Ways to Increase Productivity at Your Manufacturing Facility

 Time and energy are valuable assets that cannot be replaced if they are wasted. “Time is money,” as the old saying goes, which is why it’s important to make the most of those of your resources.

 
This is where the terms “efficiency” and “productivity” are being used. The term “efficiency” refers to achieving maximum productivity with the least amount of wasted labour and money. Productivity can be measured as the output per unit of input and is quantified as output per unit of input.
 
Simply define, the more stuff you can produce in the shortest amount of time, the more money you can make, and there’s no disputing that’s a tempting bottom line. Productivity must be maximized before the return on investment in manufacturing facilities can be increased.
 
There are a variety of ways to accomplish this without sacrificing quality of your output. No matter how small your facility is, it can benefit from a few simple changes to boost efficiency, and we’re here to assist with nine recommendations.

What is manufacturing productivity?

Productivity is a term used in the manufacturing industry to describe how much money is being made. It has an impact on expenses, profits, and the ability to stay competitive. In an increasingly competitive global business, having competitive advantages might be the difference between winning and losing.

Below are Nine ways to increase productivity at your manufacturing facility:

 

·         1.Review your Existing workflow

·         2.Update Processes and Technology

·         3.Schedule Regular Maintenance

·         4.Train employees continuously

·         5.Organize the Workspace

·         6.Consider Automation Wherever Possible

·         7.Create a Worker-Friendly Environment

·         8.Encourage communication

·         9.Stock up on inventory on a regular basis

#1 - Review Your Existing Workflow

You can’t be sure what could be changed unless you understand how things now work. Three parts include important information that will help you in determining necessary changes.

 

People:

Do you have the right people in the right places with the right skills? Is there someone in terms of maintaining the critical path visible and on track? Are your goals well-defined, achievable, and safe?
 

Processes:

When was the last time you did a process map? Have you ever assessed process improvement projects utilizing value stream mapping? Where are the bottlenecks and pain points?

 

Equipment and technology:

Is most of your equipment in working order? Is the technology you’re utilizing right now for your needs? How easy is it to particular undertaking changes?
Know how everything works now before implementing any changes. It’s still accurate to say, “If it ain’t true, don’t fix it.” Consider the value of the predicted outcome but if you have an innovative banking or safety motivation to make the change.

#2 - Update Processes and Technology

After you’ve reviewed and mapped your current workflow, start looking for places where procedures and/or technology could be enhanced. Workarounds may have been introduced to processes that have been in existence for a long period as new equipment was added or production methods changed.

·         New software solutions can assist with scheduling, inventory, and workflow monitoring.

·         Automation is a strong tool for enhancing productivity and decreasing mistake.

·         Equipment improvements can boost production speed and quality.

#3 - Schedule Regular Maintenance

Ignoring regular maintenance is indeed the quickest way to slow things down. Maintenance downtime was much less expensive than downtime caused by broken or worn equipment. Service can be scheduled; but, failure always occurs at the most inopportune time.

·         Train all operators on how to perform routine maintenance and troubleshooting.

·         Preventive maintenance should be performed on a regular basis.

·         Using information from the floor and your workflow processes, determine the optimal time for maintenance.

·         Do not put delaying maintenance.

Predictive maintenance ensures that your equipment runs smoothly without experiencing any unexpected downtime or work stoppage.

#4 - Train employees continuously

Employee education and training is an on-going process. Certain types of training, such as regular safety training for all personnel using safety gear, are needed in several industries. And get the most out of new equipment and technology; you’ll have to pay for training. Employee education is also a good retention strategy because new staff takes time to learn the ropes, which slows down production.

Schedule training sessions for all operators when new equipment is installed.

·         Keep accurate records of training and schedule refreshers if needed.

·         Offer educational opportunities for employees who wish to advance or obtain new skills.

Don’t limit training and education to equipment. If everyone in your manufacturing facility recognizes your policies on workplace harassment and proper communication, things will flow more smoothly.

