Manufacturers need optimized production processes to reach competitive efficiency levels. To highlight strengths, identify weaknesses and quantify optimization savings, an onsite Manufacturing Efficiency Evaluation (MEE) examines every aspect of a shop’s operations. Under normal circumstances, an MEE requires careful planning, setup, coordination and, most importantly, in-person facility tours. However, a global pandemic made…
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Tag: WIP
What do manufacturing facilities share in common with supermarkets, post offices and wireless networks? They all involve waiting in queues, whether it’s a computer waiting to connect to public Wi-Fi, customers in a queue to check out at the grocery store or work in progress (WIP) sitting until a machine is open at…
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In an ideal world, manufacturing would never stop, and fully secure processes, well-integrated automation and smart business practices would keep shops operating 24/7, 365 days a year. Unfortunately, this is not the case. In reality, shops often face interruptions in production and downturns due to circumstances beyond their control, including unusual events such…
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For manufacturers around the world, high-mix/low-volume (HMLV) production isn’t a trendy new way of processing parts – it’s a requirement to meet rapid changes in consumer demand and keep pace with just in time (JIT) manufacturing. To maximize throughput in this new production ecosystem, which involves smaller batches of increasingly customized parts, there…
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