How can I turn my factory into a leading manufacturing facility?

Are you wanting to create a leading manufacturing facility, but don’t know where to start?

For many clients, this can seem a very daunting process, especially now that many world-leading companies have already developed factories that are an absolute wonder! It can be difficult to know how to get your factory to that point, whilst doing it all on a limited budget. In this article, we will introduce you to the term “World Class Manufacturing”, and how you can implement this in your business.

Contents:

1. What is World Class Manufacturing?
2. What are the principles of WCM?
3. Where do I begin?
4. Methods and strategies to become a leading manufacturing facility

What is World Class Manufacturing?

 

World Class Manufacturing (WCM) is a philosophy that every manufacturing business should embrace and aspire to achieve. It revolves around striving to be the very best producer of your particular products whilst also being the fastest and most competitively priced.

This may seem an impossible task, as many business consultants say that when it comes to the factors of quality, speed and price, you can only ever have two in place at any given time. However, Lean thinking is all about continuous improvement, which is an investment in establishing a business as an industry leader and perfecting every aspect of its day-to-day operations.

When continuous improvement, in-depth consultancy and employee engagement are combined, a business can indeed achieve World Class Manufacturing status and provide the best choice for its customers every time.

What are the principles of WCM?

Though being an outstanding manufacturer through continuous improvement is a straightforward concept, its implementation is dependent on multiple actions. In fact, World Class Manufacturing is a collection of principles that complement and work in unison with each other. If even just one of these principles is ignored, your systems and processes can still be improved but they will never reach their full potential.

Here are three examples of Lean principles that we regularly help our clients to roll out across their manufacturing premises:

Value stream mapping: This follows a fundamental two-stage process, which involves establishing the Current State Map (what happens today) and finding improvements to create the Future State Map (an ideal future state of how the process will look after improvements).

Standard work: The identification and removal of variations from all processes within your production cycle. This consistency comes with multiple benefits, such as an improved product, greater health and safety compliance and minimal waste. It also plays a major role in reducing timeframes and costs, which in turn enables a smoother and more precise prediction of outputs and profit margins.

Just In Time: Rather than producing stock that’s stored until the customer needs it, “Just In Time” is a system in which the right items are produced in the right amounts at the right time. Its primary aim is to reduce the amount of stock or inventory held within a company’s Value Stream, which in the process helps you to move from a “push” to a “pull” system.

World Class Manufacturing: Where to begin?

As you may have gathered by now, World Class Manufacturing is neither a quick fix nor a one-off undertaking. Instead, it requires ongoing commitment from every team member, as only then can it be consistently applied across each department and the business as a whole. Though this may seem daunting, we guarantee that the pursuit of World Class Manufacturing is well worth the time and effort, as it will bring exceptional results on a long-term basis.

If you’re unsure where to begin, we recommend enquiring about a Value Stream Mapping workshop. Designed for senior management teams, this workshop takes place at your premises and covers the entirety of the VSM landscape, such as:

• How to visually analyse the flow of materials, data and information involved in a process. This is the previously mentioned Current State Map.
• Identify the interactions taking place between each function within the process.
• Using the above information, you can then locate the causes of inefficiencies, waste and delays.
• The optimised process is the Future State, which we will help you to focus on turning from concept into reality. An operational blueprint will be developed that shows how constraints, problems and bottlenecks can be safely and effectively removed.
• Your team will also be shown how to continually monitor and measure your processes to ensure that any problems are nipped in the bud and your World Class Manufacturing status remains sustainable.
  
  

WCM methods and strategies

World Class Manufacturing is an ambitious goal, yet any manufacturing business can achieve it no matter its size, sector or age. The key is to remember that perpetual focus is required by all employees, which is why culture change is required in order to get everyone on the same page and keep them there. This is made possible through consultation, analysis, training, and clear communication through visual management assets, which in turn enable the maximisation of employee engagement. When every member of staff is working toward a shared goal and acting both proactively and in an accountable manner, incredible things can happen everywhere from the production line to the logistics yard.

The methods and strategies adopted as a means to achieve WCM may be universal but they are also tailored to the business in particular. For instance, one manufacturing site may have very fast production rates but create large volumes of waste in the process. Meanwhile, another site may offer the highest quality products but either take too long to build them or have an excess of inventory taking up valuable space. Whatever the case may be with your business, we’ll help you to identify problems and develop a bespoke strategy for applying World Class Manufacturing across your site.

Many businesses struggle with the implementation of the various areas that are needed to create a world class factory, as there is so much information out there, it is difficult to know where to start. In this article, you will have learnt about the principles of world class manufacturing, and how you can start to implement it at your own site.

At Clarity, we have helped a number of businesses in the UK to develop their factory with visual management, efficient processes, and safety products to make their competitors jealous. To get started, get in touch with a member of the team here to book your discovery call.