Manufacturing
In both highly automated and mostly manual manufacturing I have created major efficiency improvements and re-examined costing (in one case resulting in a switch in individual product pricing leading to a substantial increase in the business unit’s profit) . I thrive in this work as clear benefits are generally apparent in a matter of months if not weeks.
The basics of these improvements are actually always the same:
- Create an open atmosphere allowing all persons involved in the manufacturing process and their direct bosses to express their likes, dislikes, improvement suggestions, etc.
- Listen carefully but do not accept all as simple truths
- Analyse, analyse and analyse and yes, think out of the box, just because everybody knows it to be true does not make it so. The fact that it has always been done this way should actually tell you it can be done much much better
- Procedures / Machines are not cast in concrete, switching stations around could lead to major surprises
- Don’t underestimate logistics, both as a cause for damages and cost savings
- Minor investments can lead to major improvements (replacing rubber wheels with pneumatic ones for a trolley transporting goods to a sinter oven, actually reduced breakage after sintering by 25%)
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