Shoulders go down when deadlines for project delivery are getting close and the manufacturing plant is fighting with frequent downtime. Profit is probably the last thing at stake. Your professional rapport and employee morale are the first. Can manufacturing downtime be fought without a major overhaul every time?
Manufacturing downtime is a supervisor’s worst nightmare. It becomes scary when it becomes a regular phenomenon. The good news? While it may be impossible to eliminate downtime, it is possible to reduce downtime massively. Downtime tracking alongside the proper understanding of the subsidiary issues and root causes is an important aspect.
1. Machinery breakdown:
This is quite a common scenario; especially on busy industrial units’ floors using their complete potential and running 3 shifts per day. New orders need to be entertained, but it doesn’t make sense to expand the shop area. In these cases, maximizing the performance of existing machinery is the best solution.
The race to enhance manufacturing can lead to neglecting routine maintenance like greasing, oiling, and dusting machines. Small but simple checks like looking for adequate production and overheating can massively help in downtime tracking.
However, these checks aren’t the responsibility of the operator alone. Operating a machine day in and day out can make it easy to miss the little signs that it’s about to break down. This task requires external management by the people who will get hurt by it the most; i.e. the management.
2. Skilled, updated, and trained employees:
Every company evaluates and interviews new hires at every level. Employees join, and the hardworking and loyal ones remain with the organization for the long run. But it’s not the same with machines.
We are living in an age of competitiveness where is not possible to maintain speed with outdated machines. So, the management has to do the right thing by upgrading to new machines where required.
But what about the employees? Were they upgraded and retrained with the same sincerity?
This is an aspect that benefits in reducing manufacturing downtime. Downtime might be a result of factors like professional inefficiency because of lack of training or even employees’ stubbornness to update their skills.
Many a time, senior employees don’t display the same passion to learn new things due to overconfidence, ego, or even laziness. Mandatory regular training sessions must be scheduled where employees are evaluated related to machine savviness.
Downtime tracking also helps in finding those candidates who show inefficiency so that employees can be retrained.
3. Efficient manufacturing processes:
Assembly line production plants; especially hot rolled flat steel bars, have proven to be a big boon to the industrialized manufacturing processes. These plants tend to make a person specialized to do a particular job by continuous repetition. But, a chain is only as strong as its weakest link. What if there is a snag in one process, or it isn’t working at its full potential? It will put an extra burden on both the equipment and operators of subsequent processes, leading to a greater danger of manufacturing downtime.
Downtime tracking helps one examine these snags and bottlenecks in detail. The faulty process can be tracked and mended before the greater damage is done, leading to a streamlined version of the entire process.
4. Advance spares and tools:
Business revolves around profit. A penny saved is a penny earned.
So you will always see a tussle between procurement and requirement as a business owner. Although it might seem wise to keep necessary parts on hand only. But can a regular shop floor predict which breakdowns will happen?
This is where tracking the downtime plays a key role. It helps you in understanding the regular reasons for mechanical breakdowns. It aids you in analyzing specific spare parts that malfunction, as per the frequency of occurrences.
This will help in keeping the knowledge and spares handy and would help in eliminating idle employee time while parts are in the procurement process.
5. User feedback and employee contribution:
Management decisions mainly come from the top down. It is based on facts shown by people who aren’t on the manufacturing floor.
When labor requests a machinery upgrade or new machinery, they often take it for granted. They think production projections are for ideal scenarios that don’t usually exist. Hence the achievable output is typically less than the pitched output. Different factors like ease of operation, environmental conditions, and complex functioning can all contribute.
It is critical to collect user feedback to fully comprehend a machine’s efficiency and handling. The problems could range from mechanical impediments to handling difficulties or the inability of a machine to function in a specific environment. The problem can only be solved properly if a proper approach is used to measure the output and potential major obstacles. Employees who are kept informed not only have the opportunity to solve real-time problems. However, they also feel encouraged and motivated to reduce manufacturing downtime.
6. Holistic approach:
The work environment can be overwhelming and frustrating in big industrial units. It’s human nature to keep working more, especially when deadlines are coming to eat you.
Machines and employees both, tend to reach their boiling point when things get busy. So, it’s better to use a holistic approach for both machines and employees to avoid extra pressure. If the machine is perfectly greased and oiled, there remain fewer chances of developing friction.
Downtime tracking aids in keeping the plant oiled and greased for the good of both the people and the company. It shows the possible factors posing the snags or downtime, keeps the communication channel open, and averts the unnecessary “blame game”.
So, creating a culture of accountability enables the promotion of a work environment that is healthy, cordial, and supportive.
7. Careful tracking of downtime:
Today, there are different downtime tracking software available that will cater to this requirement precisely. The software prioritizes information and shows in real-time which machine requires repair and maintenance. This software is quite often used by stainless steel coil suppliers.
These tools assess the productivity killers as well that hinder your facility’s long-term production goals. To get ‘world class’ to ‘perfect’ equipment efficiency goals, downtime tracking tools could be a perfect solution.
Finding the breakdowns soon becomes easier with these tools. They will also provide you with the benefit of taking preemptive measures.