What is manufacturing process improvement?
Manufacturing process improvement involves analyzing and modernizing a company's production operations. It’s about regularly monitoring and optimizing the methods and tools in place, and implementing continuous improvement initiatives to achieve more efficient production and maximize value at every stage.
The 5 main types of manufacturing process
Although manufacturing processes can be used for slightly different scenarios from one organization to the other, there are five main types:
- Repetitive manufacturing: Uninterrupted production of large quantities of identical or similar goods, with no or minimal adjustments.
- Discrete manufacturing: Production of goods in small or medium series, often with varied specifications. Products may be manufactured individually or in small batches.
- Batch manufacturing: Products manufactured in groups or batches with intervals between productions. Each batch may have different specifications.
- Continuous manufacturing: Uninterrupted production of standardized goods, often used for processes that cannot be interrupted without risk of product degradation.
- Job shop manufacturing: Production based on customer specifications. Each product is unique and personalized.
Benefits of process improvement for manufacturers
Lower costs
Manufacturers reduce waste such as raw materials, machine downtime, and energy use by identifying and eliminating inefficiencies in the production chain. As a result, optimizing processes lowers operating costs while increasing profitability.
Improved quality
By fine-tuning each manufacturing stage, fewer errors occurs and the likelihood of producing defective products reduces. Production process improvement ensures compliance with quality standards and increases customer satisfaction.
Shorter lead times and greater flexibility
A more efficient production chain shortens lead times and helps adapt to demand variations, making the company more agile and responsive.
Optimal use of human resources
Improving processes not only requires reliable machines and effective workflows, but also the perfect coordination of human labor. Tasks are more evenly distributed, enabling better use of employees' skills and time. This means they can concentrate on higher value-added activities.
Effective techniques for manufacturing process improvement
Process standardization
Standardization ensures that every product is manufactured the same way and follows quality requirements.
By establishing clear standard operating procedures (SOPs) and work instructions, companies can ensure that all employees follow the same steps, reducing errors and variations in a production process.
UTrakk's Knowledge Center documents and digitalizes standardized procedures, processes, and work instructions. Teams can easily refer to them to ensure proper and compliant execution of work processes.
Ideal for these types of process:
- Repetitive manufacturing
- Discrete manufacturing
Automation and system integration
Automation is the use of machines or software to perform repetitive or complex tasks, resulting in efficiency gains and reduced human errors.
Industry 4.0 combines automated systems with the Internet of Things (IoT) and artificial intelligence (AI) to create smart factories where machines communicate with each other, learn, predict breakdowns, and adjust workflows in real-time to achieve greater efficiency.
The UTrakk platform plays a key role in such system integration. Integrating with data sources like MES, PMS (OEE), CMMS, PIM, and more, it centralizes information, automates workflows, and ensures more efficient management of manufacturing operations – all from a single, user-friendly interface.
Ideal for these types of process:
- Repetitive manufacturing
- Continuous manufacturing
Ergonomics and workstation design
By analyzing employees' movements, postures, and tools, companies can design workspaces that minimize fatigue, increase productivity, and reduce the risk of accidents.
Ideal for these types of process:
- Batch manufacturing
- Job shop manufacturing
Production flow management
Flow management optimizes the movement of material and information through the production chain. Techniques such as Kanban and Just-in-Time (JIT) are often used to regulate flows, avoid bottlenecks, and minimize stock.
With UTrakk, rituals such as floor tours and production meetings help to ensure that operations run smoothly on the production line, and to detect any problems that may arise at an early stage. They also create regular communication channels between teams, encouraging the implementation of effective and immediate solutions while minimizing the risk of flow interruptions.
Ideal for these types of process:
- Batch manufacturing
- Discrete manufacturing
Improvement by design
This technique simplifies products as of the design phase to make them easier to build. This includes using standard material, reducing the number of components, and streamlining manufacturing processes.
Manufacturing process improvement by design reduces production costs and time, and ensures better product quality.
Ideal for these types of process:
- Discrete manufacturing
- Job shop manufacturing
Preventive and predictive maintenance
Another critical aspect of process improvement is the implementation of preventive and, more recently, predictive maintenance. Rather than waiting for a machine to break down, this data-driven approach anticipates problems and avoids costly production interruptions.
This technique is valid for all types of processes.
6 Steps to drive manufacturing process improvement
1. Analyze existing processes
Process mapping
Visual management tools such as Value Stream Mapping (VSM) can contribute to identifying activities that do not add value to the final product (e.g., bottlenecks, waste, and redundancies).
Process mapping provides a clear overview of current workflows, enabling you to decide which parts need optimization; it’s the basis for a continuous improvement plan.
Data collection
Data plays a fundamental role in decision-making. Setting key performance indicators (KPIs) that track productivity, quality, cycle times, and other process improvement metrics is essential.
Collecting data helps identify trends and base adjustments on hard facts rather than guesswork.
How UTrakk supports this step
- Provides production dashboards for real-time data collection, analysis, and monitoring, guaranteeing a reliable baseline for identifying variations and areas of improvement.
- Allows you to monitor various performance parameters directly on the shop floor for regular collection of critical data.
