École Nationale Supérieure de
Techniques Avancées

Abstract

The subject of the internship I've done within the Sanofi-aventis production plant in Amilly was the improvement of the performance of a production unit. This production unit is dedicated to the production of pasty products such as toothpastes and ointments. It experiences today a great evolution: the production is going to increase by 30% between 2007 and 2009 and the kind of products manufactured is going to change. There are less and less toothpastes produced whereas the production of ointments is increasing. This evolution is going to have an effect on the frequency of changeover. The number of changeover is indeed going to double between 2007 and 2009. This could decrease the productivity. To help the operators during the changeover and to provide training for new operators, it was necessary to have a written medium explaining the changeover. During the internship, I've set up a tool to help for changeover. I've written methodological sheets explaining changeover, I've developed a software to help to use them and I've led a 5S project on the change parts storage. I've also helped the operators to appropriate these tools. The second subject of my internship was related to wastage. In the production unit where I was working, wastage was mainly linked to paste. The cost of ointment is higher than the cost of toothpaste then the cost of wastage is going to increase with the rise in ointment production. I've studied this wastage and tried to find solution to reduce it. I've applied a DMAIC approach (Define - Measure - Analyze - Improve - Control) to find the main wastage sources and to suggest solutions to reduce them.