Productivity is a key term in manufacturing and can be considered a measure of the output of individuals or teams. It is important because it reflects how a business is performing: the greater the output (goods and services) with less input (materials, labour and capital) the higher the productivity over a defined period of time. So what can influence productivity in manufacturing?
Firstly, the equipment used, how up to date it is but more importantly, how well maintained. With ageing assets being one of the main causes of unplanned downtime, having a proper maintenance strategy is crucial. Additionally, obsolescence may be another factor to consider, so planning also needs to include availability of stock and spare parts.
Secondly, employees, through their skills and knowledge gained from a combination of experience and training. Experience comes from exposure to and solving day-to-day operational issues. Training can be on-the-job and also from specific programmes – either run by the company itself or provided by an external party.
Thirdly, technology. For example, the use of smart sensors and specialist equipment to monitor machinery and track where and when breakdowns occur. The data can be used to support preventative and predictive maintenance to help prevent such occurrences in future.
Optimising these factors will almost certainly benefit productivity in manufacturing, not forgetting suppliers who can offer specialist support when necessary. And then we come to OEE (Overall Equipment Effectiveness) which measures how much production time is actually productive, so there’s really no rest in the quest for operational and manufacturing excellence!