According to recent research by to the manufacturer.com, the UK was home to 269,000 manufacturing businesses, with over 250,000 being SME companies, during 2023.
These businesses are often recognised as ‘the lifeblood of the UK economy’, and so it is essential that they are supported during their growth which is often underpinned by lean manufacturing processes.
What is lean manufacturing?
Lean manufacturing is built on core principles and with a key focus on cost and time efficiency, reducing waste and offering value to customers. These are broken down as follows:
- Core Principles – Define value in what customers want from your products
- Map the value stream in all activities from start to finish, to remove wasteful processes
- Create flow to ensure that processes run smoothly and without bottlenecks
- Establish a ‘pull mind-set’ to only provide what is needed and to not over manufacture
- Pursue perfection, to continuously minimise waste and enhance efficiency.
- Reducing Waste – Waste comes in many forms during manufacturing. Overproduction in producing more than is needed or making products with defects are often the most obvious, however waste can also be found in other areas too. Wasteful time in terms of delays, excessive movements by staff, doing more than is requested from the customer, or wasting extra time through transportation, can all stumble the manufacturing process.
- Implement the latest technology – Up to date lean IT tools will help to improve efficiency. They also record important data which shares valuable insights to regularly review and streamline operations. Understanding and gaining knowledge on the latest technology and its capabilities can benefit and transform business operations.
- Engage with employees – Regular conversations with employees will help to understand where processes aren’t working and where to focus through continuous improvement. Provide training for staff and encourage problem solving amongst teams to build morale and involve everyone.
- Measure performance – Metrics provide valuable insights on cycle times, lead times, first pass yield time (the percentage of products passed without re-work) and overall equipment effectiveness (OEE). Use the data to focus on where improvements could be made.
- Introduce pilot projects – Instead of rolling out huge projects which could impact on over-all efficiency and set-back the production process further, implement small projects to test systems before any major rollouts.
- Focus on sustainability – This will ensure that lean processes become a permanent fixture within the business and regularly focus on new areas for the future.
Are you currently running a Manufacturing SME business within the West Midlands region? JRW Risk Solutions are here to support your company in terms of manufacturing insurance for the protection of stock, equipment, employee liability and the transportation of goods. To find out more about how JRW Risk Solutions can help to support your lean manufacturing processes, please get in touch.