Process Efficiency: A Manufacturer’s Aspiration Made Simple

11/30/2022

by Morgan Cox

Whether we’re setting a New Year’s resolution, trying a new hobby, or learning a new skill, we invest a lot of time in improving our personal lives. As we meet these goals and develop these abilities, we feel a sense of pride knowing that we’ve made a change for the better. The quest for continuous improvement is all around us. Are we extending that same mentality to the way we approach work?

Manufacturers have the opportunity to evaluate current operational and technical capabilities and implement meaningful changes that can transform process efficiency. Regular and purposeful introspection is the fundamental starting point for achieving this change. Here are four questions to start assessing your continuous improvement opportunities:

1. Is your manufacturing facility layout set up for optimal production flow to improve process efficiency?

When measuring your production throughput, do you consider the warehouse layout a critical factor impacting your optimal production flow? Optimizing your space will ensure every bit of square footage is utilized for your machinery, walkways between departments, inventory, and open working space. Sub-optimal use of space, whether underutilized or overutilized, can lead to production loss, injuries, and disorganization.

Ensure your space supports your production goals by:

Assessing your facility space. Do you have a blueprint available to better understand your current layout and available space?
Documenting the flow of goods as they move around the production floor. Are the goods passing through the same department twice? Is there a clear flow from the shipping department to the receiving department?
Planning for the future of your business. Will you need to house more inventory? Are you planning to expand your machinery fleet in the future?

2. Are your people adequately trained to use your machinery for optimal performance?

Training employees is essential for any job, but it’s particularly important for those working with heavy machinery. Employees want to know how to safely and competently do their job to avoid injuries and meet established production goals. Effective training can lead to fewer mistakes, improved safety, faster performance speeds, and increased longevity of machinery equipment.

How can you design your job training to ensure that your employees are prepared? Begin by thinking about the best learning solutions for the content you need to train your employees. You can document written instructions, create engaging videos, set aside time for hands-on learning, offer group sessions, and as most employers do, you can establish on-the-job learning objectives. Each method – or a combination of these methods–can be equally effective when executed properly.

3. Does your technology support your manufacturing processes?

It’s no secret that technological advancements further promote process efficiencies by providing real-time information about key metrics like inventory, machines, maintenance, workers, and safety. But with countless options, how do you guarantee that your technology supports your manufacturing processes’ bottom line?

Start by evaluating what you need from a software solution. There are countless solutions to choose from or customize to meet your unique business needs, including:

Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) solutions to help manage inventory, supply chain operations, procurement, project management, financial management, risk management, and compliance.
Computerized Maintenance Management System (CMMS) solutions to ensure maintenance work is carried out efficiently by centralizing maintenance information, simplifying processes, and automating jobs.
Environment, Health, and Safety (EHS) solutions to help companies comply with regulations by enabling manufacturers to track and analyze safety-related activities and standardize safety procedures.
Warehouse Management Software (WMS) solutions to improve visibility into warehouse operations.
- Inventory Management solutions that leverage barcodes, point-of-sale software (or eCommerce integrations), and warehouse tracking to optimize inventory control.

4. Are you appropriately documenting KPIs to measure your outputs and support business decisions?

To become a more efficient production facility, you must commit to measuring and documenting your current performance state. The most common measures used are Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). KPIs are objective factors that measure your company’s success toward key goals or initiatives. Something to keep in mind, though, is that there is an effective and ineffective way of measuring KPIs, and you must assess where you fall on the spectrum.

Effective KPIs come about when you provide objective evidence of progress towards achieving the desired result, measure the elements that help inform better decision-making, and offer a comparison that gauges the degree of performance change over time. Ineffective KPIs surface when you measure more noticeable data without considering the relevant and useful information, inaccurately measure valuable data, or fail to use your KPIs to drive meaningful decisions. Fortunately, tracking your KPIs, especially in a manufacturing setting, has become easier than ever by using technology solutions designed specifically to support you.

At its core, continuous improvement is a conscious, deliberate decision to invest and focus on making meaningful changes for your employees and business.

Not sure how to get started? We do. Fill out the form below to learn how Sendero can work with you to assess your process efficiencies and ensure you keep continuous improvement at the forefront of your business decisions.