Internship

Hawassa university Industrial engineering department 2023
DECLARATION
We hereby, declare this final internship project is the results of our work except as cited in the
references; and compiled according to the project writing format/guideline given.
Name of the students: Signature Id. No
1. Henok Getachew _____________________ 0507/11
2. Jemal Muhammed _____________________ 0726 /11
3. Temesgen Geta _____________________ 0972/11
This final project document has been submitted for examination with our approval as university
advisor.
Advisor Name: Mr. Anteneh Hulluie M.SC

Signature: __________________________ Date: ______________________
The internship report is written according to the internship report writing guideline given by the
University Industry Linkage office of the University, and the Document contain detail thing about
Hawassa ETAB Soap Factory and we have also project on investigation on identifying the major
cause and optimization or(reduction) of Downtime in order to improve production capacity ,so if you
get chance to see this Document please read it accurately to obtain a good knowledge.
Final industrial attachment report and project Page I

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
First and for most, we would like thank almighty GOD with his mother saint Merry, who has power
over all things and there is in reality no power and influence except him as well as who always with
us and helping in all case throughout our lives starting from the root level of fertilization in mother
embryo until the day today.
Beside to this, we would like to acknowledge our adviser, Mr. Anteneh Hulluie M.SC for his
guidance and support given throughout the progress of this report and project. We are also thankful to
our internship supervisor, Mr. Sisay for his guidance to follow the right way in our report and project
and a heart full thanks to all workers in ETAB soap factory for their encouragement, love and
emotional supports that they had given to us throughout the progress of this project. Also we would to
say thanks to senior mechanic Mr. Sisay.
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EXECUTIVE SUMMERY
This report introduces several new concepts and terms that will be used through the internship
program and practical application of industrial Engineering. And that internship program is mainly
concerned in industrial Engineering and to create productive, skilled and know legible generation. In
these programs we have developed our theoretical knowledge through practical work. This thing
makes we are to be active and confidential. This report is divided in two different parts starting from
briefly describing the back ground of our hosting company, including its history and any others.
While the other part is describes the overall internship experience we had gained during the practical
periods, including how we are get in to the company, the section of the company we have been
working in, the procedure we are used while performing our task. Finally this report includes the
benefits we are gained from our internship in terms of improving our practical skills, interpersonal
communication skills, team playing skills, leadership skills, upgrading our theoretical knowledge and
work ethics and finalized by conclusions and recommendation. Generally in this report we can get
some information about practical works as much as possible.
List of Abbreviations
ETAB Eskindir Tesfaye Abebe Brue
ESF ETAB Soap Factory
SNNPR Southern Nation Nationality People of region
SR Sidama region
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ABSTRACT
This research focused on improving production capacity through the reduction of downtime. The
research concerned the most important factors which cause higher downtime such as product rework
machine, breakdown and maintenance problem, power interruption, cleaning and shortage of raw
material. Reduction of downtime has considerable effect in improving production capacity and is a
prerequisite for a profitable and flexible production. This study estimated the total downtime for the
major production line and calculating the average downtime and also determining its production loss
in terms of quantity and money. The project was conducted on ETAB soap factory. This research is
applied research which used both qualitative and quantitative data. It is used both primary and
secondary data resources to approach the research problem. Observation, interview and down time
recording book were used for data gathering. The main purpose of this project is improving
productivity of the company by reducing downtime and to solve this repetitive machine downtime we
use different techniques. Because the main objective is reducing the company machine downtime to
increase profitability and productivity.
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Table of Contents
Declaration ...............................................................................................................................................I
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ..................................................................................................................... II
EXECUTIVE SUMMERY ................................................................................................................... III
List of Abbreviations ............................................................................................................................ III
ABSTRACT.......................................................................................................................................... IV
CHAPTER ONE .................................................................................................................................... 1
INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................................. 1
1.1 Background of ETAB soap factory ............................................................................................... 1
1.2 Management and organization structure of ETAB soap factory (ESF) ........................................ 3
1.2.1 General Manager .................................................................................................................... 4
1.2.2 Administration (human resource) department ....................................................................... 4
1.2.3 Finance department ................................................................................................................ 4
1.2.4 Quality control ....................................................................................................................... 4
1.2.5 Marketing department ............................................................................................................ 4
1.2.6 Production department ........................................................................................................... 5
1.2.7 Commercial department ......................................................................................................... 5
1.3 Annual production plan of ETAB soap factory ............................................................................ 5
1.4 Raw material used by the company .............................................................................................. 6
1.5 Main Services of the Organization................................................................................................ 7
1.6 Objectives ................................................................................................................................... 10
1.6.1 Objective of internship ......................................................................................................... 10
1.6.2 Objective of the ETAB soap and detergent factory ............................................................. 10
1.7 Scope of the Organization ........................................................................................................... 11
CHAPTER TWO .................................................................................................................................. 12
OVERALL INTERNSHIP ACTIVITIES AND EXPERIENCE .......................................................... 12
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2.1 How to get the company ............................................................................................................. 12
2.2 Section of the company we have been working .......................................................................... 12
2.2.1 Raw material preparation room............................................................................................ 12
2.2.2 Receiving and storage of raw materials ............................................................................... 13
2.2.3 In-Process ............................................................................................................................. 14
2.2.4 Saponification room ............................................................................................................. 14
2.2.5 Finishing room ..................................................................................................................... 15
2.3 Over all step of soap production in ETAB .................................................................................. 15
2.3.1 The main operational sections and process flow in ETAB soap factory ............................. 16
2.3.2 Description of machine to perform above processes ........................................................... 18
2.4 Work tasks we have been executing ........................................................................................... 24
2.5 Procedures used to perform the work task .................................................................................. 24
2.6 How good we have been in performing our tasks ....................................................................... 24
2.7 Challenges we have been facing ................................................................................................. 24
2.8 Measures taken to overcome challenges ..................................................................................... 25
CHAPTER THREE .............................................................................................................................. 26
OVER ALL BENEFITS GAINED FROM THE INTERNSHIP .......................................................... 26
3.1 Interpersonal communication skills ............................................................................................ 26
3.2 Work ethics related issues ........................................................................................................... 26
3.3 Team playing skill....................................................................................................................... 27
3.4 Practical skills ............................................................................................................................. 27
3.5 Leadership skills ......................................................................................................................... 27
3.6 Entrepreneurship skills................................................................................................................ 28
PART TWO .......................................................................................................................................... 29
ENHANCIG PRODUCTIVITY THROUGH OPTIMIZATION OF MACHINE DOWN TIME ...... 29
CHAPTER ONE ................................................................................................................................... 30
INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................ 30
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1.1 Background of the project ........................................................................................................... 30
1.2. Statement of the Problem ........................................................................................................... 31
1.3. Basic Research Question............................................................................................................ 31
1.4. Objectives .................................................................................................................................. 32
1.4.1General Objective ................................................................................................................. 32
1.4.2 Specific Objective ................................................................................................................ 32
1.5. Scope of the Study ..................................................................................................................... 32
1.6. Limitation of the Study .............................................................................................................. 32
1. 7. Significance of the Study .......................................................................................................... 32
CHAPTER TWO .................................................................................................................................. 33
LITERATURE REVIEW ..................................................................................................................... 33
2.1 What is Machine down time ?.................................................................................................... 33
2.2 Maintenance concept and interventions ...................................................................................... 36
2.3 Maintenance strategies, policies and tactics................................................................................ 36
2.3.1 Maintenance and its effect ................................................................................................... 38
2.3.2 Maintenance and production ................................................................................................ 38
2.3.3 Maintenance and quality ...................................................................................................... 39
2.3.4 Maintenance and profitability .............................................................................................. 39
2.3.5Maintenance organization ..................................................................................................... 40
CHAPTER THREE .............................................................................................................................. 41
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY .......................................................................................................... 41
3.1 Research Method ........................................................................................................................ 41
3.2 Data collection method ............................................................................................................... 41
3.3 Sampling technique ..................................................................................................................... 42
Chapter four .......................................................................................................................................... 43
4. Data collection and Analysis ............................................................................................................ 43
4.1 Data collection tool ..................................................................................................................... 43
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- Interview and observation .............................................................................................................. 43
4.2 Interview design of this study ..................................................................................................... 43
4.3 Data analysis of this study .......................................................................................................... 44
4.1 Pareto chart diagram ................................................................................................................... 52
Chapter five........................................................................................................................................... 54
5. Result and Discussion ....................................................................................................................... 54
5.1 Machine break down and maintenance problem......................................................................... 54
5.2 Product rework ............................................................................................................................ 64
5.2.1 Moisture variation ................................................................................................................ 64
5.2.2 Spot defect ........................................................................................................................... 67
Chapter six ............................................................................................................................................ 69
6. Conclusion and Recommendation .................................................................................................... 69
6.1 Conclusion .................................................................................................................................. 69
6.2. Recommendation ....................................................................................................................... 69
Reference .............................................................................................................................................. 71
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LIST OF TABLE
Table 1 type of soap product and their batch type .................................................................................. 2
Table 2production capacity of the company ........................................................................................... 8
Table 3 Average daily production capacity of ESF ................................................................................ 8
Table 4 Summary of the direct materials used in ESF ............................................................................ 9
Table 5 Downtime caused by machine break down.............................................................................. 45
Table 6 downtime caused by product rework ....................................................................................... 47
Table 7 down time caused by shortage of row material........................................................................ 48
Table 8 downtime caused by others ...................................................................................................... 49
Table 9 downtime observed period ....................................................................................................... 50
Table 10 average downtime per day ..................................................................................................... 50
Table 11 type of soaps produced with their price before and after vat ................................................. 51
Table 12 average downtime per day and revenue loss .......................................................................... 52
Table 13 machine downtime duration for Pareto chart ......................................................................... 52
Table 14 Down time duration of finishing line machine components .................................................. 55
Table 15 machine downtime duration for pareto chart ......................................................................... 56
Table 16 Preventive Maintenance Schedule and Checklist. ................................................................. 57
Table 17 action plan suggestion for moisture variation ........................................................................ 66
Table 18 action plan suggestion for spot defect .................................................................................... 68
LIST OF FIGURE
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Figure 1 overall work flow ..................................................................................................................... 3
Figure 2 :finishing room ....................................................................................................................... 15
Figure 3 workshop room ....................................................................................................................... 17
Figure 4 Boiler ...................................................................................................................................... 18
Figure 5 Silicate and Silicate dissolver tanker ...................................................................................... 19
Figure 6 Palm oil................................................................................................................................... 19
Figure 7 Saponification room .............................................................................................................. 20
Figure 8 Atomizer ................................................................................................................................. 21
Figure 9 Mixer and Blade of a mixer ................................................................................................... 22
Figure 10 plodder ................................................................................................................................. 23
Figure 11 Mixer + conveyor + plodder ................................................................................................ 23
Figure 12 Stamper ................................................................................................................................. 23
Figure 13 Fish bone diagram of machine downtime ............................................................................ 45
Figure 14 Pareto chart diagram ............................................................................................................. 53
Figure 15 cause and effect of machine break down and maintenance problem .................................... 54
Figure 16 pareto chart of machine breakdown and maintenance .......................................................... 56
Figure 17 cause and effect for moisture variation................................................................................. 65
Figure 18 cause and effect for spot defect ............................................................................................ 67
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CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of ETAB soap factory
ETAB soap factory is a factory that produce a bar soaps having different forms, sizes and quality. The
name ETAB is named by the name of the company owner (ESKINDER TESFAYE ABEBE BIRU).
ATO ESKINDER TESFAYE who is an auto mechanic and his father Mr.TESFAYE ABEBE is a
chemist. The project for the ETAB soap factory is started by Mr.TESFAYE ABEBE. He had been
producing a bar soap from tallow and caustic soda inside his house by using simple machine. This
machine has reactor, mixer, mold and cutter operated by hand. The Reactor was operated by stirring
with hand. The mixing of ingredients was done manually with a stickor wooden ladle and the molding
was done by pulling the mixed ingredient through the mold. The Cutting operation was done by using
very thin steel. The production process involves strenuous human efforts which require a lot of energy
and time input by the producer. ATO ESKINDER TESFAYE develops this small scale works into
large scale industrial works by installing different unit operations.Now a day ETAB soap and
detergent industry is a privatized company, its basement is started in 1993 by Ato Eskendir Tesfaye,
using a single unit operation for the production of bar soap to a single society in Hawassa by setting
its basement in a rent house.
ETAB soap factory was established and legally registered in Ethiopia by the name ETAB Soap
Factory in 1997 in Hawassa city (SNNPR) as a private company. Ato Eskinder Tesfaye and his family
Established the company. The factory started its operation with three machines acquired from
CHEMCO Company in Italy. In 1999, the company had undertaken additional construction to
facilitate production processes. The first expansion had enabled it to raise its production capacity from
1.5tn to 3.6tn a day, increasing its employees from 9 to 250. Now a day there are around 550 labor
and skilled human power are working responsibly in three shifts per a day.
ETAB had undertaken an expansion project at a cost of 15 million Br, which had doubled its
production capacity to 1.2 million bars of soap per year. New machines for melting, composing and
drying have been acquired from the same Italian company. The expansion project had enabled the
Final industrial attachment report and project Page 1

