Review on Automation of Soap Cleaning Process Using Aspects of Lean Manufacturing to Improve Productivity in the Soap Manufacturing Industry

The soap manufacturing industry is one of the most significant contributors to the FMCG sector. A critical stage in this industry is the soap cleaning and polishing process, which ensures removal of surface residues and improves product aesthetics before final packaging. Traditionally, this stage is carried out manually. While effective, the manual method is replaced by low-cost automation. This paper reviews existing studies on the automation of the soap cleaning process when guided by lean manufacturing principles. The purpose of this review is to study how lean principles and automation together can improve the soap cleaning operation. The paper attempts to understand limitations of the existing manual method, explore lean tools applicable to this stage, examine different automated solutions available, and highlight the barriers and research opportunities connected with implementation. The purpose of this review is to study how lean principles and automation together can improve the soap cleaning operation. The paper attempts to understand limitations of the existing manual method, explore lean tools applicable to this stage, examine different automated solutions available, and highlight the barriers and research opportunities connected with implementation.