Optimizing Target Weights for Foods and Beverages
Steven Wachs Overview:
Statistical process control and process capability methods may be utilized to determine optimal targets for product fill weights or volumes for a given process. Subsequent focused efforts to minimize variation will allow the target to be further optimized, resulting in less waste without compromising risk.
This webinar illustrates the use of Statistical Process Control and Process Capability methods for optimizing product target weights given the inherent tradeoffs between minimizing overfills and minimizing risks of non-compliance to government regulations. This webinar also briefly discusses methods for reducing excessive variability which may be necessary to achieve optimal results.
The objectives include:
- Understand the factors affecting the target weight decision
- Determine the tolerable risks of under-filling and the costs of over-filling
- Estimate the proportion of non-conforming products
- Understand process stability and process capability concepts
- Determine and justify targets for product weights
- Understand methods for process optimization
Why you should Attend:
To maximize profitability while complying with government regulations regarding net package contents, food manufacturers and packagers must achieve an optimal balance. Consistent overfilling to minimize risk is inefficient and sacrifices profitability, while aggressive filling practices result in significant risks of non-compliance with net contents regulations leading to potential penalties, loss of reputation, and impaired customer relations. Statistical process control and process capability methods may be utilized to determine optimal targets for product fill weights or volumes for a given process.
Areas Covered in the Session:
- U.S. Regulatory requirements for net contents of foods (NIST Handbook 133)
- Estimating the risk of non-compliance
- Assessing process stability
- Process capability
- Z Values and Proportion non-conforming
- Determining Target Weights
- Process Optimization
Who Will Benefit:
- Manufacturing Personnel
- Quality & Process Engineers
- Plant Operations Personnel
- Plant Management
- Quality Management
- Personnel Utilizing Data to Make Decisions and Improve Processes
Speaker Profile
Steve Wachs has 30 years of wide-ranging industry experience in both technical and management positions. Steve has worked as a statistician at Ford Motor Company where he has extensive experience in the development of statistical models, reliability analysis, designed experimentation, and statistical process control.
Steve is currently a Principal Statistician at Integral Concepts, Inc. where he assists manufacturers in the application of statistical methods to reduce variation and improve quality and productivity. He also possesses expertise in the application of reliability methods to achieve robust and reliable products as well as estimate and reduce warranty. Steve consults and provides workshops in industrial statistical methods worldwide. He also supports Integral Concepts’ Litigation / Expert Witness practice with data analysis.
Steve possesses an M.A. in Applied Statistics from University of Michigan (Ann Arbor), an M.B.A. from the Katz Graduate School of Business, University of Pittsburgh, and a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Michigan (Ann Arbor).