To optimize your production line efficiency remove non value added activities from line. 1. Chit Chat on line may leads to loss in production and efficiency 2. Remove wastes from line 3. Line of balancing must be done to increase the effiency.

Start with mapping the end-to-end production processes steps, identify all activities involved at each steps its cycle time VS waiting time. Productivity and efficiency improvement could be done by; 1) Eliminate or minimize the non-value added activities 2) Simplify the processes, listen to the working level for the inputs 3) Eliminate or minimize the human skills dependance 4) Reduce the waiting time. 6) Reduce waste/scrap

Start with process flow diagram or SIPOC mapping of your process, review the process flow for any non value added activities, look for the 7 wastes that can impact your line productivity, make adjustments to the process, implement the changes and review the process performance post changes. This way we can arrive on root cause of the problems impacting the line productivity and opputunities for improvement.

Talk to your employees and listen -including all the stuff that is hard to listen to- affected by low morale, recent changes without explanation, bad tools or processes, bad parts, bad testers, bad specs, new team members, inexperienced leaders… please, don’t bring any acronyms to the conversation yet, even if you think you are an expert, use simple words - English or Spanish or whatever you need to find out how people see the world. After that, only after that, plan reasonable things to try out, repeat as necessary and be willing to drive change including leaders, products, equipment and vendors, I say that’s a good start.