What is ‘Data-driven lean manufacturing’?
”Many production organizations have invested in ‘lean manufacturing’, which has resulted in good profits. However, there is still much to be gained in the field of data, especially master data. A lot of time and money is lost on finding the right data, for example with regard to your product: requirements for raw materials, settings of the machine, quality requirements, you name it. Everything has to be in order.”
“With master data, you can think of machine settings, for example. These are often recorded in an Excel file, when this is adjusted, the program in the machine must also be adjusted. That can sometimes go wrong, which ultimately leads to production outside of specification. We will first look at how the master data is now being handled. For example, it may be that the problem is not caused ‘on the floor’, but is in the master data.”
What other data do you have?
“You also have the operational data that you have to do something with. These are the data that come from production, for example the status and progress of an order. In practice it is still mainly paperwork and therefore not real-time, which in turn leads to waste. To find out the exact status of an order, the planner calls the operator on the production line. The operator is distracted and pays less attention to his process. The planner has to adjust his planning as a result of the answer and inform other people. This is all ‘waste’ and can be prevented by smart digitization.
“With our approach, we can clearly show where the ‘waste’ is and suggest how producers can get rid of it, in a manageable process. It has quite a bit of impact on the organization, so a lot of change management is also needed. Change management is ingrained in our approach from front to back. We involve all layers in the organization. We show the customer how the working method can change and we take them with us. Ultimately, the customer decides how it should change. The customer makes conscious choices, of which the why is understood and the consequences are clear.”
What is your approach?
“We start by mapping out the current production process, using templates developed by Greywise over the past 30 years. We then look at how IT applications, among other things, functionally support the current working method. This quickly provides a clear picture of the current application landscape and the current working method.”
“Once we have gathered that information, we can propose new options for the future. The working method of the future is central here. The application landscape of the future follows from the chosen way of working. For the realization of the application landscape, we determine the ‘roadmap’ and we start with, for example, the implementation of an MES. I also support the selection, project preparation and implementation of an MES. This is new for many companies.”
What changes does this lead to?
“This is leading to a lot of change. It is not without reason that a ‘roadmap’ is necessary. The customer understands the how and why of the future application landscape, this ensures a lot of support in all layers of the organization. They are happy with the changes to come, because they have seen how things can be smarter and mistakes can be avoided.
Or as Johan Cruijff put it: ‘you will only see it when you realize it’. We hold up a mirror to them and tell them how it can be done, and that they don’t have to reinvent the wheel themselves. This is very much appreciated by our customers.”
