The challenges of a fast-changing world for manufacturing
Can you improve your processes fast enough to keep up with a rapidly changing world? Supply chain disruptions, increases in input costs, difficulties finding skilled workers – all of these challenges may affect changeover times, scrap rates and output. At the same time, Industry 4.0, smart factories, and better data analysis tools, along with advances in both IoT and automation, present great opportunities for manufacturing to revolutionise production processes.
Given increased sustainability requirements and expectations to adapt to these changes, everyone from customers, regulators and senior management are looking at you, as a production manager or a manufacturing engineer, to do more with less, meaning decreasing waste and increasing productivity.
This calls for continuous improvement, meaning Lean methodologies – but not the way they used to be. The last thing you need is another high-and-mighty consultant coming in to lecture you, right? We’ve been optimising our own manufacturing plant in Gimo, Sweden since 1951 in the face of all kinds of headwinds. Now we want to share our experience with you – a fresh approach to Lean consulting rooted in the realities of your unique shop floor.
Three keys for a fresh approach to Lean
You may have already tried your hand at Lean methodologies or other ways of reducing waste in the past that did not contribute lasting value over time. The problem may have been that this was treated as a one-off project that did not continue to drive improvements over time. Or you didn’t have the data to identify the right areas for improvement. Maybe you brought in consultants who talked the talk but failed to walk the walk around your shop floor and really understand your processes at the right level.
All of this calls for a fresh approach to Lean founded on three key criteria.
The world will keep changing – and so must we. One-off process improvement projects may have been sufficient in the past. But today’s market trends are changing rapidly and competitors are quickly adopting new ways of working. This demands putting in place the data, knowledge and practices to support continuous improvement over time – like machinery that keeps on going and producing results.
Today’s technology makes it possible to collect, analyse and track data in much greater detail than in the past. Making the most of this and adopting a data-driven mindset opens up new possibilities for improving processes continuously. This makes it possible to see exactly where the greatest potential for improvement lies at any given time and stay focused on the most actionable productivity gains.
In the past, traditional Lean consultants sometimes took a top-down approach. The problem with this is that it can easily get highly theoretical and lose touch with the realities of the shop floor. A bottom-up focus instead starts from obtaining in-depth knowledge of the machinery, workers and processes first before coming to conclusions and making recommendations.
*Based on customer projects done by Sandvik Coromant
Five steps to get process improvement up and running continuously
- Identify pain points and collect data
We visit your plant and identify pain points such as long set-up times or lack of transparency in production and install software to continuously collect and visualise machining data.
- Analyse data and discuss needs
We perform an in-depth analysis of the machining data and hold joint workshops to discuss your specific situation and needs.
- Identify low-hanging fruit and make recommendations
We identify low-hanging fruit in key focus areas with the greatest potential to reduce waste and make actionable recommendations in these areas.
- Implement improvements and track progress
We continuously monitor performance while you implement improvements so that we can provide monthly reports and proactive suggestions based on the data to help you stay on track.
- Standardise processes and improve continuously
Once your initial goals have been met, we help you to standardise Lean ways of working to stay ahead in the long run and keep improving
Sign up for a free Gemba Walk
Want a free consultation to see for yourself how much our fresh approach to Lean could help you
increase productivity? We'd be happy to pay you a visit and go on a free Gemba Walk of your
shop floor. We’ll walk through the floor, ask workers about their tasks and identify potential
to reduce wate. We'll go over any waste found with you and you can decide if you'd like
to work with us to start reducing the waste and continuous improving
Get your free Gemba Walk
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Sandvik Coromant UK
+44 (0)121 368 0305