The challenge for manufacturing operations is to create the configuration, processes, and the culture in the shop floor that will support the development of sustainable competitive advantage. Towards this end, it is important to focus on the elimination of waste and of non-value added activities / steps and to employ continuous improvement techniques. This, in fact, is the essence of Lean Manufacturing – eliminate anything that the customer is not willing to pay for.

Deloitte provides a flexible and holistic approach that can improve plant productivity & flexibility, maintenance operations & spare parts management as well as shop floor control. We work closely with your engineers, operations executives and shop floor personnel combining strategic and “lean” thinking to arrive at substantial and sustainable improvements.

Plant Productivity & Flexibility

The basic objective is to have a production facility that runs smoothly producing maximum output with the minimum cycle time.

Output is decreased due to unplanned downtime and reduced speed. Experience has shown that the implementation of Standard Operating Procedures and Fast Changeover Techniques enhance productivity and flexibility while Total Productive Maintenance increases machine availability and yield.

Manufacturing cycle time is adversely affected by the existence of non-value added steps and activities. It is not uncommon to find that more than 80% of the production time is spent in waiting and moving rather than processing.

Key Business Issues

• How can we decrease overall manufacturing cycle time and improve throughput?

• How can we decrease downtime and increase machine availability?

• How can we decrease Work-In-Progress inventory? Is our facility designed for movement minimization?

Maintenance Operations & Spare Parts Management

Maintenance operations are key for an efficient and undisturbed production process. Machine breakdowns create emergencies and expediting while they undermine the ability to attain production plans.

Experience has shown that implementing Total Productive Maintenance can increase machine availability significantly. Total Productive Maintenance is a set of tools and techniques emphasizing preventive maintenance and close cooperation between operators and technical personnel to improve results.

Naturally spare parts management is an integral part of maintenance operations. Demand for spare parts is difficult to forecast while a possible shortage may cause the whole line to stop. Yet, applying appropriate management techniques, companies can minimize spare parts investment while ensuring unhindered production.

Key Business Issues

• What can we expect from the implementation of a Total Productive Maintenance programme and what are the first steps?

• How do we improve cooperation between production and the technical department?

• How can we minimize spare parts investment without jeopardizing production operations?

Shop Floor Control

Controlling large sophisticated production facilities is definitely a difficult task. Even smaller facilities can represent a challenge given that any issues must be identified immediately to ensure normal production flow.

Employment of visual control techniques can help immediate information dissemination facilitating both the operators’ and the supervisors’ work.

In parallel, advances in production methods call for new approaches in shop floor organization, performance monitoring and reward. Team based approaches are becoming more and more common in managing shop floor operations.

Key Business Issues

• What performance indicators should be monitored?

• Is information available in a timely manner for decision making at all levels?

• How can we increase shop floor personnel motivation and performance?