Identificação de causas dos problemas no processo de expedição de cargas, por meio da aplicação de ferramentas da gestão da qualidade: um estudo de caso em uma empresa do setor da celulose

Abstract

The logistics sector represents one of the highest costs within the pulp and paper companies. For this reason, it is essential that these companies invest in quality management to ensure the efficiency of their logistics processes. With this goal in mind, this case study aims to apply quality management tools to identify the root causes of problems that result in rework and disruptions in the logistics shipping area of a pulp and paper company. The two investigated problems are related to inadequate deliveries to customers. The first problem refers to damaged shipments, while the second involves delivering bundles with incorrect layouts as requested by the buyer. To address these issues, the following quality tools were used: flowchart, brainstorming, cause and effect diagram, and 5 whys. By applying these quality tools, it was possible to identify that the root cause of the problem of damaged shipments was related to the fact that sometimes the forklift operator failed to notice that the pulp bundle was damaged when removing it from the end of the production line. This led to improper storage and consequently shipping of the damaged material. Regarding the problem of delivering pulp with incorrect layouts, it was found that the main cause was the lack of a proper procedure to communicate information about the type of loading. This communication failure resulted in incorrect shipments. Based on these analyses, it was possible to propose improvements in the pulp shipping processes and promote the pursuit of continuous improvement.