given quantity of resources without further capital investment except, perhaps, on a very small
scale. Therefore, this study focuses on improving the productivity of the company through
improvement of method of doing work and setting the standard time for the production of Pasta.
 1.2. Problem Statement
DDFC is established so many years back they are using out of date machineries which was
working from the time they established the factory till now. Using the old technology has an
impact on lowering the productivity of the company. Unless the companies are not using or
employed the best and new technologies in their production system they might fail to bit their
competitors on the local as well as in global market.

In DDFC there are different sections producing different products i.e. pasta production, flour
production, bread and biscuit. In the section this study targets, there are two operational lines
which perform the different activity basically pasta and macaroni. DDFC is using a machine
which is very old technology for the production of pasta and macaroni which has less production
rate which is quite not suitable in this competitive global market .
The second major problem faced in plant is that packaging of pasta is done by labor manually. So the
packaging rate is very less and labor cost is high.
The researcher believe study is very important because there are different problems in the
existing way of doing work, lack of standard time, and long distance movement, unnecessary
movements, unsafe working environment that. Due to these and other problems DDFC is
achieving relatively low production volume from daily plan. If the result of this study is
implemented, the productivity of the company can lift.
Therefore, based on the observation made by the researcher and interview made with some
workers from pasta production section the following problems are observed.

 Unsafe working environment

 Unnecessary movement
 Poor Scrap utilization
 Poor material handling system.
 Lack of standard time for operations
 Lack of safety materials
 Lack of awareness of PPE
 1.3. Objective of the study

1.3.1. General Objective

The main objective of this study is to increase productivity of the company through work study
techniques in pasta production section of DDFC.

1.3.2. Specific Objectives

 To develop time standard
 To eliminate non value adding activities.
 To Integrating jobs to minimize make span.
 To create safe working environment

1.4. The Scope of the study

This study is mainly emphasis on assessing the existing working methods in the pasta production
section of DDFC operational and appraising these working methods with respect to work study
techniques.
As the operation in the company is a process line type the study will cover all activities for the
selected product (Vera Pasta)

1.5. Limitation of the study

According to its definition, work study is the study of how work is done. It looks at the way
work is organized. It gathers information about the work process. Gathering relevant data
required and analyzing for the study will cost much time and some company people are not ready
to give information. Therefore it is the researcher fear that the time shortage the lack of tools and
apparatus will affect the result of this study.
 2. Literature Review

This chapter provides some key insights in literature closely related to the topic of this paper.
Section 2.1 is about Productivity and its concept, Section 2.2 is about Productivity Improvement, and
Section 2.3 is about Work study.

2.1. Productivity and its concept

Productivity is commonly defined as a ratio between the output volume and the volume of
inputs. In other words, it measures how efficiently production inputs, such as labor and capital,
are being used in an economy to produce a given level of output. Productivity is considered a key
source of economic growth and competitiveness and, as such, is basic statistical information for
many international comparisons and country performance assessments. (Paul Krugman, 1994)

Eatwell and Newman (1991) defined productivity as a ratio of some measure of output to some
index of input use. Put differently, productivity is nothing more than the arithmetic ratio between
the amount produced and the amount of any resources used in the course of production. This
conception of productivity goes to imply that it can indeed be perceived as the output per unit
input or the efficiency with which resources are utilized (Samuelson and Nordhaus, 1995).

total output∨total result achieved∨effectiveness

productivity=
total identical input ∨total resource consumed∨efficiency

In effect, productivity becomes the attainment of the highest level of performance with the
lowest possible expenditure of resources. It represents the ratio of the quality and quantity of
products to the resources utilized.
Olaoye (1985) observed that productivity as a concept can assume two dimensions: namely total
factor productivity (TFP) and partial productivity. The former relates to productivity that is
defined as the relationship between output produced and an index of composite inputs; meaning
the sum of all the inputs of basic resources notably labor, capital goods and natural resources.
Some common misunderstandings exist about productivity. First, productivity is not only labor
efficiency or labor productivity even though; labor productivity statistics are essentially useful
policy-making data. Productivity is much more than just labor productivity and needs to take into
account other inputs involved in the production process. Two, productivity is not the same as
increase in output or performance.
Sumanth (l984) described this misconception as the confusion between productivity and
production. Output may be increasing without an increase in productivity if, for example, input
costs have risen disproportionately. One useful way to combat this misconception is to be
conscious of the trend of input costs particularly by relating output increases to price increases
and inflation. This approach is often the result of being process oriented at the expense of paying
attention to final results. Bureaucratic settings are more prone to this misconception of
productivity.

