A STUDY IN IMPROVEMENT OF PRODUCTION PROCESS OF THE COMMUNITY ENTERPRISES IN PHAI CHUMPHON SUBDISTRICT, MUEANG DISTRICT, PHITSANULOK PROVINCE

บทคัดย่อ

     This research aims to improve the production process of the Housewives Farmers' Group of Ban Phai Chumphon, a community enterprise located in Mueang District, Phitsanulok Province, Thailand. The enterprise, established in 2015, processes various agricultural products into value-added goods such as butter-baked bananas, taro, pumpkin, and sweet potatoes, as well as salted and seasoned snacks. However, the group has faced significant challenges related to high production costs, inefficient workflows, and excessive material handling. The study applies principles of production process improvement, focusing on factory layout analysis, material flow theory, and transportation distance reduction to identify and address these issues. Data were collected through observations of current production processes, including workstations, raw material transport, and process flows. Tools such as flow process charts and systematic layout planning (SLP) were used to map activities and evaluate the spatial arrangement of the factory. The research also examined previous studies on similar production optimization techniques to guide the design of a new, more efficient factory layout.

     The findings indicate that the original production system involved long material transport distances and unstructured workflow sequences, leading to increased time consumption and potential safety concerns. By redesigning the layout and optimizing the arrangement of production stations, the researchers achieved a substantial reduction in both material transport distance and time. Specifically, the average transport distance per production cycle decreased from 38.54 meters to 27.94 meters, representing a 27.5% reduction. Additionally, the average time for material transportation was reduced from 93.22 minutes to 92.62 minutes per cycle, amounting to a 0.6% decrease. Although the time reduction appears modest, the significant decrease in distance contributes to lower labor fatigue, enhanced safety, and improved production efficiency. The study recommends further research incorporating tools such as Value Stream Mapping (VSM) to achieve even greater operational efficiency. The proposed layout design serves as a model for other community enterprises seeking to optimize their production processes, minimize costs, and promote sustainable local economic development.