FACULTY OF ENGINEERING

UNIVERSITI MALAYSIA SARAWAK

MECHANICAL AND MANUFACTURING DEPARTMENT

COURSE: KNJ 3053 MANUFACTURING SYSTEM

TITLE: MANUFACTURING SYSTEM OF SAGO FLOUR

GROUP MEMBERS:

NAME MATRIC NO.

AMIRUL IZZAT BIN MOKSIN 63092
MOHAMED SYAZWAN BIN ARMAN 63356
NOOR IZAIREEN AZRIE BIN SEPAWI 63526
MOHD AMIRUL HAKIM BIN SIDEK 63367

LECTURER: DR ABANG MOHAMMAD NIZAM BIN ABANG KAMARUDDIN

DATE OF SUBMISSION: 4 NOVEMBER 2019

Executive Summary
This report provides an analysis and evaluation of the current and prospective of the
research and development of our product. Malaysia have many types of traditional food as this
country have many races in it. One of the traditional foods make is Sarawak is Tepung Sagu.
In a traditional way the process takes time and it been produced is not much. It is requiring lot
of work and time. There is always short of the supply in the market nowadays. In this report
we have introduce the how to process the sago flour and how to mass-produce it. As the
technology advanced this problem can be fixed. The way that it being produced is same, but it
has been improved to make the less work and easier. There are 5 types of machine used in order
to process the sago. There is log debarking machine, curved mesh crusher machine, starch
hydro cyclone machine, rotary drum type vacuum filter and automatic packing machine. All of
this machine needs proper handling to prevent the damages to the machine. It will take cost
and time for maintenance thus affect the flow rate of the production line. For recommendation,
the worker itself need to be trained properly to handling the machine to avoid the damaging to
the machine.

1
Table of Contents
Executive Summary ................................................................................................................... 0

Introduction ................................................................................................................................ 3

Background ................................................................................................................................ 4

Manufacturing System ............................................................................................................... 5

1. Manufacturing process and assembly ............................................................................. 5

2. Production Machines Line-up ......................................................................................... 6

i. Sago Log Debarking Machine .................................................................................... 6

ii. Curved Mesh Crusher Machine................................................................................... 6

iii. Sago Starch Hydro Cyclone Machine and Rotary Drum Type Vacuum Filter ....... 7

iv. Automatic packing machine .................................................................................... 8

3. Human resources ........................................................................................................... 10

Total no of worker ................................................................................................................ 11

4. Material Transport ........................................................................................................ 12

5. Storage system .............................................................................................................. 13

Conclusion ............................................................................................................................... 14

References ................................................................................................................................ 15

Appendixes .............................................................................................................................. 17

2
Introduction
The objective of this report is to propose the best plant layout of sago’s flour in order
to be marketed in 2022. Plant layout is a technique of locating different machines and plant
services within the factory so that the greatest possible output of high quality at the lowest
possible total cost can be available.

Plant layout also a significant factor in the timely execution of orders. The plant layout
should be designed in such a way that it is flexible to change according to new processes and
production techniques. The layout should be able to satisfy the needs of all those who are
associated with the production system such as workers, supervisors, and managers. The
advantages of a good plant layout can be studied from the stand point of the worker, labour
cost, other manufacturing cost, production control, supervision and capital investment. If the
plant layout turns out bad, it will give some symptoms such as poor utilization of space, long
material flow lines, congestion for movement of materials and men and, long production
circles.

The plant layout that we design has 4 workstations. The workflow started at the room
storage of the raw materials. Next the raw materials will get cut to get only its inside part. Then
the raw material will get crush to slurry and pulverized. It will also be utilized, washed, dried,
and sieved. Lastly it will be packed in sealed plastic and unloaded. The finished product will
be kept in storage room.

3
Background
Malaysia is one of the countries that rich with traditional food that come from any
culture. This traditional food had been produced with their own ways of making it. One of the
traditional foods make in Sarawak is Tepung Sagu. that comes from Sarawak because Sago
trees in Sarawak are a significant source of food for indigenous people, including Melanau
Tribes. Sago trees belong to the Palmae family plant that produces the spit. Sago trees flourish
in the rainforest of Malaysia and ASEAN and it is also known as Rumbia trees.

