Whether you’re manufacturing automotive parts or tennis shoes, everyone wants to minimize waste and maximize efficiency. You might have great sales numbers but if you’re wasting resources, your profits won’t grow. This is what the concept of continuous improvement can address. Let’s talk more about continuous improvement in manufacturing and practical applications to benefit from it.
What is continuous improvement in manufacturing?
As a concept, continuous improvement is applicable across all industries. However, its roots lie in how manufacturing is done.
Simply put, continuous improvement breaks down an established process into smaller processes, removes the inefficient sections and puts it back together using only what is essential. It involves top management and decision-makers as well as inputs from people involved in the on-ground manufacturing process.
Continuous improvement is not a one-time act. It is a cultural feature that the entire workforce must adopt. This is an iterative process where small, frequent changes can result in major improvements. The incremental approach allows space for experimentation and makes the changes easier to adopt.
Why is continuous improvement important in manufacturing?
A culture focused on continuous improvement can be a powerful differentiator for manufacturers. Regularly evaluating the different manufacturing processes makes it easy to spot opportunities for improvement and ways to cut down on waste. This allows you to streamline operations and leverage emerging technologies to stay ahead.
It also improves your bottom line. After all, as you lower waste, you improve production quality. There’s a lower rate of defects and you can deliver better-quality products. In turn, this improves customer relationships and lowers your overall churn rate.
Further, the iterative nature of this form of improvement also allows you to experiment. Small changes reduce the sunk cost and effort bias. If a proposed solution does not work, you can revert to the original process or adjust the process to improve the outcome. This also encourages cross-department collaboration and innovation.
How to implement continuous improvement in manufacturing
Continuous improvement is not a new concept. It dates back to the mid-1900s. Hence, there are a number of strategies and approaches to implement continuous improvement in manufacturing. Some work well as stand-alone programs while others work in tandem to maximize their impact. The most common among them are:
The Lean Approach
The lean approach to continuous improvement defines waste as something that does not add value. This could be in the form of excess inventory, defective products, delays, overproduction and so on. It focuses on identifying such activities in a process and eliminating them.
Six Sigma
Six Sigma uses data to improve processes. When it comes to continuous improvement for manufacturing, the DMAIC framework drives Six Sigma initiatives.
- Define: Identify a problem.
- Measure: Gather data to measure the current efficiency and establish a baseline for future performance evaluation.
- Analyze: Identify the root cause of the problem.
- Improve: Implement creative solutions to improve the process.
- Control: Communicate the change to relevant teams.
Standardized Work
This involves defining and documenting precise steps and sequences for every task. It may be in the form of a written document, infographic or even a video. Standard Operating Procedures are a common example. Defining steps in the process, ensures consistency and reduces variations in the finished product.
Kaizen
This Japanese term can be translated as ‘improvement’ or ‘good change’. It emphasizes taking small proactive steps that everyone can perform. The Kaizen cycle has 5 steps.
- Identify the problem
Encourage workers across different levels of hierarchy to find potential problems.
- Brainstorm solutions
Identify solutions that might help solve the problem.
- Test a solution
Choose a solution and implement a pilot program.
- Measure and analyze
Study the impact of the pilot program against measurable Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).
- Adopt
If the results are positive, implement the changes across the organization else go back to the testing phase.
Repeat these steps whenever you notice new problems or opportunities for improvement.
Deming Cycle or PDCA cycle
The Deming Cycle or PDCA approach condenses the Kaizen strategy. It has 4 key components:
- Plan: Identify and analyze a problem.
- Do: Design a solution and apply it on a small scale.
- Check: Analyze how this change impacts the issue.
- Act: Implement the tested change across the organization.
Tools to support continuous improvement in manufacturing
For any continuous improvement strategy to work, it must involve everyone. Some of the tools that can support this are:
Gemba walks
Gemba walks direct engineers and decision-makers to be present on the manufacturing floor. It encourages regular interaction with factory workers to understand the problems being faced by them and accordingly, design practical solutions.
The 5Whys
This is a useful tool at the problem identification stage. Rather than address only the visible issue, it allows you to discover the root cause by asking a series of 5 ‘Why’ questions. Let’s say you noticed a batch of products with an uneven finish. So, let’s find out the root cause.
- Why 1: the machine isn’t properly aligned.
- Why 2: the alignment pins are worn out.
- Why 3: they haven’t been replaced on schedule.
- Why 4: the maintenance team hasn’t followed up on requests.
- Why 5: the maintenance team is overloaded with service requests and needs to hire more people.
By hiring sufficient maintenance staff, you can ensure this issue doesn’t recur.
Visual Management
Visual management tools support internal communication and progress charting. This could be in the form of digital dashboards, color-coded charts, floor markings for safety and so on. It tells workers on the factory floor what to do at each stage of your manufacturing process. Similarly, it allows decision-makers to oversee the flow of work in real-time.
Integrating Continuous Improvement into your company culture
Continuous improvement should not be limited to a single problem or process. Rather, it should be adopted as a mindset. Encourage everyone to actively address activities that lower efficiency. Digital tools like Fabriq can play an important role throughout the process.
A visual representation of your progress towards manufacturing targets makes it easy to identify bottlenecks and production issues. It facilitates a collaborative problem-solving approach by making real-time data easy to access. It also empowers you to communicate solutions and standardize processes. Thus, it accelerates the implementation of continuous improvement actions.
Though continuous improvement is seen as a long-term process, you can feel the impact of every small change almost immediately. You’ll reach production targets faster, have fewer defects, fewer accidents, a happier team and satisfied customers. Reach out to know more.
