How to Increase Productivity at your Manufacturing Facility

If you feel as though productivity at your manufacturing plant is stalling, it is important that you try and turn things around as soon as you can. There are a couple of ways that you can do this, some of which can be found below.

Review your Current Workflow

You won’t know if the changes that you’re making are worthwhile or not unless you track everything you’re doing right now. This will help you to identify the areas that need adjusting and it will also help you to realign your objectives too. If you need a starting point, consider your equipment. Is it all in good repair? Is the technology that you ultimately rely on good for your current needs? Is it easy for you to make a change in production?  Before you make changes, you need to understand how everything works right now because this will help you to ultimately ensure a positive outcome.

Update your Processes and your Technology

When you have reviewed your existing workflow, you need to identify which parts of your company operation need updating. Processes that have been in place for quite some time will probably be riddled with workarounds, or you may even find that production methods have changed. One way for you to get around this would be for you to experiment with automation. This is a great way for you to increase your overall efficiency and it will reduce error too. New software solutions can also help you with inventory, workflow or even scheduling.

Try and Commit to Maintenance

The fastest and even the easiest way for you to slow your manufacturing plant down would be for you to avoid doing maintenance. Maintenance may cause downtime but it’s nowhere near as much as it would be if your equipment broke down. If you want to help yourself here then you need to train your operators in regular maintenance. You also need to help them with troubleshooting procedures too. Identify the best time to conduct your maintenance by using information from your workflow evaluation.

Always Buy Upgraded Equipment

As mentioned above, maintenance is super important, but not if your equipment is super outdated. There comes a point when you’ll need to upgrade your equipment, rather than just maintaining it. If you don’t believe that you can afford new equipment then consider searching “who has the best heavy machinery auction?” to find out if you can get high-quality equipment for a knock-down price.

Train your Team

Employee education and training is important. It’s also a long and on-going process. In some industries, certain types of training are mandatory. They are essential for keeping your team safe and they also ensure that you meet the required regulations for your business too. Other training will improve your process overall, for example, showing your team how to work the manufacturing floor efficiently or even helping them to manage their time better. Both of these types of training are crucial if you want your business to operate efficiently.