For any business that creates their products from scratch, a lot of the loss and profit in your business might be made as early as the manufacturing of that product. A cost-effective factory line is one that can support a strong business, while inefficiency and loss can really start to undermine it with the costs involved. Here, we’re going to look at what you can do to reduce those costs.
Identifying the sources of loss
First of all, you want to know how much you’re being cost by inefficiencies in the first place. Making your manufacturing line as effective and productive as can be isn’t always easy. However, by taking a closer look at your operational workflow, seeing which steps fail or result in loss more often, and then addressing them specifically, you can always be troubleshooting the most problematic parts of production.
Outsourcing parts of the manufacturing
You might want to incorporate every aspect of production on your own line, leaving nothing to chance. However, certain pieces of equipment, like machine-aided laser cutting devices might simply be too expensive to own and operate. If that’s the case, then you need to look at where you can outsource those laser cutting services. There are a lot of service providers who support manufacturing by doing very specific jobs, often creating the specific parts needed for later in the process, for instance.
Work with equipment manufacturers
The equipment and machinery used on the line are where you’re going to get the bulk of your concerns. Failing parts and ageing machinery will end up costing you more than you want. As such, it’s important to work closely with the manufacturers of equipment like your lathe machine. This way, you can more easily get the replacement parts that you need, and perhaps even get a discount on new equipment if you’re a regular customer of the same company.
Put operators in charge of routine maintenance
Regular maintenance of your equipment should be a no brainer. However, unless you split the labour of maintenance well, it can be hard to keep up with even basic routine needs. One of the best ways to address this is to put those who operate the machine in charge of maintaining it, as well. For one, it helps build their skillsets, making them a more useful part of the team. It also reduces your need for active maintenance staff.
Be predictive, not just preventative
When you’re maintaining machines, you should treat every one of them the same. Rather, you should get to know your equipment and know where it’s most likely to fail. The manufacturer might be able to provide you with that information or you can look online to see the reviews of others who have incorporated it. Either, you should make sure maintenance is predictive, taking particular care of those failure-prone areas first and foremost.
The tips above only look at the surface level and some potential solutions that can help you cut costs. To figure out where you can really save money, you need a constant eye on your equipment and work processes.
