In today’s ultra-competitive manufacturing environment, your business needs every edge it can get. This often involves reducing risk and making incremental changes to processes, the sum of which can add up to massive cost savings and quality improvements. Here is what you need to know about something called “Continuous Improvement” in manufacturing and how businesses are using these solutions.
What is Continuous Improvement?
Continuous Improvement (CI) refers to a manufacturer’s ongoing efforts to improve processes or products either through breakthrough developments or small, incremental steps over time. The foundation of this concept lies in the implementation of fresh opportunities for improvement, even if it is for the smallest gains. Over time, those gains will add up and make a difference in higher quality, lower costs, and improved production processes.
Different Continuous Improvement Models
Manufacturers can use several different types of CI models to identify and implement changes. These include:
Plan, Do, Check, and Act (PDCA)
A common type of CI, PDCA is a step-by-step process in which workers Plan by identifying opportunities for improvements. Then, they Do by implementing plans on a small scale. The Check happens when results are measured. And Act refers to whether or not the changes are implemented on a larger scale or the changes are scrapped due to various issues.
Lean Manufacturing
Lean manufacturing refers to a strategy originally developed by Toyota after World War II in which manufacturers focus on building items to orders instead of building to sales and production quotas. This model seeks to optimize processes and eliminate waste.
Six Sigma
Six Sigma is a popular model that employs statistical analysis to make process improvements. The model’s goal is to eliminate defects while working toward six standard deviations between the mean and the nearest limit of any process.
Implementing Continuous Improvement in the Manufacturing Industry
If your business wants to implement CI in its manufacturing plant, it’s generally more effective when accomplished in small, incremental steps. Manufacturers that engage their entire workforce will have the best results because everyone will be looking for ways to improve. Finally, businesses must measure every process and improvement so that gains can be repeated.
When it comes to getting the best results for your project, Continuous Improvement solutions are not one-size-fits-all. Instead, these approaches take into account the unique factors of a given situation and apply standards to address them.
If you have a manufacturing project on your schedule or need a prototype produced, one solution is to team up with a partner that will get it done accurately and affordably. At Components by Design, our team has over two decades of experience working with CNC technology and CAD/CAM solutions. Contact us today to learn more about how we can transform your vision into a reality.