Increasing the productivity of each production line should be the objective to be pursued month after month within every manufacturing plant. To be able to do this, it is necessary to know the current indicators, set a goal, implement changes, measure the results and compare them.
In this article we will review 5 keys to positively impact your production, which you can implement in the short and long term.
1. Keep the workplace clean.
A clean space is an efficient space, excess dust, waste, dirt and elements that should not be in place can affect in two ways: The first is to contaminate units that are being produced or when they are packaged, this generates waste (and therefore, loss of production time). The second is to cause distractions and increases the likelihood of workplace accidents.
If you apply this point: Eliminate visual pollution and reduce errors/waste. Immediate implementation and results.
2. Measure machine speed and perform regular maintenance.
Regular inspections are necessary to keep equipment running at maximum capacity. Detecting a decrease in speed and taking the corresponding corrective measures can prevent you from problems that become bigger over time, but these decreases are only possible when they are automatically measured by specialized programs.
If you apply this point: It keeps machines at capacity and prevents an early detected problem from becoming very expensive to repair if left unattended. Immediate implementation, results are obtained in the short term.
(Learn about software to measure the performance of your equipment in real time)
3. Replace underperforming machinery.
Investing in new machinery is an expense that is often avoided until it is not strictly necessary, but you may be losing money by not doing it. To know this, it is necessary to measure the times and reasons for the machine's downtime , what repairs cost, the maintenance it carries out and the waste it generates. Then compare it to the production capacity you would have if you bought that new machine.
If you apply this point you will increase the production capacity and pay for that investment in a few months. Long-term implementation, results obtained immediately.
(Read how to measure OEE on stand-alone machines and production lines)
4. Optimize communication between operator and machine:
The people who are operating the machines are directly responsible for their production, so they must be free of additional processes to be focused on making the machine work at its maximum capacity. Some processes, such as filling out spreadsheets, measuring times or writing codes in which they can make mistakes, add functions that can generate unreal data or reduce production times. In addition, the person who operates the machine will be able to know its productivity, performance and waste, allowing them to improve them.
If you apply this point: It reduces operator functions and delivers real-time data that allows you to improve production "on site". Immediate implementation, results obtained in the short term.
5. Know Your Losses.
By having reliable information about what is happening in your plant, you can group the reasons that are hurting your production within your "loss tree". ¿Are you losing production because your machines stop, because they work at a slower speed than they should, or because they generate a lot of waste? There are solutions that may seem efficient to you and that will improve your processes, but only 100% reliable data can reveal the bottleneck that is holding back production in the plant.
If you apply this point: It will allow you to attack the most significant losses and improve them.
(Learn about the 6 big losses that may be decreasing production and how to fix them.)
Applying any of these 5 keys will generate an impact from day 1, however it is necessary to distinguish between procedures that "seem efficient" from those that really are. That is why we emphasize the importance of measuring its indicators before, during and after its application. We would like to hear about your particular case and be able to advise you on the best way to proceed. Contact us today! contacto@proalnet.com
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