Productivity in the manufacturing process can make or break a company.

Your costs could be significantly impacted by this. Profitability can be greatly impacted by this. Additionally, it has a big effect on your ability to compete in the marketplace.

But how can you ensure that your manufacturing is as efficient as possible?

Productivity is affected by a wide range of variables, including the processes followed, the equipment employed, and the actions of the workers themselves.

Improvement in all of these interrelated but diverse areas necessitates an ongoing evaluation of present systems and processes, identification of training requirements and evaluation of whether the tools and equipment employed are up to the mark.

It sounds a challenge, right?

Far not, however, as almost every manufacturer faces the issue of increasing production and efficiency.

Knowing the importance of the task and the benefits that may be reaped from even seemingly insignificant efforts may serve as both a source of inspiration and a rationale for putting more effort into it.

Why is productivity important?

Your business’s competitiveness and profitability can be directly impacted by improvements in productivity.

Even if you are a small or medium-sized organization, your products and markets, raw resources you use, your client personas and your geographic location all play a role.

Another way to think about it is by looking at the costs you pass on to your clients.

Weak productivity and inefficient processes lead to higher costs than they should be. There are three ways to deal with this cost: you can absorb it, you can pass it onto your customers, or you can minimize it by using lower-quality materials and lower-priced products.

Even if the cause is old or malfunctioning equipment, a disinterested workforce or haphazardly designed procedures, the outcome is always the same.

Regardless of how well your firm is currently performing, manufacturing productivity is something that can always and nearly always be improved upon.

Tips for improving productivity

Assess your current processes: Assess your current production and identify any bottlenecks or pain points in your manufacturing process before deciding how to boost productivity.

People, procedures, processes and technology all need to be examined in order to see how this all works together. The channels and techniques of communication, as well as the resources available for improvement, are also important considerations.

For this reason, make sure that any alterations you make are documented together with the observed / measured improvement (or lack thereof).

Training: One of the most frequently ignored strategies to increase manufacturing output is to train employees.

It is likely that your equipment and procedures are always improving in some aspect, depending on your sector and product type. Perhaps you need to implement the use of spray guns, for example. New product lines, technological advances, or even alterations to the law are all possibilities.

As a result, even if your employees have worked for you for a long time, training them can lead to better practices being followed and greater efficiency.

Cross-training is another overlooked component. Multi-skilled workers can ensure that productivity is not affected while team members are absent.

Reduced downtime is another benefit, as is the ability to work on subsequent processes more quickly and more efficiently if one task is done before moving on to the next.

Product knowledge: Training employees on how to run various machines or processes in your production setup can provide surprise outcomes in a similar way to learning the actual items that you produce.

As a side consequence of training, it can sometimes lead to proposals for improvement from the workers themselves, resulting in greater efficiency in the manufacturing process.

And this does not have to be conventional, classroom-style learning; supervised on-the-job training can be less disruptive while still being just as effective as regular classroom training.

Space: Your manufacturing productivity can be increased by making the most of the space you have available.

You may improve factory efficiency by cutting down on the amount of time your employees spend moving around.

By rearranging your factory floor, you can save time and money by placing frequently used machines and tools closer together, storing parts and components closer to where they are needed, and optimizing the efficiency of each trip, for example moving multiple items with a tote and reducing picking errors through the well-organized stock and parts bins.

Your production floor layout could be rearranged in order to facilitate a more efficient movement of components, products, and personnel.

Prepare for the unexpected

Finally, being prepared for surges in demand can help boost productivity.

While higher productivity is undoubtedly helpful in tackling any problems given by increased workload, which may be seasonal, due to unanticipated product success, or a large range of external circumstances beyond your control,  failing to plan can equally impair productivity.

In the event of a product backlog, it can lead to dissatisfied workers and an overstock of materials or components that continues to have an effect until the new demand is met.

This is another instance in which employing a multi-skilled workforce and utilizing the proper equipment is crucial.