The objective of this project is to help optimize the process of making each spice blend that the Spice Sisters produce by recommending ways to cut down production time, determine optimal size of each spice blend for quality control measure implementation, and recommending the best equipment suitable for them to use in order to make this happen.
Sponsored by: Mambo Partners LLC: Spice Sisters
Team Members
Pavlo Pencak Eric Wang Olivia Newman Erin McAndrew Arnab Kapuria Jacob Hannon
Instructor: Brian Zajac
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Project Video
Project Summary
Overview
The Spice Sisters are a two-person startup company in Johnstown, PA that specializes in their unique spice blends. From “Tingly Tagarashi” to “Black Magic Powder,” these spice blends draw from the idea that food and fellowship pull people together. Currently, the Spice Sisters are struggling with long manufacturing times in the production of their spice blends and are seeking our team’s help to recommend new equipment to optimize their processes and make their spices quickly, efficiently, and consistently.
Objectives
Our objectives started with visiting the Spice Sisters’ and observing their process so we could recommend ways to shorten their production time. We also planned to analyze samples of the spice particle sizes under a microscope to help find an optimal size for the spice blends to implement quality control and consistency. The last objective we had was to research and propose new machines for the Spice Sisters to use for roasting, grinding, sifting, mixing and packaging their spice blends, and to compare them by price, performance, and reviews.
Approach
Our team did thorough research on different equipment types available for each phase of the Spice Sisters’ process. This included looking into machinery used for spices and different types of machinery that could serve the same purpose for them, along with finding the particle sizes of samples spices that were given to us. After conducting this research, our team made one to three recommendations per phase in the Spice Sisters process: roasting, grinding, sifting, mixing, and filling.
Outcomes
The total cost of choosing our best recommendations for each phase ended up being about $3,400, and the Spice Sisters should get most of this cost covered by their Kickstarter campaign that is hoping to raise $5,000. In each of these phases, we expect to see a volume increase, as each recommended machine is larger than their current, as well as the product quality being more consistent. This heavier duty machinery will allow for faster processing times, and tighter tolerances with more accuracy during the process. The new machinery will also reduce tool wear as well as cleanup time because it is meant for larger batches and can be opened for easier access. With the recommendations of this new equipment, we are expecting the Spice Sisters to see a significant increase in productivity, efficiency, and consistency.