2. Define improvement objectives
Once process inefficiencies have been identified, it is important to set clear objectives. These may include reduced cycle times, inventory optimization, or quality control improvement.
At this stage, involving stakeholders and production teams is essential to ensure that objectives are realistic and aligned with available resources.
How UTrakk supports this step
- Provides the ability to manually or automatically enter KPIs and ensures visibility of these objectives via intuitive dashboards.
- Facilitates communication of objectives with regular meetings including rapid access to visual management tools.
3. Apply Lean and Six Sigma methodologies
Once the analysis is done and the objectives defined, the Lean and Six Sigma methods provide a framework for implementing improvements.
Lean Manufacturing
The Lean method maximizes added value while eliminating waste. To achieve this goal, several Lean tools can be used:
- 5S: A technique for efficiently organizing the workplace.
- Kaizen: A continuous improvement process based on progressive adjustments.
- Kanban: A flow management system that optimizes stock levels and reduces waiting times.
Six Sigma
Six Sigma eliminates process variation and improves quality through a systematic methodology called DMAIC (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control). This structured approach solves problems affecting the quality and efficiency of a manufacturing process.
Combining these proven continuous improvement methods provides a more comprehensive approach to process optimization. Lean focuses on efficiency and waste reduction, while Six Sigma addresses variability and quality. This synergy improves performance and process stability.
How UTrakk supports this step
- Provides real-time visibility on results with digital tools such as floor tours checklists and dashboards to measure the impact of changes.
- Enables the planning of daily rituals – Short Interval Management (SIM), continuous improvement committees, etc. – to help identify priorities and track improvement actions.
4. Implement improvements
It's time to implement the changes required to achieve the set objectives. These may be technical modifications, such as installing new machines, or organizational adjustments, like introducing more efficient flow management.
Depending on the process being improved, automation and modern technologies can be deployed to optimize critical steps and reduce human error.
How UTrakk supports this step
- Ensures that improvements are completed on schedule with Actions and Opportunities modules that track the status of every process improvement plan and associated tasks.
- Facilitates the implementation of pilot tests for improvement solutions with a project tracking tool.
5. Monitor and assess performance
Once process improvements have been implemented, their impact can be tracked using KPIs. These indicators measure productivity, product quality, lead times, and costs, for instance.
Performance monitoring also enables you to check whether the objectives set during step 2 have been reached and what adjustments need to be made.
How UTrakk supports this step
- Provides personalized dashboards to track results and compare them with key performance metrics, facilitating progress monitoring of improvement initiatives.
- Offers checklists that streamline information and data collection on the plant floor, ensuring regular monitoring of the performance of these changes.
6. Adjust and make continuous improvement
Improving a manufacturing process is a never-ending cycle. Once the results have been measured, it must become part of a continuous improvement strategy.
The PDCA cycle (Plan-Do-Check-Act) is used to implement continuous improvement programs in manufacturing organizations, helping them streamline operations on an ongoing basis and reach operational excellence.
This last step is critical to keep pace with market evolutions and technological developments.
How UTrakk supports this step
- Provides a structured platform for specific committees to regularly assess and discuss performance, problems, and opportunities for improvement.
- Closely monitors performance via dashboards, making it easy to identify gaps and implement adjustments.
3 Examples of manufacturing process improvement
Reducing tool changeover times (SMED)
The time needed to change tools between producing different parts in the automotive industry can be a limiting factor.
An automotive parts manufacturing plant has implemented the SMED method (Single Minute Exchange of Die) to reduce tool changeover time to less than 10 minutes.
By reorganizing and partially automating the tool change stages, the plant reduced machine downtime by 50%. As a result, production capacity increased, and downtime costs were reduced.
Just-in-Time flow optimization
In a food processing plant producing sauces, the application of the Just-in-Time method (JIT) has led to a considerable reduction in stocks of perishable ingredients.
Thanks to better coordination with suppliers and automated inventory management, the plant receives raw materials just before they are needed. This has reduced storage costs and minimized food waste due to expiring ingredients.
Minimizing waste with the Kaizen method
The Kaizen approach was applied in a textile factory to reduce fabric and energy waste. The plant implemented several changes by involving operators in identifying minor improvements to their machines and working methods, such as adjusting fabric cutters to minimize waste and regulating machine energy during downtime.
These changes led to a 10% reduction in material wastage and significant energy savings.
Adapting is thriving: Towards agile, scalable production processes
Improving manufacturing processes is more than just eliminating defects or speeding up workflow. It's both a technical and a human process, constantly reassessing what we know and exploring what we don't yet know.
Every adjustment, revision, and optimization results in more efficient production and makes the organization more resilient to the daily changes it faces. As the manufacturing industry increasingly turns to more sustainable ways of doing things, improving processes will also have to include ecological objectives, such as reducing carbone emissions or optimizing energy consumption.
Digital tools like UTrakk become indispensable allies in anticipating challenges, supporting teams, monitoring results in real-time, and creating processes that are agile enough to meet immediate needs while remaining open to future opportunities.
The production process must not be static, but in continuous improvement, like a living organism in constant mutation, constantly reshaping and perfecting itself. By integrating a process improvement strategy, manufacturers can grow and stay ahead of the competition while contributing to a more responsible future.
