After your design phase, your shop floor operations are the heart of your factory and the whole success of your organisation.
To have a truly effective shop floor at all times, you need to implement some strategies to optimise your operations.
Today, we tell you 7 ways to get your shop floor to another level, streamline your workflows, and become more efficient and cost-effective.
What is the shop floor?
The shop floor is the epicentre of all manufacturing activities. In other words, it’s the part of your factory where the action happens.
It’s in this place where product-related value-added activities take place and where raw materials and components meet to become the end products you want.
After the design phase, the role of the shop floor for your factory is pivotal, as it directly affects product quality, production costs, and overall efficiency.
A well-functioning workshop relies on the seamless integration of the 5Ms: Material, machines, methods, men (human resources), and mother nature (environment).
Let’s take a look at each one of them and their relevance for a shop floor that works like clockwork!
Material(s)
The best way to consistently achieve a smooth workflow is by carefully managing raw materials and essential components.
By adhering to just-in-time principles, you can reduce inventory costs significantly while boosting production.
Machines
The best way to empower your workforce is by giving them appropriate production and control equipment and training them on how to use it and maintain it.
Regular maintenance and upkeep of machinery drive optimal performance and minimise downtime.
Methods
Driving efficiency and quality is easy when you streamline processes and work instructions.
Using continuous improvement methods helps get rid of any non-value-added tasks and paves the way for improved productivity.
Men (human resources)
An effective shop floor relies on a skilled and motivated workforce.
The best way to achieve this is by actively encouraging your employees to propose improvement ideas, as it fosters a sense of ownership and teamwork.
Mother nature (environment)
In today’s environmentally conscious world, complying with internal and external regulations concerning waste management and sustainability is paramount.
Responsible waste handling and recycling initiatives contribute to a greener culture in your factory.
What important operations happen on the shop floor?
Because the shop floor is the heart of your factory’s action, the operations that happen there are crucial to your production chain.
To ensure a workshop operates at its full potential, you need to focus on key operations that take place on the shop floor, such as:
Building a production plan — Aligning the production plan with customer demands and existing production capacities is crucial for meeting market demands efficiently.
Respecting the production plan — Staying committed to the production plan minimises deviations and cost overruns, and regular monitoring ensures that operations remain on track.
Embracing just-in-time principles — Implementing Just-in-Time principles to ensure all materials are available when needed enhances efficiency by reducing inventory costs and avoiding waste.
Ensuring resource availability — Maintaining and ensuring the availability of the means of production and control is essential for uninterrupted workflow.
Optimising production flows — Optimising the flow of production at workstations reduces bottlenecks and improves the use of your resources.
Design a process that gets rid of non-value-added tasks — Lean principles help to identify and eliminate non-value-added tasks, streamlining processes for maximum efficiency.
Applying 5S Principles — Implementing 5S principles throughout the workshop fosters an organised and clean workspace, improving productivity and safety.
Standardisation — Standardising production, maintenance, and control activities ensure consistency, efficiency, and improved personnel training.
Dealing with non-conformities — Having protocols to address non-conformities promptly and effectively minimises disruptions to production.
Recycling and sustainability — Responsible recycling practices and a commitment to sustainability help protect the environment and build a positive brand image.
How can you improve your Shop Floor operations?
To manage your shop floor efficiently, you need to take a holistic approach with continuous improvement at its core.
We’ve put together 7 strategies to show you how to improve your shop floor operations:
1. Encourage continuous improvement
A culture of continuous improvement that encourages employees to identify and propose solutions to existing challenges makes your shop floor operations more accurate and cost-effective, and your employees, more productive and motivated.
2. Observe regularly
Regular observation of both your processes and your workstations —through job observation routines or Gemba walks— helps you identify areas for improvement and address issues swiftly.
3. Emphasize 5S principles
5S principles are the key to a successful shop floor.
When you enforce these principles, you create an organised, efficient, and safe workspace that fosters productivity and employee satisfaction.
4. Digitalise your operations
When you standardise your operations digitally, you ensure consistent training and compliance across all departments, which drives overall efficiency and quality.
5. Develop problem-solving skills
When your teams are good at problem-solving, you can rest assured your shop floor is in good hands.
Investing in improving the problem-solving skills of your workforce empowers your employees to tackle challenges effectively, which translates into a more competitive organisation.
6. Align competency
Aligning workers with positions that suit their skills (ILUO) optimises their potential and brings with it a sense of fulfilment and productivity.
7. Keep up with regular maintenance
Ensuring thorough first and second-level maintenance for equipment, machines, and tools is crucial for minimising downtime and extending their lifespan.
mlean® & Shop Floor management
A well-organised and efficient workshop is the cornerstone of modern manufacturing success.
By integrating the 5Ms effectively, focusing on significant operations, and adopting strategic approaches for improvement, you can optimise shop floor operations, ensuring smooth workflows, enhanced productivity, and cost-effective production.
To help you do this with the right set of tools, we’ve developed our Shop Floor Management software (SFM).
Whether you need to define daily routines, schedule Gemba walks, or find continuous improvement opportunities, our software has everything you need to refine and optimise your shop floor operations for good.
Our digital tool is the most complete in the market and the best way to unify your tech stack.
From planning to monitoring, auditing, and more, our software is ready to turn your factory into a consistently efficient and competitive business.
Get a free demo today and take a look!
