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4th International Conference Eco-Innovation in Science, Engineering, and Technology  Volume 2023 
http://dx.doi.org/10.11594/nstp.20 3.36 2 33      Conference Paper     
Quality Control Analysis to Reduce Instant Noodle Product Defects with Six Sigma  and Kaizen Method   
Sumiati, Isna Nugraha*, Dwi Sukma Donoriyanto   
Department of Industrial Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Sains, Universitas Pembangunan Nasional 
“Veteran” Jawa Timur, Surabaya 60294, Indonesia        *Corresponding author:  ABSTRACT  E-mail:   
isna.nugraha.ti@upnjatim.ac.id PT. XYZ is a company operating in the food industry, with its main product being 
instant noodles. In its production process, not all products produced meet the 
quality standards set by the company. This indicates the presence of defective 
products, often due to errors in factors such as machinery or human resources, 
among others. Initial observations reveal that there are still many defects in their 
products. Quality control at PT. XYZ is done manually by the owner, who 
supervises each production cycle. Defects in PT. XYZ's products are categorized 
into three types: torn noodle packaging, crushed noodles, and torn seasoning 
packaging. Therefore, improvements are needed in the production of instant 
noodles by PT. XYZ. This research aims to improve the quality of production in 
the company and to explain the approach to analyzing the defect rate of instant 
noodles using Six Sigma and Kaizen. The results obtained using the Six Sigma 
method in the DMAIC analysis (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control), 
showed that product quality testing during the instant noodle production 
process resulted in 3238 failures. The Defects Per Million Opportunities (DPMO) 
value was 41172.88, which, when converted to a sigma level, was 3.23, indicating 
that the sigma level was at the industry average in Indonesia. This suggests that 
there is a potential for 41172.88 defects per one million productions, showing an 
inconsistent pattern of DPMO and sigma achievement. This indicates that the 
production process has not been managed accurately and requires 
improvement, particularly in the quest for zero defects.   
Keywords: Instant noodles, quality, production, six sigma, FMEA, Kaizen      Introduction 
In the global market competition, only high-quality products wil consistently attract demand, as 
quality is one of the key components that can serve as a solid foundation and tool for any company to 
survive and even excel in any era of competition (Nugraha et al., 2020). In the food industry, product 
quality is a defining factor for a company's success (Latifah et al., 2022). This is particularly true for 
everyday consumer products such as instant noodles. The higher the product quality, the greater the 
opportunity to win the hearts of consumers and succeed in the fierce market competition. On the other 
hand, product defects can result in financial losses, damage to brand reputation, and customer  dissatisfaction. 
PT. XYZ is a company operating in the food industry, with its main product being instant noodles. 
In its production process, not al products produced meet the quality standards set by the company. 
This indicates the presence of defective products, often due to errors in factors such as machinery or 
human resources, among others. Initial observations reveal that there are stil many defects in their 
products. Quality control at PT. XYZ is done manual y by the owner, who supervises each production    How to cite: 
Sumiati, Nugraha, S., & Donoriyanto, D. S. (2023). Quality control analysis to reduce instant noodle product defects with six sigma and 
kaizen method. 4th International Conference Eco-Innovation in Science, Engineering, and Technology. NST Proceedings. pages 231-238. doi:  10.11594/ nstp.2023.3633  4th ICESET  
cycle. Defects in PT. XYZ's products are categorized into three types: torn noodle packaging, crushed 
noodles, and torn seasoning packaging. Therefore, improvements are needed in the production of  instant noodles by PT. XYZ. 
To achieve high product quality and reduce defect rates in instant noodle production, a proven 
approach is to use Six Sigma (Smętkowska & Mrugalska, 2018). Six Sigma is a quality management 
methodology that focuses on reducing variation in the production process (Saleh, 2022). By identifying 
sources of defects, measuring defect rates, analyzing data, implementing improvements, and 
control ing processes, Six Sigma helps companies achieve consistent and high-quality products  (Qothrunnada et al., 2022). 
