Congratulations—your enterprise has decided to take active steps towards a more holistic manufacturing approach. It has recognized that there are flaws in its operational procedures, and is now taking important measures towards ensuring that they cease to be an issue moving forward.
Now, how do you actually go about perfecting your process? With so many factors that could be contributing to output related issues, figuring out where to begin is one of the hardest parts.
In the recent eBook titled “The Zen Guide to Manufacturing Intelligence,” InfinityQS explains that the first step towards achieving manufacturing enlightenment is to put your mobile device down and grab a clipboard. Before you can start automating processes and workflows, you need to first gain a better idea of your current manufacturing capabilities. This is called the “awareness” stage, and it is a process of manual data collection and reporting.
This stage of manufacturing uses pass/fail techniques to compare production output with company standards. If data does not meet the requirements that the machines were designed to produce, then you gain a starting point for what needs to be improved. If your pass/fail tests show that your products mirror what they are intended to do, then you will know that trying to improve them would be a waste of time.
In addition to saving time, focusing on the awareness stage of manufacturing intelligence through the initial collection of data will allow you to compare the performance of equipment, employees and work stations across one or multiple plant locations. It will establish a benchmark for moving forward and setting expectations and improvements down the line.
Are you read to learn the Zen approach to manufacturing? Access your free eBook by clicking here.