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Eliminating Manufacturing Waste: Transportation, Motion, Waiting and Over-Processing


Lean manufacturers around the country are tackling waste, becoming more efficient and lowering production costs every day. An easy way to eliminate waste is to stick with your core competencies and outsource the pieces of the operation which aren’t your expertise. While you may be extremely efficient at developing and producing material, many times manufacturers fall short when it comes to transportation models or demand planning.

Every plant is different and identifying places where waste occurs within your facility is an important piece of the puzzle. In last week’s blog we identified the seven areas of waste, see them here. In order to stay productive in your manufacturing environment, it is extremely important to keep the plant moving and 3PLs have a number of services that can help. 

Transport

Whether product is being moved throughout your facility or from another site into your plant, finding the most efficient way to transport goods is beneficial throughout the entire supply chain. In addition to improving efficiency, reliable transportation is a must for manufacturing companies for many other reasons. From maintaining specific schedules to keeping accurate and precise inventory, having an reliable transportation partner can help keep you on track. Just-in-time shipments are a great tool for a manufacturing company looking to keep small amounts of inventory on hand and have their 3PL ship materials when they are needed.

Motion

Your operation is always on the move with people and machines in motion finishing as much product as possible. Making sure that motion isn’t wasted is what being a lean manufacturer is all about! Utilizing 3PL services such as inventory management software, proactive ordering techniques and J-I-T shipping can make every revolution of a machine or step of a person more efficient.

Waiting

When products or paperwork aren’t in the right place at the right time, efficiency goes out the window! In order to keep your plant running smoothly, eliminating wait times is essential. Becoming lean is all about utilizing the most efficient and effective processes to get each job done. Partnering with a quality 3PL helps establish consistency and efficient processes, alleviating costly wait times along the way.

Over-Processing

From slow line production to employees waiting for ineffective paperwork and material, the entire plant is affected when processes aren’t optimal. Employing a quality inventory management tool like our NetView system can go a long way towards improving processes within your facility. More information about your inventory can lead to more proactive ordering techniques, quicker shipments through more productive employees.

When it comes to logistics, transportation and demand planning Murphy is the expert! When you partner with a 3PL and stick to your core competencies, it’s easy to see the improvements in your productivity. Next week we will discuss the three remaining areas of waste: inventory, over-production and defects and how a 3PL can support your plant!
Have a wonderful day!