The ideas behind lean manufacturing are increasingly governing almost every aspect of production today, and with good reason. Unless companies are able to focus with less and still improve in the area of quality, going out of business is going to be the only option. So how can you lean things up a bit? Take a look.
- Start by improving your flow. If moving from step to step in your factory means some pretty serious moving around the factory, it may be time to rethink the layout. It’s probably not necessary to start breaking down walls, but modifying, adding layers, and reworking the flow as much as possible can mean far faster production. While there may be areas you can’t really restructure, you might be surprised at just how much you can do.
- Look carefully at each process. Take a closer look at those individuals responsible, the equipment involved, and the tasks at hand for each given piece of your process. You’ll not only get a clearer idea of what’s working and what’s not, but also a close look at what you can do to improve. If it’s something as simple as adding a piece of equipment like a static mixer, you may have processing gold on your hands.
- Update Your Employees. If you’re making big changes, make sure your employees understand what’s changing and why. Then ensure your supervisors are coaching and training as necessary to make certain those changes are followed on every shift.
Improving productivity is a must on every factory floor whether you’re talking about a food manufacturing plant or something like water treatment. At Komax, all of our equipment is specifically designed to help make you more productive. Give us a call today to learn how we can help.