In this study case, consumption eggs could be considered a standard product in the maturity phase of product life
cycle. Therefore, according to Vonderembse et al. (2006), the recommended strategy would be to create Lean
Supply Chains. Large retailers could benefit by establishing a long-term relationship with consumption egg
suppliers implementing Lean Production initiatives. Higher quality and just-in-time delivery could be some of the
benefits reached by the retailers following this strategy. But inherent variation in egg quality introduces some
hurdles for the successful application of the Lean Supply Chain paradigm. Statistical Process Control and Lean
tools such as Jidoka can be applied to deal with this problem (Dhafr et al., 2006). One of the problems detected is
the limited ability of the operators at the visual inspection checking point for removing all broken eggs, eggs with
cracks, dirty eggs, and eggs with different types of spots. Statistical Process Control techniques could be used to
establish when the belts transporting the eggs that arrive to the visual inspection checking point has to halt or slow
down. Introduction of equipments for automated detection of cracks or spots could be an option to be considered.
Another related issue is the interaction between consumption egg production and pasteurized egg product
production. When the number of eggs removed increases, pasteurized egg product production also increases.