Controlling production time represents one of the main challenges of the textile industry, as it depends on other processes, such as the company’s training and machinery, and affects competitiveness and profitability. Reducing this time, which is called lead time, makes customers more satisfied and also reduces important production costs.
In this article, we explain how to calculate your lead time and strategies to apply in your management in order to reduce this rate. Understand.
What is production time?
Production time, or lead time, is the entire period that covers the production cycle, that is, the time spent from receiving the customer’s order to delivering the goods. After submitting the buyer’s request, the entire production process begins, such as the processing, assembly, packaging and shipping phases. So, the smaller this space is between the first and last stage, the better.
How to calculate production time in your textile industry?
To calculate production time you need to list all the products and raw materials used in all stages of manufacturing, the time it takes to acquire them, that is, from ordering to delivery from your supplier and the production time , which refers to the hours, days or months required to produce the products.
It is important not to forget to include holidays and weekends, breaks and possible delays, such as scheduled inspections and employee training. Having noted this, just add all these factors together and you will have your lead time.
Have you read these?
- What is quality control? How does it work in the textile industry?
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How to reduce production time?
Reducing your lead time requires the implementation of strategies that control and avoid possible delays and errors throughout the production cycle. Below, we separate the main processes that cannot be ignored in your management.
Otimize processos constantemente
Process optimization is a set of actions aimed at reducing costs, minimizing errors, failures and bottlenecks and other aspects that harm production quality, competitiveness, company image and profitability. In other words, they are strategic measures implemented to make the best use of all resources — labor, finance, technology and machinery.
For this optimization to occur efficiently, process mapping is necessary, as you need to identify all phases, responsible parties and materials needed in each production stage. Furthermore, it is necessary to work with strict quality control and management policies, so that problems such as defects, failures and bottlenecks are avoided and overcome.
Upgrade your machinery
The textile market is very volatile and often has new needs and demands. Furthermore, technologies advance and to have efficient management it is necessary to keep up with them to guarantee competitiveness, efficiency and productivity with the lowest financial and time expenses.
Therefore, it is necessary to innovate and update your machinery, so that it does not become obsolete, increase production time and harm the entire business. For example, think of a relaxer Processes that take up to 48 hours can be completed with greater quality in just a few minutes, in addition to eliminating failures and defects that are synonymous with losses.
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Invest in your people
As important as having up-to-date and efficient machinery is having capable and trained staff to operate this equipment. Whenever a new machine is purchased, operators need to undergo training, so that they know how it works, the gains they will have with the new machinery and safety measures (especially those related to NR12).
It is also important that all employees understand the production process and not just the stage for which they are responsible.
Automate processes
There are processes that can be easily automated, so that employees do not waste time on repetitive tasks and focus their efforts on more complex steps and decisions.
The phase of packaging products, for example, can generate plastic waste, be non-standardized and take up valuable time for several operators. To automate this process, wrappers carry out the entire process of packaging rolls of mesh or fabric alone, in a standardized way and without using excess material.
Controlling and looking for ways to reduce production time is a challenge, but it is a necessary strategy to reduce expenses, costs and ensure market competitiveness. After all, a slow industry loses customers due to the lack of agility and delivery times.
Speaking of innovating, take the opportunity to understand why innovation in production processes is the best way to reduce costs.
