Organization on the Machine Shop Floor
The organization is the cornerstone of efficiency and profit in a machine shop. We have focused on people, processes, machines, and tools in previous blogs. The focus today is an organization on the machine shop floor. One of the fundamental parts of the organization is flow. Adding new equipment, or even starting a new business, the layout of tools, machines, and grouping may not be things you have considered.
1.Streamline the journey — The little inefficiencies over time are what accumulate to create the bigger problems. You might think it goes without saying, but in many facilities, a piece must crisscross the floor numerous times as it’s transformed from the raw stock into a finished product. In practice, a straight-line approach (or at least a direct path) is a much more efficient method of CNC machine layout.
Consider the complete process from receiving and storing raw materials to each stage of processing, any stock that has to be inventoried, and final shipment. The time it takes to implement a CNC machine shop layout that naturally flows through each stage of the production process will be more than made up by the time you save, reducing the amount of ground that both materials and personnel must cover.
2.Group processes sensibly — Just as important as considering the flow of physical flow of production it is also important to consider grouping similar operations physically close together. One of the best examples of this is keeping your QC equipment close to your fulfillment area so that nothing gets overlooked and pieces can move directly from inspection to storage or fulfillment.
This grouping philosophy extends to planning production to run similar operations together to reduce changeover. This process of cellular manufacturing, where a part may not experience production from start to finish, or an order with a variety of parts may not be run in succession, may seem in opposition to the streamlined process, but simply follows that same principle of flow expanding it to scheduling. Similar parts utilizing the same tool or rough stock, for example, may be run in sequence and temporarily stored.
