Article

Application of Taguchi Method of Asia-Pacific Journal of Management

Research and Innovation

Experimental Design for Chemical

9(3) 231–238
© 2013 Asia-Pacific
Institute of Management
Process Optimisation: A Case Study SAGE Publications
Los Angeles, London,
New Delhi, Singapore,
Washington DC
DOI: 10.1177/2319510X13519320
http://apjmri.sagepub.com
Vishal Singh Patyal
Sachin Modgil
K. Maddulety

Abstract
This case study is one of the distinctive researches which highlight the factor ratings and process optimisation through Taguchi
design. This research has been conducted with a special reference to chemical plants in India. The objective of the present study was
to establish optimal setting of four factors, viz., (i) temperature (°C), (ii) percentage of chemical (Borex), (iii) pH and (iv) time (Hrs).
The present study was conducted to ensure optimisation of two response variables which were (i) Loss-on-Ignition (LoI) (lower the
better) and (ii) chemical Borate content (higher the better). The unique 10 step methodology was adopted for arriving at optimal set-
ting of four factors. Validation of optimal settings has been done by comparing actual values (means and signal to noise [S/N] ratios)
for optimal setting with predicted values (means and S/N ratios). The results show that the Taguchi parameter design improves the
response variables (i) LoI (lower is better) and (ii) chemical Borate content (higher is better), as the Taguchi L9 experiment resulted
in lower LoI (less than 15 per cent) and high Borate percentage of chemical (greater than 45 per cent). The optimisation of response
variables has ensured breakthrough improvement in the manufacturing process of Zinc Borate. The result underlines effectiveness of
Taguchi optimisation technique.

Keywords
Robust Taguchi design, main effects plots for means, main effects plots for signal to noise ratios

Taguchi method is a systematic way to determine cause and
effect relationship between design factors and performance.
Many organisations have deployed Taguchi technique to
optimise product and process design. The technique cate-
gorises independent and dependent variables with the help
of identified factors and factor levels which lead to
enhanced quality performance. To understand the effective-
ness of Taguchi design, the author(s) of the present case
study approached an enterprise which manufactures Zinc
Borate and is located in Gujarat, India. The information
about the organisation and the brief information about the
manufacturing process have been mentioned in the article.
The enterprise ABC is a chemical product manufac-
turer located in Gujarat, India. Out of the variety of prod-
ucts manufactured by the organisation, the chemical
product Y (assumed name) was considered for the present
study. This product Y has applications in various indust-
ries such as plastics, textiles, rubber, polymer, adhesive,
pharmaceuticals and paper. Zinc Borate is used as a flame
retardant additive in poly vinyl chloride (PVC), epoxy
resins and smoke suppressant for above mentioned indus-
tries (textile, rubber, etc.). The Zinc Borate finds its appli-
cation in paint (heat resistant coatings), pigment and
adhesive industries. It is used in cable wires and flooring as
a PVC additive.
The annual turnover of the product (Zinc Borate) is
about 20 per cent of total turnover of the firm, which
is more important in terms of productivity and sales. The
ABC enterprise faced problem of higher customer com-
plaints because of high Loss-on-Ignition (LoI) and lower
percentage of chemical Borate content in Zinc Borate at
initial product development stage. The lower productivity
of the Zinc Borate grabbed the attention of management
and made an emphasis on maximisation of the percent-
age of chemical Borate content and the issue with higher
LoI.

Vishal Singh Patyal, Research Scholar, Operation Management, National Institute of Industrial Engineering (NITIE), Mumbai, India.
E-mail: vishalpatyal2001@gmail.com
Sachin Modgil, Research Scholar, Operation Management, National Institute of Industrial Engineering (NITIE), Mumbai, India.
E-mail: sach.modgil@gmail.com
K. Maddulety, Associate Professor, National Institute of Industrial Engineering (NITIE), Mumbai, India. E-mail: koila@rediffmail.com
232 Vishal Singh Patyal, Sachin Modgil and K. Maddulety

