In the 1970’s and 80’s, when technological advancements began to ramp up in the manufacturing world, process leaders turned their focus to removing variabilities. Today, with technology at the center of many common processes, it’s well understood that reduced variabilities will lead to a more consistent final product.
Variability reduction has a massive impact on an industry’s bottom line – but how? Here, we’ll dive into variability reduction, why it matters, and how to reduce it.
Why is Variability Reduction Important for Manufacturers?
Process variation can cause a ripple effect down the chain of command, creating cracks in everything from product quality to customer satisfaction. Ultimately, it chips away at the organization’s bottom line. High variability is the pathway to excess production waste and inflated costs.
The manufacturing market is growing more and more competitive every day. To keep ahead of the competition, reducing variabilities from everyday practices is crucial to maintaining that advantage. In today’s world of “only the strong survive”, we have to take a closer look at maintenance costs and control that spending, or organizations risk ending up on an ever growing list of failed factories.
The most successful manufacturing companies today have realized that asset maintenance truly does have a finished product that is measurable under a principle called Asset Reliability. Asset reliability comes from a process by which maintenance delivers that product, referred to as Precision Maintenance®.
Precision Maintenance – A Variability Reduction Strategy
With the right strategy, variabilities within the manufacturing process can be reduced. Usually, there are three places from which variability stems; manufacturing variation, environmental deterioration, and usage variation. The best way to prevent them is through an approach that gets operators onboard with precision maintenance.
Precision Maintenance® is where maintenance is always performed in a Known, Precise, Disciplined, and Documented approach. All we can do is depend on our maintenance craftsmen to know the process well enough to tell when they are inside or outside of set parameters and specifications. They need to have the right craft skills to know what to do to get the asset back into the set parameters (precision state).
Then, they have to document when they leave an asset outside of parameters and what the plan is to re-address that asset to get it into “precision”. This takes great discipline and must become an expectation or asset maintenance continues to be a “cost center” with no measurable product.
Creating Your Variability Reduction Strategy
In order to see where your manufacturing team is at in terms of variability, make some observations about the current state of operator expectation. Is it an expectation at your plant that maintenance is always performed in a known, precise, disciplined, and documented approach? Go out to the job and ask:
- Where are the specifications and job documentation worksheets?
- Where are the precision measuring tools (micrometers, torque wrench, alignment tools, etc.)?
- What are the expectations for the finished product?
A skills assessment might be necessary to get an even better scope of where your workforce is in terms of their craft skills.
From the answers provided, upper management can grasp the level of quality of work performed – which lays the foundations for the greatest opportunity to reduce maintenance costs. That foundation is in fixing the skill gaps that might be leading to these variabilities and holes in precision maintenance. The only way we can do that is to engage, empower, and expect our people to make a difference!
- Engage – make them proud to be craftsmen. Treat them with respect while demanding that they take responsibility and be accountable.
- Empower – Tool them up! Make sure they have the correct time, tools, and training to perform at the highest level.
- Expect – Communicate clear expectations of the quality level of work performance … Stick to those expectations. 99% of all craftsmen will meet your expectations. We are built that way!
Proper Training is The Best Way To Reduce Variabilities
Across the board, the most effective way to do away with process variabilities is to train everyone on the floor for precision maintenance. It’s not just a matter of ‘do this, and do it right’ – it’s not just on the work floor. Precision maintenance through all levels, from assembly and installation to storeroom asset care will drastically minimize production variabilities.
Reliability Solutions wants to be a partner with your company on your journey to Reliable Manufacturing® through Precision Maintenance®. Let us assist you to achieve Profitable Results® through excellence in Reliable Manufacturing®.
