8 Mar
2018

Lean & Six Sigma Programs: How Industry 4.0 Can Help You

You’ve seen major improvements in quality with your Lean and Six Sigma programs. Industry 4.0 does not have to completely reinvent everything in your process. In fact, we recommend starting with your current KPIs and implementing a monitoring solution that gives you better data about those KPIs.

Lean Manufacturing
Programmes Lean et Six Sigma : Comment l'industrie 4.0 peut vous aider

You’ve seen major improvements in quality with your Lean and Six Sigma programs. Why mess with what’s working and cause disruption with Industry 4.0


That’s a common question I hear from manufacturers, and luckily there’s a good answer. Industry 4.0 does not have to completely reinvent everything in your process. In fact, we recommend starting with your current KPIs and implementing a monitoring solution that gives you better data about those KPIs.

production-monitoring-en.png

Real-time, easy-to-read KPIs support continuous improvement

Another assumption I run across is that Industry 4.0 is so technically complex, it requires complete retraining for everyone involved. This isn’t true. Yes, you will need technical people involved for the implementation, but if you’ve selected the right solution, connectivity will eliminate technical barriers, not add them.

Here’s an example of what I mean: Right now, if your managers and operators want to know how a line is performing against average KPIs, can they find that information in seconds? Or, would they have to do some manual monitoring or request that someone in IT manually run a special report? With a monitoring system that displays KPI information on color-coded display boards in easy-to-read charts and graphs, operators and others on the plant floor know the real-time status of all KPIs displayed. That same information can also be sent to managers’ smartphones – technology they’re already comfortable using. Yes, there is some technical complexity involved with configuring sensors and controllers, but a basic monitoring solution can be set up in hours. 

FIND OUT HOW A SMART BAKER GAINS 27% IN RESPONSIVENESS IN CASE OF DOWNTIME

Aggregate data can increase quality for internal customers

Do you know how much time your production cells spend waiting for the previous or next operation? What if you had visibility on the top 5 bottlenecks and the amount of wait time each one caused in the course of an average cycle or per week? Would you be better equipped to take corrective action? Monitoring solutions implemented as part of an Industry 4.0 solution can illuminate problem areas that were difficult to identify without data being captured automatically. Small pauses may seem like a non-issue or simply part of the usual routine to an operator, but when the numbers are added up, they can reveal a bigger problem that needs resolving to help the entire production line operate more efficiently.

Use Industry 4.0 to increase value to the end customer

Think of Industry 4.0 as connection and communication. By connecting the factory floor to management, you’ll have higher quality, current data to use for strategic decision-making. For example, with more data you’ll be able to decide when, how, and if it makes sense to add more low-volume high-mix products to your offering. Would customized products be a competitive advantage if you could produce them more cost-effectively? Would you gain market share with a more diverse product offering and the ability to react faster to market demands? Could you achieve more success with short-run products that support specific market initiatives? By gathering and analyzing real-time plant floor data, you can go beyond estimates to finding solutions that support your goal of customer satisfaction and engagement.

To learn more about KPI monitoring and displays see Real-Time dashboard

Want to learn more?
Download the ebook
Related blog articles

Articles connexes

Retour au blog
Nous vous remercions ! Votre demande a bien été reçue !
Oups ! Un problème s'est produit lors de l'envoi du formulaire.
7
Fév 2024

Principes de base du Lean Manufacturing pour réduire le gaspillage

French
25
Fév 2021

3 façons de régler le problème du gaspillage qui résulte des mouvements

French
25
Août 2020

Lean Manufacturing Is More Than Just Measuring OEE

English

Articles connexes

Retour au blog
Nous vous remercions ! Votre demande a bien été reçue !
Oups ! Un problème s'est produit lors de l'envoi du formulaire.
5
septembre 2023

Your Guide to Digital Transformation with Worximity

With Worximity, you don’t just get a technology provider, you get a partner who supports you throughout your manufacturing digital transformation.

English
7
septembre 2023

Mitigating Debt Servicing Challenges with Production Monitoring

Interest rates are up, and demand is down. Strapped with higher loan repayments many of today’s manufacturers are caught in the middle. Read how optimizing manufacturing operations is mitigating the challenges of debt servicing.

English
24
Août 2023

Simplifying Adoption of Smart Technology for Manufacturers of All Types and Sizes

It's time we stopped talking about the challenges plaguing manufacturers and started focusing more on the solutions and opportunities that can help mitigate them.

English