In the midst of economic turbulence, metal fabricators and other manufacturers often turn to their “lean” roots to keep their operations steady and moving forward.
Unlike many companies that react by simply cutting costs, industrials take a more agile approach to weather a crisis, including:
According to IndustryWeek, what manufacturers do not want to do is panic and react without a plan. A good first step is to evaluate all current operational structures and evaluate the viability of those structures during times of crisis, such as a global pandemic. Any changes in operations should be clearly communicated to the entire organization.
This information can give operators and supervisors the ability to see if they’re in control over their own processes and address their problems swiftly. What’s more, it gives manufacturers a window to identify opportunities to eliminate waste.
According to the manufacturing efficiency experts at Vorne Industries Inc., understanding the lean Seven Deadly Wastes can provide a roadmap for reducing inefficiencies in labor, materials handling, and other resources.
Lean manufacturers and metal fabricators must address each “waste,” including:
The lean concept of the Seven Deadly Wastes boils down to removing activities that do not add customer value. Material Resource Planning systems (MRPs) can also eliminate costly inefficiencies and improve processes to add more value.
Lean-minded metal fabricators are always looking for ways to reduce waste and deliver more value to their customers.
MRP breaks down the entire production process to more effectively determine quantity requirements, run calculations, and complete orders. This approach is especially useful for push production systems, where manufacturers try to forecast demand and create products before customers actually purchase them.
From design to finishing, metal fabricators use MRP to plan for demand and synthesize those forecasts to create a detailed production schedule.
For example, Southern Metal Fabricators uses MRP to:
The end result is significantly improved productivity, which enables us to fabricate more products in less time. For our customers, it allows us to more easily prevent unnecessary delays, streamline the purchasing process, and increase project efficiency through data analysis.
Want to learn more about MRP or the benefits of working with a lean-minded metal fabricator who can apply a similar system to your advantage? Contact us today, and give us a chance to say, “Yes, we can do that!”