Determinación de las causas especiales de la variación del ph y viscosidad que afectan la estabilidad de la calidad del proceso de elaboración del yogurt flexible en la empresa freskaleche S.A.

Abstract

The purpose of this degree paper is to determine the special causes of variation of pH and viscosity in the production process of flexible yogurt in the company Freskaleche S.A. using quality control methods. To develop this project the most critical production process was identified through an interview with the head of technical development of the company, this being the process of developing flexible yogurt due to the variation of pH and viscosity of the product; a diagnosis of the current state of the process under study was done by means of three data collection techniques: direct observation during visits to the production plant, interviews with the heads of the sub processes, supervisors and operators involved in the process. A study of the positioning of the flexible yogurt on the market with respect to the characteristic of pH and other components was performed through applying a structured survey to people from Bucaramanga and its metropolitan area, allowing the identification of the limits with the data obtained in this study. Subsequently a measurement study was conducted for three consecutive weeks in which 126 samples of flexible yogurt were taken. pH and viscosity were measured in order to draw the corresponding control charts and perform their analysis. Seven special causes for pH and 13 for viscosity were identified. Once these causes were identified, an improvement plan was done for the company. In this plan, a description of the steps to follow in order to identify the factors that are generating these special causes of variation in the process is presented. It also features a description of the activities to follow, the roles of the people who will be needed to develop the plan, execution time, among other things. This improvement plan proposal was accepted by the company and will be discussed with other bodies of the organization.