Another approach often used in conjunction with Six Sigma is Kaizen. Kaizen is a philosophy of 
continuous improvement that encourages gradual improvements throughout the organization 
(Mahmod et al., 2017). In the context of instant noodle production, Kaizen can help discover innovative 
ways to reduce defects, improve efficiency, and enhance quality on a sustainable basis (Bordin et al.,  2018). 
This research aims to explain the approach to analyzing the defect rate of instant noodles using 
Six Sigma and Kaizen. The researcher wil discuss the basic concepts of Six Sigma, its steps, and how to 
apply it in the context of instant noodle production. The primary goal is to help companies identify and 
reduce sources of defects, improve efficiency, and achieve higher product quality in their instant 
noodles. By implementing Six Sigma, companies can improve their production processes, reduce costs, 
and enhance customer satisfaction (Nandakumar et al., 2020). Al of these contribute to achieving a 
competitive advantage in an increasingly competitive market.    Material and Methods 
The research was conducted at PT. XYZ, is located in Surabaya, East Java. The product under 
investigation was instant noodles. The data used in this research included data on the types of defects 
and the quantity of defective products in instant noodles over a period. Data col ection was carried out 
every working day for three months (from February 2022 to April 2022) in the instant noodle 
production process. This research process fol ows the DMAIC (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, 
Control) stages, referencing Kholil (2023) and Hendy (2015) for problem-solving and process  improvement.  1. Define 
The steps in this stage are as fol ows: a. Process Mapping: This stage wil present the sequence  of the production process.  2. Measure 
The second step is measurement, which includes the fol owing stages: 
a. Determining CTQ (Critical to Quality). 
b. Identifying the sequence of CTQ (Critical to Quality) using a Pareto diagram. 
c. Measuring Process Stability (Proportion, CL, UCL, LCL, and control chart p), based on Fon- seca (2017). 
d. Measuring Process Capability to determine the DPMO value and sigma value (Wahyuni et  al., 2015; Cheng, 2018).  3. Analyze 
a. Identifying the Causes of Defects using FMEA. Subsequently, the calculation of RPN (Risk 
Potential Number) is performed to determine the dominant factors that frequently occur 
in the production process (Rochmoeljati et al., 2022). 
b. Root Cause Analysis using a fishbone diagram through the perspective of five factors: hu-
man, method, machine, material, and environment (Shania et al., 2022).              232      4th ICESET    4. Improvement and Control 
At this stage, proposed improvements and controls obtained from the interpretation of the 
results are presented. To provide improvement proposals, this wil be done through the 5W-
1H concept: What, Why, Where, When, Who, and How. Furthermore, Kaizen wil be 
determined as a recommendation for improvement using the Kaizen Five-Step Plan and 
Kaizen Five M Checklist (Nugraha, 2022; Hil , 2014).    Results and Discussion  Define 
The Define stage is the first step in the DMAIC cycle, where in this stage, the identification of the 
research object is conducted to determine the targets that the research wil focus on. In this stage, 
mapping is also done on instant noodles using a SIPOC diagram to understand the production flow.   
Table 1. Identification of defects in instant noodles  Type of Defect  Information 
Torn Noodle Packag- The source of the damage is when the machine is unstable due to a lack of  ing 
spare part maintenance, making the machine less effective in sealing the 
noodle packaging, which results in torn noodle packaging.  Crushed Noodles 
The source of the damage is rough and careless distribution process and in-
adequate supervision during the handling, leading to torn noodle packaging.  Torn 
Seasoning The source of the damage is the unreliable sealing of noodle packaging in the  Packaging 
production machine, resulting in easy tearing of the seasoning packaging, as 
wel as employee negligence in product inspection, causing torn seasoning  packaging.    Measure 
In this stage, which is the second operational step in the DMAIC cycle, measurements are taken 
on the research object, which is instant noodles. Inspection is carried out in terms of defect rates, and 
performance baselines are measured over the period from February 2022 to April 2022. For 
performance baselines, what wil be sought is the DPMO level and sigma level.   
