6 Problems to Watch Out for in Production Lines

An efficient production line is something all manufacturers dream of, but the reality is that with complex or involved processes comes a myriad of potential issues, both large and small. The good news is, with some prior planning and the right policies and procedures in place, you can minimize your downtime in the event of something bad happening. Here are some common problems that affect production lines so you can start planning your processes and avoid a complete shutdown scenario.

Insufficient Maintenance

One of the biggest issues affecting production lines relates to the type and frequency of their maintenance. Deferred maintenance, or maintenance only when breakdowns occur, can introduce a range of issues into your production line, not least of which is irreparable equipment. For example, improperly maintained pumps can lead to pump cavitation, which can result in several issues including damage to seals, impellers, and even the pump itself, whose failure could bring your assembly line to a grinding halt.

Issues like cavitating pumps and equipment failures are inevitable, but you can decrease the likelihood of them happening, or having a huge impact on your production line, by implementing a good preventative maintenance strategy. To facilitate the creation of a good schedule, you will need to closely monitor the production line, identify potential problems, and implement a sound plan that will ensure your technicians stay on top of issues before they become problematic.

Outdated Equipment Causing Decreased Efficiency

While a good maintenance strategy can help boost your production line’s efficiency and prevent loss of production hours thanks to breakdowns, in the long run, your strategy will only be as good as your equipment. As equipment ages, it will inevitably succumb to a variety of age-related issues, no matter how often you perform maintenance on it. That is why you must keep track of the age of your equipment and its performance so that you can plan for its replacement before it breaks down completely.

To be considered outdated, equipment is not only judged by its age but also by its technology. New software is constantly being written that aims to streamline various processes and predict outcomes of scenarios to maximize efficiency. An example of this is automated decision-making software that uses deep analytics to plan out the most efficient production plans and schedules to ensure minimal downtime and maximum production.

Poorly Trained Staff and High Turnover Rates

While technology is improving the efficiency of production lines, it can never eliminate the need for good workers and managers to ensure the overall smooth running of the production line. A high staff turnover could wreak havoc in your production line, especially if you are consistently replacing key members of the team. Upskilling workers is one way in which you can boost retention and improve staff satisfaction levels.

Staff should be well-trained so that they are equipped with the skills and knowledge necessary to complete their work confidently and safely. Ensuring your staff has been trained in the safe and efficient use of your machinery should help reduce operator errors and boost your production efficiency in the long term. Other ways to retain staff include the use of an employee recognition program that rewards workers for their hard work and makes them feel more valued, making them less likely to want to seek other employment.

Unsafe Working Conditions

As manufacturers strive for more efficient production lines, they must always keep the safety of their workers at the forefront of their minds. Having staff trained to execute the correct safety procedures becomes even more vital with a larger workforce and increasingly more complicated machinery.

Forcing people to work in unsafe conditions is sure to drive away good workers, resulting in high turnover rates, lower production efficiency, and potential downtime, so always ensure good safety practices are constantly being revised and communicated to staff. Having the right policies and procedures in place will reassure staff that their safety is important and help ensure that managers and safety officers are equipped with the right tools to do their jobs.

Lengthy or Slow Changeover Times

Changeovers are inevitable unless you can afford to set up a brand-new production line for every new product or part that you produce. The speed, or lack of, a changeover can have a massive impact on your overall productivity, making this an area of concern for all manufacturers. You must take the time to explore every step in your changeover process for inefficiencies and potential problems so that you can diagnose any weaknesses, plan how to overcome them, and ensure the most optimal way forward. Consider consulting with production line experts to ensure the best possible outcome.

Bottlenecks and Unbalanced Production Lines

Production lines are only as good as their worst-performing workstation because when bottlenecks occur in production lines, the whole process suffers from it. Whether these bottlenecks are a result of worker inefficiencies or inadequate planning, you will quickly start to see a drop in efficiency if you do not restore balance to the workload. Adequate oversight and identifying key areas of concern before they have a chance to impact production are key, so resources must be committed to managing workstation workloads.

Use the staff’s knowledge of their workstations and machinery to your advantage by collecting the right data, such as how long certain processes take, to balance your assembly lines and ensure that the lines in your workflow are not being over or underutilized to avoid breakdowns and bottlenecks from taking place.

At the end of the day, no matter how many preventative strategies and plans you put in place, there will always be breakdowns, problems, and headaches of some nature that need to be dealt with. Being adaptable, staying calm in challenging situations, and trusting in your managers to implement the right corrective action plans after an incident will help strengthen your production line in the future. Remember that learning from your mistakes and missteps will only help your business in the long run.