The present study has four sections. The first section
introduces the rationale behind the study. The second
section discusses the previous scholarly contributions,
which are related to Taguchi technique and described
under the title ‘literature review’. The third section dis-
cusses the methodological details of the present study. The
fourth section reports on the analysis of data followed by
interpretation, implications and conclusion of the present
study.
Literature Review
Design of experiments (DOE) is a technique, which facili-
tates development to achieve information for optimised
levels through numerous variables (Taguchi, 1987). The
Taguchi facilitates development in process which further
offers systematic, simple and efficient method for optimi-
sation (Taguchi, 1986). Taguchi orthogonal array (OA) is
a factorial based approach which combines statistical and
engineering techniques (Mitra, 1998). The conventional
experimental design approach which makes an emphasis
on average process performance characteristics, while in
contrast Taguchi approach focuses on the effect of varia-
tion on the process characteristics (Ross, 1989) and makes
the process/product performance robust. The concept
of Taguchi’s philosophy is the loss function defined as
‘The quality of a product is the (minimum) loss imparted
by the product to society from the time the product is
shipped’ (Byrne & Taguchi, 1987). Taguchi technique
employs OAs to analyse numerous variables with rela-
tively lesser number of experiments (Pignatiello, 1988).
Moreover inferences resulted from reduced number of
experiments are applicable all over the experimental
region spanned by control factors and levels (Phadke,
1989, pp. 19–26). The Taguchi technique helps in reducing
time and cost. Taguchi technique involves three phases.
The first phase consists in selecting the performance
parameters (to be optimised), control factors and noise
factors. The second phase includes collecting information
regarding product variability performance design and
execution of experiments using OAs.
The third phase results in arriving at an optimal setting
by using analysis of variance (ANOVA) (Wang, Liu, Chen
& Yang, 1999). Ghani, Choudhury and Hassan (2004) have
applied OA, signal to noise (S/N) ratio and Pareto ANOVA
to examine the effect of milling parameters. The results of
this study showed that Taguchi technique is appropriate for
problem-solving with the lowest number of trials in com-
parison with full factorial designs. Further, Taguchi tech-
nique helps find optimal cutting parameters for surface
roughness.
S/N ratio and ANOVA are employed to study the per-
formance characteristics in turning operations (Nalbant,
Gokkaya & Sur, 2007). Table 1 represents information
about the deployment of Taguchi technique for problem-
solving in different industrial settings.
In this study author(s) have used a 10 step methodology
(Maddulety, Modgil & Patyal, 2012) for deploying robust
Taguchi design in process optimisation of a moulding
operation by using Minitab software. These steps have
been used as a methodology for the present study and
diagrammatically presented in Figure 1.

Table 1. Taguchi Deployment in Different Industrial Setting

Author/Year Application Methodology Used

Al-Habaibeh and Improve material In this study author has applied automated sensor and signal processing selection in
Gindy (2000) processing accordance with Taguchi’s OAs which will offer cost effective and speedy selection of
technology sensors and signal processing methods used in monitoring process conditions
Sudharsan and Medical In this study author(s) have used the Taguchi technique to optimise the signal from the
Ng (2000) instrumentation tumour compared with the noise from the other factors
Oliveira and Experimental Here author(s) have used Taguchi experimental design with two levels and four factors
Oliveira (2001) chemistry were adopted for every system to allow the investigation of the influence of process
variables on the reaction conversion and on the enzyme activity
Sreenivas Rao Biotechnological Author has used L18, Taguchi OA available in the form of Minitab software for automatic
et al. (2004) processes design and analysis of the experiments; This has been deployed for process optimisation
of xylitol chemical considered in the study
Madaeni and Environmental In this case study author(s) have discussed about deployment of Taguchi technique for flux
Koocheki (2006) applications optimisation which resulted in improvement of factor setting
Fratila and Cutting parameters By using Taguchi technique for DoE, it is examined that there is a significant influence and
Caizar (2011) milling process the factors interaction effect with least number of trials in comparison with a full factorial
design

Asia-Pacific Journal of Management Research and Innovation, 9, 3 (2013): 231–238

Application of Taguchi Method of Experimental Design for Chemical Process Optimisation 233

Figure 1. Schematic Representation of the Steps Involved in
the Taguchi Optimisation Procedure
Step 4: Identification of Zinc Borate Quality
Characteristics Z that is to be Optimised
The brainstorming technique was used by involving con-
cerned employees and executives to minimise LoI percent-
age and to maximise the percentage of chemical Borate
content.

Step 5: Identification of the Controllable

Factors and Factor Levels that are Affecting
LoI % and B2O3 Content
The outcomes of brainstorming have been used for under-
standing the cause and effect relationships between input
parameters and output parameters of purity for Zinc
Borate. The four significant process parameters that are
identified as control parameters, along with the factor
levels, are presented in Table 2.