Table 2. Calculation of DPO, DPMO, six sigma for instant noodle products  Date 
Observation (n) Defect (unit) CTQ  DPO  DPMO  Sixsigma  (unit)  18/02/2022  520  59  3  0.113462  37821  3.2766  19/02/2022  519  53  3  0.1021  34040  3.3245  20/02/2022  523  61  3  0.1166  38878  3.2639  21/02/2022  525  66  3  0.1257  41905  3.2290  22/02/2022  518  54  3  0.1042  34749  3.3152  23/02/2022  520  59  3  0.1135  37821  3.2766  24/02/2022  519  59  3  0.1137  37893  3.2757  25/02/2022  524  62  3  0.1183  39440  3.2572  26/02/2022  520  56  3  0.1077  35897  3.3004  27/02/2022  530  74  3  0.1396  46541  3.1794  28/02/2022  528  70  3  0.1326  44192  3.2040  30/03/2022  524  62  3  0.118321  39440  3.2572  01/03/2022  525  68  3  0.1295  43175  3.2150  To be continued….                233      4th ICESET   Date 
Observation (n) Defect (unit) CTQ  DPO  DPMO  Sixsigma  (unit) 
02/03/2022 518  56  3  0.1081  36036  3.2987  03/03/2022  526  68  3  0.1293  43093  3.2159  04/03/2022  524  67  3  0.1279  42621  3.2211  05/03/2022  518  55  3  0.1062  35393  3.3069  06/03/2022  520  55  3  0.1058  35256  3.3086  07/03/2022  521  61  3  0.1171  39028  3.2621  08/03/2022  525  68  3  0.1295  43175  3.2150  09/03/2022  527  66  3  0.1252  41746  3.2308  10/03/2022  524  62  3  0.1183  39440  3.2572  11/03/2022  522  60  3  0.1149  38314  3.2706  12/03/2022  522  62  3  0.1188  39591  3.2554  13/03/2022  525  70  3  0.1333  44444  3.2013  14/03/2022  524  61  3  0.1164  38804  3.2647  15/03/2022  530  74  3  0.140  46541  3.1794  16/03/2022  522  64  3  0.1226  40868  3.2407  17/03/2022  529  71  3  0.1342  44739  3.1982  18/03/2022  530  69  3  0.1302  43396  3.2126  19/03/2022  529  65  3  0.1229  40958  3.2397  20/03/2022  530  80  3  0.1509  50314  3.1418  21/03/2022  522  60  3  0.1149  38314  3.2706  22/03/2022  528  73  3  0.1383  46086  3.1841  23/03/2022  527  68  3  0.1290  43011  3.2168  24/03/2022  528  71  3  0.1345  44823  3.1973  25/03/2022  528  68  3  0.1288  42929  3.2177  26/03/2022  526  66  3  0.1255  41825  3.2299  27/03/2022  529  81  3  0.1531  51040  3.1349  28/03/2022  525  85  3  0.1619  53968  3.1075  29/03/2022  526  66  3  0.1255  41825  3.2299  30/03/2022  519  58  3  0.1118  37251  3.2835  31/03/2022  520  58  3  0.1115  37179  3.2844  01/04/2022  522  67  3  0.1284  42784  3.2193  02/04/2022  522  61  3  0.1169  38953  3.2630  03/04/2022  523  64  3  0.1224  40790  3.2416  04/04/2022  525  61  3  0.11619  38730  3.2656  05/04/2022  527  71  3  0.1347  44908  3.1964  06/04/2022  518  59  3  0.1139  37967  3.2748  07/04/2022  524  64  3  0.1221  40712  3.2425  Average  524  64.76  3  0.1235  41172.88  3.2391  Total  26200  3238   
Measuring the DPMO Level (Defects Per Mil ion Opportunities): 
𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑛𝑢𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟 𝑜 
𝑓 𝑑𝑒𝑓𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑣𝑒 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑑𝑢𝑐𝑡𝑠 𝐷𝑃𝑂 =  
𝑁𝑢𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑓 𝑢𝑛𝑖𝑡𝑠 𝑖𝑛𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑥 𝑛𝑢𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑓 𝑝𝑜𝑡𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑖𝑎𝑙 𝑓𝑎𝑖𝑙𝑢𝑟𝑒𝑠  DPMO = DPO x 1.000.000 
Based on the calculation table of DPMO and sigma level values from instant noodle production 
during the period from February 2022 to April 2022, the Defects Per Mil ion Opportunities (DPMO)            234      4th ICESET   
value obtained is 41,172.88, which is then converted to a sigma level of 3.23. This indicates that the 
sigma level is at the industry average in Indonesia. 
