|  Process Mapping
 So you think you know it all?
In a complex manufacturing operation that relies heavily on people, actual details of the production process can become a black art, which is reflected in operational time that is not shown on the process routes. This time is a cost, which if not controlled can ultimately govern success or failure of your company. How do you find out how you manufacture your products? If you look yourself it is easy to take operations for granted and perhaps not appreciate the actual work content involved. An alternative approach is to engage another pair of eyes to give an independent view and ask how and why you do things.
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A leading UK manufacturer of power transmission equipment for the electrical power distribution industry, approached us to analyse their manufacturing process.
As with any complex problem the key is to break it down into manageable sections which can be analysed in more detail. The first stage involved identifying all of the product range to ensure the process routes for each variation is captured. Like most products, a degree of commonality exists, e.g. testing; a task performed many times and covers both electrical and physical attributes.
A typical product studied consisted of several discrete operations and components, ranging from insulation, metal cores, windings, tanks and assembly. This work tended to be carried out in specific locations with all of the associated manufacturing and test equipment on hand. Having identified the operational areas, each was studied in detail to determine the process route of every product type. To accomplish this task, time was spent with all of the key operatives so that the true picture of each process could be fully understood.
The outputs from each visit were charted and a feedback session with the operatives arranged. This approach gave them all an input to the project as their views could be expressed and each nuance of the manufacturing operation captured. The process was iterative due to the complexity of the tasks, but a detailed process route was developed for each product type. The work did require a time study to be performed, which was discussed with all concerned prior to commencing the study. This process was repeated for each of the manufacturing areas until a detailed picture could be produced.
The outcomes of this project covered a range of topics:
A detailed process route was developed for all of the product types. This now contained all of the work elements performed and reflected current practice.
Each work element now had associated with it a reliable time which could be achieved by a range of operators.
Production times and hence scheduling could now be improved because the true picture of the manufacturing operation was known.
Product lead times could be accurately estimated and hence raw material scheduling could be revised.
The affect of design changes was highlighted, with difficulties being fed back to the designers.
Bottleneck areas were identified and contingency plans could be developed to ease the situation.
The data on times could now provide a key to developing a cost model for the products when used in conjunction with design specifications. This would then allow design changes to be evaluated in terms of cost and time.
Note Due to commercial confidentiality, we cannot give names or the data obtained, we are sure you will understand why!
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