Step 6: Development of Experimentation

Design
After collecting information about the factors and factor
levels, the experimental design is prepared. The experi-
mental design was prepared by considering three replica-
tions on each run for both LoI and Borate as shown in
Table 3.

Methodology Table 2. Factors and Factor Levels

Step 1: Statement of the Problem Name No. of Factor Levels
of the Unit of Factor
The problem faced by ABC enterprise was due to high LoI S. No. Factor Sign Measure Levels 1 2 3
and lower B2O3 content of Zinc Borate at initial product
1 Temp Te °C 3 60 80 100
development stage.
2 Borex Br % 3 1 3   6
3 pH pH – 3 1.5 2.5   3
Step 2: Objectives of Study
4 Time T Hrs 3 6 10  15
• To understand the deployment of Taguchi approach
for problem-solving;
Table 3. Taguchi Design for Experimentation
• To introduce a systematic 10 step Taguchi approach;
• To minimise LoI percentage (%) and to maximise LoI B2O3
B2O3 content by the optimum setting of input S. No. Te Br pH T R1 R2 R3 R1 R2 R3
parameters.
1  60 1 1.5  6
2  60 3 2.5 10
Step 3: Measurement System Analyses 3  60 6 3 15
Gauge R&R is calculated for all applicable measurements 4  80 1 2.5 15
such as LoI, chemical Borate, etc. and found that it is well 5  80 3 3  6
within limits. The concept of measurement system analysis 6  80 6 1.5 10
was deployed to minimise the error in measuring the 7 100 1 3 10
experimental output by ensuring the accuracy of the elec-
8 100 3 1.5 15
tronic balance and moisture metre, and also by training the
operator in rating the whiteness of the fabric. 9 100 6 2.5  6

Asia-Pacific Journal of Management Research and Innovation, 9, 3 (2013): 231–238

234 Vishal Singh Patyal, Sachin Modgil and K. Maddulety

Step 7: Conducting Experimentation (1) and ‘smaller the better’ (2) for S/N ratio are calculated
(see Tables 5–8):
As per the design shown in Table 3, three experiments were
S
 Ratio = - 10 * log n d | 2 n(1)
conducted for each of nine treatments (3 * 9 = 27) and Zinc 1 1
Borate was produced. The Zinc Borate is tested and the N y
values of the Loss on Ignition (LoI) and Borate content
 Ratio = - 10 * log n _| y 2 i(2)
S 1
predicted by Minitab for optimal setting after analyses are
N
shown in Table 4.
Here in case of Zinc Borate percentage of chemical where yr is the average of the experimental data, Sy2 is the
borate is considered as ‘higher the better’ and LoI sample variance of y, n is the number of observations and y
as ‘smaller the better’. Taguchi ‘higher the better’ is the experimental data (Pai, Rao & Shetty, 2012).

Table 4. L9 Design with Experimental Output

LoI B2O3
Te Br pH T R1 R2 R3 R1 R2 R3
 60 1 1.5  6 25.55 25.66 25.77 42.29 42.19 42.09
 60 3 2.5 10 30.38 30.48 30.28 30.8 34.8 32.8
 60 6 3 15 25.76 25.36 25.56 41.25 41.15 41.35
 80 1 2.5 15 19.9 19.95 20 38.72 39.32 39.02
 80 3 3  6 20.58 20.08 20.33 39.82 39.72 39.62
 80 6 1.5 10 19.22 19.02 19.42 30.8 38.8 34.8
100 1 3 10 15.34 15.24 15.14 42.3 42.15 42
100 3 1.5 15 14.03 14.18 14.33 45.35 45.3 45.4
100 6 2.5  6 12.9 12.6 12.3 46.63 46.43 46.23

Table 5. Response Table for S/N Ratio for LoI vs. Te, Br, pH, T Table 6. Response Table for Means for LoI vs Te, Br, pH, T
‘Smaller the Better’ ‘Smaller the Better’

Level Te Br pH T Level Te Br pH T
1 28.66 25.95 25.63 25.45 1 27.20 20.28 19.69 19.53
2 25.95 26.28 25.89 26.33 2 19.83 21.63 20.98 21.61
3 22.90 25.28 25.99 25.73 3 14.01 19.13 20.38 19.90
Delta 5.76 1.00 0.36 0.88 Delta 13.19 2.50 1.29 2.08
Rank 1 2 4 3 Rank 1 2 4 3

