NEWS
Workpiece quality in manufacturing generally is described in terms of meeting part dimension and surface finish requirements. An additional measurement of quality, namely on-time delivery performance, can be called process quality. The manufacturer must control processes to the degree that the planned production time is sufficient to complete the work and deliver it to the customer at the promised time. Pleasing Customers Versus Posting Profits A shop’s machines can run 100 percent of the time, but if poor delivery performance disappoints customers and they stop buying the shop’s products, the shop will fail. Keeping customers happy is a primary goal but concentrating on customer satisfaction alone can threaten profitability. Focus on the customer is critical, but a manufacturer must maximize utilization of its equipment while also meeting customer part volumes, quality requirements and delivery requirements.
The Heart Of Efficiency To describe manufacturing efficiency in basic biological terms, the heart of any production operation is the machining process. Although the body’s heart is indispensable, it does not work on its own. It is part of a system that includes the rest of the body and the brain. In manufacturing, if the heart is machining technology, the body is the overall manufacturing organization including engineering, business planning and administration. The brain of the organization is the group of personnel who coordinate all elements of the system. However, the brain cannot simply decide that the heart should pump faster, just as a person cannot control his or her heartbeat just by thinking it will be so. In the same way, a machining process is not always controllable from a rational perspective.
MORE INFORMATION
Promises and planning Successful manufacturing involves coordinated interaction of multiple groups within the manufacturing organization. One group promises customers certain outcomes regarding the cost, quality and time of delivery for the parts they order. The other groups in the organization, including engineering, purchasing, workshop personnel and administrators, make sure that those promises are kept.
The various groups define efficiency differently. Machining staff want to optimize individual machining processes for maximum output. Groups outside the technical machining process concentrate on improving the performance of the system overall. Their analysis covers issues such as overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) and labor productivity.
In today’s world of digital technology and the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), people, especially young people, want answers and clear rules for controlling the machining process. Unfortunately, in many cases there are no rational 24 | Industry EMEA | April 2020
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