Manufacturing needs to be efficient. There is no way around that. However, in practice, most manufacturing companies are only 60-80% efficient, with poor results and defects bringing down this number. But it isn’t just the final product that is hindering the process; it is everything that comes before it too.
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By working through kins in the processes you have in the palace and identifying issues, you can move to a more efficient way of working, reducing downtime and increasing product quality as standard to eliminate excessive waste in both supplies and time.
Read on to learn more.
Analyse Everything
You need to look at all of your processes in a three-step manner, including your personnel, your processes and the tools and technology you use. Is everyone working to the same standards and have the skills required? Do you have goals in place that are actionable and quantifiable? Where are your bottlenecks, what causes them, and what role does your technology play in supporting or hindering your production?
Once you have this information, you can move on to the changes you need to make.
Modernise
Modern technology has developed in such a way that any systems are not obsolete. Investing in the right machinery, tools, technology and software cannot only offer you a more accessible way of working but help you to reduce issues and downtime through repairs as well as reduce the number of steps involved to get from A to B. Implementing machine data monitoring, for example, can help you to ensure your new process are running smoothly and give you feedback in real-time.
Maintenance
Prevention is better than cure, which is true for every aspect of manufacturing. The last thing you want is unexpected repairs that let you down or even stop everything. Carry out regular planned maintenance and servicing and identify potential issues by listening to feedback from the floor and using the data collected from the scheduled maintenance. This will enable you to keep on top of any repairs and malfunctions easier and correct them before they become bigger disruptions.
Training
A significant factor in your productivity is how well your team can work. If everyone lacks the skills or knowledge to get the job done, then the chances are you won’t be working to full capacity or hitting the quality targets set. You need to carry out complete and effective training with each employee for their job role and ensure this training is supported via refresher courses and skills updates regularly. This will help you reduce human error and speed up working items too.
Inventory
Optimising inventory means you must always have the correct quantity of equipment and supplies. There is software you can install to help you keep track of your usage stock levels to ensure you are always at the correct stock levels and not holding too much or too little. On top of this, make sure you know where everything is and that it is easily accessible at all times to support your production speeds and output.
Conclusion
By making small changes to support your business, you can effectively improve your production times and quality and ensure you are working to maximise productivity at all times. By following these steps and continually monitoring what is and isn’t working, you can make better improvements that work for everyone.