The manufacturing industry has developed at hyper speed in the past few decades. Globalization abroad has caused automation in North America to surge, and Industry 4.0 is still in the process of evolving.
However, even if we live in a modern era, not every form of improvement has to be technological in nature. Keep reading to learn four ways that you can improve your manufacturing business.
Reduce Downtime by Maintaining Equipment
When your factory equipment breaks down, money drains away. The upfront expense of maintaining the equipment will be less than the opportunity costs and what it costs to repair later.
Plus, your company will run a stable and predictable business when you can count on all your equipment to work the way it should. Ongoing, pre-emptive maintenance is a must.
Smart Measurement Solutions
Today’s modern metrology equipment by industry-leaders like CMM offer measurement solutions for parts of every size, from nanotechnology to parts for the aerospace sector. Check out the different types of coordinate measuring machines (CMMs) available because all kinds of models fulfill distinct purposes.
For example, a Gantry CMM is commonly used to build parts for planes and spaceships. In contrast, a Vision and Multisensor System uses lasers to scan tiny, fragile parts without ever contacting them.
CMM machines are perfect for performing quality control on the assembly line, but they also reverse engineer parts, and they can collect thousands of data points per second.
From the largest CMM to the ROMER Portable Arm, there’s probably a CMM machine out there that can give your business a meaningful boost.
Engage Millennials
North American factories require younger people to start replacing existing workers when they retire. When looking for jobs, Millennials have not exactly flocked to factories.
For that matter, they’ve avoided other traditional careers, too, from factory work, sales roles, and the skilled trades. If you want to get a leg up on your competition, you should address this generational hiring gap before it becomes a problem for you.
If you make your factory attractive to Millennials, it could be a real difference-maker.
Safety First
Investing in safety is always worth it — from an ethical and financial perspective, it simply makes sense. Running a safe factory will help attract new, younger workers who may be otherwise put off by safety concerns.
Liability for workplace injuries can be very expensive. Injuries eat into your bottom-line and sink workplace morale. As an employer, you’ll personally feel guilty for creating an environment where an accident could take place.
The last thing you want is newspaper stories about an injury that took place at your factory. Always put safety first.
It’s hard to say what the future will look like, especially when 2020 has been so strange and unpredictable. Your factory should be humming along for years to come if you maintain your machines, get the right measurement solution tools, engage the next generation of employees, and prioritize safety.
