Efficiency Improvement in the Sorting and Storage Process of Free-Range Ducks of Sombut Farm District wangyen Nakhon Pathom Province

Abstract

          This research aims to 1) Enhance the efficiency of the sorting and storage processes for free-range ducks at Sombat Farm, Wang Yen Subdistrict, Nakhon Pathom Province. 2) Improve the efficiency of cold storage warehouse inventory management. The primary informants included one business owner and three relevant personnel. The research tools employed were in-depth interviews to gather fundamental data regarding the duck sorting process and participant observation to study operational patterns for further analysis. The analysis applied the following theories as 1) Visual Control Theory is to improve sorting efficiency by color-coding and size differentiation 2) ABC Analysis Theory is to categorize products into groups and 3) FIFO (First In, First Out) Theory is to minimize inventory aging and reduce stockpile.

           Research findings are the study revealed issues in the sorting and storage processes for free-range ducks, such as size mixing due to insufficient containers for all nine duck size categories. Additionally, there was no arrangement for separating older and newer products, leading to stockpile aging, product degradation, and delays in inventory retrieval and disbursement. To address these problems, the following improvements were implemented as 1) Visual Control Theory is containers were color-coded into nine colors corresponding to the nine duck sizes, with labels indicating the respective sizes.  2) ABC Analysis Theory is products categorized into three groups for storage improvement and 3) FIFO Theory is storage management was enhanced by labeling production dates and quantities, ensuring that older stock is used first to avoid stockpile aging.  The results showed significant improvements in inventory retrieval and disbursement. The time required for these tasks decreased from 10.15 minutes to 6.09 minutes, a reduction of 4.06 minutes. The FIFO system ensured that older stock was used first, preventing stockpile aging and maintaining product quality. Furthermore, the introduction of inventory request forms streamlined the retrieval and disbursement process, making it more systematic.