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Do you need a Scheduler? Like many manufacturing companies, you’d love to be able to achieve all your delivery dates either on-time or early. But juggling multiple resources and dozens – if not hundreds – of jobs at the same time with machine down-time and changing priorities can make delivering all jobs on-time in full virtually impossible. So, you’re probably asking yourself the question: could I Improve OTIF Performance with a Scheduler. The spreadsheets approach Following a manual system, Spreadsheets are often the go-to first option for Production Planners. They are great for many reasons, but might not be the

What is an NCR? There are many standards required by manufacturers to operate safely and create quality products. ISO 9001 provides guidance for the industry by highlighting these standards. Nonetheless, although manufacturers like yourself work relentlessly to conform to regulations, it is not uncommon for things to go wrong. When you don’t meet a standard, either in product quality or adherence to a process, a non-conformance arises. If this happens, it is important that you document it and identify the root cause issue, to minimise recurrences. A non-conformance report (NCR) documents the failure that occurred, the parties involved, the corrective

The importance of shop floor communication Shop floor communication is vital, particularly in the manufacturing industry.  It’s an integral factor  to ensuring productivity throughout the  workplace  and to operate effectively.    As you know, shop floor staff must be aware of their  current  job requirements and  daily  priorities. If information isn’t communicated effectively, staff may begin working on jobs with a low priority, resulting in high priority jobs  being  delayed. Also, if a customer calls to request changes, this new information needs to be communicated to shop floor operatives as quickly as possible, to ensure parts are produced to the right specification. Subsequently,

COVID-19 and manufacturing The COVID-19 pandemic is a worldwide disruptive virus that has changed the way we live and work. Here in the UK, we’re entering another national lockdown to limit the number of Coronavirus cases. This is undoubtedly affecting all businesses as we speak. However, the manufacturing industry is not shutting down during the lockdown despite the difficulty in making this workplace COVID-secure due to its layout, resources, and quantity of staff. Consequently, manufacturers need to place an enormous focus on improving factory safety for the sake of their staff and production line. We have compiled several problems that you might

Are you unsure of your average production lead times? Which operatives are working on which jobs? And what machines are currently in use? There’s a good chance you have a rough idea of this, but when do you find out if things change? If it’s not until the end of the day, or when someone comes to tell you, then it’s too late. Fortunately, this blog will reveal how tracking live Work-in-Progress makes it easy for you to stay informed of everything that happens on your shop floor and how to implement live WIP tracking in your business. Why you

I’m sure you know the feeling when you buy the latest smartphone. The shiny packaging. That new phone feel. The lightning fast performance. Expecting that it’ll have better internet connection, take better pictures, and have a much improved battery life! You’re excited to unbox it. But then, when you hold the phone, it’s much bigger than you expected, and it doesn’t fit in your pocket. When you switch it on, it seems too complicated to use. Even simple things like sending a text seems like an ordeal! Even though the phone cost more than your monthly mortgage, you decide it’s not worth it. So, continue using your old phone that you’re used to. Ultimately, there’s zero return on investment. Surprisingly, there are similarities between this example and when you purchase production control software. After buying it, you may find the software is

Managing your manufacturing operations is the core of your business. And it’s important that you produce high quality parts and deliver goods on time to customers. When you’re starting out, you probably use a combination of paper and spreadsheets to do quotes, create job cards, track inventory and generate pretty much all of your paperwork. However, as your business grows, this becomes much too onerous to manage yourself. This is where production control software comes in. Let’s take a look at exactly what it is, and if you need it. What is production control software? Production control software is typically

As smart watches have become more popular, everyone talks about the number of steps they take, the calories they burn or the average minute mile on their latest run. These metrics are key performance indicators (KPIs) for tracking your activity and your health. In manufacturing, as we adopt more digital technology, you probably already have systems in place – and you undoubtedly have the data that comes with it! But with all this data available to you, do you know which KPIs you need to track? The reality is that every business is different and needs to track different metrics.

You’ve decided to bubble up with two other households this year, and you’re the host. After the commotion of your Christmas shopping trips, one of your son’s presents isn’t due to arrive until Christmas Eve. This gives you minimal time to check it’s right. Some family members are travelling across the country on Christmas Eve. There’s no doubt that the roads will be chaotic as everyone has similar plans. You’ve also been warned that you HAVE to watch the TV Christmas specials on Christmas Day because it’s not really Christmas without them. There’s lots to do at Christmas time, and