Abstract:
The South African Breweries (SAB) is a leading local company that successfully competes
on a global platform. To retain their positive position, SAB identifies and improves areas in
which they are falling short of world-class manufacturing status. In order to benchmark their
performance, metrics are established. An area that the Rosslyn Brewery identified as an
opportunity for improvement is variable costs. A large contributor to variable costs is nonreturnable
bottles (NRB), which is the main focus of this project.
The purpose of the document is to outline the project aimed at improving the non-returnable
bottle loss at the SAB, Rosslyn brewery, so that the performance metrics can be met in this
regard. The project is structured according to the DMAIC problem solving approach. The
document provides a thorough definition of the project; an overview of the relevant literature
gives a context to the problem and describes applicable industrial engineering mechanisms
used in solving the problem. Data is analysed to determine the magnitude of the problem and
to decide which areas should be focussed on. Discussions on these focus areas reveal factors
contributing to bottle loss in each focus area. Each problem is addressed and a variety of
solutions are suggested. The suggested solutions are evaluated and a summary of the shortterm
and long-term solutions as well as the financial benefit and validation of these solutions
is given. Recommendations for the implementation, support and maintenance of the change
involved in implementing the solutions is also provided within the document.
The successful completion of the project according to this document will ultimately aid SAB
to decrease their variable costs and become more profitable. In essence, it will help SAB
align itself with the company s vision to strive for operational excellence though continuous
improvement.
