Application of the study of methods and times to process improvement: The case of La Milagrosa factory (religious images in plaster).

Abstract

The study of work is a technique widely used in each of the organizations, since through its tools, such as the study of times and methods, among others, its objective is to optimize each of the resources and processes carried out in an organization and thus propose actions to improve productivity. This article presents an application of the study of work to a manufacturing process of large plaster images in a light industry factory using the techniques of study of methods and time. A critical analysis was performed on the process of the previously selected large-size images, due to its high potential for improvement. The results allowed to reduce the percentage of losses that the company presented due to lack of means to ship its goods, as well as the time management of a stage of the process in which there was excess work. In addition, excessive times were eliminated in stages of the process to increase the percentage of production. Our results showed that work study techniques are adequate tools to be applied in most economic sectors to improve productivity. However, the technique itself will not be effective if there is no commitment from top management to implement the proposed corrective actions.