Bottlenecks in manufacturing are still one of the biggest causes of problems regarding the quality and productivity of production. Avoiding them is essential to promote better products and, consequently, improve the industry’s marketing image.
Therefore, below we have gathered the main adversities of manufacturing and tips on how to identify them. Continue reading to check it out!
What are the main bottlenecks in manufacturing?
Unfortunately, there are still some bottlenecks in manufacturing that are recurrent in day-to-day production. These difficulties constantly hinder the productivity and quality of final products and the customer’s perception of the company.
They are, according to an article on the subject, any obstacle in the production system capable of restricting and determining its performance and its ability to obtain profitability.
So, in a manufacturing production process, a bottleneck is the stage that provides less production capacity, preventing or delaying the industry from fully meeting project demand.
In other words, the phase that is most overloaded is the one that tends to correspond to a bottleneck. They can be caused by a machine, equipment, employees or even sector.
Bottlenecks are responsible for limiting production speed. And, when eliminated, it may automatically change location, requiring improvements in several sectors.
Therefore, avoiding them is more than necessary. It is essential to ensure a healthy industry!
This is because, by eliminating production adversities, it will be possible to reduce costs, reduce manufacturing time, maximize productivity and meet delivery deadlines.
But the good news is that they can be predicted, identified and minimized even before they cause major losses to production. Therefore, it is essential to know the main bottlenecks in manufacturing.
We can cite, as examples, some adversities such as:
- Defective machines and setup times;
- Lack of specialized labor, unmotivated team and lack of training;
- Waste and increased costs;
- Problems with suppliers and government regulations;
- Difficulties with factory layout and lack of standardization in production;
- Speed between jobs.
All of these obstacles affect the industry’s marketing image by generating negative impacts on the final result. This makes healthy and sustainable growth impossible.
How to identify and avoid them?
As we saw above, identifying bottlenecks in manufacturing is a fundamental condition for the perfect functioning of the industry, generating health and increased competitiveness.
Therefore, below, we list some tips to help prevent these adversities. Continue reading to check it out!
Process mapping
The first step towards identifying bottlenecks in manufacturing is process mapping. This is the most important step in anticipating problems, eliminating possibilities of negative impacts on production.
This is the moment that concerns the study of the clothing production process with the aim of scoring and evaluating the stages that have the lowest productivity index and, therefore, cause bottlenecks.
Here operations are mapped and monitored to facilitate fault finding. Therefore, the causes of setbacks and waste are evaluated, exploring each restriction and the steps necessary to resolve the problem.
But this is a process that must be done from time to time, in a preventive manner, to avoid the emergence of new bottlenecks. After all, as we discussed previously, it is normal that, when one adversity is eliminated, another is identified in a new area.
Constant evaluation of results
Constant evaluation of results is an important step not only for identifying bottlenecks in manufacturing, but also for increasingly improving production.
Therefore, it is essential to obtain data-driven management so that it is easier to find problems with raw materials, errors in demand, low productivity and failures in product quality.
In this way, decisions will be made based on real information obtained with the help of the machinery, tools and equipment used in production. Which also contributes to the prediction and elimination of adversities.
Here it is essential to monitor maintenance KPIs, such as:
- Mean time between failures (MTBF);
- Mean time to repair (MTTR);
- Availability;
- Maintenance cost over billing (CMF).
Investment in technology
The technology in textile production is essential It is already part of the daily routine of industries that want evolution and optimization, without impacting the quality of the final product.
As we saw above, data-driven management guarantees the prevention of bottlenecks and more assertive decision-making. However, to obtain this information it is essential to invest in technological tools that are capable of capturing and centralizing each result, such as management software, for example.
The tip here is to connect management software to your machinery, to check and gather all the data in one place, optimizing the analysis.
It is also the responsibility of the maintenance manager to be aware of the information generated by this equipment to plan maintenance schedules, research and avoid bottlenecks. As well as to eliminate the need for corrective maintenance and thus reduce sector expenses.
We recommend applying Computer Aided Maintenance Management (CAM). This is a practice that helps predict failures and errors, making it easier to eliminate bottlenecks and plan the next steps.
Apply preventive maintenance techniques
And, finally, it is essential to apply preventive maintenance techniques! This is a type of maintenance that plans intervals and pre-determines them to reduce the probability of equipment failure, avoiding bottlenecks, waste, rework and high costs.
In other words, it will be possible to plan periodic stops to replace worn parts, ensuring the machine works perfectly for another period.
This way you will be able to predict when natural wear and tear will occur, planning new interventions. In other words, you will be able to provide an adequate pace of work, based on the balance necessary for the progress of activities.
Therefore, with preventive techniques it will be possible to organize, plan and control production in order to guarantee greater efficiency and productivity. As well as generating uniform, safe and unforeseen work.
To achieve this, it is essential to build Maintenance Planning and Control (PCM). Bearing this importance in mind, we have developed a checklist that contains the steps for building a PCM that contributes to the quality and productivity of your industry. Click the button below to download it for free!
