The "setup" problem in Manufacturing

Pre-amble

1.     In any manufacturing the “setup” has a complex set of requirements that are unique requiring hands-on, and skill-sets of at least ONE person (maybe more). 

2.     If you are a machinery manufacturer, post-supplying your machine to an end-customer, again the “setup” takes up time, effort, money, your best-people, amidst customer apathy or indifference for any number of reasons at the time.

3.     Post-supply of machinery, and often demanded by the customer’s customer, flexible manufacturing, market demands etc. other processes, products or runs have to be made on the SAME machine, requiring “setup” each time.

Some of the factors that affect “setup” may include …

      i.         Existing production has stopped. Idle time costs money. You want to start production at the earliest.

     ii.         Your current skill-sets or supervisory operators may not know, be able to or want to handle a setup.

    iii.         If the “setup” is not done properly, OEE (Overall Equipment Efficiency) will not be world class. Less output in numbers and volume. Increased rejection and wastage. Re-work and salvage bottlenecks pile-up. Planned inventories may not be enough. Morale of operators affected.

    iv.         Quite often “setup” can be measure as T&M (Time and Materials). X person-days and Y dollars before you are up to scratch.

     v.         During “setup” and initial production, the customer’s customer may change the design or the specifications as they themselves are evolving, adapting to their markets and customer needs. The setup stage stays till the customers’ customer approves.

Potential solutions …

a.     Have a single person who is charged to handle this and such “exceptions” from a normal process. A Total Quality Project Management approach must be adapted, with a start and finish to this “setup”.

b.     If you do not have the internal bandwidth of persons and/or skill-sets, retain a partnership with the Original Equipment Manufacturer. Have a third-party on contract to quickly step in.

c.     Each and every setup must be “captured” in terms of video, audio, documentation, checklists, process, standard operating procedures, version(s) control.

d.     Have an OT/IT partner (Operation Technology – Information Technology) to help you especially with the OT/IT phases.

e.     Robotic processes must be understood and explored for the potential to automate. Use of tools like Machine Learning, Expert Systems, Data analytics, Python logs, clextra etc.

In the main visual at the top of this article, the “red-dot” is where you could be at this point in time. A trigger to start thinking “smart”. Can you add AI, ML, DL, Expert Systems, Simulation, AR, VR, Mixed Reality, Automation, IoT, Sensors, Actuators, remote management, Digital Twin?

While offering all this as a statement, there is a mid-life factor of every asset, equipment, plant & machinery where things can be tweaked to be better. Marginal costing, Innovation, micro-innovation, artificial-intelligence, edge analytics, automation to first understand, and then help you boost productivity, efficiency, expense reduction and revenue increase with a “step-up” from your current flat-line level of performance to an ever increasing potential for output.

Talk to me.