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Global trade in the past few decades has seen the entry of manufacturers from India and China. These manufacturers can develop products that are cheaper for the customer. What can companies in North America do to address this challenge in the face of high production costs?
Lean manufacturing may provide a viable solution for companies through its principles and practices. By reducing waste and boosting productivity, these companies can keep up with the growing global competition.
Reducing Waste
Waste is any process that does not add value but consumes resources within the organization. It would have been hard to imagine the workplace without mobile phones and computers as it was decades ago. While these devices can enhance communication, however, they can have an opposite effect on productivity.
Lean manufacturing emphasizes streamlined processes that are minimalist. They only do what they are designed to do. These principles of simplicity seek to pinpoint areas of waste by evaluating processes. It helps avoid adding layers of systems that would complicate new and existing processes used in any industry.
One of the best practices is the application of strategies for process improvement. These strategies can enhance virtually every area of the plant. For example, just-in-time manufacturing keeps the inventory to a minimum based on customer orders. Proper execution of these processes will reduce costs and boost productivity.
Companies can also hire manufacturing consulting firms that can work as factory layout consultants to help manage their storage and working space.
Customer Service
Customers now use the internet and have come to expect quick responses to their queries. There is a need for streamlined communications between production managers, ICT technicians, and the staff. This way, the organization is in a better position to coordinate the delivery of products and services.
Data analytics is useful for many business processes today that want to understand their customer needs. Thus, ERP and CRM systems can be integrated with applications and existing processes to meet this need.
Now more than ever, companies need to manage their lead times effectively. More companies are now using the services of manufacturing consulting firms to enhance the process. By improving product quality and timely delivery, lean manufacturing can enhance customer satisfaction.
Improved Productivity and Employee Satisfaction
Organizations also need to pay attention to the needs of their employees. In the digital age, employees are more demanding of their employers than ever before. They need a work environment that pays attention to their day-to-day needs.
Lack of efficiency could lead to feelings of dissatisfaction among workers. A bloated work environment can demoralize your employees. Lean manufacturing can provide relief for staff while boosting the productivity of the organization. Through process improvement strategies, employees can be more at ease thanks to better assignment of tasks, less work due to increased efficiency, and reduction of waste.
Additionally, some companies may hire manufacturing consulting firms to train their employees on lean manufacturing principles. It empowers them to organize and streamline their work for efficient output. The advantage is that both the employee and the organization benefit from the training.
Keeping Up With Changing Times
Principles and practices applied in lean manufacturing make it easier to define and attain productivity goals. One of the practices is perfection. Perfection encourages organizations to strive to improve the quality of their goods.
Lean manufacturing engineering, therefore, does not see process improvement as an event. Rather, it’s continuous work towards perfection.
The world today is more connected than it has ever been before. There are many innovations and ideas that are applied to real-world problems. Adopting the lean manufacturing engineering principle of continuous process improvement is one way to keep your organization relevant.
The principles of lean engineering have been applied extensively in aviation, manufacturing industries, and Information Communications Technology systems. Organizations need to apply these cost-effective measures to stay competitive. One way to do this is to hire manufacturing consulting firms with the right professional industry experience. It will make attaining their productivity goals in today’s rapidly changing world much easier.