Historically, Sago trees have large, upright stems, reach a height of 10–12 meters, soft
content and high starch content. The sago tree produces a plant with various bisexual flowers
and then produces sago seeds. Flowers are a type of ' protandrous ' in which the male flowers
from the female flowers mature first. This is to ensure cross-pollination occurs. It will take two
years for just the flowering season, after which the weeds die.

The Metroxylon sago is one of the particular starches from the spongy core or pith of
different tropical palm stems in sago trees. Huge amounts of sago are sent for cooking purposes
in Europe and North America. The largest supply of sago comes from Southeast Asia,
particularly Indonesia and Malaysia. Traditionally, it is cooked and eaten in different ways,
such as rolled into balls, mixed with boiling water to form a glue-like paste (papeda) or as a
pancake.

The name sago is also sometimes used for starch extracted from other sources,
especially the sago cycad, Cycas revoluta. Due to the toxic nature of cycads, removing edible
starch from the sago cycad requires special treatment. Cycad sago is used for many of the same
purposes as palm sago. The fruit of palm trees from which the sago is produced is not allowed
to ripen fully. The full ripening completes the life cycle of the tree and exhausts the starch
reserves in the trunk to produce the seeds. It leaves a hollow shell and causes the tree to die.
The palms are cut down when they are about 15 years old, just before or shortly after the
inflorescence appears.

4
Manufacturing System
1. Manufacturing process and assembly
In traditional ways, the sago log will be obtained from sago tree by cutting the tree
using axe.

Then the bark of the sago log gets expelled using machete to get the sago pith. Then cut
the sago pith into small pieces.

Then they use old machine that have four operation which is sago grater process, starch
extraction, filtering it and transfer it. The slag will be parts and throw out.

The starch that have been extracted and filtered will be put in “Jalur”. Jalur is made
from Beliat wood. Water in Jalur will be take out, the starch then isolated and put in bucket.
Sago flour then dried and can be packed to serve to customer.

In order to improve the efficiency of the process, our team has designed the most
efficient plant layout of the sago’s flour production.

First of all, the sago log needs to be loaded by the worker from storage room to sago
log debarking machine, to make sure that the log been cut and the bark will be expelled.

Then the inside (sago pith) will be transferred to curved mesh crusher machine in order
to crush it into a slurry and get pulverized. The extraction starch also be conducted by this
machine.

The next machine is sago starch hydro cyclone machine and rotary drum type vacuum
filter. This machine is utilized to every sort of starch and adjusted starch emulsion degreasing,
fine slag partition, protein division, washing and enrichment.

Then, the material went to automatic packing machine for the purpose of packing.
Lastly, the sago flour that have been packed will be unloaded to storage room.

5
2. Production Machines Line-up

i. Sago Log Debarking Machine

In this early process, the logs will be cut into the specific length which base
on the machine is 1.3 m. After that, the sago log is set downward on a revolving
ring knife to expel the bark. The extent of debarking action is accommodated based
on the desired diameter of the pith. The type of debarking machine used is as shown
in figure 1. The specification detail is stated in Appendixes.

Figure 1: Sago log debarking machine.

ii. Curved Mesh Crusher Machine

In this process, the machine will crush the sago pith into a slurry in order to
remove debris. Unlike other starch, the pith need cut into smaller pieces since the
sago pith has higher amount of fibre and hardness making the machine blade’s
inefficient. This machine has a specific feature which help in increasing the starch
extraction ratio. One of the features is This machine have two-level of pulverize.
The first level uses the rasp type and the second level uses the hammer type. Both
of this combination help to make up their defects hence making the sago starch
extraction even more efficient. Figure 2 shows the machine used to extract the sago
starch from sago pith and the specification detail are stated in the Appendixes.

