APPLYING ECRS CONCEPTS AND THE PDCA CYCLE TO REDUCE DEFECTS IN STEEL ROOFING PRODUCTION: A CASE STUDY OF CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS BUSINESS IN UDON THANI PROVINCE

Abstract

This research aimed to study the steel roofing production process of a construction materials business in Udon Thani Province, analyse the root causes of defects, and propose methods to reduce defects in the production process. Data were collected through observation and in-depth interviews with one entrepreneur and four production representatives. Analysis using a Pareto chart indicated that defective items were the primary cause of production waste. Further in-depth analysis with a cause-and-effect diagram revealed that the root causes included a lack of coordination in the production process, unstructured planning, and unclear work sequences. To address these issues, the production process was improved by applying the ECRS (Eliminate, Combine, Rearrange, Simplify) concept in conjunction with the PDCA (Plan-Do-Check-Act) cycle. After these improvements, waste from defective production was completely eliminated (zero defects), resulting in an average annual waste cost reduction of 55,743 baht. The results of this study demonstrate the effectiveness of systematic waste reduction in enhancing production efficiency and competitiveness. The proposed approach can also be applied to other construction materials businesses and manufacturing enterprises with similar production processes.