2.2. Productivity Improvement

Productivity improvement is one of the core strategies towards manufacturing excellence and it
also is necessary to achieve good financial and operational performance. It enhances customer
satisfaction and reduce time and cost to develop, produce and deliver products and service.
(B. Naveen⃰, 2004) Productivity has a positive and significant relationship to performance
measurement for process utilization, process output, product costs, and work-in-process
inventory levels and on-time delivery. Improvement can be in the form of elimination, correction
(repair) of ineffective processing, simplifying the process, optimizing the system, reducing
variation, maximizing throughput, reducing cost, improving quality or responsiveness and
reducing set-up time.

2.2.1. Different Types of Productivity Measures

The common method to measure productivity of a firm uses the following productivity level
indexes:
Single factor productivity (SFP) defined as the ratio of a measure of output quantity to
the quantity of a single input used.
Labor productivity (LP) defined as the ratio of a measure of output quantity to some
measure of the quantity of labor used, such as total hours worked.
Multifactor productivity (MFP) defined as the ratio of a measure of output quantity to a
measure of the quantity of a bundle of inputs often intended to approximate total input.
Total factor productivity (TFP) defined as the ratio of a measure of total output quantity
to a measure of the quantity of total input.
Most of the usual productivity growth measures can be defined in terms of the growth or change
from s to t in an associated productivity level measure, where t denotes the production scenario
of interest and s denotes the comparison scenario. Thus, we usually have
 SFPGs,t = SFPt / SFPs ,
 LPGs,t = LPt / LPs ,
 MFPGs,t = MFPt /MFPs , and
 TFPGs,t = TFPt / TFPs .
All of the productivity indexes we consider have some measure of output quantity or change in
the numerator and some measure of input quantity or change in the denominator. A key issue in
the construction of variables of input and output quantity is that they should only change in
response to changes in quantity. If a factory produces a constant 10 widgets a day as its output,
the output quantity measure should reflect this constancy in output quantity, even if the price for
the widgets and the revenues generated change daily. If only one good is under consideration,
quantity data can be used directly, without any price or value share information. In contrast,
“constant” relative price or value share information is needed when multiple inputs or outputs are
involved. In the section on the general N input and M output case below, we demonstrate how
this adding up problem is handled in productivity measurement.

2.2.2. Purposes of productivity measurement

Productivity is commonly defined as a ratio of a volume measure of output to a volume measure
of input use. While there is no disagreement on this general notion, a look at the productivity
literature and its various applications reveals very quickly that there is neither a unique purpose
for, nor a single measure of, productivity. The objectives of productivity measurement include:
Technology: - A frequently stated objective of measuring productivity growth is to trace
technical change. Technology has been described as “the currently known ways of converting
resources into outputs desired by the economy” (Griliches, 1987) and appear either in its
disembodied form (such as new blueprints, scientific results, new organizational techniques) or
embodied in new products (advances in the design and quality of new vintages of capital goods
and intermediate inputs). In spite of the frequent explicit or implicit association of productivity
measures with technical change, the link is not straightforward.
Efficiency: - The quest for identifying changes in efficiency is conceptually different from
identifying technical change. Full efficiency in an engineering sense means that a production
process has achieved the maximum amount of output that is physically achievable with current
technology, and given a fixed amount of inputs (Diewert and Lawrence, 1999). Technical
efficiency gains are thus a movement towards “best practice”, or the elimination of technical and
organizational inefficiencies. Not every form of technical efficiency makes, however, economic
sense, and this is captured by the notion of allocate efficiency, which implies profit-maximizing
behavior on the side of the firm. One notes that when productivity measurement concerns the
industry level, efficiency gains can either be due to improved efficiency in individual
establishments that make up the industry or to a shift of production towards more efficient
establishments.
Real cost savings: - A pragmatic way to describe the essence of measured productivity change.
Although it is conceptually possible to isolate different types of efficiency changes, technical
change and economies of scale, this remains a difficult task in practice. Productivity is typically
measured residually and this residual captures not only the above-mentioned factors but also
changes in capacity utilization, learning-by-doing and measurement errors of all kinds.
Harbinger (1998) re-stated the point that there is a myriad of sources behind productivity growth
and labeled it the real cost savings. In this sense, productivity measurement in practice could be
seen as a quest to identify real cost savings in production.
Benchmarking production processes: - In the field of business economics, comparisons of
productivity measures for specific production processes can help to identify inefficiencies.
Typically, the relevant productivity measures are expressed in physical units (e.g. cars per day,
passenger-miles per person) and highly specific. This fulfills the purpose of factory-to factory
comparisons, but has the disadvantage that the resulting productivity measures are difficult to
combine or aggregate.
Living standards: - Measurement of productivity is a key element towards assessing standards of
living. A simple example is per capita income, probably the most common measure of living
standards: income per person in an economy varies directly with one measure of labor
productivity, value added per hour worked. In this sense, measuring labor productivity helps to
better understand the development of living standards. Another example is the long-term trend in
multifactor productivity (MFP). This indicator is useful in assessing an economy’s underlying
productive capacity (“potential output”), itself an important measure of the growth possibilities
of economies and of inflationary pressures.
 2.3. Work Study

Definition: Work study may be defined as the analysis of a job for the purpose of finding the
preferred method of doing it and also determining the standard time to perform it by the
preferred (or given) method. Work study, therefore, comprises of two areas of study: method
study (motion study) and time study (work measurement).