It can be explained that there is a possibility of 41,172.88 defects per one mil ion productions. This 
suggests an inconsistent pattern of DPMO and sigma achievement, indicating that the production 
process has not been managed accurately and stil requires improvement. If not addressed properly, it 
wil result in losses for the company because the more defective products there are, the higher the 
cost escalation in the production process. Although the company has achieved an above-average sigma 
value in the Indonesian industry, the company should strive to reach a sigma level of 6. If a company 
cannot reach a sigma level of 6, it may be categorized as not yet a competitive company (Jirasukprasert  et al., 2014).    Analyze 
Based on the measurements in the previous stage, it can be determined that there are 3 types of 
defects that need to be improved, namely torn noodle packaging, crushed noodles, and torn seasoning 
packaging. Among these three defects, torn seasoning packaging is the one to be prioritized for 
improvement because it occupies the first rank in the Pareto diagram from February 2022 to April 
2022, with a percentage of 37%, 33%, 30% and a cumulative percentage of 100%.   
Table 3. Critical to Quality (CTQ)  Type of Defect  Total  Cumulative  %  % Cumulative  Torn Noodle Packaging  1214  1214  37%  37%  Crushed Noodles  1050  2264  33%  70%  Torn Seasoning Packaging  974  3238  30%  100%  Total    3238    100%    Torn Noodle Packaging Crushed Noodles Torn Seasoning Packaging   Figure 1. Pareto diagram   
From the identification and observations of Indomie Instant Noodles products, it can be concluded 
that the defect caused by torn noodle packaging is 37%, the defect caused by crushed noodles is 33%, 
and for the defect caused by torn seasoning packaging is 30%. Therefore, it can be determined that 
the largest defect is caused by torn noodle packaging. From these three causes of defects, based on 
the observations, it can be concluded that addressing the defect of torn noodle packaging should be 
given the highest priority for reduction because successfully reducing it wil have an impact on the  other causes.      235      4th ICESET    
Figure 2. Fishbone diagram for the largest defect: Torn noodle packaging   
In the diagram above, the non-conformity of torn noodle packaging is caused by four factors: 
method, material, man, and machine. In the method, it's due to an inattentive distribution process and 
lack of supervision during the work. Material or raw materials have a significant impact on the 
packaging production process; defects occur due to poor material quality and lack of material 
inspection. In the machine, defects are caused by unstable machine operation due to a lack of spare 
part maintenance, resulting in ineffective sealing of noodle packaging and making it easy to tear. 
Meanwhile, in the man or human factor, it's due to a lack of attentiveness during the production 
process and inspection, which is caused by a lack of focus while working and not adhering to the 
applicable Standard Operating Procedures (SOP).    Improve 
After identifying the sources of the problem, the next step is to establish an action plan to reduce 
the number of defects. The purpose of developing this improvement plan is to enhance quality. In 
essence, the improvement plan describes the al ocation of resources and the priority of alternatives 
implemented in the execution of the improvement plan. 