6
 Figure 2: Curved mesh crusher machine.

iii. Sago Starch Hydro Cyclone Machine and Rotary Drum Type Vacuum Filter
This machine is utilized to every sort of starch and adjusted starch emulsion
degreasing, fine slag partition, protein division, washing, and enrichment. A
punctured water pipe showers water into the body of the reel and flushes the rasped
pith. This causes the starch grain to start loosening from the stem fiber. The starch
is then isolated by the cyclone separators and dried on a turning vacuum drum drier,
trailed by hot air drying. At the point when it is dry, it is known as Chong hoon.
There are three different grade of dry starch which Chong hoon, Thai hoon, and
Siong hoon. Each of the grade are differentiate by how many times the starch is
rewashed, been dry again and sieved. The more this process repeat, the higher the
grade of sago starch being produced (Darma, 2018). Figure 3 shows the sago starch
hydro cyclone machine whereas, Figure 4 shows the rotary drum type vacuum filter.
The specification for both machines are listed in Appendixes.

7
 Figure 3: Sago Starch Hydro Cyclone Machine.

Figure 4: Rotary drum type vacuum filter.

iv. Automatic packing machine

The finished sago flour is then transported to this machine for the purpose
of packing. The machine is equipped with safety protection and intelligent
temperature control in order to produce strong and neat seal. This machine finishes
consequently the entire packing system of stacking materials, estimating, bag
making, sealing, date printing, air charging (or debilitating) and finish product

8
moving including total up number of packs produced. There is also a touch screen
panel which store the technical parameters hence, it is unnecessary to reset the
machine setting during products changing. Figure 5 shows the automatic packing
machine use in this sago flour production.

Figure 5: Automatic sago flour packing machine.

9
 3. Human resources
For this process to start we get the log from the supplier that is the villager. The villager
will cut down the sago tree from the forest and make it to the small log before sending it to the
manufacturer in order to make it easy to process the sago. All the log is placed in the warehouse
before starting the manufacturing process.

As all of the line-up machine is semi-automated, then the worker we need to operate
the machine is not many. First, for loading processes all they need to do is to transfer the log
from the warehouse to the manufacturing line. As the product being transfer form one machine
to another machine, we use the conveyor. As the log itself have been cut to the smaller log to
make it lighter than the total operator for this part is enough for 3-4 person.

The process started when we put the log on the conveyor and there consists of 4 main
workstations which is debarking, milling, cleaning and drying and lastly the packing
workstations. All of the machine used is semi-automated then there must have operator to
operate it well. The semi-automated machine does not require many workers as the job is done
by the machine and the human only need to monitor the machine. All of the workstations are
need 2 operators to monitor the machine.

As the process continue there will Quality Control (QC) to check the production of all
the machine process. QC is the one who review the quality of the production and if the
production follows the standard that have been decided then the process will continue. If there
is something wrong with the product the process must be stop and all the production earlier
need to reject. The reject production needs to process it back in order to avoid waste. QC job
is not all the time to check the process. They just take the output form all the machine and
analyse it in their lab. The QC job is requiring for at least 3-4 people.

If something happens to the line-up of the machine then, it needs to be fix. That’s come
the maintenance worker. First for the safety purpose all the line-up machine needs to be
stopped. As the production stop the maintenance needs to work quickly. If the production stop
then the output target for that day will not reachable. As mention earlier when the QC does not
satisfy of the quality production the maintenance may will take part too and check the machine.
Maintenance job does not only wait for machine to get fix, but their main job is too they need
to take care of all the machine line-up. Before and after the production they need to check all
the machine such as if there is some part that need to be change in order to make the machine

10
properly work for a longer time. The total worker that need as the maintenance is about 4-5
people.

For the unloading part, the last machine automatic sago flour packing machine have
been packing the sago in the packages. All the packages need to arrange it on the pallet. The
pallet with full of packages will store it in the warehouse. The total worker that need at the
unloading part is 4-5 people. There is worker that need to organize the warehouse. They need
to arrange the pallet that they get from the unloading part and store it in the warehouse. In order
to transfer it to the warehouse we must use hand-operated low-lift pallet truck to reduce the
amount of energy use. The total worker that need at the warehouse is around 4-5 people.

