Nowadays, companies want to optimise their production performance as much as possible in order to obtain the best results. At a time when industry is moving towards a digital and intelligent future, techniques and strategies are emerging to achieve the highest production efficiency at the lowest cost.
Also known as “lean production”, this work philosophy is essential for any company that is part of Industry 4.0.
What is Lean Manufacturing?
Among the most famous methodologies that form part of Industry 4.0, Lean Manufacturing stands out. Lean Manufacturing is a philosophy whose main function is to eliminate everything that does not add value in a production process. By applying this technique, higher quality end products are achieved, improved by a more agile, faster and more efficient production chain.
Lean Manufacturing seeks a maximum optimisation point, but without sacrificing the quality of the final product. To carry out this technique, there are 7 points that Lean Manufacturing must eliminate:
- Overproduction. Applying Lean Manufacturing means working on demand, carrying out a more flexible production, reducing the costs of raw materials or warehousing.
- Waiting. Reducing work pauses caused by incidents, breakdowns or other types of faults is key to making the most of the resources of any type of company.
- Stock. To avoid all kinds of waste and accumulation, it is important to get rid of stock. On demand production is one of the most famous solutions to avoid this kind of logistical hassle.
- Reducing quality failures and eliminating all kinds of rework is essential to be able to carry out Lean Manufacturing properly. Production failures generate more costs, wasted materials and unnecessary time investment.
- Avoiding unnecessary movement of employees means reducing the movement of workers from one place to another or interrupting the process of a started activity.
- Smart transport design is crucial to optimise resources in this process. To reduce the impact on production, strategic transport planning must be carried out.
- Unnecessary processes. There are a large number of activities that are carried out that could easily be reduced through RPA.
How to apply Lean Manufacturing in my company?
Lean Manufacturing is a methodology that can be applied in any industry, as it gives the opportunity to optimise the quality of its production, reducing all kinds of costs that do not add value to it.
To apply this work philosophy, it is essential to analyse the production processes in order to detect waste in their execution. To do this, a correct monitoring of assets, employees and all types of machinery must be implemented.
This will be one of the first steps to take to start getting rid of the most dispensable tasks and processes. To analyse all kinds of processes, you can help yourself with an integrated action platform such as Nexus Integra.
Thanks to this effective platform, you can start to know in detail all the information you need to carry out Lean Manufacturing. After being able to analyse the production processes, the time will come to correct those that are unnecessary, leaving aside those that can waste the company’s time and resources.
Lean Manufacturing and 4.0 Industry
Many people wonder whether Industry 4.0 is compatible with a Lean strategy and the reality is that such a factory is, in essence, a factory practising Lean Manufacturing.
In this type of business, there are several processes that can be reduced, optimised and improved. For example, through Machine Learning technology and, with the help of a SCADA system on a platform such as Nexus Integra, it will be possible to monitor and control the production processes and the complete operation of the plants in real time.
In this way, product quality, demand or the availability of raw materials in some of the plants could be predicted. Furthermore, having a PIM on this platform will also help to make use of Lean Manufacturing, reducing production processes, in an independent and intuitive platform.
Implement Lean Manufacturing with Nexus Integra
If you are seeking to optimise your organisation through smart solutions, implementing Lean Manufacturing will make a difference. With the help of technologies such as Big Data, IIoT or Machine Learning, you will achieve a more flexible, modular and optimised production.
Digitalise your factory with the help of Nexus Integra and get a 360° view of your company. Avoid unnecessary tasks and processes with the Lean Manufacturing philosophy. Turn your business into an interconnected company, optimised and adapted to new technologies.
