Reasons Manufacturing Processes Fail

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3 Jan. 2019. When you invest cost effective solutions that are also end-to-end and simple to implement, you can achieve so many business goals as a manufacturer. The thing is, just with any other business, things can and do go wrong. It doesn’t necessarily mean that your business is a failure, but it does mean that you can’t pull it back and get it right.

The right processes can stop your manufacturing systems failing, and even then, they can anyway. So, you need to learn why they fail so that you can right your wrongs and fix it for next time. Let’s take a look at four of the biggest reasons that your manufacturing processes can fail.

• A faulty inventory scheme

One of the biggest reasons that manufacturing processes can fail is with a lack of order. If you don’t know how many you have of each part in stock, you’re going to find that you end up with a lack of interest in what you have to offer. You need to have the proper inventory control set up and ready to reflect a system that can cross-reference internal stock with what you need from your suppliers. The communication matters the most here, and you need to know exactly what you have so that you can run properly and smoothly.

• Unrealistic system expectations

You need to know exactly what your systems can accomplish. Can the boilers keep running to meet your needs? Can the machinery keep going when things break down? You wouldn’t buy a beat-up used car and expect it to function in the same way a Ferrari would, so learn what you really need in your business and only spend on those items. Make a list of the functionality that you need for your business and work around that.

• Inaccuracies in your inventory

If you have a miscounted inventory, you will end up with compounded errors in your system. The miscount can repeat itself throughout the system and the last thing that you want is to have to do a physical inventory to identify issues in the system. Manufacturing systems that offer automatic functions can make it much easier to count stock without having to stop production.

• Failure to realize company needs

Spend a lot of time evaluating the needs of your business before you install any machinery or systems. It’s not just what you need on the floor, so get a review of your accounting, manufacturing, engineering and collecting data requirements. Once you have these, you can have your planning pay off ten-fold later on.

Manufacturing companies are in a constant battle to meet deadlines and stay ahead of the competition. Automation is good, but embracing the automation means that you are risking easy failures. It can help you to stay ahead, but it’s not always enough. Keeping an eye on the processes manually is important, so that you can keep on top of all your processes at all times.

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