Companies across the manufacturing marketplace are now targeting and removing waste from their strategies in an effort to implement a “lean” manufacturing strategy.
Lean manufacturing is a way to reduce company costs and improve process efficiency while retaining a commitment to meeting in-house targets. Before they begin creating their lean manufacturing strategies, companies must first review these three necessities for going lean in the manufacturing field.
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- Comprehensive Training Strategies
In crafting their lean manufacturing strategy, companies must empower all employees with an understanding on the lean manufacturing process.
If you’re a warehouse owner, for example, it’s important you train your staff to utilize the most efficient processes within their work. You might train staff to reduce waste by highlighting the most efficient methods of transporting goods across the warehouse floor. Getting all staff members on-board with the new lean manufacturing plan will help ensure the optimal foundation to the process, and prevent misunderstanding.
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- Effective Choice of Equipment
In creating the optimal lean manufacturing, company leaders must locate equipment that offers the best return on investment. Product defects are one of the leading causes of waste within an organization and manufacturing teams must work to minimize these product defects by employing the most effective equipment for their facility.
In assessing equipment, it’s important to analyze several factors. Firstly, companies should consider the time it takes to train their staff to use the equipment. Any time spent training staff becomes times that staff members are not spending completing their work. Secondly, company leaders must consider the structural quality and the performance of the equipment. If you’re a warehouse owner in a small facility you can might consider pallet jacks the leading choice over more difficult to operate forklifts, but if you’re running a large warehouse where a lift will be used daily in one area, than a stationary lift will be essential. You have to fully assess what will work best for your particular needs.
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- Inventory Management Systems
By understanding the challenges of managing their inventory within a system of lean manufacturing, companies can make more effective choices in areas such as storage and quality control. Inventory doesn’t gain in value over time, and so firms must harness techniques that allow them to reduce their on-site inventory and leave all products that are to be shipped in a quick time frame within the facility. To improve this inventory management process, companies must create an inventory checklist document that ensures all team members know which products are on-site and which are due to arrive in the short-term. This can help eliminate misunderstandings and prevent the company over-spending on storage and warehousing systems management.
Through effective deployment of the latest lean strategies, management staff at warehousing facilities across the country can reduce their expenditures. To learn more about how proper lifts can help your lean system, contact our trusted team directly.