How organized is your shop floor? Are you able to easily locate necessary stock? Shop floor organization is one of the biggest challenges for manufacturers. A disorganized stock floor significantly impacts your company’s efficiency.
A well thought out floor plan can lead to an increase in productivity, creating time for more orders to be processed, and ultimately higher profits. Consider these benefits:
1. More efficient use of time
If an employee can quickly and accurately pull the correct inventory, whether it’s a remnant or stock sheet, that’s less time taken to get equipment loaded and the order under way. Create a system in which any gauge of stock can be located without having to dig through piles of material or wander up and down aisles.
2. Reduce Work related Injuries
There should be nothing more important than the safety and well-being of your employees and a well-organized shop reduces confusion and hazardous work environments. Knowing exactly where and how materials are stored provides information to the employee on which equipment will be needed to safely retrieve it, whether forklift, cart, etc.
3. Increase production
If it takes your employee an average of an hour to find the correct stock vs. 10 minutes when they know exactly where to locate the material, that’s 50 minutes during which time the order could have already been in production. That’s 50 minutes that could be used to line up the next job, create a new quote, or, if needed, devote more time to quality control.
4. Opportunities are Easier to Spot
An organized shop floor can lead to improvements in other facility operations. Holes in your production process become more apparent making it easier for you to refine and/or adjust other areas of production such as quoting, order entry, shipping, etc. Additionally, you might see other opportunities to increase your throughput, whether it’s better software control, business integration, or better communication.
5. Great reputation
A well-organized shop is reflected in the quality of your product. Less wasted time means more time spent on getting the order right the first time. There is no doubt that your customers will see the difference in the finished product and appreciate the timing of delivery. Quality products and prompt delivery encourage repeat customers and positive referrals.
Don’t let a disorganized shop floor impede the success of your shop. Contact your regional sales representative to see how SigmaTEK’s end-to-end solutions can help you.
