Lean Manufacturing Implementation in a Protective Mask Production Process: A Case of Study in Quito

Regarding the concept of Lean manufacturing, which is the identification of waste and its elimination or reduction through the continuous improvement of the process, wastes of time, resources, and products were determined. The reason is the lack of acceptance parameters of raw materials and standardized parameters of finished products. Therefore, by identifying waste, the melt-blown area to produce face masks was improved by characterizing raw materials, technical controls, and specification of operating conditions. The production depends on the raw material and the working conditions, especially in the area of raw materials; the physical characteristics of polypropylene are not constant between batches., For this reason, only 2 Batches of the 4 existing ones could be used for the production of the melt-blown fabric, however, a combination between the four Batches was achieved, guaranteeing the adequate characteristics for the production. The data presented show the relationship between the working conditions and the environmental conditions. In Quito, with an atmospheric pressure of 0.71 atm, the working pressure increases from 5 psi to 9.26 psi, an equivalent total pressure of 1.34 atm. With this new working condition, the flow rate necessary to obtain a melt-blown fabric with constant characteristics is ensured.