2.3.1. Role of Work Study in Improving Productivity

In order to understand the role of work study, we need to understand the role of method study
and that of time study.

Method study (also sometimes called Work Method Design) is mostly used to improve the
method of doing work. It is equally applicable to new jobs. When applied to existing jobs and
existing jobs, method study aims to find better methods of doing the jobs that are economical and
safe, require less human effort, and need shorter make-ready / put-away time. The better method
involves the optimum use of best materials and appropriate manpower so that work is performed
in well-organized manner leading to increased resource utilization, better quality and lower costs.

It can therefore be stated that through method study we have a systematic way of developing
human resource effectiveness, providing high machine and equipment utilization, and making
economical use of materials.

Time study, on the other hand, provides the standard time, that is the time needed by worker to
complete a job by the standard method. Standard times for different jobs are necessary for proper
estimation of:

 Manpower, machinery and equipment requirements

 Daily, weekly or monthly requirement of materials
  Production cost per unit as an input to better make or buy decision
 Labor budgets
 Worker’s efficiency and make incentive wage payments.

By the application of method study and time study in any organization, we can thus achieve
greater output at less cost and of better quality, and hence achieve higher productivity.

2.3.2. Work Study and Ergonomics

The work study and the ergonomics are the two areas of study having the same objective: design
the work system so that for the operator it is safe, and the work is less fatiguing and less time
taking.

2.3.2.1. Historical Developments

The Work of Taylor

Frederick W. Taylor is generally considered to be the founder of modern method and time study,
although time studies were conducted in Europe many years before Taylor's time. In 1760, Jean
Rodolphe Perronet, a French engineer, made extensive time studies on the manufacture of No. 6
common pins.

Taylor began his time study work in 1881 while associated with the Midvale Steel Company in
USA. He evolved a system based on the “task”, and proposed that the work of each employee be
planned out by the management in advance. Each job was to have a standard time, determined by
time studies made by experts. In the timing process, Taylor advocated dividing the work into
small divisions of effort known as "elements." Experts were to time these individually and use
their collective values to determine the allowed time for the task.

Early presentations of Taylor's findings were received with little enthusiasm, because many
interpreted his findings to be somewhat new piece-rate system rather than a technique for
analyzing work and improving methods. Both management and employees were skeptical of
piece rates, because many standards were earlier typically based on the supervisor's guess or
even sometimes inflated by bosses to protect the performance of their departments.

In June 1903, at the American Society of Mechanical Engineers meeting, Taylor presented his
famous paper, "Shop Management," which included the elements of scientific management: time
study, standardization of all tools and tasks, use of a planning department, use of slide rule and
similar timesaving implements, instruction cards for workers, bonuses for successful
performance, differential rates, mnemonic systems for classifying products, routing systems, and
modern cost systems. Taylor's techniques were well received by many factory managers, and by
1917, of 113 plants that had installed "scientific management," 59 considered their installations
completely successful, 20 partly successful, and 34 failures.

In 1898, while at the Bethlehem Steel Company, Taylor carried out the pig-iron experiment that
became the most celebrated demonstrations of his principles. He established the correct method,
along with financial incentives, and workers carrying 92-pound pigs of iron up a ramp onto a
freight car were able to increase their productivity from an average of 12.5 tons per day to
between 47 and 48 tons per day. This work was performed with an increase in the daily rate of
$1.15 to $1.85. Taylor claimed that workmen per formed at the higher rate "without bringing on
a strike among the men, without any quarrel with the men and were happier and better
contented."

Another of Taylor's Bethlehem Steel studies that became famous was on shoveling work.
Workers who shoveled at Bethlehem would use the same shovel for any job lifting heavy iron
ore to lifting light rice coal. Taylor designed shovels to fit the different loads: short- handled
shovels for iron ore, long-handled scoops for light rice coal, and showed their usefulness in
improving productivity.

Not as well-known as his engineering contributions is the fact that in 1881, he was a U.S. tennis
doubles champion. Here he used an odd-looking racket he had designed with a spoon curved
handle.

The Work of Gilbreths

Frank and Lillian Gilbreth are considered as the founders of the modern motion study technique,
which may be defined as the study of the body motions used in performing an operation, for the
purpose of improving the operation by eliminating unnecessary motions, simplifying necessary
motions, and then establishing the most favorable motion sequence for maximum efficiency.
Frank Gilbreth originally implemented ideas into the bricklayer's trade in which he was
employed. After introducing methods improvements through motion study, including an
adjustable scaffold that he had invented, as well as operator training, he was able to increase the
average number of bricks laid from 120 to 350 per worker per hour.
More than anyone else, the Gilbreths were responsible for industry's recognition of the
importance of a detailed study of body motions to arrive at the best method of performing an
operation that would increase production, reduce operator fatigue. They developed the technique
of filming motions for study, known as micro motion study.