Table 7. Response Table for S/N Ratio for Borate Content vs Table 8. Response Table for Means for Borate Content vs Te,
Te, Br, pH, T ‘Higher the Better’ Br, pH, T, ‘Higher the Better’

Level Te Br pH T Level Te Br pH T
1 38.75 41.12 40.78 42.78 1 47.92 45.83 51.67 38.33
2 37.85 39.29 39.42 36.58 2 47.92 47.92 48.75 64.17
3 44.64 40.83 41.04 41.87 3 54.17 56.25 49.58 47.50
Delta  6.80  1.83  1.62  6.20 Delta  6.25 10.42  2.92 25.83
Rank 38.75 41.12 40.78 42.78 Rank  3  2  4  1

Asia-Pacific Journal of Management Research and Innovation, 9, 3 (2013): 231–238

Application of Taguchi Method of Experimental Design for Chemical Process Optimisation 235

Step 8: Analysis of Data Table 10. ANOVA General Linear Model for LoI

Analysis of data of ‘Zinc Borate’ for LoI minimisation and Source DF Seq. SS Adj. SS Adj. MS F P
Borate maximisation by ANOVA and Taguchi approach, Temp  2 786.85 786.85 393.42 122,226.54 0.000
interpretation of analyses and selection of the optimum Borex  2  28.25  28.25  14.13 439.03 0.000
levels:
pH  2   7.50   7.50   3.75 116.55 0.000
27 Hrs  2  22.26  22.26  11.13 345.97 0.000
SS Total = | (Xr - Xi ) 2 (3)
i=1
Error 18   0.58   0.58   0.03
Total 26 845.44
SS Temp = 3 # 3 * [(Xr - Xr Temp (60)) 2 Source: S = 0.179382, R-Sq = 99.93 per cent, R-Sq(adj) = 99.90 per cent.

+ (Xr - Xr Temp (80)) 2 + (Xr - Xr Temp (100)) 2] (4)

SS borex = 3 # 3 * [(Xr - Xr borex (1)) 2 Table 11. Optimal Levels of Factors


+ (Xr - Xr ) 2 + (Xr - Xr
borex (3) borex (6)
) 2] (5)
No. of Optimal
Unit of Factor Level LoI
SS pH = 3 # 3 * [(Xr - Xr pH (1.5)) 2 S. No. Factor Notation Measure Levels and B2O3
 (6)
+ (Xr - Xr ) 2 + (Xr - Xr
pH (2.5) pH (3)
) 2] 1 Temp Te °C 3 100
2 Borex Br % 3 6
SS Hrs = 3 # 3 * [(Xr - Xr Hrs (6)) 2
 3 pH pH – 3 1.5
+ (Xr - Xr ) 2 + (Xr - Xr ) 2] (7)
Hrs (10) Hrs (15) 4 Time T Hrs 3 6

where Xr is the mean, Xi are corresponding parameters

value, SSTotal is sum of squared deviations of all the values
The optimal setting as shown in Table 11 has been
and SSTemp, SSborex, SSpH, SSHrs are the sum of squared devi-
arrived after developing and observing main effect plots
ations pertaining to temp, Borex, pH and time, respectively.
for S/N ratio and means for both ‘LoI’ and ‘B2O3 content’
The General Linear Model for ANOVA has been developed
as shown in Figures 2, 3, 4 and 5.
to investigate the effect of four input variables, viz., temp,
Borex, pH and time (see Table 9). From ANOVA table, it
is concluded that in case of LoI, all four input variables,
Figure 2. Main Effect Plots of LoI for S/N Ratio
viz., temp, Borex, pH and time (all the p-values are 0.00,
i.e., less than 0.05) are significantly affecting the response
LoI less than 15 per cent (see Table 10).
Similarly, in case of Borate three input variables, viz.,
temp, Borex and time, that is, except pH (all the p-values
are 0.00, i.e., less than 0.05) are significantly affecting
the response percentage of chemical Borate greater than
45 per cent.

Table 9. ANOVA General Linear Model for Borate Content

Source DF Seq. SS Adj. SS Adj. MS F P

Temp  2 245.326 245.326 122.663 54.69 0.000
Borex  2  17.389  17.389   8.694  3.88 0.040
pH  2  13.684  13.684   6.842  3.05 0.072
Hrs  2 201.614 201.614 100.807 44.95 0.000
Error 18  40.370  40.370   2.243
Total 26 518.384
Source: S = 1.49759, R-Sq = 92.21 per cent, R-Sq(adj) = 88.75 per cent.

