Nabeel Mandahawi

Hand anthropometry in Bangladeshis living in America and comparisons with other populations

An anthropometric study of a convenience sample of 51 female and 50 male adults of Bangladeshi origin (mean age 41.3 years), living in the United States, but who spent most of their lives in Bangladesh, was conducted. Standard measurements were taken on 24 dimensions of the right hand that were relevant to the design of hand tools, gloves and access spaces using a standard sliding calliper. Analysis of the results showed significant differences in palm and finger segment lengths, breadths and depths between genders in Bangladeshis and also within each gender between Bangladeshis and other populations. The differences between Bangladeshis and other populations were of about the same magnitude as the differences between genders in Bangladeshis. The data gathered may be used for the design of hand tools, gloves, machine access spaces and hand-held devices and for selection of hand tools for use by Bangladeshis. The study also allows inter-population comparisons that can enhance the understanding of hand anthropometry.

Six Sigma implementation to minimise weight variation for Baby Lido Diaper manufacturing company

The increasing demand in baby diaper products in addition to customer requirements has compelled companies to improve the quality of their production processes. This paper presents a customised Six Sigma procedure to reduce weight variation in diaper products. To this end, a define, measure, analyse, improve and control (DMAIC) model is developed and applied at a production line at a local company to identify and control root causes. Thorough analysis of collected data revealed that excess fluff, sap and pulp are the main causes for variations. As a result, several changes have been adopted at the improvement phase; these improvements decreased defects per million opportunities (DPMO) form 292,157 to 88,152 and increased the sigma level from 2.05 to 2.85.