Gestão da qualidade e a melhoria contínua na produção e armazenamento de sorvetes e picolés: estudo de caso em uma fábrica do estado de Alagoas

Abstract

Guaranteeing the quality of a food product is an important parameter for consumer safety, production efficiency and market competitiveness. In this sense, the objective of this work was to describe and evaluate the ice cream and popsicle manufacturing process within the context of quality management in a small factory in the state of Alagoas. The collection of evidence data on quality indicators and non-conformities regarding the cleaning of the chambers can be done using the verification sheet and the weighing of the products was evaluated using Pareto charts. The GUT matrix (severity, urgency and trend) was used regarding the priority of care in solving the problems presented. To organize the causes, the Ishikawa diagram (causes and main effect) and the 5W2H action plan were adopted. The PDCA management method (plan, do, check and act) was used at the critical point “disorganization of parts”. The results demonstrated that the application of quality tools brought effective solutions to reducing negative rates. The flowcharts provided a broad and detailed view of each step of the process, making it easier to identify non-conformities. Non-conformities such as disorganization of the pieces, communication failures, gluten and sucrose contamination, cleaning of the chambers, weight and lack of filling were defined by level of priority, in this order. As a next step, for failures in order of preference, quality tools were applied, making it possible to identify possible causes and find solutions that would improve the process. In this way, after analyzing the problems and applying the tools, simple and low-cost solutions were identified that can be applicable in more than 50% of cases, which were innovative in the production sector to promote continuous improvement in the production process. from factory. For example, reviewing SOPs, training and raising awareness among employees about the impact and ensuring the standardization of procedures and contamination risks. Therefore, quality tools are indispensable for quality management and assurance in a food industry.