MECHANICS
MANUFACTURING EFFICIENCY IS ON-TIME DELIVERIES AND SATISFIED CUSTOMERS
A machining workshop seeks to produce a certain number of parts, at a required level of quality, in the most efficient way, delivered on time. Traditionally, manufacturing businesses defined efficiency by return on investment. Success was measured in terms of continuous runs of thousands or hundreds of thousands of pieces and maintaining steady output from one or many machines was the goal. From that point of view, a machine that was running and making parts was considered efficient.
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oday, manufacturers more frequently carry out lowvolume/high-mix production scenarios tailored to varying customer needs. Lot sizes may range from hundreds of pieces to single digits. However, even when all the machines in a shop are running nonstop, customers nevertheless could still be waiting for parts they ordered. High-volume output strategies conflict with the flexibility and complex planning requirements of low-volume production scenarios.
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In the current manufacturing environment, true manufacturing efficiency involves striking a flexible balance between maximum output and timely fulfillment of a wide variety of individual customer orders. The focus is on the end result: on-time product delivery and satisfied customers. Quality Control While balancing output and demand, manufacturers must be careful to maintain product quality. Dealing with parts of unacceptable quality will force unplanned changes in production schedules, consume time and money and delay deliveries. Haphazard planning will cause production stoppages and leave machines sitting idle while shop floor labor costs multiply to handle the unforeseen problems the stoppages create.