The Gilbreths also developed the cycle graphic and chrono-cyclograph analysis techniques for
studying the motion paths made by an operator. The cycle- graphic method involves fixing small
electric light bulb to the finger or part of the body being studied and then photographing the
motion while the operator is performing the operation. The resulting picture gives a permanent
record of the motion pattern employed and can be analyzed for possible improvement. The
chrono-cyclograph is similar to the cyclograph, but its electric circuit is interrupted regularly,
causing the light to flash. Instead of showing solid lines of the motion patterns, the resulting
photograph shows short dashes of light spaced in proportion to the speed of the body motion
being photographed. Consequently, with the chrono-cyclograph it is possible to determine
direction and compute velocity, acceleration, and deceleration, in addition to study of body
motions.

The Work of Others

Carl G. Barth, an associate of Frederick W. Taylor, developed a production slide rule for
estimating the most efficient combinations of speeds and feeds for cutting metals of various
harnesses, considering the depth of cut, size of tool, and life of the tool. He is also known for his
work on estimation of allowances by establishing the number of foot-pounds of work a worker
could do in a day. He developed a relationship in which a certain push or pull on a worker's arms
was equated with the amount or weight that worker could handle for a certain percentage of the
day.

Harrington Emerson applied scientific methods to work on the Santa Fe Railroad and wrote a
book, Twelve Principles of Efficiency, in which he made an attempt to lay down procedures for
efficient operation. He reorganized the company, integrated its shop procedures, installed
standard costs and a bonus plan, and introduced Hollerith tabulating machines for the accounting
work. This effort resulted in annual saving of $ 1.5 million and recognition of his approach,
called efficiency engineering.

In 1917, Henry Laurence Gantt developed simple graph that would present performance while
visually showing projected schedules. This production control tool was adopted by the
shipbuilding industry during World War I. For the first time, this tool demonstrated the
possibility of comparing actual performance against the original plan, and to adjust daily
schedules in accordance with capacity, back log, and customer requirements. Gantt is also known
for his wage payment system that rewarded workers for above-standard performance, eliminated
any penalty for failure, and offered the boss a bonus for every worker who per formed above
.standard. Gantt advocated human relations and promoted scientific management in the back
drop of an inhuman "speed up" of labor.

Motion and time study received added stimulus during World War II when Franklin D.
Roosevelt, through the U.S. Department of Labor, attempted to establish standards for increasing
production. The stated policy advocated greater pay for greater output but without an increase in
unit labor costs, incentive schemes to be collectively bargained between labor and management,
and the use of time study for setting production standards
 3. Methodology
For the study of the existing working methods, to extract relevant information and analyze the
data the researcher is very interested to use the following methods. These are:

 Personal observation and questioning techniques: by observing the section of the

researcher interest, easily can get how workers are performing their work. Visiting on the
spot is very important than using information from foreman. Through questioning
techniques the researcher can approaches the workers face to face and can get some
information.
 Literature Review: this can be used in order to assess the best methods studied by others
in different case study.
 Stop watch: the researcher tries to use some apparatus for recording data.
 Process flow chart to setting up the sequence of the flow of product in detail by recording
all events.
 Software: QM for Windows V5 will be used in determining the standard time for each
observed portion.
 4. Result and Discussion
This section addresses aspects of the existing situation that are most relevant for this study.

4.1. Current system of the company

As the researcher tries to write in the justification of the study, DDFC is producing and serving
the local market with different products. The researcher gives an emphasis on studying the
existing working method of pasta production because this section is producing pasta and
macaroni types and it covers a huge share of the profit of the company.

Production process description of the company

Raw materials:
Pasta products are produced by mixing milled wheat, water and sometimes optional ingredients.
These ingredients are typically added to a continuous, high capacity auger extruder, which can be
equipped with a variety of dies that determine the shape of the pasta. The pasta is then dried and
packaged for market.
Mixing:
In the mixing operation, water is added to the milled wheat in a mixing trough to produce dough
with a moisture content of approximately 31 percent. Any optional ingredients may also be
added. Most modern pasta presses are equipped with a vacuum chamber to remove air bubbles
from the pasta before extruding. If the air is not removed prior to extruding, small bubbles will
form in the pasta which diminish the mechanical strength and give the finished product a white,
chalky appearance
Extruding:

After the dough is mixed, it is transferred to the extruder. The extrusion auger not only forces the
dough through the die, but it also kneads the dough into a homogeneous mass, controls the rate
of production, and influences the overall quality of the finished product. Although construction
and dimension of extrusion augers vary by equipment manufacturers, most modern presses have
sharp edged augers that have a uniform pitch over their entire length. The auger fits into a
grooved extrusion barrel, which helps the dough move forward and reduces friction between the
auger and the inside of the barrel. Extrusion barrels are equipped with a water cooling jacket to
dissipate the heat generated during the extrusion process. The cooling jacket also helps to
maintain a constant extrusion temperature, which should be approximately 51°C (124°F). If the
dough is too hot (above 74°C or 165°F) the pasta will be damaged.