factory to produce bathroom, laundry and toilet soap, among others. The company makes an
expansion continuously by installing at least one new machine per year. Now a day the new facility is
able to supply approximately 41163.9 tons of soap per year by producing 6.382 tons of soaps per hour.
ETAB soap factory currently coordinates/manages most of its operations at the facility of Hawassa
city (SNNPR) in an industrial zone area prepared by the regional government. The facility is situated
in a total area of 9854m2. When started, the company was producing six types of laundry soap from
100 to 200gm. Now a day due to the use of advanced technology working with advanced unit
operation it have been producing 30 types of soaps from ETAB (25 gm.) toilet soap to UNHCR (245
– 250 gm.)laundry soap. These products of ETAB soap factory are listed below in the table
Table 1 type of soap product and their batch type
Batch type Types of soap produce from a given batch
Filled (FL1) Infinity small Infinity large
Filled (FL2) dashen
Build (BL1) Hammer small, , Toilet soap small
pink, Toilet soap large pink
Build (BL2) Zumbara, Hawassa, Hammer large, Walta yellow
Toilet soap small white, Toilet soap large white
Genuies Yani120gpink, Yani
200g pink, Yani 200g white, Yani 120g white,

Jegol
orange 140g, Jegol ivory 190g
ETAB soap factory sells its products locally on both urban and rural areas of Ethiopia. It distribute its
bar soap product in many areas of Ethiopia especially in Hawassa, Shashemenie and many rural areas
of south part of Ethiopia, and sometimes it also distributes its product to Harrer, Dredawa ,Weldia and
some part of oromiya

1.2 Management and organization structure of ETAB soap factory (ESF)
ESF have abroad management and organization structure which is guided by five main departments.
The main departments of the factory are;
i. financial department
ii. Marketing department
iii. Production department
iv. Administration (human resource) department
v. Property and purchasing (Commercial) department
General Manager
Plan & program Quality control &

assurance
Human resource Property and Production Marketing Finance
dep’t purchasing department department departmen
Property Purchasin Cost General

division g division &budget accountant
Production Operational
plan, division
Human General Marketing Sales

Personal
training Service promotion division
division
division
Figure 1 overall work flow

The individual departments have their own tasks. The tasks of the general manager and each
department are described below.
1.2.1 General Manager
Controls overall management related tasks and manages the individual departments
Formulate and ensures the implementation of quality policy.
Provides necessary resources to maintain and improve the system.
Creates appropriate internal communication process and allows the interests of customer to be
handled fittingly
Conduct management reviews over the whole department
1.2.2 Administration (human resource) department
Define qualification of personnel and ensures recruitment of suitable qualified Staff.
Perform general administration
Provide induction training to new employees.
1.2.3 Finance department
Ensures customers are credit valuable
Ensures all sales are invoiced properly
Ensures all purchases are properly authorized, salaried and accounted.
Ensures audit and other statutory and regulatory compliance issues are handled appropriately,
efficiently and promptly
1.2.4 Quality control
Test the quality parameters incoming row material
Control the quality of the intermediate product with in the process
Checking the parameters of final products
Assure quality, develop and maintain strong brands and minimize risk
1.2.5 Marketing department
Study current and future market and propose appropriate actions
Maximizes sales through use of various marketing structure

Measures customers
Satisfaction regularly and take prompt action.
1.2.6 Production department
Ensure that the different unit operations are working properly to optimize the production capacity of
the company
Set annual and daily production plan
Identify the problem that affect the quality of the product
Eliminate waste
1.2.7 Commercial department
Controls property related issues
Purchasing of different raw materials
1.3 Annual production plan of ETAB soap factory
In order to produce different types of soap products, ETAB soap factory have five finishing lines i.e.
line 1, line 2, line 3, line 4 and line 5. The mixer capacity in each line is different. Line 1, 3& 5 each
have mixer capacity of 300kg. Line 2 has mixer capacity of 253 kg and line 4 has 460 kg mixer
capacity, but line 1 and line 3 are not work due to lake of repair. It is expected that about 2.5kg of
soap is waste from each line per batch and 1kg of moisture with air is released from plodder by
vacuum chamber. Therefore the production plan of the company is, from one batch totally 1602.5 kg
of raw material inputs to mixer, 2.5*3 is waste and 3*1kg of moisture with air is released. Then final
product is 1602.5kg of soap per batch. The mixing time is (12 – 15 minute) take the maximum. In one
hour we can perform 4 mixing. So the production plan of the factory is 6382kg of soap per hour. And
when we translate this to annual production plan, it is expected that there are 300 working days out of
365 day. The rest are break days, holidays and maintenance time and there is down time (2 - 3 hour
per day) within each working day. Take the average down time 2.5 hour per day. The daily production
plan is 21.5*6382 = 137,213 kg of soap per day. The annual production plan is 137,213*300 =
41,163,900kg of soap per year. Generally ETAB soap factory annually plans to produce 41163.9 tons
of soap within the working days by using five finishing lines.

Open area
Raw Boiler plant Silicate Plant Dolomite, storage
Material Crusher Different

inputs
Preparatio
n Mixing unit Drying unit Finishing unit Auxiliary
Saponifica
tion Chiller Finished
soaps
Store
Work .shop
Power house Laboratory Supporting
G.house
departments
Road
Figure 2 ESF Main Facilities Layout (Existing)
1.4 Raw material used by the company
The raw material that are required for the manufacture of laundry and toilet soap are fat or
oils(blended or alone),caustic soda ,sodium choroid, filters like sodium silicate ,talc, soda ash
colorants perfume and the like .Most of the row material are locally available and only some are
imported.

A brief description of the basic raw material used is presented below:-
1. Palm fatty acid:-is the base material and one of excellent types of in fatty acid in soap making.
This row material is locally available in various forms such as crude, refined, and bleached and
deodorized or simply distilled. The most important ones in terms of cost as well as quantity include
Palm and Chemical ingredient. Indonesia and Malaysia are the main producer and distributer of Palm
oil, but this palm oil not freely inter to the company due to different challenges, but it substitutes local
product instead of palm oil
2. Tallow:-it is available in different grades and forms in depending on its color, free fatty acid, and
sources or origin.
3. Caustic soda:-The use of this chemical to neutralize the fatty acid and or fats while making soap.
4. Sodium silicate: - sodium silicate use used in laundry toilet soap formulation to provide alkaline
buffering and for corrosion control. Silicate has no effect on water softening but it is source of
alkalinity in wash water. Also considered corrosive to eye and skin, sodium silicate have low toxicity
and hence its use does not present significant risk in human health or to the environment.
5. Others :- the aforementioned material are the basic raw material for soap making .However,
laundry and toilet soap may contain builders ,filters ,coloring matter perfume optical brighteners
,preservatives and opacities. While tallow, caustic soda, sodium silicate, builders and fillers are
acquired from local markets.
1.5 Main Services of the Organization
The factory today produces the following products:-
a. city f-. Yani
b. Hammer g. Tabor
c. Langano h. Dashin
d. zumbara I .infinity
e. jegol j capital

Table 2 production capacity of the company
Serial no Description measurement capacity Remark
1 Production capacity Ton 12000-19200 Per day(24hrs)
2 Product type Category two Laundry,toilet soap
3 Production brand No More than 10
Table 3 Average daily production capacity of ESF
Quantity per carton
No. Product type(gm)
1 City 25 100
2 City 80 70
3 City 200 50
4 City 250 50
5 Hammer 120 50
6 Hammer 200 50
7 Hammer 250 50
8 Langano 250 50
9 Zumbara 200 50
10 Zumbara 250 50
11 Jegol 200 50
12 Yani 200 50
13 Capital 250 50
14 Infinity 200 50

Table 4 Summary of the direct materials used in ESF

S/N Production Center Direct Materials Outputs Produced
Consumed
I Raw Materials Preparation:
1. Dolomite Milling Bold/Solid Dolomite Milled Dolomite
2. Silicate Dissolution Silicate Glass/Solid Liquid/Dissolved Silicate
3. Raw Tallow Refining and Raw/Solid Tallow Refined and Bleached

Bleaching Tallow Oil
4. Oil Melting and Blending

•Refined and Bleached TO Oil Blend Batch:
•Kera Tallow Oil (TO) •Tallow Oil only,
•PA, PFAD, RBD •Palm Oil only, or
•Oil Blend (i.e., Tallow and

Palm Oil)
5.Caustic Soda Dissolution Caustic Soda Dissolved Caustic Soda/

Caustic Soda Solution
CONT…
II In-Process Soap Chips/Noodles

•Oil Blend Batch,
•Dissolved Caustic Soda,
•Liquid/Dissolved
Silicate,
•Hydrogen.

III Mixing Mixed and Softened Soap

•Soap Chips/Noodles
•Dolomite
•Liquid/Dissolved Silicate
•Perfume
•Color
IV Finishing Mixed and Softened Soap Various Finished Soaps
1.6 Objectives
1.6.1 Objective of internship
The main objectives the internship is as follows:-

 To increases the practical knowledge of the student.
 To apply the theoretical knowledge on practical working environment
 To obtain an important experience for future activities of one life in working environment.
 To relate the theoretical knowledge with real practical working environment.
 How the student can simulates the theoretical knowledge in real working environment.
 To increases the communication skills; leader ship skills; work ethics; entrepreneurship skills etc.; of
one’s life in real world.
1.6.2 Objective of the ETAB soap and detergent factory
 Enhance technology application

 Creating job opportunity to the citizen
 To enhance creativity and innovation
 Develop and maintain conducive working environment
 Improve hazardous waste management system in accordance with national regional and local
requirements
 Build corporate image of the organization
 Enhance innovation and adaptation throughout the organization

1.7 Scope of the Organization
 All peoples live in urban and rural area of Ethiopia

 Mostly rural area of SNNPR
 For the united nation high communication for refuges,(e.g.UNHCR Soap).
 Employers of the company.

