8 Ways to Eliminate Downtime Every Manufacturing Operations Leader Needs to Know (Blog)

Processes go down for many reasons (lack of maintenance, a breakdown in the maintenance process just to name a few). Examine your capability constraints to get to the heart of the breakdown and fix the problem at the source. It’s important to look at the whole operation to see which processes are critical, which you cannot afford to have down (hint: in many manufacturing operations, it’s the paint shop). As a manufacturer, you can’t afford to fix every problem, so prioritize through constraint identification and start there.

Use data to drive decisions. Ask these questions and collect data to determine the answers: Is the machine running at the speed that it should be? Sometimes we’re running below optimum speed capacity. Is the quality of the output good? What is the uptime? The overall equipment effectiveness is a combination of these three factors. Often OEE may be as low as 50 per cent and with a little bit of effort and data – along with a focus on the critical process you identified in step 31 – you can easily move up to 80 per cent.

Ensure that you have a total productive maintenance (TPM) program in place to take a proactive and preventative approach to maintenance. Organizations that have successfully implemented TPM see improved efficiencies, productivity, cycle times with reduced downtime (fewer breakdowns), fewer defects and better safety. If you don’t have a TPM plan in place, it’s important to start somewhere. Begin with the equipment’s manufacturer recommended maintenance schedule on equipment and have a plan for maintenance. Does everyone who needs to know, know? This is particularly important for critical equipment.

Andon light or simple stoplight (red, yellow, green) signage can be used to visually communicate changes in the production process or equipment concerns. If the operator senses something’s just ‘off”, putting up a simple visual indicator for the supervisor, manager, or maintenance team to say come over and have a look can prevent many problems before they occur. Too often in manufacturing, when something breaks down and maintenance asks why didn’t you tell me, the answer is “well, you never asked.” This doesn’t mean the operator must be a maintenance professional, but by giving them the tools (flag, light, coloured signage, etc.) you also create an early warning system that can pay off significantly. Complement this with ownership over simple maintenance tasks and basic routines (you don’t have to take your car to the mechanic to top up the air in the tire) and you have a recipe for success.

Too often, we assume that people with experience must also have the skills and knowledge to do the job correctly, the truth is that sometimes they don’t. At Toyota – no one on shop floor can do the simplest of tasks until they’ve been assessed, trained and assessed again. Then, once on floor, they receive further assessment and coaching. Consider a program like Training Within Industry’s Job Instruction module to ensure that the people doing work have knowledge and skills to do the job and have the help that they need when they need it.

First, ensure that our KPIs are measuring the right data and that those metrics tie to the right processes. Next, introduce statistical process control and combine with simple visuals: is the process running the way it should be? At the Nippon Denso, every person in a plant with more than a million square feet can easily see if a single machine is stopped through visual queues. What about in your factory?

Know when to upgrade and don’t be afraid to invest. Every major equipment purchase has to fit within an overall acquisition strategy. Each capital equipment investment requires a strategic plan that addresses both short- and long-term needs, which can also be identified by Return on Investment (ROI). Adopting the practice of completing a cost-benefit analysis is important in determining pros and cons when it comes to justifying your purchase and the amount you can budget by defining this ROI. Doing your homework to ensure you purchase the right equipment will greatly improve your work processes, overall productivity and the bottom line. Vice versa, buying the wrong equipment without doing your homework greatly detracts from these values. Buying by following an acquisition strategy saves time and resources, while also avoids acquiring costly “quick-fix” purchases (which can be found later to be ROI deficient). CME and its members have extensive equipment acquisition experience. Read our Smart Manufacturing Equipment Purchase Guide here.

Hold a Kaizen blitz and focus on setup time reduction. In many manufacturing operations, too much time is wasted in setup and changeover. Be sure to look to other manufacturing operations in your area to identify best practices in other organizations to inspire your own efforts, which you can see it in action with CME Lean consortia and doors open, best practice tours.