Lean Manufacturing

How to overcome common production problems

Graham Immerman

October 27, 2017

There is always room for improvement. Even if you think you are being as productive as possible, there are ways to become even more efficient. By stretching resources, thinking in silos, having low aspirations, or having high margins you may be selling yourself short. Try developing a deep process understanding of your equipment. MachineMetrics can give you visibility into your machines so you can make the most informed decisions. Bring people together and test quickly to improve efficiency. Finally, evaluate the end-to-end impact of improvements and you will see the results.

Think your production line couldn’t get any more productive? Think againSource: http://www.manufacturingglobal.com

Not long ago we came across a very experienced scientist tasked with fixing an underperforming confectionary line. He was planning an in-depth theoretical study to find a way to solve the problem. That study would take longer than a year to complete. Instead within weeks we got the information we needed. We used a range of simple off-the-shelf sensors which helped us identify and fix the problem quickly. The sweets were soon flying even faster off the production line. This is a great example of where companies can go wrong when they want to improve performance. But perhaps a bigger mistake is to decide things can’t get any better. When you think you’ve squeezed everything you can out of your manufacturing plant, I bet you can get more. Even after you’ve used traditional tools like lean manufacturing and Six Sigma, there could be untapped opportunities for improving productivity. Those opportunities could deliver tangible benefits within a short time and for a low capital investment. The current wave of consolidation in the consumer goods sector means those opportunities should be in high demand – to ease post-merger integration or ward off a takeover. Read More

Comments

Related posts

The key to lean manufacturing

14Jun

The key to lean manufacturing

What is the key to lean manufacturing? Understanding the Kaizen. Manufacturing Automation said, "Lean manufacturing aims to eliminate waste and Kaizen focuses on creating an environment and culture fo...

There is strength in lean manufacturing

13Jun

There is strength in lean manufacturing

Lean manufacturing can make your business stronger. OEM Update said, "Lean manufacturing powerfully enables producers to navigate the changing market with precision and agility. This comes from trave...

The key to lean manufacturing

04Jun

The key to lean manufacturing

What is the key to lean manufacturing? Understanding the Kaizen. Manufacturing Automation said, "Lean manufacturing aims to eliminate waste and Kaizen focuses on creating an environment and culture fo...

There is strength in lean manufacturing

03Jun

There is strength in lean manufacturing

Lean manufacturing can make your business stronger. OEM Update said, "Lean manufacturing powerfully enables producers to navigate the changing market with precision and agility. This comes from trave...

Working on processes and outcomes

29May

Working on processes and outcomes

Lean manufacturing is a broad term that covers more than you might realize. The Fabricator said, "Many leaders, managers, and even front-line employees get fixated on achieving outcomes. That might b...

Lean manufacturing and artificial intelligence

21May

Lean manufacturing and artificial intelligence

Lean manufacturing and artificial intelligence can go hand in hand. Seebo said, "With the ability that machine learning has, of providing smart and predictive insights to users, it frees up process an...

What you might not know about lean manufacturing

17May

What you might not know about lean manufacturing

Lean manufacturing is a wide-reaching topic that you likely don't know everything about. That's why MMS Online published an article on frequently asked questions about lean manufacturing. There are q...

A quick reference for lean manufacturing

14May

A quick reference for lean manufacturing

Here's your quick reference for lean manufacturing strategies. The topics you should know about are the eight wastes of lean manufacturing, the lean manufacturing principles, and lean manufacturing t...

Have you met your lean goals? Digital is the next step.

08May

Have you met your lean goals? Digital is the next step.

Once you have met your lean manufacturing goals, it's time to assess what's next. For many, the answer should be digitalization. Webinara said, "According to Gartner, the answer is no. They estimate t...

What is 5S and how does it relate to lean manufacturing?

24Apr

What is 5S and how does it relate to lean manufacturing?

What is 5S and how does it relate to lean manufacturing? IndustryWeek defined 5S as, "5S is an acronym of sorts for five words that begin with the letter S: sort, set in order, shine, standardize and ...