Uniform flow rate of the dough through the extruder is also important. Variances in the flow rate
of the dough through the die cause the pasta to be extruded at different rates. Products of none
uniform size must be discarded or reprocessed, which adds to the unit cost of the product. The
inside surface of the die also influences the product appearance. Until recently, most dies were
made of bronze, which was relatively soft and required repair or periodic replacement. Recently,
dies have been improved by fitting the extruding surface of the die with Teflon inserts to extend
the life of the dies and improve the quality of the pasta.

Drying:
Drying is the most difficult and critical step to control in the pasta production process. The
objective of drying is to lower the moisture content of the pasta from approximately 31 percent
to 12 to 13 percent so that the finished product will be hard, retain its shape, and store without
spoiling. Most pasta drying operations use a preliminary drier immediately after extrusion to
prevent the pasta from sticking together. Pre drying hardens the outside surface of the pasta
while keeping the inside soft and plastic. A final drier is then used to remove most of the
moisture from the product.
Drying temperature and relative humidity increments are important factors in drying. Since the
outside surface of the pasta dries more rapidly than the inside, moisture gradients develop across
the surface to the interior of the pasta. If dried too quickly, the pasta will crack, giving the
product a poor appearance and very low mechanical strength. Cracking can occur during the
drying process or as long as several weeks after the product has left the drier. If the pasta is dried
too slowly, it tends to spoil or become moldy during the drying process. Therefore, it is essential
that the drying cycle be tailored to meet the requirements of each type of product. If the drying
cycle has been successful, the pasta will be firm but also flexible enough so that it can bend to a
considerable degree before breaking.
Packing:
Packaging keeps the product free from contamination, protects the pasta from damage during
shipment and storage, and displays the product favorably. The principal packaging material for
noodles is the cellophane bag, which provides moisture-proof protection for the product and is
used easily on automatic packaging machines, but is difficult to stack on grocery shelves. Many
manufacturers utilize boxes instead of bags to package pasta because boxes are easy to stack,
provide good protection for fragile pasta products, and offer the opportunity to print advertising
that is easier to read than on bags.

On observing the current system the investigator tried to find some problems. The following are
problems observed.

Working Environment
When considering the existing working condition it is difficult to work during the day time.
Because there is high temperature in the working area that is because the pasta machine
temperature is high and the production room has no sufficient ventilation system that’s why its
room temperature is high. The roof is not up to the standard. Every factories production room
should have ventilation system to keep room temperature constant for their workers. DDFC
production room doesn’t consider this. It is also decreases workers performance.
Considering safety factor there is no suitable clothes, mask, gloves and shoes which protect the
worker. Because of this factors all labors they uses their own shoes sometimes they stands on
bare foot.
Material handling

The material handling system of the factory is also very poor. To loading and unloading of the
pasta, products from the cart. They don’t use the modern material handling technology they use
man power. There are different material handling systems like automated guided vehicle,
conveyer and forklift etc. The manufacturing company can use forklift it is the best way of
material handling system.
Long Distance material movement
In DDFC there is a long distance movement of products this is caused by the stores are located
for from production room these problem also decreases the company performance and profits.
The company must re-design its plant layout or building the stores in production room.
Controlling workers performance

In DDFC there is no evaluation of workers performance. This problem also decreases the
company productivity efficiency and profit. The problem has happened due to lack of skilled
workers. The problem will be solved through giving so trainings to the existing workers or hiring
skilled workers.
 4.2. Analysis

4.2.1. Selection
However there are different main products that the company can produce pasta, macaroni, wheat
flour, biscuit and bread. The following three criteria are taken into considerations in selecting the
job.

A. Economic or cost effectiveness

According to the interview made with the sales manager shows pasta products contributes a huge
share from the company’s profit.
The other reason goes to the operations, especially the last operation which is packaging is
performed with a lot of workers and the company is executing this operation manual with hand.
B. Technical consideration
In pasta production there are some manual works that are needed to be carried to make the pasta
production process to produces required products and hence, each and every technological
application and feature needs a strong technical consideration.
C. Human power consideration
As the researcher tries to discuss packaging operation is the most labor intensive and full of
manual work. Therefore to execute this operation workers are required and these workers are
doing similar job repeatedly for three shift which bring a fatigue and dissatisfaction for them.
Generally, the researcher used those criteria for evaluation and selection of the job which is
relevant for the study.