CHAPTER TWO
OVERALL INTERNSHIP ACTIVITIES AND EXPERIENCE
2.1 How to get the company
Since we are receive our internship requirement paper, we are tried to looking for a company which
can fit our interest and related to our department of studies. For doing this we are applying at three
organizations located in Hawassa city. Among those ETAB is the one which accept our request.
ETAB SOAP FACTORY found at Hawassa Ethiopia near the Hawassa chip wood factory in the
road of Dila. The transportation cost is low and , Also there are interesting works related to our field
of study that is why we choose it for our internship field study. They accept with gland warm
welcome and we introduce ourselves with the company advisor and other workers. We also tell for
them from where we come and for what purpose we are come to the company for these servers of
industrial internship linkage, It’s really interesting to see the machines which found in the company
and their operations with different methods. After then the company worker whose name is Sisay
gives us an advisor and after introducing with him , he introduces with the rest of the company worker
by telling the purpose we are come to the company .After that the IE leaders and other workers told
us the rule and regulation of the company. And also told us to take care safety rule of any machine
after that we start our observation practice next day.
2.2 Section of the company we have been working
The company has many sections which help to produce its products. Generally there are three sections
in the soap production which are raw material preparation , Saponification room and finishing room.
During our stay in the company, we tried to see the things that are related to our department.
There are different sections where we are working in the company;
They are:-
 Raw material preparation room

 Saponification room
 Finishing room
2.2.1 Raw material preparation room
The raw materials preparation is a production center that contains the following sub production
centers within it:

i. Dolomite milling
ii. Silicate dissolution
iii. Raw tallow refining and bleaching
iv. Oil melting and blending
v. Caustic soda Dissolution
2.2.2 Receiving and storage of raw materials
Raw materials may be imported from foreign countries or locally produced. Whatever it is written
Procedures should be established which describe the purchase (price), receipt, identification (physical
appearance), quarantine, storage, handling, sampling, testing (Content of the raw material like
moisture content, total fatty matter, impurity and etc.), and approval or rejection of raw materials.
Raw materials should be handled and stored in a manner to prevent contamination and cross
contamination. Barrel issued for storage of liquids materials like different types of oil and hydrogen
per oxide. Solids like caustic soda, titanium dioxide, dolomite, solid sodium silicate, and other
additives are stored in sack. Some raw materials should be stored off the floor and suitably spaced to
permit cleaning and inspection. Raw materials that are stored outdoors should be in suitable
containers. Identifying labels should remain legible and containers should be appropriately cleaned
before opening to prevent contamination. Each container of raw materials should be assigned and
identified with a distinctive code, receipt number. This code is used for recording the disposition of
each receipt.
The production of soap involves utilizing various oils and fats to produce soaps with the optimum
qualities for the required purposes. A variety combination of oils and fats can be used and selection is
usually based on quality of oil, desired product properties and current marker costs. There are three
main raw in bar soap making, these are; oil (blended from different types) caustic soda and water.
Other ingredients are added to give the soap a pleasant odor or color, or to improve its skin-softening
qualities. Generally the ingredients are used to improve the quality of soap and to increase the weight
of final product.
The raw materials that are required for the manufacture of laundry and toilet soap are fat or oils
(Blended or alone), caustic soda, water, sodium chloride, H2O2, binders like sodium silicates,
colorants, perfumes, filler (dolomite), and other additives. Most of these raw materials are locally
available and some are imported.
 palm fatty acids

 tallow

 caustic soda
 water
 sodium silicate
 dolomite
 salt
 hydrogen peroxide.
Figure 1 raw material preparation room
2.2.3 In-Process
The in-process is a production center that produces soap chips/noodles in batches using the following
items as its direct material:
 Oil blend batch

 Dissolved caustic soda
 Dissolved delicate
 Hydrogen
 The soap chips/noodles that emerge from the Atomizer are manually transferred to an open area store
within production where they stay for a three days(72 hours)
2.2.4 Saponification room
Generally speaking, the company has the following major production centers in the saponification
room that make use of distinctive raw materials and produce various output/s (final or intermediate).

2.2.5 Finishing room
The finishing room is a production center where various Finished Soaps eventually emerge
from the mixed and softened soap that is received from the mixing production center.
Generally speaking the activities performed by the finishing production center are:-
 Mixing
 Milling
 Plodding (extruding)
 Compaction
 Stamping
 Cutting
 Packing
Figure 3 :finishing room
2.3 Over all step of soap production in ETAB

Chart 3 production working process and steps
2.3.1 The main operational sections and process flow in ETAB soap factory
ETAB soap factory of Hawassa produces around different types of soaps. These are city, jegol ,
Langano, yani, capital,infinity,zumbara and hammer. Production of above products, takes series of
process from the start to end. These processes are carried out by machines through different stages.
The production supporting units include all sections that perform various services for the benefit of
one or more of the production centers.
There are different production supporting unites found in ETAB soap factory
These are:-
i. The boiler plant

ii. The compressor plant
iii. The water supply house
iv. The power house
v. The technical division
i. The boiler plant
o The boiler plant, which currently runs three boilers, is used to generate steam for use by benefiting
production centers.
o To generate steam the boiler plant consumes the following materials:
o Water: supplied by the company’s water supply house.
o Wood: acquired from various domestic suppliers.
o Raw tallow residue: obtained from the raw tallow refining and bleaching production center.
o Wooden scrap: acquired from various domestic suppliers.
 The steam that the Boiler plant generates is consumed by the following production centers:
o Silicate dissolution,
o Raw tallow refining and bleaching (about 50% of the steam),
o Oil melting and blending,
o Caustic soda dissolution and
o In-process.
ii. The compressor plant
The compressor plant, which currently runs one compressor, is used to generate compressed air for
use by the following production machine:
 Mixing .mixer
 Finishing. Single cutter.

iii. The water supply house

The company’s Borehole is the water supply house of the entire company. Water is consumed by the
following production and production supporting units:
 Silicate dissolution,
 Caustic soda dissolution,
 In-process,
 Mixing, and
 The boiler plant (a production-supporting unit).
 There is a production water tanker where from water is transferred to the cooling tour. From the
cooling tour, water goes to the Atomizer machine of the in-process production centre. Moreover, there
are two chillers whereby one chiller is used to cool plodders while the other is used to create vacuum
at Atomization.
iv. The power house
 The Ethiopian Electric Power Authority is the principal source of electricity to the company as a
whole.
 Moreover, there is one Generator that is held as a standby equipment to be used in the event of
electric power disruption. All production centers make use of the services provided by the company’s
power house.
v. The technical division
 The technical division is concerned with providing preventive and corrective maintenance services to
production and production-supporting machines and equipment’s.
 Currently there is one workshop that provides the aforementioned maintenance services.
Figure 4 workshop room

2.3.2 Description of machine to perform above processes
1. Water treatment house
The purity of water for soap is one of the most important criteria for ensuring component availability
and reliability soap production system. The same can be ensured by proper soap water condition with
the help of different types of treatment available by maintaining desired soap water parameters it will
prevent dirty things and minerals.
2. Boiler room
A boiler is a device used to create steam by applying heat energy to water. This steam is used in
various processes or heating application, including boiler power generation, cooking and sanitation.
The operators always maintain the pressure bellow eight bar. Most of the time, they use wood and
wooden scrap as an input energy source. Almost all process in the factory use the steam energy found
from the boiler.
Figure 5 Boiler
3. Silicates dissolver room
In this room the steam from boiler, water from water treatment house and silicate are dissolved and
directly go to dissolved silicate tanker and then go to saponification room. Silicate dissolver used to
prevent cracking of the soap and it makes the soap become shiny.

Figure 6 Silicate and Silicate dissolver tanker

4. Raw material preparation
 Palm oil and melted tallow mixing take place in this room.
 The tallow which gets from animal fat also purified in this room.
 Depending on the order get from the chemists the workers in the raw material prepare the batch (one
batch means 32 tank).
Figure 7 Palm oil
5. Saponification room
In the process of saponification the reaction of liquid silicate, caustic soda, dissolved animal fat and
palm oil takes place. During saponification one thing is remind, that is silicate in the form of liquid is
added after caustic soda, animal fat and palm oil mixed together. If the procedure is missed it will
cause danger.

In saponification room fatty acid and strong base (sodium hydroxide) where, reacted resulting in soap
and water the latter being the byproduct. The general reaction takes the following form,
Oil/ fatty acid + Base-------------Soap + Water
CH3COOH + NaOH---------------------CH3COONa+H2O
Figure 8 Saponification room

6. Atomizer
 Heated liquid soap is the sprayed inside the atomizer, vapors liberated inside (one preformed inside
heat exchanger and those flashed off) are sucked out by the vacuum system.
 Heated liquid soap is the sprayed inside the atomizer, vapors liberated inside (one preformed inside
heat exchanger and those flashed off) are sucked out by the vacuum system.
 It is scrapped off the wall by the rotary scrapper’s action. Scrapped soap falls on the worms of the
plodder and it extruded out in form of pellets or continuous bar.
 Soap dust formed during spraying are conveyed together with vapors out of the atomizer by means of
the cyclones which will separate them recovering soap dust from its bottom.

Figure 9 Atomizer
7. Sucker
During saponification process the mixture mixed together are mixed at very high temperature. The
output of saponification goes directly to atomizer in the form of liquid. There is a vacuum pump
which is used to release the liquid part and some small particles. There are two cylindrical suckers
which are used to store the released things inside from atomizer. One of its stores liquid part and the
other stores small particles.
There are two tasks done by sucker:
A. Cooling process
B. Separation of liquid and solid form in partition

8. Mixer
The function of the machine is to mix the different ingredients soap material. The mixer is commonly
used by soap manufacturing units is a very important equipment which is specially design with heavy
duty gear train. It is equipped with two massive parallel counter rotating type blades that can handle
all the power required in the process. The blades are machined from stain lee steel. The blades are
supported by a set of heavy duty roller bearing and are driven by separate motor reducing groups.
Figure 10 Mixer and Blade of a mixer
9. Cutter machine
The automatic soap cutter and stamping machine is used to cut soap bar from the plodder, cut the soap
continuously extruded billets and stamp the necessary logo. The cutter length can be changed easily
and immediately on the touch panel while the unit is in operation.
 The primary cutter cut the bar from the plodder at equal repeat length
 The cutter system works based on the position of the sensor
 Bars are conveyed to cutting and stamping machine through a conveyor
 Bar cutting and stamping
10. Plodder
It is the most useful soap machine, which is design with heavy duty gear train, break arms and load
thrust carrier. It plods the mass of material and extrudes the soap or detergent particular shape or
design.

