Metal coil processing improvements in a slow economy

In most manufacturing industries, business slows when the economy slows. Budgets becoming tighter, departments become leaner, and spending is pulled back. It's a natural reaction caused by fear in the market. As this cycle perpetuates, things get worse until signs of hope begin to emerge and companies loosen their belts. Upgrading the entire coil processing line segment requires heaps of intelligence gathered from the shop floor to make the right decision. This article presents five process applications that can help any manufacturer in making a dramatic change to improve their efficiency. Every measure is offered in order by estimated cost so that manufacturers can realise some benefits without exhausting all of their cash. Re-examine in-house processes In-house processes should be examined just like any other function within a business. These feedbacks are important tools for fostering efficiency improvements. A proper review of the in- house manufacturing process is the baseline, by which 80% of rectifiable actions can be identified. The goal in these slow times is to find areas for improvement and efficiency and utilise them for the long-term growth of the company. Many manufacturers have grown their businesses slowly over a long period of time. What can occur over the years is the creation of a material handling nightmare, as new lines and storage areas are added. Before the company realises it, a considerable amount of time is spent moving coils to staging areas, transporting coils to saddles or conveyors, and loading and unloading scrap. To start the process of improving the logistics of a manufacturing process, someone has to tabulate all material movements. This is the easiest and biggest payback available to any company. It requires little to no investment and can cut a considerable amount of time from the production process. Performing a solid evaluation and comprehensive process time study will highlight areas requiring immediate improvement. At this stage, the goal is only to identify such changes; an action strategy can be performed at a later date. Run schedules are always an issue with just-in-time processing. Outlining a changeover time study for each operation and setup in a process line can help the schedulers to better understand how to schedule urgent production runs. Another area of concern regarding logistics is consumables. Many companies have their spares located centrally for ease of inventory and tracking, but this too can affect production efficiency. Centralised spares require that the tool cage attendants have an innate understanding of every part on every coil processing line. Categorising consumables by process line is a simpler way to ensure that components are grouped for efficient retrieval. Go for optimization Optimisation involves implementing actions to correct the shortcomings identified in the internal processes review. Movements throughout the plant are typically not scrutinised intensely enough to yield any profitable results. Earlier it was mentioned that a time study be developed to aid with scheduling. This same time study can be used to track movements throughout the plant. A good place to start optimising movements in a plant is by analysing crane movements. Cranes are a vital part of material transport, equipment, and general maintenance, but one crane can do only one job at a time. Of course, a coil processor can't have optimisation with excessive downtime. Uptime is paramount, and a preventive maintenance program helps to deliver that. The ability to plan maintenance around key indicators from the equipment will ensure that problems are rectified before they affect production. Spot equipment potentials Getting the most from existing equipment is not as difficult as it may seem. Many companies, because of financiaWomens Running Shoes