NIPES Journal of Science and Technology Research 4(1) 2022 pp.106 - 117 pISSN-2682-5821, eISSN-2682-5821
106
Evaluation of Production Process and Capacity Utilization (A Case Study of
UNIBEN Water Factory)
Inegbedion Francis.
a*
, Ibude Emmanuel Isioma
b
a*,b
Department of Production Engineering, University of Benin, Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria
a*
francis.inegbedion@uniben.edu,
b
ibudeemmanuel01@gmail.com
Article Info Abstract
Keywords: case study survey;
production process; capacity
utilization; production planning and
control
This paper examined the problems encountered in the production
process of UNIBEN water factory (from raw materials acquisition to
installed capacity utilization) adopting a design approach known as
Case Study Survey, which is found to be the most relevant for the
study. Results revealed that time; cost and manpower are the major
variables of the company. Results further showed, the company keeps
her annual report, is very competitive. The factory’s cost of operation
and administration, services rendered, production planning and
control techniques are in place. However, product volume coupled
with the dwindling economic resources, consumer purchasing power
and high cost of goods are major challenges faced by the company.
Received 29 December 2021
Revised 07 February 2022
Accepted 15 February 2022
Available online 05 March 2022
https://doi.org/10.37933/nipes/4.1.2022.9
https://nipesjournals.org.ng
© 2022 NIPES Pub. All rights
reserved.
1. Introduction
Production Management is an essential and basic key to all organizations processes either
manufacturing or services [1]. The survival of an organization is dependent on how its production
processes are managed [1]. Over the years, water factories in Nigeria have passed through a stage
of total importation of foreign products to a stage where some now source their raw materials locally
[2]. As Nigeria population grew and industries increased, the supply of water by the public utilities
became inadequate in quality and quantity [2]. This led to the emergence and proliferation of private
water enterprises that operated side by side with the government-owned public water utilities, [3].
Between 1992 and 1996, sachet water production began to sprout; the rate of increase of the
country’s total water supply for industrial, agricultural, and domestic uses was 1.0 percent while the
population growth rate was 2.84 percent [2]. The implication of this is that the population would be
larger than the available water supply, the result of which is scarcity or inadequacy of water supply
[4, 5]. History reveals that sachet water was introduced to the Nigerian markets around 1990 but its
regulation by the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control started in 2001.
It is relatively affordable and available even at the remote areas of the country [6, 7]. UNIBEN
Enterprises, is the producer of UNIBEN sachet and bottled water. This research examined problems
encountered when getting the raw materials used in the production process, problems of inventory
management and policies, problems encountered in the utilization of the installed capacity and
problems in the production process of UNIBEN water factory.