How to Increase Manufacturing Quality and Quality Consistency in Your Plant
In this post, we are going to show you how you can increase manufacturing quality in your plant.
We have over 40 years of experience in the material handling industry, and we would love to share our expertise and experience with you.
This definitive guide will outline 5 ways to increase manufacturing quality and quality consistency including working as a team and implementing planned shutdowns. So, let's get going!
Your entire team working together can increase
manufacturing quality
5 Ways to Increase Manufacturing Quality in Your Plant: Definitive Guide for Plant Managers
1. Work as a Team not as Individuals
An important way to increase manufacturing quality is to recognize that the quality of your products will not be improved by individuals; it will take the effort of your whole team to make a real, lasting difference.
When you involve employees from every area of your manufacturing process, you will get a wider variety of perspectives and ideas on ways to improve on quality and efficiency.
When everyone from each department is involved in the process, they are more likely to implement the improvements decided upon.
Develop Strong Communication:
In addition to involving different departments in the improvements, it's also vital that you develop a strong communication system between departments to make sure that your workflow is steady and that all departments are working together as a team.
Some effective ways that you can strengthen communication and the sense that everyone is on the same team is by having:
Company socials
Acknowledging excellent work performance
Team building exercises can help improve communication among your employees
Keep Morale High:
All of the above will help to build the morale of your workforce. When the morale is high in your plant, your employees are more likely to want to work as a team, do their best, and see their fellow employees succeed.
Examine Process History:
A good way to start increasing quality is to take a close look at why each step in the manufacturing process is done the way that it is.
Try to discover the reasoning behind each process and its history to learn why it was originally put in place. This information can help you to avoid problems that were encountered in the past.
By combining process history with the perspectives of your entire team, you can begin to make solid improvements.
Discover what your customers want in a quality product
2. Find Out What Your Customers Consider High Quality
Try to determine what your customer would consider a higher or better quality product. Simply making your product out of more expensive materials or adding extra features may not actually raise its value in the eyes of the consumer.
A product that is "better" from your personal perspective is not going to sell better if it's not "better from your customer's perspective. It's important to find out what your customers consider important with regards to quality and try to find a way to do it at a minimal cost.
It is helpful to have someone from your sales or marketing department determine what your customers want as they are probably the most in touch with your consumers.
It’s better to fix a defect in your product before it reaches the consumer
3. Get Your Staff to “Buy In” to the Cost of Quality
It is much more cost-effective to fix the source of a manufacturing defect before your product is actually created than it is to fix the defect once the item has reached the consumer. This is because it is very expensive to:
Replace defective products with new ones and
Restore the damage done to your company's reputation
It is much more cost-effective to fix the problem before the product is ever sold. Therefore, a great way to increase manufacturing quality is to get your staff to buy into this fact.
If your staff has this perspective, they will be more likely to look out for the root cause of possible problems, more likely to troubleshoot and prevent defects before they reach the public.
Planned shutdowns will give you a chance to review your processes and service your equipment
4. Incorporate Planned Shutdown Periods for Maintenance and Reviews
If your goal is to increase manufacturing quality, then having planned shutdown periods is a must.
During these periods, you will be better able to thoroughly review your current processes and perform necessary facility and equipment maintenance so that you can improve on your current standards,
Planned maintenance will ensure that your equipment is kept in top working condition and means that you’re less likely to have an unplanned shutdown due to costly breakdowns or accidents.
For example you can do any required maintenance on your material handling equipment as well as the equipment on your production lines.
At this time, management can also take a closer look at the quality of your products and work on ways to improve them.
Implementing standard operating procedures will help you achieve consistency in how processes and tasks are performed
5. Make Training a Priority for Your Employees
A strong training program can go a long way to increase manufacturing quality. Your employees need to be well trained on safety practices, processes, and sustaining the quality of the products they are making.
In addition, developing Standard Operating Procedures (SOPS) will help you achieve consistency in how processes and tasks are performed.
SOPs are "clearly documented, step-by-step procedures and checklists that are easy for employees to follow and greatly reduce the chances of mistakes."
SOPs are also very helpful for you as a plant manager because they give you a standard that is useful in "redirecting or disciplining" your workers.
Your employee is less likely to say "That's not how I was told to do that," because the actual process is clearly written down and has not been passed on merely by word of mouth from a trainer.
Wayco: Material Handling Equipment Repairs and Service You Can Trust
You can trust Wayco with all your forklift and material handling equipment repairs. Wayco can also help make sure that your equipment is well maintained.
We can track and pre-schedule all maintenance work for you so that your equipment is properly serviced in a timely manner.
This will help you avoid expensive downtime, and you won't have to remember to schedule or book your service work. We'll do it for you!
Wayco also has an incredibly fast response time so you won't have to wait to get your lift trucks back in operation. We can usually have our service tech at your location within 2 to 3 hours and we also guarantee same day!
Contact Wayco today to set up regular maintenance schedule.
