In manufacturing, scrap is the leftover material you cannot use and will have to discard after production. One of the biggest improvements manufacturing companies can make to their production process is to reduce scrap. While scrap is an inevitability for most projects, high levels of scrap can lead not only to unnecessary waste, but higher costs too. Effectively, you’re just burning money.
Finding ways to reduce the scrap rate for your manufacturing firm can help you save time and money, and help you produce better results.
What are some of the ways to reduce scrap in manufacturing? Take a look at the following ideas and see if you can apply them to your own processes.
In many cases, the damage caused by human error is responsible for high scrap volumes among manufacturers. Are you noticing large amounts of scrap due to poor handling and basic errors? Perhaps it’s time to revisit your training.
Refresher sessions and up-to-date training on manual handling, alongside demonstrations of correct processing techniques, can all help develop confidence and capability amongst your employees and reduce on human error. This, in turn, will help to reduce the damage caused to your materials.
Manufacturing processes are always changing and evolving, and these changes can have consequences for different elements of the process. For example, an increased scrap count.
By conducting a process audit, you can assess each stage of your processes to identify the points where scrap is being generated. You can then put measures in place to reduce the scrap rate while improving other parts of the process too.
Effective production planning software could be a valuable tool for helping you to monitor your production processes and put the necessary improvements in place.
Any changes to processes must be communicated to everyone involved in the production process, including those within the supply chain. Establishing processes and channels for clear communication can make people aware of changes in a timely fashion, which is something that can prevent the unnecessary waste of time and resources.
Thorough documentation of any changes to production processes is vital for reducing scrap. Documentation should be a priority to ensure compliance with procedures, helping to facilitate effective change management. Ensuring the correct documentation is in place will help facilitate clear communication, helping to eliminate confusion and ensuring employees refer to the correct documents when carrying out their work.
While scrap can cause many issues for manufacturers, there are controls you can implement to help reduce scrap levels and help your company run more efficiently. From better training to careful monitoring of your production processes, the changes you make can greatly impact your scrap levels.
Planning systems are an effective tool for monitoring and improving manufacturing processes. This makes it possible to identify the actions that are causing scrap to build up. From here, you can put any necessary changes in place. Using tools like Machine Plan, you can maintain a more effective manufacturing business that will help save your business time and money.
With Machine Plan’s efficient production planning system, you can programme your production to make the most of the materials you have in order to minimise your scrap and waste and maximise your efficiency and productivity. Our MMS is programmed to know how much material you will need and use the highest amount possible.
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