Figure 11 plodder
Figure 12 Mixer + conveyor + plodder

11. Chiller
A chiller is a machine that removes heat from a liquid via a vapor-compression or absorption
refrigeration cycle. This liquid can then be circulated through a heat exchanger to cool air or
equipment as required.
12. Stamper machine
Stamper is machine which stamps the required name for soap. For instance ETAB soap factory of
Hawassa produces around fourteen different types of soaps. For example, Hammer, Etab, Kukissa and
so on. If they want to produce Hammer soap, they attach stamper named Hammer.
Figure 13 Stamper

2.4 Work tasks we have been executing
The work piece or work tasks we have been executed in these sections are:-
 Observe Preparation of recipes for different products

 Involve in packing process
 observe the process lines and equipment operation
 Checking the status of raw materials of the formulation
 Collecting data
 Identifying and analyzing the problem
 Discussing with my advisor on the problems and give recommendation
 Writing monthly report to the company Forman
 Doing project on company main problem
 Finally reporting the project and report for the company advisor
2.5 Procedures used to perform the work task
I. By following up the work procedure and by asking the workers on the work area.
II. By asking the supervisor and for more information we site different information regarding to our
work.
2.6 How good we have been in performing our tasks
During our internship program we are tried our best to work according to the plan that have been
given by our advisor. our supervisor was controlling our progress and status weather we are
accomplishing our task based on our schedule which help us to be punctual and be effective in the
internship program.
2.7 Challenges we have been facing
During our internship program we have been faced many challenges but these challenges does not
setback for our internship program b/c immediately we found remedies for that challenges.
 Financial shortage
 Do not allow to take any picture
 Some manuals are not written in common language this makes a little challenge to get information
about a specific machine.
 Shortage of well educated person/profession/..

 Most of the time supervisors of each department busy, due to this it are difficult to get more
information when we want any time.
 Communication problem with operators and technicians. Most of the operators run the machine by
long time experience and they have no idea about mechanism of operation of the machine. This makes
the way so difficult to get full information about a certain machine.
 The supervisor’s changing shift due to this he doesn’t meet daily.
 The other challenge is to joining and considering yourself as one of the company member. At the
beginning everything is guest to accept but gradually it becomes so simple.
 Wake up in the morning and attend the work and make social network may be a little bit challenging
for the first time.
 Starting from manager of the company they give a priory on secure of information and not understand
the aim of internship program.
 The first challenge was even if you want to get involve in to the work soon, since each position has its
own assigned person for each task you doesn’t get the chance to work. But afterward when the
operator knows you and begin to communicate well with him, he let the work to operate yourself.
2.8 Measures taken to overcome challenges
 At work we are try to approach each worker positively to make them open to share their knowledge
and skills.
 To strength the information about a certain machine in addition with asking the operator we try to
read manuals and ask the section head in each department and using internet connection.
 We are also tried to consider our self as one of the responsible workers in the company and accept all
work ethics and rules of the factory.
 Any other challenges were solve by communication with company supervisor when they get free
time.

CHAPTER THREE
OVER ALL BENEFITS GAINED FROM THE INTERNSHIP
Internship is very important for knowing the application of what we learned theoretically, improving
Interpersonal communication skills, upgrading theoretical knowledge, understanding about work

ethics related issues, improving team playing skills and the like. Internship allows us to be familiar
with working environment and to have better performance for practical skill. Generally internship
allows us to have the following skills.
 Interpersonal communication skills with workers.

 Work ethics skill
 Team playing skill
 Practical skill and theoretical skill
 Leadership skills with in working environment.
 Entrepreneurship skills
3.1 Interpersonal communication skills
During my internship period we ask every person openly and unambiguously to get knowledge to.
This Help us to increase interpersonal communication skill. Inability to communicate makes it nearly
Impossible to compete effectively in the workplace and stands in the way of career progression. From
This point of view without improving our communication skill there is no success on working
process.
3.2 Work ethics related issues
In the company, our advisor allows us to be punctual, to wear gown, to respect every worker, and not
to waste working time. This helps us to develop our work ethics skill. And also we have learned from
the workers to be loyal, reliable, honest, self-responsible, self-disciplined.
Establishing organizational skills help individuals to perform their work according to their job duties
and responsibilities. Therefore, maintaining organization in the workplace not only helps individuals
work efficiently, but also helps to promote the overall objectives of an individual's job or profession.
Time management is one of the most important skills to maintain organization in the workplace.

3.3 Team playing skill
During the period when we are working with our friends, we were discussing together in team to
share what we have understand. While we are discussing, every member should present what he or
she have understand. This helps us to develop team playing skill. Teams need strong team players to
perform well. Teams need people who speak up and express their thoughts and ideas clearly, directly,
honestly, and with respect for others and for the work of the team. Teamwork has a dramatic effect on
Organizational performance. An effective team can help an organization achieve incredible results. A
team that is not working can cause unnecessary disruption, failed delivery and strategic failure.
3.4 Practical skills
Internship help s us to relate theoretical knowledge into practical and real world activities. During the
Internship period, we have tried to combine the theoretical knowledge that we have learnt before with
its Practical application.
During internship period we are not only develop the practical skill but also relate the theoretical
Knowledge with practical. While doing our work there a problem that faces us. To solve this problem
we refer the courses that we have learnt. This helps us to develop our theoretical knowledge and to
3.5 Leadership skills
Leadership is an art of inspiring others to give off their best and courage to use this art. During the
Internship with respect to leadership skills we have learned and convicted to have the following
attributes
to be successful leader;
 General intelligence, to make sense of the complexity and difficulty of the task
 Personality - leaders should be energetic and committed, maintain contact with their people, and
Understand their strengths and weaknesses
 The ability to inspire, although this quality may be rarer than some of the others and is perhaps
the most difficult to develop
 Listening, sharing and delegating skills but not interfering unnecessarily while discussing in
groups
 Self-knowledge, understanding one’s own strengths and weaknesses, which in turn will enable

them to turn to others in their group to compensate for their own biases or deficiencies
3.6 Entrepreneurship skills
ATO. ESKINDER TESFAYE, owner of ETAB soap factory is good example of entrepreneurs we
have gained greater insight into business and entrepreneurship skill from him. The basic
entrepreneurship skills that we have learned from him are business planning, risk assessment, team
building, and study. There are wide ranges of skills that are seen from entrepreneur and useful to
entrepreneurs.
These include both personal traits and skills. Some of these skills are;
 Management skills - the ability to manage time and people (both yourself and others) successfully is
one of the skills an entrepreneur
 Communication skills and the ability to sell ideas and persuade others
 The ability to work both as part of a team and independently
 Able to plan, coordinate and organize effectively
 Financial literacy
 Able to research effectively

PART TWO
ENHANCIG PRODUCTIVITY THROUGH OPTIMIZATION OF MACHINE DOWN TIME

CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of the project
In today’s competitive manufacturing market, production efficiency and effectiveness are among top
business priorities. Thus, production equipment becoming the central focus of interest as it is the
backbone of the manufacturing process and a key performance indicator of productivity. The
requirements of outstanding performance force companies to substantiality consider reducing their
machines downtime frequency and its consequential loss. Downtime is an important subject in
manufacturing and processing company because of it’s to link to company production capacity and
profitability.
Reducing downtime in production process, including ETAB soap factory, therefore has become a
necessity since it also serves the purpose of maximizing machine uptime. This is because productivity
rises as the use of productive equipment increases (Riggs,1987). Machine downtime is one of the
assignable causes of variation in manufacturing system, resulting in production in poor production
schedule reliability (Nwanya,Achebe,Ajayi,andMgbemene,2016) that should be minimized, if not
completely eliminated. Machine downtime refers to off-the-time periods when machines are not
productive or ready for assigned work.
Reducing machine downtime in manufacturing operations provides other benefits such as maximized
efficiency and higher hands-on machines. Reducing downtime increase productivity and customer
satisfaction. The causes of machine downtime are diverse and differ from one machine to another.
These can include problems with the actual machines such as breakdowns or jams but also due to
other factors such as machine operator being unavailable, planned and unplanned maintenance.
Accurate information is a key to effective downtime management. In accurate data or the lack of it is
the main barrier to achieving a reliable downtime management system for ETAB soap company.
Reliable data is critical to accurate and actionable information on the extent of downtime and its
causes.
ETAB Soap Factory is usually characterized by mixing the raw material, milling and packing the
finished product by using machines which are mixer, milling machine and packing machine. When
the problem occurs on these machines, the maintenance department could not give fast response due
to lack of arranged maintenance activity and lack of enough spare parts in the stock. This also greatly
affects the company.

ETAB Soap Factory needs to be that machine downtime, whether planned and unplanned, is very
costly so, it needs to create awareness about its consequence on the factory which continuously
require good information followed by appropriate action.
1.2. Statement of the Problem
ETAB Soap Factory is located in around HAWASSA industrial zones which is characterized by
mixing the raw material to produce different bar soaps also milling and packing the finished product
by using machines which are mixer, milling machine and packing machine but it suffers for the
problem of machine down time for many causes like maintenance ,product rework, and others . as
observed those causes results 3.18 hours down times in daily ,when we see each individual causes that
means for maintenance problem it results 1.33hours down time daily ,for product rework it results
0.99hours down time daily and others results 0.857hours down time.
When the problem occurs on these machines, the maintenance department could not give fast
response due to lack of arranged maintenance activity and lack of enough spare parts in the stock
which leads to machine down time. Machine downtime is one of the assignable causes of variation in
manufacturing system, resulting in production in poor production schedule reliability that should be
minimized. Downtime has an impact on manufacturing and processing company because of it’s to
link to company production capacity and profitability. It was observed that production efficiency is on
the decline and also increase the production loss on ETAB Soap Factory because of lack of preventive
maintenance for active machines and lack of spare parts for inactive machines. Our project concerns
on calculating average downtime per day and evaluating its production loss numerically and finally
finding method of improving it.
Hence, this project is motivated to quantify downtime in ETAB Soap production Factory and develop
a method of reducing it for increased production efficiency. To overcome this challenge scheduling
preventive maintenance is essential.
1.3. Basic Research Question
1. What are the major causes for machine downtime in ETAB?
2. How can machine down time optimization improve productivity on ETAB?
3. How to reduce cost of repair or maintenance cost

1.4. Objectives
1.4.1General Objective
The overall objective of this study is to improve productivity by reducing machine downtime in order
to increase market competitiveness and profitability on ETAB Soap Factory.
1.4.2 Specific Objective
The specific objectives of the study are:
 To identify and prioritize the causes of machine down time

 To improve production capacity of the company
 To reduce cost of repair or maintenance cost
 To enhance the productivity of ETAB
1.5. Scope of the Study
There are three unit operation or department on the ETAB soap company but this study mainly we are
taken on the sample one operation unit or department which is called finishing department. Also the
research area focuses on this production section. The data collection activities are done on this plant
section.
1.6. Limitation of the Study
One of the limitations of this study is related with cost and another limitation of the study concerns
with related to data collection means the company do not want give deep information related to
downtime and on the interview the workers cannot have more knowledge about machine downtime
because more the labors are not educated. So in this case difficult to collect significant and important
information.
1. 7. Significance of the Study
The important of this study is used to identify the case for repetitive downtime and evaluating this
downtime and giving awareness about how machine downtime greatly affect on company production
capacity and profitability. This study also analyze and determining the method which is used for
reducing the machine downtime for each specific cause. It is also used as a reference for researchers
who study related to it.