Total no of worker
Position No of worker Task
Place the log on the
Loading part 2-3
conveyor
Store the packing in the box
Unloading part 4-5 and arrange the box on the
pallet
Operator machine
Monitor the machine at the
(2 operators in each 8
worksation
workstations)
Examine the quality of the
Quality Control (QC) 3-4
production
Maintenance 4-5 Fix the problem machine
Store the log and box of
Warehouse 4-5
packing sago
Total no of worker
32 Workers
(maximum)

11
 4. Material Transport
The making of sago flour needs many material transports from the start of the process.
The process started with the Sago three had been cut to a small section. The small section of
the Sago three then are pushed up to the riverbank. The sections were then pushed directly into
the river before being tied neatly with rope to avoid from the section separated during
movement to the factory. The sections were assembled into rafts and then pulled by boat or
manpower itself. The section drawn by boat if the river water is high happen when after rain.

This method used to transport the section to the process placed easily without using
road vehicles. This is because due to the bad structure of Sarawak road that make the section
hard to be transport to the factory. The section than lifted into the factory from the river by
using two-wheel hand truck. Two-wheel hand truck commonly is being used because it easy to
handle and used in the limited space work.

After the section being transport into the factory, the process started until once scooped
out with the contents of the sago. The content of the sago transported to the large filter by the
belt conveyer and it separated by large filters. Belt conveyer is continuous loop with forward
path to move loads. Belt is made of reinforced elastomer with the support slider or rollers used
to support forward loop. Once all is complete, fill the sago with the water in the 'strip' in the
drain. Once the water is removed, the contents of the sago are put into the vase and ready for
drying. The drying process using 'children' is a type of bamboo material used for knitting.

12
 5. Storage system
Before the Sago three has been process, the small piece of the sago three are soaked
and left for 20 days in the river. This method is to ensure that the sago processed is of sufficient
content. Despite from that, the soaking process is to avoid being eaten by caterpillar.

There are many functions of packaging product that need to be consider in maintaining
the quality of the product. The method of packaging the sago flour can help to store the product
well. The packaging of product help in preservation well, protection from animal attack and
avoid from bacteria growth. The factor that make bacteria growth are the temperature, humidity
and oxygen. So, a good packaging and storing process needed to make the best quality of sago
flour.

This is followed by the need for specialized plastic bags in the field of food packaging,
such as Composite bags, after the sago flour reach the final process, then its fill into the large
size of composite bags. This composite bag commonly used products such as woven rice bags,
embroidered flour bags and woven bags are custom made plastic bags. Then, bundle packet of
sago flour is transported to the warehouse where the product is stored using hand-operated low-
lift pallet truck. This hand truck can hold large amount of sago flour bags by lift it on the pallet.
The type storage used is bulk storage which is the storage in open space area. Its helped product
and supplies stored in a warehouse in large quantities.

Picture from https://www.shutterstock.com/es/image-photo/pallet-trask-stock-bags-flour-storage-

1390985957.

Sago flour kept in store in a cool, dry area to maximize the shelf life of the products.
The sago flour's texture, color or flavor may change, but in most cases, it will still be safe to
consume if it has been stored properly, the package is undamaged, and there are no signs of
spoilage.

13
Conclusion
In conclusion, the type of plant layout used is the cellular layout since our sago flour
production is a medium production quantity and there is no significant change over time of the
products. The plant layout consists of 4 main workstations which the debarking station, milling
workstation, cleaning and drying workstation, and lastly the packing workstation. All of the
machine used is semi-automated where there will be workers to handle the machines. For
material handling, the non-powered truck is used such as the two-wheel hand truck which is
used to carry the sago log into the factory. In the production line, the belt type conveyor is used
as it is suitable to carry the sago starch and reduced the unattended time between the
workstations. After a bundle of sago flour is packed, it is stored in an open space area storage
room and this concept is known as the bulk storage. For recommendations, the production
machine should be modified specifically for sago flour production especially the mesh crusher
machine as it affects the amount of starch extracted. Without proper modification to the
machines, the cost and time for maintenance of the machines are increased and thus, affect the
flow rate of the production line.

