Page 17 - MetalForming June 2012

Second, it’s never been more chal- lenging than it is now to hire engineers, program managers, quality personnel, production supervisors and hourly workers. Many suppliers have equip- ment capacity but lack the personnel to run a third (or even a second) shift. Today, manpower shortages are just as or more important than equipment- capacity shortages.
Finally, stressed production sched- ules have caused many suppliers to aban- don preventive-maintenance routines, causing unscheduled equipment down- time due to breakdowns and failures.
Best in Class
So how are best-in-class suppliers combatting these issues? More-pro- gressive metalforming suppliers man- age the issues described above by:
1) Using rough-cut demand fore- casts covering a 1- to 3-yr. period to determine when additional equipment and personnel must be in place and available for use. They use the output from this process to prioritize and schedule the hiring of new people and the addition of new equipment and floor space. Rough-cut planning involves using industry volume fore- casts, part routers and bills of materi- al, and the use of a series of productiv- ity and downtime assumptions to identify what, where and when capac- ity shortfalls will occur.
2) Reviewing and analyzing pro- duction releases received from cus- tomers, and making upward and down- ward adjustments based on their experiences with the particular cus- tomer. In other words, they adjust cus- tomer-demand schedules to reflect more likely demand patterns, at least in the short term.
3) Working diligently to develop attainable production schedules, fac- toring in appropriate scrap rates and various unplanned downtime condi- tions. This allows production sched- ules to become more predictable and stable. Also, don’t forget to load in appropriate demand driven by launch activities. A press being used to launch a part cannot be used simultaneously
for normal production.
4) Bringing in extra safety stock
material to provide schedule protection for small upward changes in produc- tion schedules.
5) Working more closely with outside processors (platers, coaters, painters assembly sourcing and heat treating, for example) to ensure sufficient capac- ity to support customer releases and schedules.
Employing these approaches can significantly smooth production per- formance and enhance metalformers’ profitability of. It also can provide improved visibility regarding the need to hire people, conduct a building expansion or purchase additional equipment.
Most importantly: It can bridge a critical gap, the difference between hav- ing a good year and a great one. MF
Best Practices
connect everywhere
Network your factories and offices with SmartPAC 2 and LETS (Line Efficiency Tracking Software)
Take advantage of
SmartPAC 2’s built-in Ethernet connectivity to communicate over your network.
Send and receive text messages, display setup sheets stored on a central server, back up your tools to a remote location, and view pressroom status over the network and internet. When you connect your equipment to LETS, you can collect production data, feed critical parameters reports automatically, view machine status in real time, and schedule a prioritized job queue for each machine.
To learn more about Wintriss Controls, please call 1-800-586-8324 or visit www.wintriss.com. ®2011 Wintriss Controls. All rights reserved.
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