The improvement plan is derived by combining the company's brainstorming results with the 
conditions at the location of the research on the instant noodle production process. The tool used to 
determine the priority of the improvement plan is Failure Mode and Effect Analysis (FMEA). Through 
FMEA, we can propose improvements to the company. Technical y, the assessment of the severity of 
potential errors on the process and consumers (S), the frequency of errors occurring due to potential 
errors (O), and the impact on control tools due to potential cause detection (D) are determined through 
brainstorming. From this determination, the Risk Potential Number (RPN) is obtained by multiplying S 
x O x D (severity, occurrence, and detection). The standard reference table for severity (S), occurrence 
(O), and detection (D) is used. Here are the results of FMEA (Table 1).    Table 4. FMEA and kaizen  No  Factor  Potential  Root Cause  S  O  D  RPN  Improvement Actions  Problem  1  Torn  Material Poor  material 8  5  4  160  Purchase higher-quality  Noodle  quality  materials for instant noo- dle packaging.  To be continued…            236      4th ICESET    No  Factor  Potential  Root Cause  S  O  D  RPN  Improvement Actions  Problem  Packag- Method Failure to seal the 8  4  3  96  Monitor during the in- ing  noodle packaging  stant noodle packaging  tightly  pressing process.  Machine Machine  jam- 6  5  5  150  Perform regular mainte- ming  nance of machine spare  parts.  Man  Lack of thorough 8  2  3  48  Monitor during the in- inspection  spection process.  2 
Crushed Material Poor quality ma- 7  5  3  105  Purchasing higher-qual- Noodles  terials  ity raw materials for in- stant noodles.  Method Careless noodle 8  6  6  288  Encouraging careful noo- arrangement  dle arrangement to pre- vent breakage.  Machine Machine  jam- 6  5  5  150  Performing  regular  ming.  maintenance of machine  spare parts.  Man  Failure to adhere 6  5  4  120  Imposing sanctions on  to the applicable  employees who do not  SOP.  adhere to SOP.  3  Torn  Material Poor quality ma- 6  4  4  96  Purchasing higher-qual- Season- terials  ity raw materials for in- ing  stant noodle seasoning  Packag- packaging  ing  Method Inaccurate sea- 7  6  3  126  Encouraging  accurate  soning measure- seasoning measurement  ment  according to the volume  of instant noodle season- ing packaging  Machine Machine  jam- 7  6  2  84  Performing  regular  ming  maintenance of machine  spare parts.  Man  Lack of diligence 9  5  5  225  Monitoring during the in- in inspection  spection process.    Control 
This stage is the final operational stage. However, this research, couldn't implement control 
because the Improve stage only extends to suggestions. Therefore, in this stage, the measurement 
results are documented to serve as working guidelines. This is the last operational stage. As part of the 
Six Sigma approach, supervision is necessary to ensure that the desired results are in the process of 
being achieved. The results from the Improve stage must be implemented within a specific timeframe 
to observe their impact on the quality of the resulting products. In the Control stage, the results of 
quality improvement are documented and disseminated, successful best practices in process 
improvement are standardized and disseminated, procedures are documented and used as standard 
working guidelines and ownership or responsibility is transferred from the Six Sigma team to the  process owner.        237      4th ICESET   Conclusion 
The results were obtained using the Six Sigma method for the issue at PT. XYZ, specifical y in the 
DMAIC analysis (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control), showed that product quality testing 
during the instant noodle production process resulted in 3238 failures. The Defects Per Mil ion 
Opportunities (DPMO) value was 41,172.88, which, when converted to a sigma level, was 3.23, 
indicating that the sigma level was at the industry average in Indonesia. This suggests that there is a 
potential for 41,172.88 defects per one mil ion productions, showing an inconsistent pattern of DPMO 
and sigma achievement. This indicates that the production process has not been managed accurately 
and requires improvement, particularly in the quest for zero defects. 
To achieve zero defects, it is recommended to conduct regular checks every two weeks on 
maintenance and components, perform routine inspections of al materials, methods, workers, and 
machines, and calculate DPMO and sigma values regularly to understand the production process in 
terms of defect-free products per one mil ion opportunities and implement Standard Operating 
Procedures (SOP) to prevent human errors that could disrupt the screen printing production process. 
It is hoped that the quality of instant noodle production at PT. XYZ wil improve after the 
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