A DEA approach for improving productivity of packaging production lines: a case study

Abstract

The rapid changes in the competitive landscape forced the manufacturing companies find ways to improve the productivity of their production lines. As the results of one initiative are linked to the outcome of another initiative, combined effect of all initiatives should be carefully evaluated prior to their implantation. This paper discusses such a situation by using a case study from the Canadian packaging industry. Data envelopment analysis is used to evaluate three productivity improvement initiatives used by this company. The detailed analysis shows that doing all three options simultaneously provides the highest productivity.

Keywords:

• data envelopment analysis
• packaging industry
• productivity improvements