1. Use long life fluorescent bulbs and lamps. Long life fluorescent lamps require Customized Manufacturing System changing less frequently which will reduce labor costs over the bulbs lifespan.
2. Regular light bulbs can be replaced by more energy efficient compact fluorescent bulbs that yield the same amount and quality of light while reducing energy costs.
3. Replace lighting fixtures with newer energy efficient fixtures. Example: Replace 400 watt metal-halide light fixtures with T8 fluorescent bay fixtures.
4. Alternative lighting solutions provide serious energy savings in a short amount of time. Perform lighting audits to calculate energy saving opportunities from specific upgrades.
5. Think outside the box when expediting transportation of replacement parts. Contact the factory directly for replacement parts and arrange for speedy alternative transportation of needed parts to reduce down time on production lines.
6. Out service your competitors by reducing customer down time due to late deliveries.
7. Track ordering activity. Scrutinize automatic purchase requisitions and determine if the items are really needed when ordered.
8. Outsourcing of inventory control with keep-fill program helps regulate supplies, and takes the burden off plant personnel freeing them up to do more productive duties.
9. Reduce training costs by arranging for employees to be trained on processes from suppliers providing product. Lighting Industry For instance, suppliers of fuse boxes could be asked to train mechanics on servicing the new boxes.
10. Take advantage of special offers made by suppliers for free services like training, storage cabinets, etc.
Organizing and labeling storage facilities reduce labor costs because less time is spent locating and collecting work materials.…
Tag: costs
Industrial Vending – Want to Reduce Costs and Increase Productivity?
Industrial Vending Machines are point of use systems which are designed and manufactured to assist in the storage, dispensing, replenishing and control of a companies tooling, spares, MRO and a large variety of other materials.
If you are looking for improved methods to manage your stocks, avoid production downtime, improve your customer service performance you should explore the many advantages vending has to offer.
I have summarised many of these benefits and advantages under two main categories.
Reduce Costs
Reduce Consumption- Stop Waste. With industrial vending machines you control access, and set various control limits. You have real-time data availability on tracking, dispensing, and usage patterns. This enables you to make effective data based business decisions.
Reduce Inventory – Use supplier-consigned stock.Operate a Demand-Based ordering system over traditional Min-Max based procurement. Ownership of stock often only transfers when it is consumed or on other pre agreed terms. You are in effect operating a just in time inventory policy!
Reduce Spend on new tools and spares – many tool vending machines can be programmed How To Manufacture A Prototype to facilitate dispensing of reconditioned items prior to new items.
Reduce/Manage Obsolescence-most systems have capability of providing visibility on slow and discontinued items.
Reduce/Eliminate Stock-Outs, as real-time stock data available. You have the option to pre-set reorder minimums or operate a demand-based system to activate stock replenishment.
Replace Your Traditional Store with an automated “point of use” located vending machine. It will provide access and availability to your mro inventory and other components on 24/7 basis with secure storage.
Reduce Overhead – you have the possibility to reduce or eliminate traditional purchase orders.Industrial Vending systems have the capability to automatically reorder based on preset stocking levels. Your supplier will provide one consolidated invoice for payment at month end, or to other agreed terms.
Redeploy Support Staff – a demand-based ordering system will reduce time spent monitoring stock levels. Vending will also generate a reduction in other logistical activities, eg receiving, accounting and general inventory control functions.
IMPROVE PRODUCTIVITY
Reduce/Eliminate Production Downtime – out of stock risks are greatly reduced.
Point Of Use Located – parts readily available to operator, delays at traditional operator managed store eliminated. Systems being continuously upgraded to deliver faster dispense times. Majority of systems can be configured to accommodate and dispense items of various shapes and size.
Accessibility of Items 24/7. You can plan overtime and/or extra shifts at short notice. Support staff eg store assistant not required.
Reclaim Floor Space Currently Used For Storage – utilize it for manufacturing or another revenue generating activity.
Real Time Data Availability – you have access to an unlimited number and variety of customised reports, eg, usage and consumption by operator, job, line, cost center, business unit etc. Many systems can display key data in dashboard metrics format.
Turnkey Solutions Available – most industrial vending machine manufacturers and distributors will provide a complete turnkey package. You will be provided with software, setup, training, support and many will have the capability to …
Reduce Costs – Think Industrial Ceramics
In every industrial plant there is always something that causes a problem. One or two components that require Porter Five Forces Model Company Example Ppt regular maintenance or replacement. This could be down to the material being degraded or breakage.
Conventional thinking often leads to the use of more exotic metals or plastics to solve the problem when there may be a more cost effective solution.
Most people will only look at ceramics as a material when the temperature of operation exceeds the normal working temperatures of more standard materials. The thermal Indonesia Gdp By Sector properties of ceramics are relatively well known and these materials are regularly used to contain molten metals and to protect equipment from very high temperature.
What is less known but is becoming more widely accepted is that ceramics are able to provide solutions to many extreme problems that are not necessarily temperature related.
There are now many different engineered ceramic materials available and several methods of producing product that can give significant property advantages over other materials. By careful selection to suit the application it is often possible to provide a cost effective ceramic solution.
Components that can be re-designed to suit manufacture in ceramic can provide a solution that is more practical and cost effective.
Oxide ceramics are extremely hard. By selecting ceramic in high ware environments it is often possible to increase life considerably. Pump shafts and valve components are examples were ceramics have reduced costs considerably.
