- Improvement Of The Work Conditions.
- Increase Of The Individual And Group Productivity And
- The Achievement Of Safer Conditions In The Workspace
- Happier People Produce Better Quality
Among the first results of recovering all the original capacities of our machines, an important one is a remarkable increment in the precision and general quality of the partial and final products. This certainly generates many benefits for all, from the satisfaction of having improved, to the possibilities of increasing the sales or even the profits based on that better quality.
It is convenient to know the records that exist of rejected pieces regarding a certain machine in order to be able to later specify if the objective of eliminating the defects of maladjustments of the machine has been achieved, as expected.
Certainly, it is also important to develop improvement under the general operation conditions. It can be simple details such as work tables that allow us to have handy the necessary tooling for changes and adjustments in the machine (setups). In some cases that type of designs can mean impressive savings of up to 50% of the setup time. Often, although it is not possible to reduce the time, we can be simplifying the task of the operator or making the process safer.
To achieve these objectives it is indispensable that the operator "proprietor” of the machine participates actively and certainly that the team, beginning with the coordinator, listens to him with attention. They all end up formulating the best solution alternative for each case. It is interesting the great variety of ideas that we will find among teams and their concerns. This way, the experiences are cumulative.
Real case at a shipyard in San Diego: For example portable carts can be ideal for the tooling of curtain presses (also called press brakes). The superior dies should be stored with the edge down to ease the operation. The cart made to an exact height allows making the changes quickly. The operator no longer needs help and carries out the changes in a fraction of the time compared with the previous system.
If we have several presses of the same type or very similar, we will have a basic solution that will be shared with the new teams. Of course, we will keep using the same participation procedure. An idea can still be improved and fed back to previous improvements. Let us encourage the open discussion of these details from the beginning of the course.
The hygiene and safety aspects are very important, not only to fulfill regulations but to show the operators the commitment that the company has toward them. This makes the worker feel appreciated, and it generates a better disposition toward the performance of their work.
Sometimes it arises (every time in smaller scale) the adventurous spirit: The typical worker who refuses to use the safety equipment or gear with the pretext that he has never been in an accident. I have faced that problem. It requires tons of patience from the supervisor, but long term you can get them motivated to take care of themselves.
It is necessary to remember that our focus should not only cover the area operator, but all other persons who can be in the surroundings. You should pay attention to the traffic areas near the machine. Also, pay attention to the barriers that are convenient to install so that the visitor doesn't interfere with the movement of the normal operation.
We are speaking in general of: improvement in the process, improvement in the quality of the product, and improvement in the quality of the operation.
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