A Case Study of an Experimental Design to Laboratory Process Improvement
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.55747/bjedis.v1i1.48412Keywords:
Design of Experiment, Variability Reduction, Chemical Analyses, Analytical Laboratory, Continuous ImprovementAbstract
In a chemical analysis laboratory it is extremely important to identify and quantify the contribution of the stages of the analytical process in the final variability of the results, thus facilitating the directing of efforts in the search for continuous improvement. In this type of laboratory, the improvement corresponds to the reduction of variability, which guarantees greater reliability of the analytical results, and one of the ways to achieve this reduction is to carry out an experiment. In this work, a practical example of a chemical industry will be presented in which the experiment allowed to quantify the contribution of the steps: (I) preparation of the samples, (II) of the different technicians and (III) the measurement itself. An experiment with random factors and a hierarchical factor (nested factor) was used and the results were analyzed using an ANOVA. From the analysis of the results, it was identified that the major contributor to the final variability was the preparation of the samples. Efforts were directed at this stage, with a review of the procedure and training of technicians, which provided a general improvement in the reliability of the analytical results. With a second similar experiment it was possible to prove the effectiveness of the improvement actions.
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We at this moment declare that the present paper is our original work and has not been previously considered, either in whole or in part, for publication elsewhere. Besides, we warrant the authors will not submit this paper for publication in any other journal. We also guarantee that this article is free of plagiarism and that any accusation of plagiarism will be the authors' sole responsibility. The undersigned transfer all copyrights to the present paper (including without limitation the right to publish the work in any and all forms) to BJEDIS, understanding that neglecting this agreement will submit the violator to undertake the legal actions provided in the Law on Copyright and Neighboring Rights (No. 9610 of February 19, 1998). Also, we, the authors, declare no conflict of interest. Finally, all funders were cited in the acknowledgments section.