Continuous Improvement Trends for Manufacturing
Continuous improvement trends are important to follow and learn from. For manufacturers in particular, the latest trends provide real world insight into the value of improving process optimization, organizational development, workforce morale and operational efficiency.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Analytics:
Manufacturers are increasingly integrating advanced analytics and artificial intelligence (AI) into their continuous improvement (CI) programs.
Some examples include: installing sensors and using that data to facilitate more predictive rather than reactive equipment maintenance schedules and priorities. Or utilizing IIoT (Industrial Internet of Things) concepts and software with legacy equipment to enable Lean events and CI methodologies to work in real time.
The traditional Lean tools (value-stream mapping, 5S, root‐cause analysis, kaizen) can be supported by tools using current data. For example, instead of manually tracking things like cycle times and defects, manufacturers can actively deploy tools to capture real time data, display it for people to see and offer recommendations on actions to take to identify improvements sooner and monitor interventions quicker.
How can these be implemented or tested? Select a small area on the floor or a short production line for a pilot test. Install sensors or connect a set of machines, gather baseline data and develop process work actions to implement based on the results.
Focus on data quality; understand that not all data is good and that it is ok for tests to fail before the correct set up and operation processes are identified for success.
Try to blend continuous improvement concepts with the tools and remember than operators, engineers and managers must be trained to interpret data, ask the right questions and verify the answers before moving onto the next process or test step.
Smart Factory & Automation:
Automation and steps toward “smarter”, more connected and integrated factories are here and getting more prevalent. This can increase productivity and efficiency, but also generate more data to analyze and offer more total picture visibility to supervisors and managers.
It may seem like science fiction to discuss mobile robots or autonomous guided vehicles being used on plant or factory floors, but this is becoming more common and human operators are still needed to run and maintain the technology that has jump started continuous improvement gains in recent years.
Automation is also frequently misunderstood or people only see the negative of replacing labor while missing the positives of shorter lead times, quicker changeovers, less waste, fewer defects and overall improved consistency of production. For continuous improvement, a re-evaluation of all processes and procedures needs to be completed so they can be right sized to work in an automated set up.
Sustainability:
Measuring the value of continuous improvement programs needs to incorporate sustainability metrics including energy usage, material waste, CO₂ emissions and water use along with the other data metrics focused on cost, waste and speed efficiencies.
For CI programs, this means that improvement reporting may now include new metrics alongside traditional metrics like yield, throughput and defect rates.
How can sustainability be incorporated effectively? One of the best ways is to set improvement targets and utilize value stream mapping (VSM) for all the normal things (flow, waste etc.), but also include energy, material, emissions and environmental wastes.
This will help engage all levels of personnel involved in the processes from operators and line supervisors to unit managers and production engineers. Listen to your people too; they can usually identify ways to improve any process, including reducing stoppage time, handling material scrap and energy usage during maintenance or changeovers that helps drive home that sustainability is good business, not just good for all of us and our planet.
Workforce Skills Enhancements:
As manufacturing becomes more technologically advanced and automated, the skills of the workforce and leadership in the organization become bigger parts of continuous improvement. It is very likely that most if not all of a workforce will require re-skilling or upskilling in the coming years to complete the tasks and operate the new technologies.
Continuous improvement activities now require not just knowledge of lean tools (5S, kaizen, value-stream mapping) but also digital literacy (data dashboards, analytics, IoT systems), change management skills, and ability to lead multi functional teams.
The level of investment organizations choose to make will directly impact the gains they realize and the retention numbers of their workforce. Culture is a buzzword thrown around quite a bit in the CI and Lean worlds, but, if important employees do not see their organizations moving forward, they will look for others that are doing so and have the confidence to change jobs. Those organizations that engage and invest should have a leg up on their competitors as well.
Supply Chain Flexibility:
Continuous improvement expanded beyond the factory floor into office processes years ago successfully and, now, are impacting supply chain and logistics.
Everyone learned an important lesson from the pandemic and it has gotten even more vital since then: an efficient and controllable supply chain can make or break an organization.
Flexibility (rapid changeovers, smaller batch sizes, mass customization) is part of continuous improvement strategy: being able to adapt to market demand changes, supply shortage, or customer requirements is crucial.
Traceability, transparency and real time visibility across the value chain are also opportunities for value realization by eliminating inventory waste, streamlining vendor selection, reducing lead time and improving supplier performance.
In conclusion: continuous improvement in manufacturing is not going away nor is it a set it and forget it type of activity. The traditional tools remain valid and important, but they are being adapted to work with the new tools and technologies. As discussed in more detail above, the key trends to watch include:
- Using data acquisition & analysis to drive informed decision making and more effective actions.
- Implementing automation and smart factory principles to improve flow, quality and flexibility
- Integrating relevant sustainability goals into improvement metrics
- Focusing on workforce skills, change management, and culture to maximize flexibility & traceability
Please contact Prosit for help developing, training, implementing and managing continuous improvement programs in manufacturing facilities. Our track record is well known; we will be glad to provide references and meet with organizations to scope out their needs.