Penerapan Metode Six Sigma untuk Permasalahan Kadar Air Minyak Kelapa Sawit pada Vacuum Oil Dryer PT XYZ

Abstract

Vacuum oil dryer merupakan salah satu mesin yang digunakan pada proses produksi PT XYZ. Vacuum oil dryer digunakan untuk mengurangi kadar air pada crude oil sebelum dialirkan menuju daily tank. Proses pengeringan pada vacuum oil dryer penting untuk menjaga kualitas minyak kelapa sawit dan mencegah peningkatan kadar free fatty acid (FFA) selama penyimpanan. Data kadar air rata-rata minyak kelapa sawit hasil pengeringan vacuum oil dryer PT XYZ sejak tanggal 16 Juni 2025 hingga 16 Juli 2025 menunjukkan adanya hasil pengeringan yang berada di luar batas standar. Metode Six Sigma merupakan pengembangan dari pendekatan Total Quality Management (TQM) yang mulai berkembang pada era 1980-an. Konsep Six Sigma berfokus pada upaya mengurangi kesalahan atau cacat produk secara sistematis melalui tahapan DMAIC, yaitu Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, dan Control. Tahap analyze menggunakan fishbone diagram menunjukkan bahwa penyebab tingginya kadar air pada minyak kelapa sawit terdiri dari faktor material, mesin, metode, dan manusia. Tahap improve menghasilkan saran-saran perbaikan dari setiap faktor, misalnya pengawasan yang lebih baik terhadap operator, pergantian jenis mesin, pemrosesan material yang lebih terintegrasi, dan penetapan SOP serta dokumentasi yang lebih terstruktur.

A vacuum oil dryer is one of the machines used in the production process at PT XYZ. The vacuum oil dryer is used to reduce the moisture content in crude oil before it is transferred to the daily tank. The drying process in the vacuum oil dryer is crucial for maintaining the quality of palm oil and preventing an increase in free fatty acid (FFA) levels during storage. Data on the average moisture content of palm oil after drying in the vacuum oil dryer in PT XYZ from June 16, 2025, to July 16, 2025, indicates that some drying results fall outside the standard limits. The Six Sigma method is a development of the Total Quality Management (TQM) approach that began to grow in the 1980s. The Six Sigma concept focuses on systematically reducing errors or product defects through the DMAIC stages, namely Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, and Control. In the analyze stage, the use of a fishbone diagram shows that the causes of high moisture content in palm oil consist of material, machine, method, and man factors. The improve stage produces recommendations for improvements for each factor, such as better supervision of operators, changing the type of machine, more integrated material processing, and the establishment of more structured SOPs and documentation.