CHAPTER TWO
LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1 What is Machine Down Time ?
Machine downtime is a critical concern for any manufacturing industry, including soap factories. It
refers to the period during which a machine or equipment is not operational, leading to a halt in
production and potential financial losses. This literature review aims to explore the causes, impacts,
and strategies to mitigate machine downtime in soap factories Downtime is any unplanned event that
stops production for any amount of time. Unplanned downtime is most often caused by operator error,
poor maintenance and also unplanned stoppage referred to equipment failures or process disruption.
On the other, scheduled stops regarded to predetermine procedure of activities that undertaken as
calculated duration for which the machine has to be stopped. For example, the planned maintenance,
setups, adjustments, inspection, shutdowns, training, breaks, cleaning. Nepal and park[1] claim that
equipment breakdown as the most common unforeseen factor that have an intense effect on
equipment productivity and organization overall performance.
Moreover the author recorded various case in correlated to plant and equipment downtime. These
factors are the site related factors that include the poor working conditions, location of the site, and
uncertainties during equipment operation. Other important factor comprise the equipment –related
issues, for example, its age, usability, type, quality, the complexity, and sophistication of the
mechanical system of a piece of equipment. Furthermore, the project-related factors have a great
impact on equipment downtime for instance, the spare parts and resource availability. As well as,
other factors like the human aspect in which the skill of operators and motivations mainly affect the
performance and cost of machine downtime. Notwithstanding, the discrepancy between the site
management actions and the company adopted policies may occur due to scheduled maintenance
performed into a specific machine while the site manager assign the crews to other operation.
According to onawoga and akinyemi[2], the cause of equipment breakdown assigned by design
deficiencies, inappropriate maintenance, inefficient processing, material defects, excessive demands,
etc. The authors grouped the sources of failure in four taxonomies and
symbolized as 4Ms: man; methods, materials, and machine. The materials categorized by its
quality and compatibility with machine nature for instance, if the purchased material is the
right material. The human factor due to lack of training and experience may impose errors
during operations. Finally, the machine required efficient methods to process in a steady
manner and required the avoidance of utilization beyond the design criteria.
In more details, the report that introduced by Sachs [3] shows the major failure contributor

of mechanical equipment is attributed to different primary failure mechanisms. These failure

mechanisms are distributed into following proportions: fatigue (44%); corrosion (18%);
overload (15%); corrosion fatigue (13%); and wear-out (10 %). During the same study, the
fundamental cause that stated as enabler to these failure mechanisms consisted of maintenance errors
that score the high rank in comparison with other causes categories. For
instance:- the operational errors, original installation errors, manufacturing errors, design
errors and situation blindness. Downtime events are dynamic in nature and though consequences.
Especially, the downtime that subordinates its occurrences to unplanned stops such as, machine
breakdown that lasts for extended periods and this machine considered critical in which any inherent
failure leads to total production halt. Therefore, the impacts of such events are very severe because it
dissipates the efficiency of the production process, and so create a type of casual loop. For instance,
once the machine became unavailable the first perceptible effect is the resource idleness - operators
and equipment- and thus the project progress (orders fulfillment) slowdown plus the increasing
pressure on work schedule.
Another important issue is the cost perspective of downtime, as the frequency of each
mentioned factor there is an accumulated cost accompanied with. While Downtime occurred,
it leads to reduced recovery of costs of capacity compared to an ideal production volume.
Example of capacity cost might be a facility, machinery, utilities, and administration or any
other indirect functions related cost. The case here is when machine is down the costs of
capacity are still incurred even though there is no product produced. This will brings the cost pressure
and under such conditions there is less attention to maintenance work, in which in return the low
quality of maintenance increase the probability of downtime event. Occasionally, the frequent
downtime can interrupt the original sequence of work. This
disruption may happen in several ways such as, changing the work sequence by introducing new
methods and procedures or by diverting the influenced resources through downtime duration to other
site operations. The concern is by diverting the human resources to other sites may encounter the
experience level issues in which required a plenty of learning time inconsistent with projected
methods. Additionally, the state of congestion site beside the feelings of declined level of experience
affects the crew morale and thereby exposed system to stoppage. The decision that taken by managers
for system recovery through downtime event is not easy though, sometimes they decide to execute the
temporary maintenance strategy to release the schedule pressure by reducing the period of downtime.
The problem arises again through the idleness of resources during the repair duration. On the other
hand, the option of using the overtime and placing pressure on staff to increase the work completion
rate is not an ideal solution. The overtime can facilitate the progress of production by increasing
working hours but at the same time may cause fatigue in workers and as a result Downtime occurs [1].

Downtime is dangerous to any manufacturing company. If peoples or machines are idle, then products
are not being made, which certainly affect the business bottom line- minimizing manufacturing
downtime makes money for a company. Understanding how to communicate with and evaluate
employees, providing regular equipment maintenance, increasing incentives to produce and
establishing production goal are effective ways to minimize manufacturing downtime.
1. Update or service the machinery
Minimizing manufacturing downtime means preventing machinery malfunctions. Outdated machines

slow down the manufacturing process. Similarly, any machines that continuously break down has a
huge negative impact on outcomes. Regular maintenance is important as is installing new equipment.
2. Explain downtime to employees
The best managers are clear and honest with employees that they feel appreciated and understood.
Research has shown clear communication between managers and employees is crucial in terms of
boosting efficiency. If a supervisor explains the relationship between downtime and business profit,
then the employees feel part of the team included in decisions, and important- all of which are a key
to increasing productivity. Employees may also have suggestions about how to limit downtime,
increase morale, better service machines and produce more goods.
Impacts of Machine Downtime:
1. Production Losses: Downtime directly affects production output, leading to reduced efficiency,
delayed order fulfillment, and potential revenue losses.
2. Increased Costs: Extended downtime may require additional labor, expedited shipping of spare
parts, or overtime payments, leading to higher operational costs.
3. Customer Dissatisfaction: Delayed product delivery, backorders, or subpar quality due to downtime
can result in dis satisfied customers and damage the company's reputation.
4. Workforce Disruption: Downtime disrupts employees' workflow, reducing productivity and

possibly causing frustration and demotivation.
Strategies to Mitigate Machine Downtime:
1. Implement Preventive Maintenance: Regularly scheduled maintenance activities, including

inspections, lubrication, and component replacements, can help identify and address potential issues
before they cause downtime.
2. Enhance Training and Skills: Providing comprehensive training programs to operators and
maintenance staff can minimize human error and improve equipment handling.

3. Maintain Spare Parts Inventory: Maintaining an adequate stock of critical spare parts can reduce
downtime caused by waiting for replacements.
4. Real-time Monitoring and Predictive Analytics: Utilizing advanced monitoring systems and
predictive analytics can help identify early signs of machine failure, allowing for timely maintenance
and minimizing downtime.
5. Implement Redundancy and Back-up Systems: Having redundant machines or alternative

production lines can provide backup options during downtime events.
6. Continuous Improvement: Regularly reviewing downtime data, analyzing root causes, and
implementing corrective actions can help optimize processes and reduce future downtime
occurrences.
Machine downtime can significantly impact the productivity, efficiency, and profitability of soap
factories. By understanding the causes, impacts, and implementing effective strategies, manufacturers
can minimize downtime, optimize operations, and ensure smooth production processes. Continuous
improvement, preventive maintenance, and investing in employee training are key steps towards
reducing downtime and maintaining a competitive edge in the industry
2.2 Maintenance concept and interventions
Maintenance is defined as the arrangement of all technical and managerial actions intended to
preserve the item and restore it to the state in which it can perform its required function. Maintenance
conventionally treated as a necessary evil, but the concept evolved recently and diverted into profit
generating function. The essence of this function is that the maintenance has become a cornerstone for
a manufacturing organization to sustain its competitiveness. The implementation of effective
maintenance policy will impact in increasing the utilization of manufacturing systems. This output
because the proper maintenance leads to enlarging quantity produced with good quality due to the
effect that released on process efficiency and effectiveness. i.e., whilst decreasing downtime events,
short stoppages, bad quality, etc.
2.3 Maintenance strategies, policies and tactics
There are two crucial strategies for maintenance activities. One is reactive maintenance (RM), which
attempts to decline the severity of equipment failure once they occur; the form of overhaul or
replacement work is only performed when machinery has failed. In other meaning, this type of
strategy restricted by a reaction to a failure occurrences. The other one is preventive maintenance
(PM) that strive to reduce the probability of failure after maintenance has been applied in a certain
period. It carried out at pre-determined intervals and inconsistent with pre-described criteria as

intended to eliminate the degradation of an item functions. Those strategies can be realized and
adapted through discrete set of policies. In the case of a reactive strategy the corrective and
prospective policies are the factors that constitute its content. On the other hand, the preventive
strategy associated by pre-determined, predictive and proactive policies. Source: Khazraei and Deuse
[5] On the whole, the implementation of those strategies in successful mode required forming and
employed the right tactics. Some tactics are well commonly used in manufacturing industries and they
are characterized by enabling the preventive maintenance strategy. The tactics are condition-based
maintenance, reliability-centered maintenance, and the total productive maintenance. The former
tactic linked to predictive policy, and the latter tactics are restricted by proactive policy.
Condition-based maintenance (CBM): CBM focuses on the current condition of the system or other
components that derived as subsystems. The main role is to mitigate downtime at the optimal time; it
infers that a system capacity is exploited as much as it can perform its expected performance degree.
The incurred procedure of replaced or repaired item must be performed before it goes below certain
performance measures. As an outcome, CBM provides the ability for the system to remain operating
as long as it is acting within predefined performance limits.
Furthermore, Mobley [6] extends the role of CBM into the determination process while
problem exists in the equipment, how severe the problem and how long the equipment can
perform before breakdown. Condition-monitoring techniques developed for CBM and these
techniques classified in accordance to the type of symptoms that they are designed to detect.
The classification is the dynamic effects in which vibration analysis techniques adopted for
tracking the noise levels. In addition to particles released; chemical released; physical effects
such as wear and fracture; temperature rise in the equipment; electrical effects such as
conductivity and resistance.
Reliability-centered maintenance (RCM): RCM defined as a resource optimization method thatis

conducted in ease of developing and refine maintenance programs. This tool empowers maintenance
managers to direct their maintenance efforts and expenditures only on the critical functions of a piece
of equipment that demanding reliable operations. The goal of RCM is to generate maintenance
standards or routine that keep the critical system functions in the most cost-effective mode .
Total productive maintenance (TPM): TPM, it is a lean manufacturing strategy that strive for
enhancing the machine efficiency and effectiveness as possible, through optimizing all types of
maintenance activities. This maintenance tactic is mainly inherent on focuses that combine process
and people in one framework. The overall aims of TPM are to:
o Achieve zero losses in downtime events