#5 - Organize the Workspace

Reducing movement and clutter saves time.

·         To maximize task efficiency, reduce movement.

·         Design the best tool and material layout for the project or process.

·         Clear out the workspace of any tools or materials that are no longer in use

·         Create well-organized storage to cut down on the time it takes to locate materials, records, and equipment.

·         Plan the layout of the factory floor to maximize efficiency.

Wherever possible, minimize travel time and distance. Is there a way to decrease the distance, arrange the product, or move the product more quickly and safely to the next step in the process if it must be moved from one machine to another? Is there any software that helps in scheduling?
 
Excessive movement suggests a lack of organisation and can cost you a lot of time in the production process. Consider techniques such as Kanban (just-in-time production) to eliminate delays and increase efficiency.

#6 Consider Automation Wherever Possible

It’s time to identify locations where improvements can be made after you’ve taken the time to comprehend and map out your present workflow. One method to accomplish this is to use automation whenever possible.
 
Automation is an excellent way to increase productivity and reduce the risk of error by relieving employees of the load of simple, repetitive tasks, allowing them to focus on more important tasks.
 
There is new software available that can help in scheduling, inventory, and monitoring. New and improved equipment can help you to increase production speed, improve the quality of the products you manufacture, and gain a competitive edge you need.

#7 Create a Worker-Friendly Environment

A manufacturing floor can be a place of solo, repetitive movements or a place of collaboration and positive interactions. The type of organizational environment that is developed in a manufacturing facility has a significant impact on the workers who work there.
 
Collaboration and cooperation between all employees, as well as helping and working together, can improve the productivity of manufacturing facilities. Promote social interaction between employees for the purpose of resolving issues quickly and creating a positive and comfortable work atmosphere for all employees.
 
Employees could get to know one another in a friendly setting by hosting social activities both within and outside the office. Employees will have a feeling of connection and devotion to the company if they work in a team atmosphere, which will motivate them to work more and improve workplace culture and productivity.

#8 Encourage communications

Is it not accurate that teamwork makes the dream come true? It’s overused, but it’s still true. Offering open channels for your employees to express their opinions will assist in improving manufacturing productivity because you’ll be notified of problems you otherwise couldn’t be aware of. Communicating effectively will also help you unite your team around the company’s primary goals.

#9 - Stock up on inventory on a regular basis

If you have an excessive level of inventory, you’ll need to have a place to put it and hope that you’ll use it all. If you have insufficient inventory, you risk a work stoppage when you wait for more. Inventory control is especially important if you implement lean manufacturing principles such as the Kanban technique mentioned before.

·         Use software to keep track of inventory and send out automatic shortage alerts. You might be able to provide vendors direct access to your inventory counts and have them automatically fill orders.

·         Establish preferential vendor relationships to gain responsibility for part production and performance timeliness.

·         Make predictions about the impact of specific shortages and put in place methods to prevent production delays.

Keep track of rejection rates, quality decreases, and late deliveries so you can work with the vendor to resolve issues or find a new one. Request assurances and guarantees that your deliveries will continue as before if you know one of your vendors is going through with a major change, such as a sale to another company.
 
Increased productivity should be achieved through planned change rather than quick “solutions” that may help in the short term but cause issues in the long run. Increased productivity at the expense of employees can lead to employee burnout and turnover, and also expensive safety problems.

 
A comprehensive review of current manufacturing processes and equipment can uncover new bottlenecks that can be easily addressed with a process adjustment or new technology. Having equipment in good working order decreases the likelihood of unscheduled outages. Training and proper organisation will provide a safe work place and could result in new proposals from the workers themselves regarding resolutions for problems they face every day.
 
Finally, increased productivity results in more revenue and the opportunity to expand the business, take on more work, or increase pay or new equipment acquisitions. Make a habit to review your processes on a regular basis. New manufacturing equipment, material, and techniques arrive all the time. Prepare to implement those that will add the most value to your company.