In lean manufacturing, the acronym “DOWNTIME” represents the eight types of waste (and delays) that can occur in a process. When we speak to production managers, we see that there’s more to DOWNTIME than eight simple reasons!
In 2023, a report by Siemen’s Senseye, revealed that unplanned downtime cost manufacturers at least 50% more in 2022 than it did between 2019-2020, with an hour of unplanned downtime said to cost over $2m in an automotive plant. Furthermore, it’s estimated that the impact of downtime on British manufacturing is more than £180bn per year, and increased inflation and production lines working at higher capacities were said to be contributing factors to this heightened cost.
In our conversations with production managers, we have heard time and time again that the *real* slow down happens due to:
- Poor Organisation: On the fly changes, unplanned and frequently switchovers both hamper any sort of progress. Our candidates have also seen poor stage planning ( i.e. stage B is outpacing stage A), which creates numerous headaches as one stage might have to “down tools” until the second stage picks up.
- Lack of Clear Communications: People should know what they are doing prior to their shift and necessary material should be ready for them to start their day. Great systems combined with technology can be a game changer in these scenarios. An ERP system that is customised to the needs of your plant with text alerts that staff receive the evening before a shift ensures clarity of what needs to be done and when.
- Scheduled Maintenance: This ensures that all machines run smoothly and last longer, so it’s vital to the overall performance of a plant. Necessary spares and tools availability should be planned in to avoid disruption and this is something that is often missed (much to the frustration of production managers).
- Materials Shortages: Proper planning between the plant floor and procurement needs to be more streamlined. Too often, raw material for stock is not ordered until the current stock is out and the lead time for procurement is not factored into deadlines. It’s important that planned jobs and necessary materials should be a streamlined process. Clarity here will ensure predictability in the downward process.
- Clarity of Performance: Real Time dashboards around jobs, their status and issues should be available for everyone to see. Obviously involved supervisors will be on their toes when something is not working but to empower each staff member to monitor their own performance is a great way to drive performance in many cases (and transparency is also a great motivator).
Keeping things Moving
Knowing what the problems are can be half the battle, but actually applying a fix that works long term is something else!
Driving Talent Acquisition for the Production Team in the Manufacturing Industry
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