4.2.2. Recording Facts

Since the main objective of this study is to examine the existing system with respect to work
study and productivity improvement and developing an improved method, recording a
relevant fact is a primary work. Though there are many recording tools used to record facts
the investigator uses the flow process chart and stop watch for the current case.
 A. Process Flow Chart:
Table 1: Process flow chart for existing flour mixing process

PROCESS TIME REMARK

DISTAN
DESCRIPTION SYMBOLS (Min:Sec:Mic CE
) (M)

Flour permanent store 00:00:00 0

Transporting flour from flour factory store 1:46:56 28
to pasta production room L.D.M
Delay until starting m/c works 29:40:64 3
Wastage of
Preparing bowl for mixing time
19:40:85 0

Delay until mixing 12:32:61 2 Wastage of

time
Transporting flour to mixer 1:32:04 7. 24 L.D.M
Starting mixing and ends 5:28:15 0
Mixing 8:00:00 0

Table 2: Summary of flour mixing process

Location: flour mixing room Summary

Chart 2 Event Existing
Operation: flour mixing Operation 3
Chart begins: transport flour from Transport 3
store
Chart end: Delay until the flour mixing Delay 2
Date of charting: 10/04/2018 Inspection 0
Method: Existing Storage 1
Time 01:17:20:85
Distance(M) 40.24

Table 3: Process flow chart for existing pasta Production Process

PROCESS TIME DISTANCE
DESCRIPTION SYMBOLS (Hr:Min:Sec: (M) REMARK
 Mic)
Transporting dough to die 00:00:52:44 2.30
through a compression screw
Converting the dough into
shaped product 00:00:46:31

Delay until converting 00:01:31:06 2

Cutting the shaped pasta by

cutter 00:00:12:14
Delay until after cutting 00:33:21:31 3

Transporting the cutted pasta 17.1

in to oven feed 00:08:53:32

Giving the needed amount of 00:37:09:43

heat to get the desired
standard
Delay until oven feed 01:34:08:24 6

Transporting the cutted pasta 00:01:41:58 6.5

in to dryer
Delay until drying 03:00:00:00 5 m/c process it
is difficult to
Transporting the pasta to the 00:01:17:03 4.37
record the
cooler
Delay until the pasta cools 00:30:00:00 8 distance
down

Visual inspection 00:13:52:14

Delay until after visual 00:26:12:04 12

inspection
Transporting pasta to store 00:15:33:06 11.28

Table 4: Summary of Pasta Production chart

Location: pasta production Summary
Chart no 4 Event Existing
Operation: pasta production Operation 3
Chart begins: Transporting dough Transport 5
Chart ends: Delay until the store Delay 6
full
Date of charting : 10/04/2018 Inspection 1
Method: Existing Storage 0
Time 06:53:20:10
Distance(M) 77.75

DISTANCE
PROCESS DESCRIPTION SYMBOLS TIME
(Meter) REMARK
(Hr:Min:Sec:
Mic)
Transporting pasta from store
to cutter 00:04:41:04 3
Cutting the pasta to desired 00:00:09:83 6
shape
Delay until cutted pasta in to 00:21:14:03 10
temporary storage
6.96
Transporting the cutted pasta
00:06:43:54
to packing machine
Delay until the packing 5
machine starts working 00:02:23:60
Preparing a bagging material
to the machine 00:18:45:26 Wastage
of time
Packing the pasta Wastage
00:00:21:62 of time

Preparing cartons 00:01:29:34

Transporting the cartons to 00:00:42:49 5.30

the packing area
Counting and Inserting the
pasta into the prepared 00:02:22:08
 cartons
Packing the pasta cartons ,
stamping stamp & writing 00:06:47:95
date on it
Delay until waiting packed 00:11:47:70 Wastage
cartons to be cumulated of time
Transporting the packed pasta 00:01:10:48 12.50
cartons to temporary storage
Delay until packed pasta 01:28:24:41 10
cartons to temporary storage
Store the pasta 00:14:02:12 24

Table 6: Summary of existing Packing of pasta chart

Location: packing room Summary

Chart no:6 Event Existing

Operation: bagging &packing Operation 6

Chart begins: transporting the Transport 4
pasta to packing machine
Chart ends: waiting packed Delay 4
cartons to be cumulated
Date of charting :10/04/2018 Inspection 0

Method: Existing Storage 1

Time (Min) 02:18:25:49
Distance(M) 82.76

4.2.3. Proposed Method

After the investigator critical examines each operation and asked the operators and foreman, the
activities are segregated as setup, administrative, processing, value adding and non-value adding
actives. This has done using further investigation made on activities and using questions
provided to supervisors and some shop floor workers. Therefore, the following flow process
chart presents the proposed method along with the time and distance minimized.