o Construct integrated system capable of maximizing the process efficiency

o Encompass all departments including production, maintenance, administration, etc.
o Involve all employees from top managers to operators and clerical staff
2.3.1 Maintenance and its effect
Maintenance is defined according to the European standard (EN 13306: 2001) as “the combination of
all technical, administrative and managerial actions during the life cycle of an item intended to retain
it in, or restore it to a state in which it can perform the required function”. Also in the same vein,
Blanchard (2004) defined maintenance as all required and essential actions which are needed for
keeping a system/ product within its life cycle in a functional and operative and condition, or restoring
it to a state it can performed the intended function. Maintenance action according to the author entails
some sets of important inputs e.g. manpower (labor), tools, equipment, management, spare parts and
information.
According to Al-Najjar and Alsyouf (2004) the significance of maintenance function has over the
years increased due to its role and impact on other working areas (e.g. production, quality, etc.) in an
organization, i.e. improving machine availability and product quality. Efficient maintenance
contributes by adding value through better utilization of resources (i.e. higher output), enhancing
product quality as well as reducing rework and scrap (i.e. lower input of production cost) (Alsyouf,
2004). In addition, the increasing awareness of maintenance and its influences on both industrial and
the society at large according to Alsyouf (2006) can be recognized.
Many researchers and practitioner have emphasized on the total losses caused by maintenance
omission or ineffectiveness in maintenance. Nonetheless, maintenance is still considered as a cost
center based on the survey conducted on 118 Swedish manufacturing companies where 70 percent of
the respondents consider maintenance as a cost center. Maintenance is classified into two major
areas, i.e. Preventive maintenance – all planned maintenance actions e.g. periodic inspection,
condition monitoring etc. while Corrective maintenance includes all unplanned maintenance actions
to restore failure (Blanchard, 2004).
2.3.2 Maintenance and production
Al-Najjar (2007), affirm that the main task of production is to produce goods/ products. Nevertheless,
efficient maintenance policy influences production capacity of machine used for producing these
products. Maintenance therefore can be considered as an organizational function that functions in
parallel with production. While reiterating that production produce product, the authors also express
that maintenance produces the capacity for production. Thus, it can be said that maintenance affects

production by increasing production capacity while also controlling the output quantity and quality
(Ben-Daya&Duffuaa, 1995).
In the same vein, Ben-Daya&Duffuaa (1995) lamented that though maintenance role in accomplishing
production objectives has already been pointed out in literatures, much remain to be done in order to
integrate maintenance and production because in most models, maintenance is viewed as a limiting
constraint and the question is how to meet the production master schedule under maintenance
constraint. Thus, the integration of maintenance and production has to be based on a clear
understanding of their relationship.
2.3.3 Maintenance and quality
The role of maintenance in long-term profitability of an organization has long been known, leading to
researcher and practitioner to develop maintenance strategies that contribute to long-term company’s
profitability. Company’s survival and profitability however cannot be achieved without sustained
product quality. Quality according to the authors has been recognized as the main edge for
competitiveness and long-term profitability in modern day global economy. Thus, maintenance role in
this endeavor cannot be overemphasized (Ben- Daya&Duffuaa, 1995).
The author’s further affirm that though the link between maintenance and quality has been identified
by Total Productive Maintenance (TPM), there seems to be no adequate model relating quality and
maintenance. In general however, the authors emphasize that machines/ equipment’s which lack
maintenance and fails periodically experiences speed losses or lack precision, and hence tend to
produce defects. Such equipment often drives production processes out of control. Thus, a process
that is out of control is bound to produce defected products, and at the same time increasing
production cost which amounts to less profitability, thereby putting organizational survival at risk.
This statement, demonstrates a strong link between equipment maintenance and product quality (Ben-
Daya&Duffuaa, 1995).
2.3.4 Maintenance and profitability
Profitability according to APQC cited in Alsyouf (2004) is the product of productivity and price
recovery. Hence, productivity is a function of the production process efficiency and effectiveness. The
author however reiterates that when evaluating maintenance profitability, the impact on other working
areas is also measured (e.g. by affirming maintenance role in machine life cycle profit). Maintenance
improvements in general aim at reducing cost of operation and improving product quality, thus, the
cost effectiveness of each improvement action may well be scrutinized through evaluating the relevant
cost constraint before and after improvements (Al-Najjar 1997 cited in Alsyouf 2004).

2.3.5Maintenance organization
Maintenance organization according to Kelly (1984) consists of three essential and interconnected
components, i.e. Resources, administration and work planning and control system. • Resources –
includes personnel, tools/ equipment’s, spare parts, composition etc. • Administration – hierarchy of
authority and responsibility for deciding what, how and when work should be done.
Kelly (1984) further express that in most cases the problem often faced with maintenance
organization is achieving the optimum balance between plant availability and maintenance resources
utilization. Maintenance organization may take an infinite number of forms, leading to the best been
determined by systematic consideration of factors like maintenance workload, unavailability cost,
plant location, amount of emergency work, production organization and maintenance resources.

CHAPTER THREE
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
3.1 Research Method
The best chosen method for gathering data has been disputed between qualitative and quantitative
method. In general principle, any selected method either quantitative or qualitative based will be
considered appropriate as long as it guides the anticipated research. Qualitative method explores
attitudes, behavior and personal vision through interviews or focus groups. It attempts to obtain
opinions from specified participant in which few people take part in the research. Quantitative method
generates statistics.
The main differences between qualitative and quantitative research methods explained into following
points:
 Quantitative data collection is more close ended in comparison with qualitative data collection that
based on more open ended.
 Quantitative data analysis used the statistical theories as background; Qualitative data analysis count
on text analysis.
 Quantitative reporting has a set structure, as it grounded on mathematical elaboration; Qualitative data
reporting is more flexible and may contain additional conscientiousness.
 Quantitative data requires many respondents while qualitative data requires few respondents
 Quantitative data is tasting, measurement, objectivity, reliability while qualitative data understanding
context complexity and subjectivity.
3.2 Data collection method
In the engagement the researcher used both primary and secondary data collection methods. Primary
data were collected by using interview and observation. The interview, at most effort, tries to motivate
the respondents to cooperate with the survey and to provide the information correctly and observation
motivates the observer closely observing or monitoring the actions that was done.
During interview we collect data’s or information’s like asking questions related to problems and
operations, how the operator operate and what problem face during operation, in addition collect
information regarding to machine down time and maintenance activities and actions that taken when
problem occurs.
In addition to interview we collect information’s through observation like how machines operate, how
they repaired, how the problems exist and by what cause those problems occur.

Primary data: The primary source of data was collected from sample respondents and log book,
personal interview to employees, technicians and mechanics of the company.
Secondary data: The secondary source of data has collected from literature review, internet sources.
3.3 Sampling technique
The sampling method that the researcher applied in the study is judgmental sampling. Judgmental
sampling is a type of non-probability sampling technique where researcher selects units to be sampled
based on their knowledge and professional judgment. As a sampling technique was judgmental
sampling, the researcher selected sample based on professional judgment.

CHAPTER FOUR
DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS
4.1 Data collection tool
Interview and observation
One of the techniques that commonly used in collecting data is well-defined. This technique namely,
interview, it composed of set of questions in which aim for gaining new knowledge from a given
subject. There are different types of interview incurred interview layout such as structured,
unstructured, and semi structured. Structured interview, usually have a set of predetermine question
and highly standardized recording technique(audio or digital record), Unstructured interview, usually
the interviewer has a general plan of inquiry but not a specific set of questions that must be asked in
particular words and in a particular order and characterized by flexibility and the interviewer is largely
free to arrange, rephrase, modify, and some new questions, Semi structured interview shares the
nature of both structured and unstructured interview. Furthermore the interview is unstructured in
order to collect the data by any means.
The planning and design stage of the interview required firstly, the researcher needs to start with
deciding the objective of the interview and then specifies the population in which the sample will
extract from. Next the investigator must generate concepts to be addressed and data required for
meeting purposes of the study. And observation is another technique that we use for our study for
collecting data and information regarding to machine break down and their cause and effects
Observation like interview can be structured and unstructured, structured observation is when the
observation is characterized by a careful definition of the unit to be observed. Unstructured
observation is takes place without the above characteristics
4.2 Interview design of this study
The plan and process interview that dedicated to this study passed through stages: the objective of
interview; population and participants; and
1. The objective of interview
The aim of the interview that centered this study is to collect information and data about how Etab
soap factory evaluate their downtime reduction. Then, the subsequent stage is to analyze obtained
results and recommend improvements. The interview should meet the research objective directly and
neglect all questions that do not support the overall target. The research question should be answered

by the interview, and that in order to generalize results from specified population and by this means
affirming the reliability and validity of the tool.
2. Population and participant
One of the interview objectives identify clearly, then the next important step was by specifying the
population and participants that needed for conducting empirical study. The decision is done in which
the machine downtime event has a significant impact on their productivity level. Furthermore, the
participant must be appropriate for answering the interview and have a broad cognizance about the
subject related issues. Therefore, the interview is done from production and technical of the company
.The total population of this study was 15 employee from the two department; 10 from the production
and 6 from the maintenance/technical department.
4.3 Data analysis of this study
This study is focused on what are the major causes for machine downtime and assessing the effect of
machine downtime on production capacity and how to reduce this machine downtime before leading
the company to dangerous area. This is the reason we undertake this problem and finding the solution
which is useful for the company and the employee. According to the research objectives, data were
collected in relevant to downtime of production line and productivity. Also various reason for
downtime and amount of downtime happened for each reason was noted. During the data collection
period, downtime of production line was collected.
What are the main causes for machine downtime on this company?
There are different reasons which are cause for the machine downtime in ETAB soap industry but
there are a cause which is most frequently happened. But generally the cause for machine downtime
which is gained from the respondents are :
1. The company has no clear scheduled and planned maintenance strategy this means there is a
technique department on the company but the department give maintenance service only when there is
a problem on the machines and on the production room. This implies the company have no planned
maintenance strategy. As the respondent says on this problem the company greatly affect on its
productivity and profitability.
2. There are different machines which are used on the ETAB soap industry for example packing
machines, Milling machines, Atomizer and different machines but some machines are very old and
some machines are also to replace the old.

3. The raw material which is used on the company is imported from other countries. This will affect
the company when raw material deficiency is happened, on this case the machines will be shut and the
workers sit without working. But our focus is not downtime caused by raw material shortage
4. Product rework is the major cause for machine downtime on ETAB soap industry. The company
doesn’t try to solve the machine downtime caused by product rework. On the data collection there are
different information’s and data are collected.
Raw material No clear and planned

shortage maintenance schedule
Machine
down time
Old machines Product rework
Figure 14 Fish bone diagram of machine downtime
1. Recorded downtime caused by machine break down and maintenance problem from September 4-
November 4 /2023
Table 5 Downtime caused by machine break down
Cause Recorded downtime(hrs.)
Wrapping machine stacked 1:30 hours
Vacuum system un functional 1:50 hours

Conveyor problem 2:15 hours
Plodder machine finishing 1;50 hours

section line 2
driven motor stacked 2:15 hours
Sensor problem 1:40 hours
Wrapping machine stacked 1:50 hours
Vacuum system problem 1:00 hours
Horizontal screw motor 2:40hours

problem
Mixer section 1 and 4 break 2:10 hours

down
Finishing section of cutter 1;20 hours

problem
Stamping un functional 1:30 hours
Dye problem 1:35hours
Miller problem 1:40 hours
Conveyor system problem 1:00 hours
Driven motor problem 2:05hours
Plodder problem 2:05 hours
Miller stacked 1:50 hours
Mixer section 1 and 4 2:30 hours

breakdown
Total 34.5 hours

This table describes the downtime occurred by machine break down and maintenance problem and by
using this recorded downtime data using stop watch we can calculate the average downtime per day
caused by machine break down and maintenance problem. And also we can calculate the amount or
percentage which the machine breakdown and maintenance problem will take and we can calculate
the production loss in terms of money which is caused by this problem. So after we determine all
these things the other most important thing is discussing the solution on which the method we can
minimize these problems.
1. Recorded downtime caused by product rework from September 4 –November 4/2023
Table 6 downtime caused by product rework
Cause Recorded downtime
Weighted lab result and crake 1:25 hours
,, 1:00 hours
,, 2:40 hours
,, 1:00 hours
,, 1:50 hours
,, 1:30 hours
,, 1:00 hours
,, 1:00 hours
,, 2:00 hours
,, 1:50 hours
,, 1:40 hours
,, 1:30 hours
“ 2:45 hours

