How organized is your shop floor workflow? Are you able to easily locate necessary stock? How much disruption is caused by a missing or miscut part? A good workflow is one of the biggest challenges for manufacturers. A disorganized process significantly impacts your company’s efficiency.

From a well-designed floor plan to a good communication process, workflow improvements can lead to an increase in productivity, creating time for more orders to be processed, and ultimately higher profits. Consider these benefits:

1. More efficient use of time

If an employee can quickly and accurately pull the correct inventory, whether it’s a remnant or stock sheet, that’s less time taken to get equipment loaded and the order under way. Create a system in which any gauge of stock can be located without having to dig through piles of material or wander up and down aisles. Better software solutions allow you to track sheets, parts, costs, and even remnants to help your team with all of the details.

2. Reports and communication

Comprehensive reports help to keep everyone on the same page, with a good understanding of what needs to be done, and what has been done. A good CAD/CAM software will have the capability to give a full view to the roadmap for any part or project. An added bonus is the capability to report back easily from the cutting or bending machine when a part is wrong or missing to keep production moving forward quickly.

3. Reduce labor effort and risk of injury

There should be nothing more important than the safety and well-being of your employees and a well-organized shop reduces confusion and hazardous work environments. Knowing exactly where and how materials are stored provides information to the employee on which equipment will be needed to safely retrieve it, whether forklift, cart, or crane.

4. Increase production

If it takes your employee an average of an hour to find the correct stock vs. 10 minutes when they know exactly where to locate the material, that’s 50 minutes less production time. Or having to physically walk back across the plant to clarify details on a report when it should be right in hand. That’s time that could be used to line up the next job, create a new quote, or, if needed, devote more time to quality control.

5. Easier to spot other opportunities

Take time to look carefully at your process. An organized shop floor process can lead to improvements in other facility operations. Holes in your production process become more apparent making it easier for you to refine and/or adjust other areas of production such as quoting, order entry, or logistics. Additionally, you might see other opportunities to increase your throughput, whether it’s better software control, business integration, or better communication.

6. Great reputation

A well-organized shop is reflected in the quality of your product. Less wasted time means more time spent on getting the order right the first time. There is no doubt that your customers will see the difference in the finished product and appreciate the timing of delivery. Quality products and prompt delivery encourage repeat customers and positive referrals. And your employees will appreciate it too.

Website: www.cambrio.com