Ops 571 statistical process control methods

Assignment 2: Statistical Process Control Methods

Introduction

In this paper we will discuss the process of United Parcel Services at the Danville, Virginia facility during peak season. Peak season starts in mid-November and concludes at the beginning of January. During this time, temps are hired to assist with the processing of all packages. The number of packages processed daily are between ten and fifteen thousand. When we are not in the peak season, we only process around eight thousand packages per day.

The process to handle packages is simple, the packages are delivered to the facility via Semi trucks, the packages are unloaded onto the belts that move throughout the facility and sorted in different area of the facility. Bulk packages are handled in one area, small packages in another and packages designated for postal services are handled in another area. Once packages are sorted in their areas, they are added to the trucks for delivery. This process starts at two o’clock in the morning (during peak season) and concludes with trucks rolling out at nine o’clock every morning.

Control Chart

“A control chart is marked with three horizontal lines, known as the center line, upper control limit and lower control limit. The center line indicates the historical mean of the process. The upper and lower control limits, which are marked three standard deviations above and below the center line, indicate whether the process is operating as expected or is out of control, statistically” (Dunning, 2017).

When we look at the control chart, we find that the mean of the sample data is 13,166. This indicates that the average of the packages entering the facility during peak season is high daily, compared to an average on a regular day not during peak season. This means that the facility needs to use as many employees as possible to get the deliveries out on time. For this process to serve the company and its customers better, we see that there could be some improvement in the way and how the packages are handled. To make it a simpler process there needs to be less handling of the packages. When packages are being handled by so many people at different times it makes for more time that the package is moving in the facility. Implementing a form of sorting machine would make the process faster.

CPS

“Statistical Process Control (SPC) is an industry-standard methodology for measuring and controlling quality during the manufacturing process. Quality data in the form of Product or Process measurements are obtained in real-time during manufacturing” (What is SPC, n.d.). When looking at the SPC Chart, we can see that the process is working for this facility right now. The lower specification level (LSL) is 2220.56 and the upper specification (USL) is 24112.77. This puts the mean of our data closer to the LSL which is good when we are discussing getting the packages out of the facility in a timely manner.

Conclusion

When we analyze the results from both charts, we can see that the facility and its processes are working for the company at this time. With people ordering more online instead of brick and mortar store, we expect to see an increase of packages in the upcoming years. This process will need to be revisited soon to maintain the standards in which the company is adhering. The company is already looking into other machinery to assist in the process steps to get the packages out without being handled by so many different employees.

References Dunning, D. (2017, April 25). What Are UCL & LCL? Retrieved from Sciencing: https://sciencing.com/ucl-lcl-12011171.html What is SPC. (n.d.). Retrieved from Infinity QS: https://www.infinityqs.com/resources/what-is-spc