Application of Theory of Constraints TOC, TPM and MPS to increase OEE in a Latin American aquafeed company

Abstract

Over the last few years, the aquaculture sector has become more relevant when it comes to food at a global level, since aquaculture products contribute to future food security. For this reason, the number of hatcheries for this type of species, as well as the participation of aquaculture companies in the market, are increasing; in this context, it is important to improve the production of factories so that they remain competitive in the global market. In this article, a company that manufactures food for marine species was evaluated and it was found that the line of extruded fish feed had an OEE of 41%, when the recommended standard of OEE is 85%. To solve this gap, which generated an economic impact of around 100 000 USD per year, an improvement model was proposed using the TOC, TPM and MPS tools, which solve deficiencies both in the manufacturing area and in the area of supply chain planning. The main result obtained was an increase in the OEE of the line of extruded fish feed from 41% to 66%. Finally, 3 validations were made; first, the results of the implementation of the improvements were validated with the Arena software 16.2; then, an economic validation was made, with which it was obtained that the project was viable; and it was validated that the model worked with other products, which was achieved through the application of the model in a shrimp pelleted feed production line.