Wrong materials, incorrect tolerances, faulty ergonomics: there are countless ways to generate production waste. These are some of the most serious:
- Wasted prototypes: the creation of physical prototypes is a necessary part of product development, but the lower the number of prototypes required, the better. A racing engine manufacturer, a PTC customer, managed to cut weeks in development time by reducing the number of physical prototypes used for testing.
- Pieces that do not fit: with product design teams distributed all over the globe, the inevitable last-minute changes in design or manufacturing are even more dangerous: a subcontractor may not receive the latest file or the latest email electronic and could end up producing pieces that will not work.
- Changes in materials: when a subcontractor can not supply the requested material, it usually suggests an alternative. In too many cases, new information is lost somewhere along the route between the company’s supply office and the manufacturing group.
The impact of these and many other errors can be devastating for a small or medium-sized company. The effort to reduce waste and rework must be defined and designed as a global initiative in the company.
These are the steps to reduce waste in your organizations:
Paso 1: representation of totally digital products
Paso 2: creation of virtual prototypes and functional simulation
Paso 3: dimensional analysis and tolerances
Paso 4: disclosure of information from start to finish
Contact Metrics Mexico to help you with the waste problems in your company with cleaning and rework solutions at infomexico@mesinc.net