Asia-Pacific Journal of Management Research and Innovation, 9, 3 (2013): 231–238

236 Vishal Singh Patyal, Sachin Modgil and K. Maddulety

Figure 3. Main Effect Plots of B2O3 for S/N Ratio Figure 4. Main Effects Plot of LoI for Means

Optimal setting-1: Factor levels for prediction of LoI

Figure 5. Main Effect Plots of B2O3 for Means
Temp Borex pH Hrs
100 6 1.5 6

Predicted values
S/N Ratio Mean
–21.7540 11.31

Optimal setting-2: Factor levels for B2O3 predictions

Temp Borex pH Hrs
100 6 1.5 6

Predicted values
S/N Ratio Mean
33.6376 47.7933

Step 10: Validation of Optimal Setting

Step 9: Prediction of the Expected Results
for Optimal Setting
The LoI and Borate content have been predicted by
Minitab for optimal setting that is arrived after analyses is
as follows.
Twenty batches of 4,000 kg (each) were produced out of
which the first 10 batches were produced by selecting
optimal setting 1 and optimal setting 2 was used for the
next 10 batches with slight machine to machine varia-
tions. The validations trails reported that with above-
mentioned optimal parameter setting 1, the outcome was
lower LoI (less than 15 per cent) which is 11.31 and with
above-mentioned optimal parameter setting 2, the mean
value for Borate content was (greater than 45 per cent)
which is 47.79 (Table 12).

Asia-Pacific Journal of Management Research and Innovation, 9, 3 (2013): 231–238

Application of Taguchi Method of Experimental Design for Chemical Process Optimisation 237

Table 12. Validation Trials

LoI B2O3
S. No. Te Br pH T (Hr) R1 R2 R3 R1 R2 R3
 1 100 6 1.5 6 12.00 11.58 11.38 45.80 45.68 46.08
 2 100 6 1.5 6 11.36 12.38 11.56 46.00 46.58 46.94
 3 100 6 1.5 6 11.32 11.58 12.06 47.72 47.77 47.10
 4 100 6 1.5 6 13.26 12.78 12.58 46.48 46.90 47.56
 5 100 6 1.5 6 11.46 11.58 11.66 46.92 46.50 46.58
 6 100 6 1.5 6 11.38 11.86 12.08 46.50 46.80 46.94
 7 100 6 1.5 6 11.42 12.22 11.78 47.12 46.80 46.72
 8 100 6 1.5 6 12.20 12.32 12.76 47.02 47.14 47.58
 9 100 6 1.5 6 11.50 11.68 11.74 47.66 47.42 47.54
10 100 6 1.5 6 12.58 12.70 12.88 47.10 47.46 47.58
11 100 6 1.5 6 11.78 12.18 12.12 47.18 47.28 46.80
12 100 6 1.5 6 11.34 11.68 11.84 47.06 46.88 46.86
13 100 6 1.5 6 11.58 11.78 12.26 45.40 45.80 45.78
14 100 6 1.5 6 12.18 12.34 12.56 47.44 47.80 47.68
15 100 6 1.5 6 11.88 11.50 12.02 47.48 47.20 47.22
16 100 6 1.5 6 12.26 12.56 12.44 47.56 47.26 47.38
17 100 6 1.5 6 11.58 11.96 11.72 47.74 47.56 47.48
18 100 6 1.5 6 13.10 12.68 12.50 46.56 46.50 46.80
19 100 6 1.5 6 11.54 11.58 11.78 46.58 47.10 47.20
20 100 6 1.5 6 11.58 11.82 11.70 47.22 46.80 47.06

Conclusion Fratila, D. & Caizar, C. (2011). Application of Taguchi method

The present study shows that the Taguchi technique has
its implications in optimisation of variables in the
manufacturing process of Zinc Borate. Also rejection
due to high LoI and low Borate content of Zinc Borate has
come down from 5 per cent to 2 per cent, which resulted in
additional profit of ` 1,500,000 (INR) per year to the
ABC Company. By adopting this methodology customer
complaints related to lower LoI and higher percent-
age of chemical can be handled. This methodology can
be applied to other processes or other industries, viz.,
pharmaceuticals, textiles and automotive processes
without expensive and time-consuming experimentation.
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