In business, we hear all the time about the importance of being “proactive, not reactive.” In reference to manufacturing, it can be more complex to unpack the true meaning of being proactive. When you’re busy running production lines day in and day out, how can your plant realistically find time to be proactive?
Whether you’re aiming to become an innovative force in your industry or simply establish an advantage over competitors, it’s essential to spend time analyzing everything that could possibly go wrong during production. Organizations that only address problems as they arrive are unfortunately always one step behind each trend and opportunity.
That’s where being proactive comes in. If your plant develops feasible step-by-step solutions to each problem before it occurs, you can avoid surprises down the road and dedicate more time to developing new ideas and continuous improvements. Keep reading to learn which areas to prioritize when identifying potential issues and resolutions.
Supply Chain
The first area to explore for possible obstacles should be a familiar answer today: the supply chain. Manufacturers that rely on outside vendors for various resources are unfortunately at their mercy when it comes to completing production on time and hitting deadlines. If the supplier runs into labor shortages, extended shipping times, or their own shortages, your plant may end up facing the consequences. Much of the world has learned just how common these issues can become in the last couple years.
One potential solution to supply chain woes is identifying multiple backup suppliers, and even alternative materials, that your organization can quickly turn to. Building a list of substitutes allows your organization to act quickly and potentially beat a rush of competitors scrambling to find their own last-minute solutions. We saw this situation play out last year in the auto industry, when Toyota overcame semiconductor supply chain issues thanks to its large network of suppliers. You can read more about how Toyota proactively created competitive advantage for themselves in our recent article.
Maintenance
Say your plant manages to get all the raw materials it needs on time…and then your equipment malfunctions unexpectedly. Production delays due to machine breakdowns can be frustrating, but in some cases, they can be avoided. Most pieces of equipment benefit from predictive and preventive maintenance. Performing regular maintenance can extend the life of the machine, improve its efficiency, and reduce the number of interruptions to production. Additionally, predictive and preventive maintenance can be up to 40% more cost effective than reactive maintenance, according to the US Department of Energy.
Creating a data-driven predictive and preventive maintenance program can help avoid sudden stoppages caused by avoidable repairs. Your maintenance team can look for warning signs before a breakdown actually occurs, giving operators the ability to strategically plan the least disruptive schedule for equipment downtime. Plus, with less time spent scrambling to address sudden mishaps, the team can dedicate more time to coming up with new improvements.
R&D
Being proactive doesn’t stop once you’ve addressed day-to-day production problems. It should also continue into long-term planning by committing to research and development to keep your organization on the cutting edge. Dedicating time and funds to R&D can allow you to develop product design improvements, discover new markets, or identify other unique opportunities ahead of your competitors.
As you work through potential proactive improvements to the plant, it can be incredibly helpful to use a virtual plant model, or digital twin, to visualize the effects of each change. A virtual plant model is a digital representation of your plant’s unique capabilities, and it can be temporarily adjusted to explore the ramifications of implementing a process change or adding a new investment. The model can also help managers anticipate problems that may occur under the current plant schedule, ensuring that their team isn’t caught flat-footed and unprepared for upcoming challenges.
VirtECS® is one such tool that offers capacity analysis and virtual plant modeling. The tool has been used by manufacturers across the world to help their employees proactively prevent production challenges, rather than constantly react to them. If you’re interested in learning more about VirtECS®’ unique benefits to manufacturers, check out an overview of our advanced planning and scheduling software.