PROCESS TIME REMARK

DISTAN
DESCRIPTION SYMBOLS (Min:Sec:Mic CE
) (M)

Flour permanent store 00:00:00 0

Transporting flour from flour factory store 1:46:56 28
to pasta production room
Preparing bowl for mixing
19:40:85 0

Transporting flour to mixer 1:32:04 7. 24

Starting mixing and ends 5:28:15 0
Mixing 8:00:00 0
Table 7: Flow process chart for proposed flour mixing process.

Table 8: summery of the proposed flour mixing process

Location: Manufacturing room Summery

Chart no:1 Event Existing Proposed Difference

Operation: flour mixing process Operation 3 3 0

Chart begins: store Transport 2 2 0
Chart ends: mixing Delay 2 0 2
Date of charting : 10/04/2010 Inspection 0 0 0
Method: Proposed Storage 1 1 0
Time 01:17:20:85 00:35:07: 00:42:13:25
60
Distance(m) 40.24 35.24 5
Distance(M)

Table 9: Flow process chart for proposed pasta production.

PROCESS TIME DISTANCE

DESCRIPTION SYMBOLS (Hr:Min:Sec: (M) REMARK
Mic)
Transporting dough to die 00:00:52:44 2.30
through a compression screw
Converting the dough into
shaped product 00:00:46:31

Cutting the shaped pasta by

cutter 00:00:12:14
Transporting the cutted pasta 17.1
in to oven feed 00:08:53:32

Giving the needed amount of 00:37:09:43

heat to get the desired
standard
Delay until oven feed 01:34:08:24 6

Transporting the cutted pasta 00:01:41:58 6.5

in to dryer
Delay until drying 03:00:00:00 5 m/c process it
is difficult to
Transporting the pasta to the 00:01:17:03 4.37
record the
cooler
Delay until the pasta cools 00:30:00:00 8 distance
down
 Visual inspection 00:13:52:14

Transporting pasta to store 00:15:33:06 11.28

Table 10: Summery of the proposed pasta production.

Location: production room Summary

Chart no:4 Event Existing Proposed Difference

Operation: Bagging &packing Operation 3 3 0

Chart begins: transport the dough Transport 5 5 0
Chart ends: Unloading of products Delay 6 3 3
Date of charting :10/04/2010 Inspection 1 1 0
Method: Proposed Storage 0 0 0
Time 06:53:20:10 05:52:46:75 01:00:33:35
Distance(M) 77.75 60.75 17

Table 11: Flow process chart for proposed packing of pasta.

DISTANCE
PROCESS DESCRIPTION SYMBOLS TIME
(Meter) REMARK
(Hr:Min:Sec:
Mic)
Transporting pasta from store
to cutter 00:04:41:04 3
Cutting the pasta to desired 00:00:09:83 6
shape
6.96
Transporting the cutted pasta
00:06:43:54
to packing machine
Preparing a bagging material
to the machine 00:18:45:26
Packing the pasta
00:00:21:62
 Preparing cartons 00:01:29:34

Transporting the cartons to 00:00:42:49 5.30

the packing area
Counting and Inserting the
pasta into the prepared 00:02:22:08
cartons
Packing the pasta cartons ,
stamping stamp & writing 00:06:47:95
date on it
Transporting the packed pasta 00:01:10:48 12.50
cartons to temporary storage
Store the pasta 00:14:02:12 24

Table 12: Summary of the proposed packing of pasta

Location: production room Summary

Chart no:6 Event Existing Proposed Difference

Operation: packing Operation 6 6 0

Chart begins: Transportation Transport 4 4 0
Chart ends: Store the pasta Delay 4 0 4
Date of charting :10/04/2018 Inspection 0 0 0
Method: Proposed Storage 1 1 0
Time 02:18:25:49 00:14:54:75 02:03:29:47
Distance(M) 82.76 57.76 25

Standard time development

Standard Time- is the total time in which a job should be computed at standard performance.
Standard time= (Normal time*1/1-allowance)
Thus, basic constituent of standard time are observed time, performance rating to compensate for
difference in pace of working and various allowances.
It can also be defined as the time required producing a product at a work station with the
following three conditions: a qualified, well-trained operator and working at a normal pace and
doing a specific task. Since the company hasn’t standard time this study develops the standard
time for the proposed method. The Standard time is developed for the proposed method using the
method described in the data analysis.
As mentioned early the company has no standard time in pasta production room. The standard
time is calculated as mentions in data analysis method

A) Standard time for flour mixing process

Table 13: Standard time flour mixing process

Process OT PR NT AW ST
(Min:Sec:Mic) (%) (Min:Sec:Mic) (%) (Min:Sec:Mic)

