April 5, 2022
Supply: Jon M. Quigley | Worth Transformation LLC
There isn’t a silver bullet.
Companies are consistently underneath value pressures, this contains manufacturing. Materials and labor value generally is a vital value within the product. We use worth engineering methods to make sure that materials prices are as little as we will whereas nonetheless assembly the efficiency and high quality goals of the shopper and the group. In addition to the labor prices, automation can enhance high quality. I shake after I hear folks use the phrases all the time and by no means. Persons are not that repeatable; automation can result in a really repeatable final result if completed appropriately.
Automation is normally not an all or nothing proposition. It’s potential to automate a few of our manufacturing line and nonetheless require folks in assist of the manufacturing line. The extent of funding to automate balanced in opposition to the extent of human expertise obtainable to maintain the manufacturing line working. Up entrance funding of capital, juxtaposed in opposition to hourly fee to work the road, and each typically exist. That’s the place issues can change into troublesome. We could consider that automation is the savior for decreasing the related labor prices, however until the road is absolutely automated, we are going to nonetheless have folks working the road. This could current some challenges.
Fashionable strains aren’t solely automated, however can even carry out the measurements, not simply on a few of the components, however all of the components and mechanically. This reduces the cognitive and bodily load upon the crew members. That is maybe a great factor, however doesn’t assist relating to partaking the crew. I’ve heard managers say simply this, and is among the causes for writing.
Have you ever ever been a part of a crew? I don’t imply what most seek advice from as crew, however these uncommon occurrences after we are completely engaged and extra importantly, so too our crew mates. When you’ve got had these uncommon moments, you perceive the ability of crew engagement. A enterprise makes progress not by way of know-how, however by way of the creativity and expertise of the crew members. It takes this stuff to find out the very best method to automation. No drawback right here. Nonetheless, what occurs to the extent of engagement for these remaining on the manufacturing line? I’ve been eager about worker engagement for years now, a great place to view worker engagement over time, is the Gallup Office Engagement. I’ve been following this ballot for a few years, and a few of that is fairly scary. Their ballot breaks down into the three classes under[1].
- Engaged – work with ardour and emotionally connected to group. Producing new concepts and constant efficiency to maneuver the group ahead.
- Not engaged – put their time in, however no ardour or vitality into their work.
- Actively disengaged – sad and resentful, they unfold negativity throughout the group.
Lack of engagement limits the obtainable creativity and expertise; this isn’t the best way to steady enchancment or aggressive benefit.
Group members shouldn’t have the identical demand for his or her consideration on the manufacturing line as these strains which are largely handbook. This discount of give attention to the manufacturing line must be a great factor in that it supplies time for our crew to discover different enhancements and inventive concepts. But in discussions with managers of producing strains we discover that maintaining the crew engaged to be troublesome. Diminished stress because of a excessive diploma of give attention to the road, ought to make it potential to enhance the group at giant. It’s in everyone’s greatest curiosity to search out methods to interact our crew members past the main target of the automated manufacturing line.
It isn’t in our organizations greatest curiosity and longevity to have unmotivated expertise. The extent of automation of the manufacturing line could place limits the quantity of crew engagement sustaining a producing line. If the road isn’t extensively automated, we might be able to enhance it by way of the creativity and expertise of our crew, engagement. If we will enhance the road, we will use a number of methods and develop a tradition of steady enchancment fixed studying. If the road automation is critical however not completely, we will focus the expertise supporting the road on different areas of the group.
- Operations enchancment (logistics)
- Course of enchancment
- High quality enchancment
- Worth Stream Mapping
- Worth Engineering (or different product / course of value enchancment)
The method needn’t be any of those, or every other formal regiment. The purpose is to discover a motivating goal, and develop an setting that won’t solely permit, however worth crew exploration and studying. Actually, there are good arguments for moderating the formalism, making simpler for the crew to discover options. If elevated engagement might be obtained by way of some home-grown method that would be the greatest answer.
Competitors doesn’t finish as a result of we have now automated our manufacturing line. True opponents are consistently striving to enhancing. Growing a line that balances the capital funding together with the labor burden at time t=0 (begin of producing) doesn’t essentially imply the tip enhancements. It is a reality to which suppliers to the automotive Unique Tools Manufacturing (OEMs) are all too conscious. From expertise, OEMs go to their tier 1 suppliers and “request” value reductions yearly. Additionally from expertise, these decreases in sale worth are sometimes contractual obligations. Even when the manufacturing runs are 10 or extra years lengthy with little or no extra investments publish launch. Steady enchancment doesn’t finish when we have now automated the road. Creativity doesn’t come from automation, however from our crew and steady exploration. The on-going concern is greatest served not by way of an over reliance on automation, however the expertise, creativity, fixed studying, and engagement of the crew members. Not apathy.
Jon M. Quigley PMP (204278) CTFL is a principal and founding member of Worth Transformation, a product growth (from thought to product retirement) and price enchancment group established in 2009. Jon has an Engineering Diploma from the College of North Carolina at Charlotte, and two grasp’s Levels from the Metropolis College of Seattle in addition to two globally acknowledged certifications. Jon has greater than thirty years of product growth and manufacturing expertise, starting from embedded {hardware} and software program by way of verification and course of and mission administration. Jon has gained awards such because the Volvo-3P Technical Award in 2005 occurring to win the 2006 Volvo Know-how Award.