As an example let us look at a typical component used in a high ware environment. Traditionally made in high grade steel the component is relatively cheap as the machining costs are low. In comparison the machining costs on Ceramic are often very high so for small quantities the part cost is higher. This said when you look at the life cost the ceramic part can be comparable as life is increased and down time reduced. Where higher quantities are required then it is often possible to form a near net shape and reduce the machining needed by 80-90% significantly reducing the part price.
Many materials that are processed will have a detrimental effect on equipment. Chemical attack can cause considerable problems and down time for part replacement. Selection of the right ceramic as the contact face is a great way of reducing the problems as the ceramic is not affected by the chemical. Equally importantly the chemical will not be affected by the ceramic.
Good design, material and process selection is imperative to providing the right solution. It will also have a significant impact on the part price. Selection criteria will include the working environment, properties required and the quantity required.…
Reduce Costs – Think Industrial Ceramics
In every industrial plant there is always something that causes a problem. One or two components that require Porter Five Forces Model Company Example Ppt regular maintenance or replacement. This could be down to the material being degraded or breakage.
Conventional thinking often leads to the use of more exotic metals or plastics to solve the problem when there may be a more cost effective solution.
Most people will only look at ceramics as a material when the temperature of operation exceeds the normal working temperatures of more standard materials. The thermal Indonesia Gdp By Sector properties of ceramics are relatively well known and these materials are regularly used to contain molten metals and to protect equipment from very high temperature.
What is less known but is becoming more widely accepted is that ceramics are able to provide solutions to many extreme problems that are not necessarily temperature related.
There are now many different engineered ceramic materials available and several methods of producing product that can give significant property advantages over other materials. By careful selection to suit the application it is often possible to provide a cost effective ceramic solution.
Components that can be re-designed to suit manufacture in ceramic can provide a solution that is more practical and cost effective.
Oxide ceramics are extremely hard. By selecting ceramic in high ware environments it is often possible to increase life considerably. Pump shafts and valve components are examples were ceramics have reduced costs considerably.
As an example let us look at a typical component used in a high ware environment. Traditionally made in high grade steel the component is relatively cheap as the machining costs are low. In comparison the machining costs on Ceramic are often very high so for small quantities the part cost is higher. This said when you look at the life cost the ceramic part can be comparable as life is increased and down time reduced. Where higher quantities are required then it is often possible to form a near net shape and reduce the machining needed by 80-90% significantly reducing the part price.
Many materials that are processed will have a detrimental effect on equipment. Chemical attack can cause considerable problems and down time for part replacement. Selection of the right ceramic as the contact face is a great way of reducing the problems as the ceramic is not affected by the chemical. Equally importantly the chemical will not be affected by the ceramic.
Good design, material and process selection is imperative to providing the right solution. It will also have a significant impact on the part price. Selection criteria will include the working environment, properties required and the quantity required.…
Higher Costs Put the Squeeze on Low-End Exports
Makers of entry-level finished goods are receiving fewer orders as buyers shift sourcing to lower-cost countries in Asia.
Because of rising costs and the yuan’s appreciation, China’s export manufacturers are losing low-value orders to competitors in Vietnam, India and other countries in Asia. Production of higher-value items, however, remains unfazed.
The garments industry, in particular, has been hit hard by the constant increases in raw material and labor costs, and the strengthening currency, which together raised manufacturing outlay 15 to 25 percent. At present, Vietnam-made apparel is 30 percent less expensive. In addition, EU import duties from Vietnam are lower than in China.
Most factories in Vietnam, however, are suitable alternatives only for large-volume orders of basic apparel. Production of more complicated designs is often kept in China. Eighty percent of orders at Jiaxing Mengdi Import & Export Co. Ltd now consist of such styles. Operations Research Industrial Engineering Further, whereas the MOQ used to be larger and for just one design, order quantities are now lower and comprise several styles and items. Typically, small-volume orders for T-shirts mean 1,000 to 2,000 pieces. Large-volume orders are for at least 10,000 pieces.
Moreover, delivery lead times are longer in Vietnam. What would normally take two months in China can extend to six months in that country.
While the situation is very similar in the cookware Medium Industry, makers are less worried. For one, buyers have been sourcing cookware from Vietnam and India for a long time. In fact, some India companies were set up in the 1990s, much earlier than many factories in China. But while stainless steel cookware in India and Vietnam is 50 to 60 percent less expensive, many such models are only 0.3 to 0.4mm thick. In contrast, typical releases from China are 1.8mm thick. Cookware maker Yaward Industrial Development Ltd said suppliers there rarely provide FDA and LFGB certification, and models may not be PTFE and PFOA-free.
India does have its strength, especially in the software and jewelry industries. The country’s software industry is ranked second in the world, with exports growing 50 percent annually. India’s strong software technology development capability made the country a major player in other high-tech fields as well. But an underdeveloped supply chain for consumer electronics is making it difficult for the country to become a major contender for electronic products such as laptops, MP3 players, digital photo frames and GPS receivers.
The country has a strong diamond and gold jewelry processing industry as well. But Top Jewelry Fty sales manager Simon Wong said there is no basis for comparison since China makes mostly metal alloy and mixed-material jewelry. India’s jewelry pieces are often handcrafted as well, whereas models from China are machine-processed.
Despite rising costs, Maura Elizabeth Cunningham, editor of The China Beat, believes China will still be a major source of low-cost consumer items, at least in the short term. She also said that since a lot of companies have invested heavily in building factories in China, such businesses …