At Advanced Jiffy Machine, we’re proud to talk about our own innovations, and marvel at others. Even we’re willing to admit that these take time to implement, though. Our own automated cell improvements were broken up into three phases and implemented over months. So, innovations may seem like a lot of effort that won’t show progress right away. They’re worth it in the long run, but sometimes you want to see improvements faster. There’s a fix for that, too. It’s called the 3 p’s of manufacturing.
The 3 p’s of manufacturing are process, people, and product. They are the three solid pillars which any company in the manufacturing must be built on, if they want to succeed. If any one of these pillars is weak, the company will be less successful. So, an easy way to improve the success of your business is to work on these three areas.
The First “P” Process
The first p, process, is where a lot of the productivity happens. If you’re noticing wasted time or energy, or your products are not being delivered on schedule, then improving this area could dramatically increase your profitability.
Here’s some questions you can ask to start improving your processes.
- Can I simplify this process so there are less steps?
- Are there places where the process is “stalled” because of the needs of a machine or a person?
- Can I reorganize the steps of the process to be more efficient?
People Are Important
As much as manufacturing is moving towards automated processes, the industry still needs people. Sometimes people are still doing the tasks, and sometimes they’re fixing or overseeing the machines that perform the tasks. Since so much of the industry still relies on people, getting the right people in the right places will improve efficiency, morale, productivity, and profitability.
Here are some tips to make sure your people are in the right places.
- Put those with management experience in a position to use that experience.
- Design and implement incentives for increased production.
- Simply ask if they’re happy in their current job. It will be up to you what you do with that information, but you might be surprised at the answers you receive.
Your Product
We all know that a product can make or break a company, but sometimes it’s hard to identify an underperforming product. Getting this part of the manufacturing process right will directly affect your profitability, though.
Below are some ideas you can use to build a better product.
- Test your product with your own customers. Then listen to their feedback, and implement suggestions which other customers will appreciate.
- Look at alternative materials for your product, and decide whether the decreased cost would hurt the quality of the product.
- Could you build a product that will solve the problem in a faster way? Or for more people?
Processes, people, and products are important to a company’s success. Any improvements to these can improve productivity, efficiency, morale, profitability, and cost. To get the most out of this, though, focus on one at a time. Only then will you know if changing these elements made a difference.
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