In manufacturing, constant improvement is vital. The challenge is finding the right areas to focus on in an increasingly complex environment. We created our new infographic to highlight a few areas that may need attention.
Trim costs. Eliminate waste. Satisfy Customers. Grow your business.
The goals may be easy to define, but they are challenging to achieve.
- 83% of manufacturers report that increasing operational complexity is an organizational challenge.
- 91% are faced with disruption and delays in the supply chain process.
- 70% are under serious pressure to cut costs and improve productivity.
In such a complex environment, finding the right areas of improvement can be difficult.
The danger? Not noticing problems until it’s too late.
Look for these 7 RED FLAGS, and discover where your operation could use improvement.
1. Do you perform inventory audits, cycle counts, or other stock processes manually?
Or do you use barcode scanners or RFID tags to gather inventory data?
2. Does your tight delivery schedule involve a pen-and-paper confirmation process?
Or do your drivers and other field employees use automated proof-of-delivery systems to capture delivery data quickly and accurately?
3. Do your employees manually record and verify every outgoing shipment?
Or does your pack verification system use RFID or barcode scanning technology to do the job in seconds?
4. Do you need to wait to receive end-of-day reports to discover defects and errors in the manufacturing process?
Or does your defect tracking system deliver actionable information quickly enough to find the source and address the problem?
5. Is your ability to recover shipping assets (such as returnable totes) limited by your client’s ability to keep track?
Or do your systems automatically record shipping data, making it easy to recover or be reimbursed for lost containers?
6. Is your information about your process isolated into several separate systems?
Or does everything integrate into your ERP, WMS, or other management program?
7. Do you wonder about the accuracy and reliability of your information?
Or does your data collection process equip you to make confident decisions and recommendations?
Seeing some red flags in your organization? The next step towards efficient operations is just a conversation away. Partner with The SMS Group—experts in overcoming the complexities of today’s manufacturing environment.
