Aug 26
10 Quick Tips to Improving Manufacturing Productivity
Post written by Jenn Lazaros (Northbridge Consultants)
Productivity is a constant issue in today’s society. With the technological advances of past years, the demand for increased productivity has become very great. Improve your productivity can be simple, by following these ten quick tips.
- Track your productivity, and note increases and decreases. Many factors can affect the productivity of a warehouse. Anything from weather to the day of the week can affect your productivity. If you keep track and note changes in productivity, you may learn effective methods to keep your employees productive.
- Keep Areas Clean. A common problem for people is that their area is too cluttered. This means that employees waste countless minutes each day looking for something within their workspace. Allowing employees 5-10 minutes at the beginning or end of their shift will allow them to set up and organize everything to their liking for work.
- Maintain Accurate Records. A major problem for manufacturers is their inventory. If a manufacturer runs out of a specific material, they may have to wait days for their supplier to restock. This wastes time and brings production to a screeching halt. Keeping your inventory records up to date will prevent running out of any necessary supplies to keep day to day operations productive.
- Maintain Equipment. Another major issue for manufacturers is equipment. If a machine is not properly cared for, the likelihood of it breaking down and requiring intensive repairs is much greater. Maintaining equipment can also extend the life of your machines, saving your hard-earned money.
- Optimize Layout & Space Consumption. One of the biggest inefficiencies is the location of materials and tools. If a material is in one corner of the plant, and the tool to work on such material is in the other, employees are wasting precious time wandering around the plant floor. This also increases the chances of them being distracted and wasting time chatting with other employees.
- Automate When Possible. While some people worry that this eliminates jobs, automation can actually make the employee’s job easier, and overall increase productivity. Automation also reduces the risk for human error, resulting in more shelf-ready product.
- Keep Morale High. This concept seems simple. If your employees are happy, they will be more likely to work harder. However, determining what increases morale can be hard. When reviewing the productivity records you have been tracking, note any positive changes in morale, and try and duplicate them. On a nice day, let employees out fifteen minutes early. This keeps the employees happy and speedy, which will increase your overall productivity by leaps and bounds.
- Optimize Labelling/Paperwork. Employees need to know specific information about products and equipment. However, if they have to look at several pages to retrieve all the information they require, this can be time consuming, and confuse the employee. Try to optimize all the information they need so that it fits on one page. That way employees can carry the page with them and check it for reference whenever required.
- Remember Training is a Priority. While training can be costly, showing an employee where you keep specific items they require will help them to work more efficiently. Learning where an item is the first time they are in the location will help them remember, rather than having to go and find it themselves.
- Communicate with your employees. Communication is key between an employer and their employees. Not only will this help to keep morale high, employees may notice things you don’t. While you may think that a machine is efficient in it’s current location, your employees may note that it would be easier for them if it were situated somewhere else.
