Propostas de melhoria para otimização de processos na produção de pescado congelado

Abstract

This dissertation, part of the Master's Degree in Food Engineering at the School of Biotechnology of the Portuguese Catholic University of Porto, reports the work developed at the company Mar Cabo – Produtos Congelados, Lda. The main goal of this project was to propose measures that would optimize two different frozen fish production lines: one for the sealing and packaging of cuvettes with cephalopods - the Cephalopod line, and a second one for the processing and packaging of raw materials, namely Blue Shark and Hake/”Rombo” Fillets, through heat sealing - the Calibrator scale/bagger line. Having the proposed goal in mind, initially, a survey of the problems associated with each line was carried out to understand those that could undergo an intervention so they could be eliminated or reduced. Then, to ascertain the level of efficiency of the lines and understand the main causes of waste, a production performance indicator, the Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE), was applied, which allowed for analysis and identification of the main sources of loss as well as a performance review of the production lines. To help reduce identified losses in production, it was possible to apply measures such as work instructions, to help employees be more efficient in their work methodology; line layout modifications; a more effective combination of equipment parameters, which allows continuous and more fruitful production; and finally, the presentation of these problems and their causes in an Ishikawa, or “Fishbone Diagram”, which presented an overview of each line in a schematic and intuitive way. After applying these measures, it was possible to obtain an increase in the overall efficiency of the Calibrator scale/bagger line by 18.4%, which corresponds to an OEE of 82.5%, for the production of Blue Shark, and an increase of 16, 5%, corresponding to an OEE of 64.9%, for the production of Hake Fillets. Regarding the production of “Rombo” Fillets, the initial OEE was 52.3%, and subsequent comparison to the implementations was no longer possible as there was no new production of this product. Concerning the Cephalopods line, there was an average increase in efficiency of 2.4%%, representing an OEE of 47.4%. However, this value is associated with problems that occurred before the line analysis and not with the efficiency of the line itself. Therefore, and as verified in the last measurements, it is possible with the changes made, to obtain an increase in the overall efficiency of the line by 18%, representing an OEE of 63%.

Date of Award	30 Jul 2021
Original language	Portuguese
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	Cristina L. M. Silva (Supervisor)