How to Run a More Efficient Factory

The efficiency of a company is beneficial for all companies. It doesn’t matter whether your business is focused on service or manufacturing. Improved process efficiency will always bring advantages over “business as normal.”

There are many benefits of increasing production capacity. Production efficiency can generally cut costs, increase throughput, and decrease environmental impact. These general advantages will bring further benefits in the future, ranging from higher quality and sales to a better reputation of the company.

According to the old saying, time is money. The more work you can get within a short period that you can squeeze out, the more money you get, you think? However, if you’ve struggled in boosting production, or when everything seems to be going well, there are a variety of options you can take to boost your production without sacrificing quality. These include removing obstructions to reorganizing how you work. Let’s see how to run a factory efficiently.

6 Suggestions to Boost the Efficiency of your Manufacturing Plant

1. Review Your Workflow

In the beginning, you’ll face difficulties identifying areas of improvement within your manufacturing process without reviewing the current workflow. Review the following three areas to figure out what adjustments will be required in your process:

Labor

Some of the things you must know about the performance of your employees are:

Are they equipped with the capabilities to accomplish the task they are doing?

Did they manage to reach the stated goals?

How long do they take to complete certain tasks?

Can it be done to increase the speed of completion?

Processes

It is important to know whether the steps in your production are running exactly as you planned. In addition, you need to determine which areas of pain and bottlenecks are.

Before making any adjustments to your workflow, you must first formulate your hypothesis and

evaluate the results with your expectations and the previous situation. Thus, this gives you an understanding of the kind of changes you should make.

Equipment and Technology

Examine all equipment and technologies you currently use. Are all of the devices functioning well? Is the technology you rely on ideal for the current needs of your business? What is the process to change production?

2. Make Sure you Invest in Employee Training

Training of employees is a continuous process that continues for a long time and helps to increase plant performance. In certain industries, particularly manufacturing, certain kinds of training are compulsory for employees, like regular training in safety for all workers who use safety equipment.

You must train your employees to maximize their value by using new technologies and equipment. Training your employees is an excellent way to keep employees engaged since every employee would like to be given a chance to grow their capabilities.

Do not limit your training and education to the use of equipment and technology. Manufacturing business processes will be more efficient if all employees know the company’s rules and talk to each other.

3. Implement OEE

All Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) can be regarded as the most effective KPI for manufacturing (Key Performance Indicator) to gauge the efficiency of manufacturing processes. This means that it gives manufacturing leaders actionable information about the performance of machines and lines, plants, and cells.

The reasoning behind OEE is straightforward: it records productivity loss that occurs over a specified period and splits them into three categories which include:

Accessibility

Performance

Quality

The availability measure measures the loss of production due to downtime. The quality and performance metrics related to losses due to a lower speed or discarded units, respectively.

4. Conduct Preventive Maintenance

Although you’ve decided to purchase the most modern tools, it doesn’t mean you must get rid of your old tools. Some equipment can be utilized for a longer time if properly cared for. The new equipment needs to be maintained properly to ensure that it is utilized to its fullest.

As you’ve probably guessed, equipment maintenance is cheaper than replacing it. Therefore, don’t just wait until the item becomes damaged. Perform preventive maintenance regularly by the kind of equipment. Think about using asset management software to record the condition of your equipment and automate maintenance schedules.

5. Keep Your Manufacturing Plant Organized

The organization is key to a productive workspace. Be aware of your manufacturing facility’s layout, the space for heavy equipment and workers to access and exit, and how they are used in every area.

There are a few things to be aware of:

Are all hand tools available?

Can staff members collect all the products or raw materials?

Is the packaging and shipping location close to where the final goods are put?

Are they able to move within your manufacturing facility effortlessly?

6. Reduce the Amount of Material Waste

One of the largest and most expensive wastes produced by manufacturing plants is material waste. Here are some strategies to minimize it:

Reduce the amount of material you use when packaging your items

Recycle the material, or If you aren’t able to make it happen, offer the scraps to a recycling center.

Make use of all materials available to create new products.

7. Automation of Your Supply Chain Management

There is no better way to increase efficiency than automating the business process. The management of the supply chain process is among the most crucial manufacturing industry segments. However, if the process is still managed manually, the efficiency of the process is not possible.

The Bottom Line

Freedom Machine Monitoring System Platform can connect and gather information from any industrial asset regardless of the type, model, or process. Reports are accessible at any time and from any device with the internet, including tablets, laptops, desktops, and smartphones. Low-impact, high-speed installation implies no need for special engineering, no additional downloads required for devices used by users, and no additional load for the IT department. With a cloud-enabled IoT Platform — which comes with customizable, real-time OEE monitors, dashboards, and notifications.

Freedom provides your staff with the information needed to maximize usage, enhance efficiency and quality to eliminate inefficiencies, and increase profits.

In the end, higher productivity can lead to higher revenues and the potential to expand the company, take on more tasks, raise the number of wages paid or purchase new equipment. Set a goal to examine your procedures regularly. The latest manufacturing equipment, materials, and methods are available every day. Make sure you are ready to implement techniques that can provide the highest benefits to your company.