1 00:00:00 0 00:00:00 0 0
2 01:46:56 131 01:32:98 0.58 01:39:58
3 19:40:85 126 22:45:47 0.6 20:59:43
4 01:32:04 140 01:44:52 0.93 01:38:21
5 05:28:15 132 04:44:33 0.8 04:59:54
6 08:00:00 128 09:22:25 0.73 08:41:25

B) Standard time for pasta manufacturing

Table 14: Standard time for pasta manufacturing

PROCESS OT PR NT AW ST
(Hr:Min:Sec:Mic (%) (Hr:Min:Sec:Mic) (%) (Min:Sec:Mic)
)
1 00:00:52:44 129 00:00:43:56 0.8 00:00:47:22
2 00:00:16:31 127 00:00:11:23 0.65 00:00:13:86
3 00:00:12:14 132 00:00:47:35 0.91 00:00:30:11
4 00:08:53:32 136 00:07:51:23 0.5 00:08:22:48
5 00:37:09:43 140 00:32:11:34 0.51 00:34:48:21
 6 01:34:08:24 139 00:56:07:21 0.6 01:14:53:55
7 00:01:41:28 137 00:02:40:76 0.76 00:02:11:46
8 03:00:00:00 140 02:51:17:87 0.8 02:55:46:32
9 00:01:17:03 133 00:00:47:33 0.59 00:00:59:51
10 00:30:00:00 133 00:20:11:33 0.7 00:25:05:14
11 00:15:32:14 114 00:11:31:42 0.9 00:13:30:22
12 00:15:33:06 138 00:10:33:32 0.87 00:13:06:44

Standard time for packing of pasta

Table 15: Standard time for packing of pasta

PROCESS OT PR NT AW ST
(Min:Sec:Mic) (%) (Min:Sec:Mic) (%) (Min:Sec:Mic)

1 04:41:04 137 03:21:11 0.7 04:08:28

2 00:09:83 131 00:11:45 0.85 00:10:60
3 06:43:54 140 06:21:34 0.65 06:30:22
4 18:45:26 139 15:55:67 0.6 16:38:82
5 00:21:62 137 00:23:65 0.5 00:22:50
6 01:29:34 124 00:56:87 0.75 01:05:44
7 00:42:49 142 01:11:76 0.8 00:57:68
8 02:22:08 111 03:44:56 0.91 03:14:57
9 06:47:95 132 07:01:03 0.6 06:55:18
10 01:10:48 136 01:14:18 0.86 01:12:84
11 13:52:14 141 11:21:12 0.5 12:25:45

Table 16: Summery of standard time of operation in Pasta Production Section

NO OPERATIONS ST
(Min:Sec:Mic)
1 Flour mixing process

00:37:08:02
2 Pasta manufacturing 05:08:14:56

3 Packing of pasta

00:52:21:48
Finally, after pasta is packed with machine, the packed pasta will be dropped to the work table of
the manual packaging workers for further package in cartoons. During this time, the pasta will be
broken to solve this I recommend the company to use drop chutes.

Figure 1: Drop Chute

 5. Conclusion and Recommendation

5.1. Conclusion
Dire Dawa Food Complex Share Company has different problems. Mainly in pasta production
the critical problem are long distance material movement, poor material handling system and no
standard time. From work study techniques by using method and time study in this production
problems will be solved. Like total time and total distance travelled is minimized, the number of
operation and delay motion decreased, to have better quality inspection also increased and
standard time for proposed method is developed.

Therefore, if the companies implement this study its productivity can be improved and its
strategic plan can be executed in a better way. Further study can make this company to be
profitable and productive.

5.2. Recommendation
To enhance the productivity of Dire Dawa Food Complex share company the following points
are recommended:-

It’s better to give training for workers especially for supervisors and operators. The company
should facilitate safety materials for workers such as mask, shoes, goggle, glove, and cloths. In
addition to these the company should prepare emergency door. It’s better for the company to
conduct further study to develop better plant layout.

The company should build stores near to production areas it minimizes long distance material
movement and it’s advisable to use ergonomically accepted working area equipment.

The last be not the least, company should use better material handling system to minimize
wastage of time.
Reference
[1] Dr. M. P. Singh and Hemant Yadav (2016) Improvement in process industries by using
work study methods: a case study.

[2] Ashish Kalra et.al .(2016) Increasing Productivity by Reducing Cycle Time in Assembly line
of an Automotive Industry using Work Study Techniques, International Journal of Engineering
Research & Technology (IJERT)

[3] George Kanawaty, Introduction to work study, International Labor Office, 1998.

[4] Harold Bright Maynard, Kjell B. Zandin, 5 th ed. Maynard’s industrial engineering handbook,
2001

[5] Benjamin W.Niebel & Andris Freivalds, 11th ed. Methods, Standards, and Work Design,
USA 2003.

[6] K.K Ahuja, 4th ed. Production Management 1, India, 1998