If your aim is to reduce your manufacturing costs, then one of the priorities should be in ensuring as little loss as possible. If you’re consistently coming out with failed products or repeated mistakes, then there’s a good chance that there’s a recurring issue at the center of it. Here, we’re going to look at some of the most common concerns you should look at.
To err is human, but human error is systematic
If you feel compelled to blame your team for frequent errors on the factory floor, then you need to stop yourself short. Frequent human errors are always a systemic issue, even if there is a human hand behind them. This can often happen due to an absence of enforced procedures forcing workers to improvise solutions on the floor, due to unmanaged work stress, or poor workplace education. You have the power to provide fixes for all of these problems.
Not giving your equipment the care it demands
While manufacturing equipment is getting more powerful and automated, it will always need human care to ensure that you’re hitting production targets while keeping rejects down as much as possible. To that end, you should work to create a preventative maintenance schedule that ensures that all pieces of equipment are given the care that they need.
Lacking the precision that you need
In the manufacturing process, the devil truly is in the details. If you get your measurements off by even a bit, it can lead to major defects in the manufacturing process. Components that are too small lead to a product that can fall apart, too large and they can break in the process. As such, igaging tools can be essential. You need the precision measurement available to make sure that everything is set to precisely the right specifications for your designs.
Material failures
When it’s not the procedure or the equipment that’s at fault, it might well be the materials that you’re getting. Stress test the materials that you use in the manufacturing process and, if they don’t stand up to scrutiny, consider whether it’s an issue with the supplier or the choice of material itself. Either way, you’re likely to need to make some changes to ensure that your materials and your design are well suited for each other.
Keeping parts past their best days
Even with careful maintenance and appropriate use, the parts of your manufacturing tools are going to experience wear and tear the more that you use them. When that happens, you need to replace them, not keep using them. However, waiting for a replacement can interrupt your ability to meet yield targets. For that reason, you should get in contact with your machinery manufacturers to get an idea of which parts need to be replaced first or most often and make sure that you have them in supply.
Hopefully, you can find your problem in the above examples and implement the fix that you need. Otherwise, it might be time to stop production and perform an audit of the production line to pinpoint it for yourself.