“ 1:25 hours
“ 2:23 hours
Total “ 25.96 hours
2. Recorded downtime caused by shortage of raw material from September 4- November 4/2023
Table 7 down time caused by shortage of raw material.
Shortage of palm oils& crude 3:30 hours

oils and others
,, 3:00 hours
,, 2:45 hours
,, 3:50 hours
,, 3:45 hours
,, 1:40 hours
,, 4:00 hours
Total 19hours
5.recorded downtime duration caused by other like power interruption, cleaning,

Table 8 downtime caused by others
45 min
30 min
25 min
50 min
30 min
20 min
Total 3.33 hours
Then by using these data we can calculate the total downtime occur per month and the total downtime
per day.
Total downtime per month=downtime caused by machine breakdown/month + downtime caused by

product rework/month + downtime caused by shortage of raw material/month +down time caused by
lack of storage and others.
=34.5 hours/month +25.96hours/month + 19 hour/month+3.33 hour/month
=82,79 hours/months
Total downtime per day = total down time per month/26
= =3.18hours/day
 Downtime caused by machine break down maintenance per day =
= =1.33hours/day
 Downtime caused by product rework per day = = 0.99 hours/day
 Downtime caused by shortage of raw material = =0.73hours/day
 Downtime caused by others = =0.127 hours/day

Table 9 downtime observed period
Total planned hours(period) 16
Downtime hours 3.18
Downtime % 19.88%
The downtime data was gathered daily with the use of data sheets. Table summarized the gathered
data
Table 10 average downtime per day
Causes Downtime
Machine breakdown and maintenance problem
1.33 hours
Product reprocess or rework 0.77 hour
Shortage of raw material 0.73 hour
Others 0.127 hours
The focus of the research is to improve production capacity of the company by finding the downtime
minimization techniques when the downtime increases the production capacity of the company goes
down.
What are the effects of this downtime on your company?
The impact of downtime on this industry is very large; The effect include
Lost revenue or additional costs incurred, reducing profitability. For example on the Etab soap
industry city 200gm, if the machine will shut for 1 hour ,in this case the company produce 72 carton
in one hour, this means 1 carton is equal to 50 product pieces. Therefore 1 pieces of product will sold
36 birr, then the company loss 129 600 birr in one hour. So this is very critical thing and the company
should minimize its downtime in order to increase its profitability and productivity.

Table 11 type of soaps produced with their price before and after vat
Selling price before Selling price after VAT

VAT per carton per carton
No. Product type(gm)
1 City 25 652.17 750
2 City 80 1260.87 1450
3 City 200 1565.22 1800
4 City 250 2000 2300
5 Hammer 120 704.35 810
6 Hammer 200 1152.17 1325
7 Hammer 250 1521.74 1750
8 Langano 250 1356.52 1560
9 Zumbara 200 1086.96 1250
10 Jegol 200 1043.48 1200
11 Yani 200 1086.96 1250
12 Capital 250 1783 2050
13 Infinity 200 1217.40 1400
Total =15343.88 =18895

Table 12 average downtime per day and revenue loss
Cause Average downtime(hrs) per Revenue loss(birr)

day
Machine breakdown and 1.33 hour 172368

maintenance
Product reprocess or rework 0.99 hour 128304
Shortage of raw material 0.73 94608
Others 0.127 16459.2
4.1 Pareto chart diagram
Pareto chart is a type of chart that helps to focus on a small number of really important problems or
their causes. Pareto chart principle states that 8o% effects come from 20% of causes. In this study this
Pareto chart is used to show which have the majority machine downtime rate.
Table 13 machine downtime duration for Pareto chart

Figure 15 Pareto chart diagram

Pareto principle states that, for many events, roughly 80% effects come from 20% of the causes.
Therefore in this case this Pareto chart shows that 80% of the machine downtime rate comes from
20% of causes of downtime (product rework and machine breakdown).

CHAPTER FIVE
RESULT AND DISCUSSION
5.1 Machine break down and maintenance problem
This can be occurs due to so many problems, those problems are shown below.
Machine break down
Machine break down occurs due to so many reasons ,that arises from operating problems
,maintenance problems or others due to this machines in the finishing department becomes fails
during operations they become inactive and operates less than their capacity. The main reasons for
breakdown listed below
 Reason; they apply maintenance application during break down rather than apply before break down
happened.
 Materials that are old and not substituted
UN planned
Lack of spare part
maintenance
Machine break
down and
maintenance
Man Obsolete
equipment
Figure 16 cause and effect of machine break down and maintenance problem
Duration of machine down time due to finishing line machine components

Table 14 Down time duration of finishing line machine components
No Machine components Down time duration(min)
1 Mixer 280min
2 Miller 210min
3 Belt conveyor 195min
4 Plodder 230 min
5 Vacuum system 170 min
6 Die 95 min
7 Stamping 90 min
8 Sensor 100 min
9 Cutter 80 min
10 Wrapping machine 200 min
11 Horizontal screw 160min
12 Drive motors 260min
Total 2070 min
Revenue loss due to machine breakdown and maintenance from above table 8 the company loss
172368 ETB per day.
Downtime percentage = 8.33%
Pareto chart
From the above data we can prioritize by using pareto chart, which part of machines in finishing line
are scheduled the preventive maintenance to decrease or remove repetitive breakdown of finishing
line machine components.

Table 15 machine downtime duration for pareto chart
Figure 17 pareto chart of machine breakdown and maintenance
Improvement
At the further stage of analysis, improvement action for machine breakdown and maintenance
problem were proposed by scheduling preventive maintenance. Depending on the schedule the
preventive maintenance is done on change over time to check and clean each component of finishing
line machine especially high duration of down time as prioritize the above Pareto chart. Generally the
goal is to reduce down time of machine components by scheduling preventive maintenance as follow
below.

Table 16 Preventive Maintenance Schedule and Checklist.
Preventive Maintenance Schedule and Checklist
ETAB soap factory
finishing line machine component preventive maintenance
Mixer ;
Tasks Freq met failure Tools time( perfor

uenc hod cuase to min) med
04-Nov
04-Sep
11-Sep
18-Sep
25-Sep
02-Oct
09-Oct
16-Oct
23-Oct
30-Oct
y s prevent By
check mont eye *excess 5min Mecha X X X

component hly / load nic
for Bi- (loaded
lubrication Annu above
ally capacity)
,
check for mont eye *rawmat 10mi Mecha X X X
motor hly/a erial n nic/Op
components nnual problem, erator
and gear y *electric
box interrupti
on
grease Annu han 30 mecha X X
packing ally d min- nic
1hrs
change oil annu han 1hrs- Mecha X

and check ally d 2hrs nic
statics of
the oil
,change
bearing
clean daily/ han (10- staff/o X X X X X X X X X X

intervents week d/no 15) perato
and check ly se min r
by smell

check annu eye 10mi operat X

housings ally n or/mec
,shafts and hanic
other its
parts(inspec
tion)
check for daily instr Therm 5min Mecha X X X X X X X X

temperature ume omete nic/op
and sound nt/e r erator
ar
drive motor
Task electrical
over
oil and as load,low (5- Operat
filter needed resistanc 10)m or
changes e,accom in
mulation
motor as 10mi Operat X X X
of dust
ventilati needed n or
and
on
debris
check as eye 5min mecha X X

lubricati needed/ nic /
on type bi operat
and annualy or
lubricati
on
interval
check monthly eye/ 10mi Operat X X X

bearings han n or
,bearing d
life and
bearing
lubricati
on
check daily instr Therm 5min Mecha X X X X X X X X X X

motor ume omete nic
tampratu nt r

re
change annually han 15mi mecha X

bearing, d n nic
oil
check weekly Eye 5min Mecha X X X X X X X X X X

grease nic
and
shaft
cleaning weekly Han Burus (15- Mecha X X X X X X X X X X

, d hes 20)m nic
in
check monthly Eye 5min Mecha X X X

wear out nic
of major
equipme
nt and
accesseri
es
check Weekly Tou 5min Operat X X X X X X X X X X

homidit chin or
y and g
loose
connecti
on
Plodder
Task over load

of
change annually han rawmater (15- Mecha X
oil and d ial,poor 25)m nic
bearing soap in
texture,
check daily instr Therm (5- mecha X X X X X X X X X X
tempratu ume omete 10)m nic/op
re, nt,h r in erator
vibration and
and and
nout

smell h
check daily eye, 15mi mecha X X X X X X X X X X

for ear n nic/op
housing ,han erator
and d
other and
compon nout
ent(insp h
ection)
clean, daily / han Broo 25mi worke X X X X X X X X X X

as d m n r
needed
Miller
Task electrical
and
check monthly eye mechanic 10mi Mecha X X X
compon / al n nic
ents and annually fault,wea
perform r and
mainten tear,
ance for
those
check annually eye 5min Mecha X

the nic X
mechani
cal unit
for oil
leakage
inspectio daily eye (5- mecha X X X X X X X X X X

n 10)m nic
in
making daily eye (3- Operat X X X X X X X X X X

sure 5)mi or
they are n
properly

cleaned
making weekly/ eye 10mi mecha X X X

sure monthly n nic/op
proper erator
lubricati
on
check daily eye, 10mi Operat X X X X X X X X X X

for oil ear n or
amount, and
sound,s nout
mell h
wrapping machine
Task incorrect
film,inco
check daily eye rrectly (3- Operat X X X X X X X X X X
for setup 5)mi or
program machine, n
power
check daily eye 3min Operat X X X X X X X X X X
interrupti
for or
on
sensor
function
ability
check daily instr Therm 5min Mecha X X X X X X X X X X

for ume omete nic
temperat nt r
ure
cleaning daily han Broo (15- operat X X X X X X X X X X

, d m 25)m or/staf
in f
0change annually han 25mi Mecha X

bearing d n nic
inspectio weekly/ eye 10mi Mecha X X X X X X X X X X

n for monthly n nic
roller,be
lt,chain

and
sprocket
belt conveyor
Task to much
tension
change annually han and to 25mi Mecha X
grease d little,wea n nic
r,not
inspect weekly / eye 10mi mecha X X X X X X X X X X
adjusted,l
drive/idl monthly n nic/op
oss
er and erator
fastner,e
side
xcess
plates
pressure
cleaning Daily/an han Broo 20mi Staff X X X X X X X X X X

