7 Ways to Improve Efficiency of Your Manufacturing Plant

Efficiency is mandatory for any business. It doesn't matter what your organization does! When you want to improve your manufacturing plant productivity, minimize expenses, and maximize efficiency, these objectives can be achieved with proper plan & execution.

There are a lot of manufacturing plants that thinks that through cost-cutting they can increase efficiency, but they forget that it affects the product quality too. However, there are some methods that you can utilize in order to improve efficiency without affecting the quality of the product.

Also Read: Requirements of Asset Management Software in Pharma Industry

1. Analyze workflow

If you want to improve the productivity of your business, then the first step in that direction would be to analyze your workflow.

In this process, you need to evaluate several factors related to employees, software, and hardware they are using, communicating levels throughout the workplace, resources they require to complete the work order or any task, and so on.

Identifying, improvising, and monitoring problems can enhance productivity and efficiency. Hence, these factors play an important role in order to find the issues and rectifying issues in your manufacturing plant.

2. Provide training to employees

There are several industries where employees need training specifically in the manufacturing industry. If training is not provided to the employees, they do not only jeopardize their safety but put your company's reputation at stake. Therefore, investing in employee training is a must.

When you provide proper training to the employees for new equipment or technology, you get the most of it in return from your employees.

Employee training is a smart retention tactic since each worker wants to grow their skills & develop abilities.

Furthermore, if everybody on the floor has a decent knowledge of the whole procedure from beginning to end, they'll have a better understanding of their jobs in the procedure. Moreover, there will be no dependency on a particular employee in the process.

3. Evaluate your asset & equipment

It does not matter how great your workers do if the asset and equipment are not updated or not in good condition. Therefore, keep an eye on your asset, equipment & market, so whenever an updated version of an asset is released you can get one.

Updated equipment will result in reduced repairing expenses and increased employees' productivity.

4. Keep your plant organized

Getting organized is a vital feature of an effective workspace. Perform recce (survey) of your manufacturing plant floor. Find answers to the below questions:

• Are hand tools simple to discover?

• Is the packing & shipping area being near to the stockroom (where finished goods are kept)?

Everything should be organized in a manner that no one has to waste time in finding a particular item.

5. Invest in Asset management software

Asset management software can create a positive impact on your manufacturing plant productivity and efficiency.

But what Asset Management Software is?

Asset Management Software provides a systematic way to develop, operate, maintain, upgrade and dispose of assets in the most cost-effective manner including all costs, risks and performance attributes.

This tool is also used for recording and tracking an asset throughout its life cycle, from procurement to asset disposal.

Asset management software is used to track the equipment, assets, inventories, hardware devices, and software with their respective life-cycles management as asset lifecycle management.

Therefore, it helps in making decisions such as when to dispose of an asset, when it will need maintenance, etc.

This tool is very important in running daily operations. It reduces the chances of human error. It provides accurate information about assets, which avoid the probability of asset loss and theft.

Asset management software is a simple and powerful tool that manufacturing plants must implement in order to grow their business productivity.

6. Utilize maintenance

There are several types of maintenance that are used by manufacturing plant that helps by increasing the efficiency of machines and equipment & reduced the sudden breakdown chances.

Some of the most important maintenance types are:

i. Preventive maintenance

Preventive maintenance is also known as planned & proactive maintenance because it is scheduled in advance. This is the most popular and used practice for maintenance activity.

Its main focus is to avoid any potential issues that can become an actual problem in the future. Preventing the potential problem is the objective of preventive maintenance activity.

ii. Condition based maintenance

The main aim of this maintenance is to monitor assets & finding the potential issue, so that maintenance can be scheduled, when it needs, not before.

Condition-based maintenance shall be implemented when certain signs are noticed such as decreased performance. This maintenance follows the  “calculated risk” philosophy & only takes place when assets need maintenance & it does not matter when was last maintenance done. It can be applied to critical assets as well as non-critical assets.

For maintenance purposes, we recommend you implement a proactive maintenance type rather than waiting for the equipment or asset failure. Because when asset failure occurs it affects daily operation, productivity, and wastage of manpower. Overall, it's a business loss.

7. Maintain inventory levels

Inventory is considered one of the most important assets. A shortage of inventory definitely affects business.

So, in business, it is crucial to maintain the right level of stock at the required place. However, inventory management is not only important in terms of maintaining the right stock but it also saves you overstock. Because having stock too much is a problem (cost & stockroom space) and understock is a problem too.

Knowing when & how to reorder, which warehouse location needs reordering & inventory. These are the most basic things in inventory management but most of them fail in implementing it.

Also Read: How Asset Management Practice is Important for Textile Industry?

Conclusion

These are some of the practice which you can utilize to improve your business productivity. Once you implement these practices you will notice enhanced output levels and exceeding your baseline and expectations. Boosting productivity is crucial in order to make profits and to stay in the competitive market.

Overall, these asset management tips assist in improving efficiency, asset optimization and help in making an appropriate decision about assets.