If you’re looking for a way to improve productivity in your manufacturing plant, you’re going to need a plan. There are plenty of hidden areas that are ripe for boosting efficiency – but it’s up to you to find and address them.
4 Productivity Tips
In the very simplest terms, manufacturing productivity measures the relationship between input and output. It’s the radio of how much your company produces based on how much it puts into its manufacturing. Input costs include factors like labor hours, capital, and natural resources. In most cases, output is the measurement of the quantity of goods produced.
Measuring productivity is as simple as taking output and dividing it by input. But manufacturing productivity is more than a numbers game. You also have to think about things like quality, costs, and other closely correlated elements.
With all of that said, here are several tips for improving productivity in your manufacturing plant so that you enjoy greater throughput and profitability.
1. Review Your Workflow
It starts with analyzing and defining which aspects of your workflow are working and which aspects are lacking. Because when it’s all said and done, this is where productivity is defined.
“Going over the processes in your manufacturing business means considering several factors, including the employees, the hardware they use, as well as the physical action of production,” process improvement analyst Ben Shabat says. “You’ll want to take other variables into account also, such as the level of communication throughout the workplace, the variety of resources needed to complete tasks (raw materials, electricity, etc.), and so on.”
When analyzing your workflow, pay close attention to the finer details and individual steps in the process. Sometimes it’s the smallest details that make the biggest difference. For example, something as seemingly insignificant as having the right custom precision thread gages for a piece of machinery could mean the difference between producing 100 units per day versus just 97 units per day. That’s a three percent difference, which results in more than 1,000 units of additional production per year. At a value of $500 per unit, that’s an extra half a million dollars in production value because of having the right gauge.
2. Upskill Your Employees
There’s no greater asset than people. While machines might be capable of carrying out certain tasks with greater precision or efficiency, your human talent is ultimately going to make or break your productivity. The key is to continually invest in their skill development.
“Upskilling” is the term we use to describe training and developing employees so that they become more valuable and well-rounded assets to the company. When an employee is upskilled, he tends to stick around longer and reduce the cost of production. With that being said, it’s an investment worth making.
3. Improve the Workplace Environment
When was the last time you minvestedin the workplace environment? If it’s been a while, now’s as good of a time as any. From both a practical and psychological perspective, investing in basics like these makes a big difference:
- Proper lighting
- A safe and clean environment
- Efficient layouts that prevent confusion and congestion
- Quiet spaces for breaks
- Social spaces for breaks
- Greenery and healthy food options
These are smaller details that might not necessarily show up on a profit and loss statement, but they matter. Take them seriously and your employees will be set up for success.
4. Enhance Communication
It’s impossible to accurately quantify the importance of communication in manufacturing productivity. Again, it’s easy to assume that it’s all about having the right equipment and technology. However, without a team of people that are all dialed in to the same frequency, you’re always going to struggle to maximize productivity.
When it comes to productivity, you need to flatten your hierarchy and chain of command. The people on the ground floor of your manufacturing plant or warehouse are the ones who really have a pulse on what’s happening. If it takes them hours or days to reach the top with concerns or questions, that’s a huge issue. Direct lines of communication and efficient feedback loops are must-haves.
Adding it All Up:
If you can implement these suggestions, you’ll start to see positive results. It won’t happen overnight – and you’ll have to tweak these strategies so that they fit your business and operations – but this approach works. Make it a focal point and growth will follow.
