The downside of faster production can become especially evident for companies that operate in a high-mix, low-volume manufacturing environment. The perceived gains from faster cutting speeds are quickly diminished when parts sit as ‘work-in-process’ immediately after cutting. When lasers begin to outperform the offloading operation, the bottleneck shifts to parts organization – and shops must adapt accordingly. Because of this, it’s crucial to think beyond the cut.
An interesting way of evaluating the process is starting at the end. Starting with the last process and working backward is a good way to identify inefficiencies and opportunities for cost reduction. For instance, if you find that the parts are getting lost as they move from one stage of the production process, it may make sense to switch to kit nesting during the cutting process, so the parts that need to end up together, stay together. In this scenario, automated parts sorting could be beneficial for increasing manufacturing velocity through each stage of the process.
Read the full article in the Industrial Machinery Digest, to learn more about how inefficiencies in your processes may be costing you money, and see how automation, just might be your solution. Full Article