In an uncertain economy, manufacturers cannot afford to run with inefficient and wasteful procedures. Managers should always look for ways to utilize their plant’s staff and equipment to the fullest extent in order to maintain profitability. Here are a few simple ways to make a plant run as efficiently as possible.
Rotate Employee Positions
Even though it is necessary to keep skilled workers in positions that utilize their expertise, workers in the more general assembly line positions should be cross-trained and rotated from day to day. This improves interchangeability of workers, allowing the line to continue production when a worker is absent or on vacation. In addition, workers will experience lower levels of fatigue, reducing their chances of suffering employee burnout. Employees who grow despondent from performing the same monotonous task day after day are not effective workers. Managers can simultaneously improve job satisfaction and productivity by implementing a rotation schedule for assembly line positions.
Recycle
Recycling provides an inexpensive way to dispose of scrap material. Making use of recycled materials in production will further decrease costs. Furthermore, the positive ecological impact improves the company’s image with an increasingly environment-conscious public. Companies such as General Recycling Industries Ltd. can help your company sort through the facets of how your business can benefit from some recycling through services like providing scrap metal prices in Edmonton and various rentals.
Regularly Perform Preventative Maintenance
Sooner or later, production facilities experience problems with one particular machine constantly breaking down and causing downtime. In most cases, these problems can be avoided with preventative maintenance. Modern manufacturing equipment is extremely complex and requires adjustment, calibration, and cleaning. Scheduling a time for maintenance personnel to come in and service the equipment may seem like unnecessary overtime, but it can prevent a great deal of downtime and missed shipments in the future.
Automate When Practical
While robotics technology is not perfect and never will be, it offers great efficiency for simple processes. The use of automated conveyors for moving product from one process to another is an excellent use of automation technology; it eliminates the need for a human to spend time performing this task. However, automation will not be effective for processes requiring human judgement. In addition, make sure that any parts automatically produced go through at least one human quality assurance check.
Often times, inefficient procedures have been in place so long that it is hard to recognize them. It is helpful to take a fresh look at a plant’s processes and equipment and spot wasteful elements. Implementing a few of these measures will help manufacturing facilities avoid waste, downtime, and employee burnout.