Efficiency and productivity are common terms in any manufacturing industry as they are the backbone of profitability and growth. Time and energy are precious commodities. The more production you can squeeze in a short time, the more money you’re likely to make. Whether you’re in the manufacturing, processing, or marketing industry, knowing how to increase productivity and efficiency in your company determines whether you will remain competitive and relevant in the industry or not. Fortunately, increasing efficiency and productivity doesn’t have to be complicated. Here are six tips for improving manufacturing efficiency and productivity.
1. Review Current Workflow and Plans
Your first step to increasing productivity in manufacturing is revising your workflow and identifying faulty areas in the system. You need to ask yourself whether your manufacturing plant has enough people, whether processes are going on as they should and which technology or equipment is required to streamline operations. That means knowing your team and how everything in the plant works. It may also involve researching to learn more about managing manufacturing staff and projects. Identify gaps that can be filled to increase efficiency without sacrificing safety and energy. Think about long-term solutions and other future uncertainties before making any plans.
2. Update Equipment and Technology
Once you’ve identified areas in your workflow that need re-working, start finding ways to solve them using technology or state-of-the-art equipment. Today’s manufacturing industry is overwhelmed with improved machinery and technology that helps speed up and streamline manufacturing operations. Identify processes that could use some automation, especially repetitive ones and machines that can help employees move or carry things around in the shortest time possible.
Automation helps reduce human error and increase productivity as employees can focus on critical processes that require their attention. You can also install new software to help with inventory, workflow, and scheduling. Think about the total cost of ownership, maintenance, and the end products and weigh your options. Remember, a high initial cost is only worth it if there is little or no maintenance cost, and the process you’re replacing has a higher return than the equipment cost.
3. Invest Heavily in Employee Training
The manufacturing industry is constantly changing. Working with AI, AR and VR means knowing how to operate them successfully. Every day, new technologies are developing, all designed to make manufacturing floors more efficient than ever. Training your employees to ensure they are up to date with the current technology trends is one of the most significant steps to improving productivity. This can be a valuable strategy for retaining employees and overcoming labor shortages in the industry. Your training strategy should include:
- Planning for training sessions for all operators when new equipment is installed.
- Scheduling a thorough orientation and training for new employees
- Keeping accurate records of training and schedule refreshers when necessary
- Offering educational opportunities for employees who wish to advance their skills in your industry
- Placing helpful posters to guide employees in case they are unsure how to operate equipment.
4. Create a Work-Friendly Environment
No one wants to work in a dirty, busy, noisy, and disorganized working environment. Employees want to work in a peaceful environment where collaboration, communication, and positive interaction are encouraged. Depending on what you produce, taking steps to improve how processes are done to maintain a clean, safe and productive work environment can go a long way towards employee attraction and retention.
You can find ways to reduce movement by using robots and arranging tools and product materials based on how they will be used in production to make processes easier. Learn to clear your work space by discarding or removing unused or unneeded tools from the workplace. Have storage areas to keep tools, documents, and equipment. Excess movement can cost you plenty of production time, and too much noise can impact communication, which causes delays.
5. Have Realistic Expectations
Managing client expectations, dealing with production pressure, and adhering to strict deadlines can make you set unrealistic expectations on your manufacturing floor. Improving efficiency and productivity doesn’t mean manufacturing high quantities with total disregard for quality and safety. Employees are likely to detach from tasks that compromise their safety, preventing them from reaching their goals. While it might be a good idea to aim high, creating achievable goals allows you to appreciate milestones in your stressful, highly demanding work environment.
Instead of checking whether all employees are busy throughout the day, assign team projects and divide the project into individual tasks. Help each individual to define their objectives and support them through the projects. This helps keep employees engaged, responsible, and accountable for their personal goals. It’s also easier to follow up and track and complete projects.
6. Optimize Your Inventory
Supply chain management is quite essential for any manufacturing plant as it plays a significant role in production duration and level. Too much or too little inventory leads to problems in your manufacturing facility. If you have too much stock, you need to find a place to safely store it and hopefully use everything while it’s in good condition. If you have too little, you’re at risk of pausing production to wait for supplies.
Inventory optimization allows you to maintain a healthy supply of raw products to meet production demands. To do this, consider using software tools that can notify you when there is a shortage of supplies and allow vendors to access the inventory and arrange deliveries on time. You also want to have a backup plan in case you run out of supplies unexpectedly, or your supplier fails to deliver.