Failure Mode and Effect Analysis (FMEA) for identification of hazards and risk assessment in the malting process

Malt extract is widely used in the production of candy, malt, sauces and baking industries, confectionery, infant formula or baby food, chocolate, pharmaceuticals and dairy factories. Risk management in the malt production process plays an important role in improving product safety and factory efficiency. The failure mode and effect analysis method (FMEA) is a systematic and preventive tool in risk management that is used to define, identify, evaluate, prevent, eliminate or control the states, causes and effects of potential failures in a system. The aim of the current research is to use FMEA and Fuzzy Delphi as suitable tools to identify, refine and rank process failures in the malt production process from the receiving stage to packaging and provide preventive solutions to reduce important risks.

First, unit operation in malt production were considered, which included: receiving and sifting barley, washing and steeping, germinating and clining, grinding and extracting, milling and mashing, filling and packaging. Then, with the aid of five experts of malt industry, as properly as the previous overall performance and documentation of the processes such as HSE and ISO information, the current situation and potential failures were determined separately for the production processes. Then, the causes of failures and the effects of these failures on the customer were determined.

In the malt production process, a total of 86 potential failures were identified and ranked in 6 main malting processes. The scores of severity (S), occurrence (O) and detection (D) were assigned by experts using the Fuzzy Delphi method. According to the given scores, RPN (Risk Priority Number) of each failure mode was calculated. According to the RPN number and the numbers of the three components, the failures were categorized into three levels: normal, semi- critical and critical. “ Receiving and cultivating” and “sprouting, drying and root separation: were the most risky steps and “milling and mashing” and “filling and packaging” low risk steps in the malt production process. Finally, preventive solutions were provided by experts for critical failures.

In order to reduce or eliminate critical failures that had a RPN number above 120 and 2 components above 6 (6 critical failures), practical solutions such as installing equipment in order to more accurately control pressure and humidity in processes, increasing control over equipment performance, sampling and checking out raw materials and semi-finished, were introduced.Keywords: Malting process; Failure identification; Risk management; Severity; Occurrence; Detection