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References
Anem, M. (1970, January 1). POKOK SAGU. Retrieved November 3, 2019, from
http://animhosnan.blogspot.com/2014/01/pokok-sagu.html.

Balz, B. (2016). Human Resources Governance and Compliance: Human Resources Audit
and Investigations. Handbook of Human Resources Management, 1137–1152.
doi: 10.1007/978-3-662-44152-7_97

Bulk Storage. (n.d.). Retrieved November 3, 2019, from

https://raymondhandling.com/dictionary/bulk-storage/.

Darma. (2018). Improvement of Sago Processing Machinery. Sago Palm, 22–23. doi:
10.1007/978-981-10-5269-9_17

Ehara, H., Toyoda, Y., & Johnson, D. V. (2018). Sago Palm: Multiple Contributions to Food
Security and Sustainable Livelihoods. Singapore: Springer Singapore.

Heathfield, S. M. (2019, June 25). Here's What You Need to Know About a Human Resource
and More. Retrieved from https://www.thebalancecareers.com/what-is-a-human-
resource-1918144.

High Capacity Practical Cassava Starch Curved Mesh Crusher Extraction Machine - Buy
Factory Price Cassava Starch Curved Mesh Crusher Extraction Machine,Traditional
Flour Making Mesh Crusher Extraction Machine In Plant,Easy Operation And
Maintenance Mesh Crusher Extraction Machine Product on Alibaba.com. (n.d.).
Retrieved from https://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/high-capacity-practical-
cassava-starch-
Curved_62256069887.html?spm=a2700.7724838.2017115.51.30d27cbaRKJAEk.

Linyi Yuequn Woodworking Machinery Wood Log Debarker Machine Lathe Price For Sale -
Buy Log Debarker,Wood Log Debarker,Wood Log Debarker For Sale Product on
Alibaba.com. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/linyi-
yuequn-woodworking-machinery-wood-
log_62217796821.html?spm=a2700.drainage_lp_1.0.0.64ad18a9tTDj2Y&s=p.

15
Penggunaan beg plastik adat dalam industri dan pertanian - berita - Jinan Baekeland plastik
produk Co, Ltd. (n.d.). Retrieved November 3, 2019, from
http://my.bklplas.com/news/the-use-of-custom-plastic-bags-in-industry-and-
18786522.html.

Rotary Drum Type Vacuum Filter For Dewatering Of Potato/ Cassava/ Sago/ Corn Starch,Key
Starch Processing Equipment - Buy Types Of Cartridge Filter,Specially
Designed,Made In Sgt Product on Alibaba.com. (n.d.). Retrieved from
https://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/Rotary-drum-type-vacuum-filter-
for_60577760275.html?spm=a2700.details.maylikeexp.6.160019d8KkMNhg.

Sago Making Machine Starch Hydro Cyclone Machine For Sale - Buy Hydro Cyclone
Machine,Starch Hydro Cyclone Machine,Sago Starch Hydro Cyclone Machine Product
on Alibaba.com. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/Sago-
making-machine-starch-hydro-
cyclone_443953838.html?spm=a2700.details.maylikehoz.2.de3f6a8bAqn9B0.

Xff-l Automatic Sago Flour Packing Machine - Buy Automatic Sago Flour Packing
Machine,Sago Flour Packing Machine,Flour Packing Machine Product on
Alibaba.com. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/XFF-L-
Automatic-sago-flour-
packing_60720929768.html?spm=a2700.7724857.normalList.88.54d421cdRbr5ok.

16
Appendixes
1. Plant layout (Cellular Plant Layout) for the Sago Flour Factory.

17
2. Specification for debarking machine:

18
3. Specification for Curved mesh crusher machine

4. Specification for the sago starch hydro cyclone machine:

19
5. Specification for rotary drum type vacuum filter:

20
6. Specification for automatic sago flour packing machine:

21