, nualy d m n
check daily eye 5min Operat X

the belt or
and its
speed
lubricati monthly han (5- mecha x x X X X X

on and /weekly d/ey 20) nic/op
lubricato e erator
r
inspectio
n
measure weekly / instr 5min mecha x X X X X X X X X X

ment of monthly ume nic
motor nt
current
check daily eye/ Therm 5min Operat X X X X X X X X X X

for dust instr omete or
emission ume r
and nt
tempratu
re

Reduced downtime by preparing a preventive maintenance schedule=
=(280+260+230+210+200+195+170)
=1545 min/month =25.75 hrs/month
= 0.99 hrs/day
Percentage reduced=6.1%
Reduced revenue loss=128304
After preparation of preventive maintenance schedule to reduce percentage downtime is reduced from
8.33 % to 2.23% and also reduced revenue loss from 172368 to 128304 ETB.
In addition to preparing maintenance schedule downtime can be reduced by proposing additional

techniques or methods for the root causes in order to improve productivity. Thus techniques described
as the following.
 Apply condition monitoring and evaluation system: To avoid any downtime, continually monitor the
actions of the equipment. Monitor frequently for any impending issues you can rectify before disaster
strikes.
 Applying and implementing 5s concepts.
 Upgrade Manufacturing Equipment
Spare parts Management
Spare parts Management plays an important role in achieving the desired plant availability at an
optimum cost. Presently, the industries are going for capital intensive, mass production oriented and
sophisticated technology. The downtime for such plant and machinery is prohibitively expensive. It
has been observed in many industries that the non-availability of spare parts, as and when required for
repairs, contributes to as much as 50% of the total down time. Also, the cost of spare parts is more
than 50% of the total maintenance cost in the industry.
The objective of spare parts management is to ensure the availability of spares for maintenance and
repairs of the plant and machinery as and when required at an optimum cost. Also, the spares should
be of right quality. There are many actions required to ensure the spare parts management effective.
There is a need for systematic actions while managing spare parts as given below:

a. Identification of spare parts
b. Forecasting of spare parts requirement
c. Inventory analyses
d. Formulation of selective control policies for various categories
e. Development of inventory control systems
f. Replacement policies for spare parts
g. Spare parts inspection Maintenance Engineering & Management (Module-3)
h. Measure Overall equipment efficiency.
5.2 Product rework
This can be happened due to so many problems, mainly when the two causes,
 Moisture variation
 Spot defect
5.2.1 Moisture variation
Soap is soft and squishy

Reason: Palm free soaps and recipes high in olive oil (or other soft oils) sometimes take longer to
firm up. To speed things along, don’t use the full amount of water given on a standard lye calculator.
Change the water as percent of oils number from the default 38%, down to 33 to 35%. (they often go
even lower, to around 28% for some recipes.) Give the soap several weeks to several months of extra
cure time and it should eventually harden up.

measurement
material
Calibration Temperature scale Types of raw

material
Moisture
variation
Carelessness of
Improper
operator
maintenance
UN skilled Capacity of vacuum machine

operator
man
machine
Figure 18 cause and effect for moisture variation

The root cause of moisture variation is identified in the above cause and effect diagram then the
proposed solution is given to the problems. The proposed solution is in the following table.
Table 17 action plan suggestion for moisture variation
Type Action plan suggestion for moisture variation
Machine -Controlled the valve pressure mechanism and

controlling pressure gauge
-use as much as possible, latest machines rather

than the old machines
-fellow the schedule for maintenance of the

machine
Material -Use Proper equipment to the right product.
-use the right raw material adds to the correct

sodium silicate & water amount.
Man (operator) -The operator should provide to adjust a correct

pressure gauge.
-motive the workers(by giving awards or salary)
-train the employs well
-Must have good attitude toward quality

improvements.
-Must have skill in identifying causes of defects

before it occurs/provide training.
Measurement -Controlled the valve pressure mechanism.
-adjust standard water amount on the given input.

5.2.2 Spot defect
 Reason: These are usually caused by colorants that weren’t completely mixed into the soap batter.
 Reason: which is when the chemical reaction between the lye and oils causes the soap to heat up
hotter than it was when you first started mixing it.
 Reason: Hard fats such as palm, tallow, lard, butters, etc contain solid fatty acids (like stearic acid
&palmitic acid) that need a higher temperature to melt, while other components of the fat melt more
easily.
 Reason: poor mixing with an immersion blender, or using an immersion blender that’s very old and
incorporates in air.
Machine
Man
Unclean machine
Carelessness
of operator Poor mixing
Spot defect
Unclean storage
Low quality raw material
Environment
Material
Figure 19 cause and effect for spot defect

The root cause of uneven color and spot defect is identified in the above cause and effect diagram
then the proposed solution is given to the problems. The proposed solution is in the following table.

Table 18 action plan suggestion for spot defect
Type of root cause for uncrown Action plan suggestion for spot defect
Machine -Replace old miller machine so as to reduce of the

middle spot defect.
-preventive maintenance on mixer and on plodder

machine components.
Material -Check the quality of raw material whether it is good

or not.
-clean work-in-process place.

CHAPTER SIX
CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
6.1 Conclusion
Reducing Product rework and apply preventive maintenance activities in the right time in A
production system can improve production profitability innumerous ways by reducing production
downtime. In manufacturing environment, a production system is a company core process because it
produces goods/ products which when sold, keeps the company in business. In ensuring that expected
production or products are delivered at the right time with the right quality and the lowest possible
cost requires optimum availability which can be attain by efficient maintenance policy. Finally as we
conclude the project was done to improve productivity of the company by using different techniques.
As we see from the starting we try to see how the problem exists and in what techniques this problem
can be solved, in order to improve productivity and to reduce un necessary costs that incur for
maintenance activities the reduction of down time plays a great role for that reason the main causes
are identified, After that by recording down times that occur in finishing line machines we calculate
the revenue loss to show how downtime greatly affects productivity. Finally we try to improve it
through maintenance scheduling and cause and effect analysis.
Internship forms a bridge linkage between the university student and industries. That is like a bridge
between the student and professional life. The course creates a conscious responsible and active
student that can contribute in their societal and economic development. The program played to us a
great role to see different product production process with different unit operation and operators. We
could able to aware a high level of confidence to deal with problems that arises in community,
company and other technological world. In general during our stay for four months we have been able
to see the way how to:-
 Be problem solver.
 Convert theoretical knowledge into practical skill.
 Face different challenges and problems.
 Be a good productive citizen.
 Manage from small community up to large community.
6.2. Recommendation
This project has been carried out on reducing machine downtime to improve its level of production
status currently analyzed data indicates that machine downtime rate is very high when it is evaluated
with the company’s product target. To improve its productivity of product the study focused in

reducing the downtime rate. The factory needs to address the critical cause of machine downtime to
improve its productivity based on the following recommendation;
 The company needs to focus on critical identified machine downtime and their respective cause to
improve productivity.
 The company need to monitor machine operation, machine cleaning to improve quality
 The company should have to give training to the employs especially to the machine operators of
machine
 Stakeholder should give necessary attention to the company’s vision and mission
 Should have more qualified engineer, designer and mentally better manager in order to be more
productive, competitive, and famous in company in this country and foreign country.
 Should replace foreign raw materials with available domestic materials, to get maximum profit and to
reduce downtime caused by shortage of raw material.
 Should solve managerial problem.

REFERENCE
 Maine, Sandy. (1995) the Soap Book: Simple Herbal Recipes. Interweave Press
 Cavitch, Susan M. The Natural Soap Book (1995): Making Herbal and Vegetable-Based Soaps.
Storey Communications.
 Nepal and park[1] claim equipment breakdown Scott, D(1999), Making smart investments to reduce
unplanned downtime
 According to onawoga and akinyemi[2] the cause of equipment breakdown, Sachs[3], Khazraei and
Deuse[5] preventive maintenance policy

 Alnajjar and Alsyouf(2004) Defined maintenance function
 Alsyouf, I. (2007). Th)e role of maintenance in improving companies productivity and profitability
 Alsyouf, I. (2004). Cost Effective Maintenance for Competitive Advantage, PhD.
Dissertation (Terotechnology), Sweden. Växjö University Press, ActaWexionensia.
 Maine, Sandy. (1995) the Soap Book: Simple Herbal Recipes. Interweave Press
 Cavitch, Susan M. The Natural Soap Book (1995): Making Herbal and Vegetable-Based Soaps.
Storey Communications.


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Hawassa university Industrial engineering department 2023

Advisor Name: Mr. Anteneh Hulluie M.SC

Final industrial attachment report and project Page I

Final industrial attachment report and project Page II

ETAB Eskindir Tesfaye Abebe Brue

ESF ETAB Soap Factory

SNNPR Southern Nation Nationality People of region

Final industrial attachment report and project Page III

Final industrial attachment report and project Page IV

EXECUTIVE SUMMERY ................................................................................................................... III

List of Abbreviations ............................................................................................................................ III

CHAPTER ONE .................................................................................................................................... 1

1.1 Background of ETAB soap factory ............................................................................................... 1

1.2.1 General Manager .................................................................................................................... 4

1.2.2 Administration (human resource) department ....................................................................... 4

1.2.3 Finance department ................................................................................................................ 4

1.2.4 Quality control ....................................................................................................................... 4

1.2.5 Marketing department ............................................................................................................ 4

1.2.6 Production department ........................................................................................................... 5

1.2.7 Commercial department ......................................................................................................... 5

1.3 Annual production plan of ETAB soap factory ............................................................................ 5

1.4 Raw material used by the company .............................................................................................. 6

1.5 Main Services of the Organization................................................................................................ 7

1.6 Objectives ................................................................................................................................... 10

1.6.1 Objective of internship ......................................................................................................... 10

1.6.2 Objective of the ETAB soap and detergent factory ............................................................. 10

1.7 Scope of the Organization ........................................................................................................... 11

CHAPTER TWO .................................................................................................................................. 12

OVERALL INTERNSHIP ACTIVITIES AND EXPERIENCE .......................................................... 12

Final industrial attachment report and project Page V

2.1 How to get the company ............................................................................................................. 12

2.2 Section of the company we have been working .......................................................................... 12

2.2.1 Raw material preparation room............................................................................................ 12

2.2.2 Receiving and storage of raw materials ............................................................................... 13

2.2.3 In-Process ............................................................................................................................. 14

2.2.4 Saponification room ............................................................................................................. 14

2.2.5 Finishing room ..................................................................................................................... 15

2.3 Over all step of soap production in ETAB .................................................................................. 15

2.3.2 Description of machine to perform above processes ........................................................... 18

2.4 Work tasks we have been executing ........................................................................................... 24

2.5 Procedures used to perform the work task .................................................................................. 24

2.6 How good we have been in performing our tasks ....................................................................... 24

2.7 Challenges we have been facing ................................................................................................. 24

2.8 Measures taken to overcome challenges ..................................................................................... 25

CHAPTER THREE .............................................................................................................................. 26

OVER ALL BENEFITS GAINED FROM THE INTERNSHIP .......................................................... 26

3.1 Interpersonal communication skills ............................................................................................ 26

3.2 Work ethics related issues ........................................................................................................... 26

3.3 Team playing skill....................................................................................................................... 27

3.4 Practical skills ............................................................................................................................. 27

3.5 Leadership skills ......................................................................................................................... 27

3.6 Entrepreneurship skills................................................................................................................ 28

PART TWO .......................................................................................................................................... 29

ENHANCIG PRODUCTIVITY THROUGH OPTIMIZATION OF MACHINE DOWN TIME ...... 29

CHAPTER ONE ................................................................................................................................... 30

Final industrial attachment report and project Page VI

1.1 Background of the project ........................................................................................................... 30

1.2. Statement of the Problem ........................................................................................................... 31

1.3. Basic Research Question............................................................................................................ 31

1.4. Objectives .................................................................................................................................. 32

1.4.1General Objective ................................................................................................................. 32

1.4.2 Specific Objective ................................................................................................................ 32

1.5. Scope of the Study ..................................................................................................................... 32