Improvement Model for the Production Area to increase Labor Productivity through Lean Manufacturing tools in a bakery company

Paula Fouscas-Chang A.; Adrian Lucero-Ugaz J.; Antonio Corzo-Chavez J.; Viacava-Campos G. · Proceedings of the LACCEI international Multi-conference for Engineering, Education and Technology (2026) · DOI: 10.18687/laccei2026.1.1.553

Resumen

The global bakery industry faces persistent productivity challenges due to its high dependence on manual operations and limited technological adoption, creating substantial opportunities for process optimization. The company under study, dedicated to the production of healthy cookies made from Peruvian grains, exhibits a labor productivity of 1.46 kg/man-hour-less than half of the sector benchmark of 3 kg/man-hour-resulting in an annual economic impact of approximately 146817 USD. Key contributors to this gap include excessive setup time, prolonged cycle time, and a high defective rate. This research proposes an integrated process improvement model designed to enhance productivity in low-automation bakery environments. The model combines Lean Manufacturing tools, including 5S for workplace organization, SMED for setup time reduction, and process standardization through Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP). The proposed model was evaluated through discrete-event simulation, allowing the validation of its impact prior to implementation. The results show significant improvements, including a 105% increase in labor productivity, a 46% reduction in cycle time, a 49% reduction in setup time, and an 86% decrease in defective products. This study contributes by providing a practical and replicable integrated Lean-based model tailored to SME bakery environments, demonstrating that the combined application of multiple tools generates measurable productivity improvements in a context that has been less explored in existing research.

Instituciones: Universidad de Lima