Page 6 - Demo

6|September 2019
Slippery rock Gazette
SaMoTer 2020: Entries Now Open for 23rd Innovation Awards
Training & Education
Waste is a Waste... of Time, Effort and Money
Don’t Leave Profits Lying on the Shop Floor
Waste is defined as to consume, spend or employ uselessly without adequate return. To use to no profit or opportunity. To squander.
In all businesses, waste comes in many forms. We often think of wasted materials like caulk, razor blades, adhesive tips, sand- ing pads, etc. on the shop floor. In fact, the list is very long.
In the fabrication business, labor and materials are the two highest items of expense. Depending on the company and its use of automated equipment, labor should amount to about 30% to 35% of sales. Combined labor and overhead, which we call Operating Expense, should be less than 50% of sales. Materials, including inbound freight, should be less than 35% of sales. Obviously, you would want to assure that every penny you spend on those items would be used effectively with minimal waste.
Material Utilization
For material utilization, the objective is to increase yield (which is the opposite of waste). Making the best use of materi- als begins with programming to “nest” the parts as tightly as pos- sible to minimize waste. Recuts can be a huge item of waste as you utilize more material than planned due to some mistake or faulty material. Every piece of material that goes into the dumpster is costing you just as much as the parts you cut for the products you make.
An excellent opportunity to increase yield is the effective use of remnants, which takes a bit of effort. Remnants can ac- cumulate to the point that you just don’t have room for more, so you clean them out (and start accumulating yet again). A simple approach is the “half slab rule.” If a cut job results in a half-slab remnant or larger, it goes into inventory with value at the cost you originally paid.
Ed Hill
Synchronous Solutions
Obviously, a remnant with value would be a priority for use if it will color-match. Material han- dlers should be encouraged and held accountable for using those remnants. Remnant of less than half-slab size, but large enough to be used for a vanity, should go back into inventory without value. They are the second priority for use. Remnants not large enough for a vanity, should be discarded. In any case, at least once a quarter, you should review the remnant in- ventory and decide what needs to be retained and what needs to be discarded. When you wait until you run out of room, you make the task more difficult and you are likely to discard something that could be of value.
As noted, this is a simple ap- proach and seems to work well. There are more sophisticated methods that can be more effec- tive if you choose to commit to the administration. Another point to consider is that there is a differ- ence between a Purchasing Agent and a Materials Manager. The former is nothing but a buyer. A
Materials Manager is a much big- ger job and is normally responsi- ble for purchasing and inventory control.
Labor Utilization
After material costs, the next largest expenditure for a fabrica- tor is labor. With the increased use of automated equipment, the pure labor cost can be reduced but the waste can become even more dramatic because you may not be effectively using the investment in that expensive equipment. Wasted labor and equipment uti- lization can come in many forms:
• Over production. Producing more at some process step that is already ahead of schedule is not an effective operational tech- nique. This leads to excessive inventory, which often needs to be moved to get to the needed inventory, which adds to labor costs and makes it more likely to be damaged. Excessive inventory is expensive. Investment in idle materials is not making you any money. It is not always good to be ahead of schedule. In fact, it is better to produce inefficiently that which you do need than to produce efficiently that which you do not need. Moreover, the labor capacity utilized to produce excessive inventory is still needed to produce the required inventory. This is classic waste.
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“It is better to produce inefficiently that which you do need than to produce efficiently that which you do not need.
SaMoTer, the international exhibition dedicated to con- struction machinery, will
once again promote technologi- cal evolution and research during the run-up to next edition sched- uled at the Verona Exhibition Center March 21-25, 2020. The closing date for entries in the 23rd Innovation Award is October 28, 2019. The event now boasts more categories to ensure even better representativeness of the sector, aswellasthedebutbyadayof appointments with the trade press and a focus on design.
Construction companies, offi- cial representatives or importers, research institutions and bodies, universities and professionals ac- tive in the world of construction and building site machinery may all take part.
There are ten competition sec- tions: hydraulic excavators, wheel loaders, track-laying bulldozers, skid-loaders, backhoe loaders, graders, telehandlers, attach- ments, software applications and installations.
production optimization, elimi- nation of ergonomic or operator safety problems and sustainabil- ity in the construction and use of machines. Not to mention applied design that, as of this edition of the SaMoTer Award, will see the assignment of a special prize.
“The earth moving machinery sector,” said Radis, “is evolving towards even more digitization and we therefore envisage that this aspect will also play a cen- tral role in the proposals entered for the competition. The by-now very near future of this market will be focus on process control and vehicle efficiency, including remote control thanks to 5G net- works or, in particular situations, work in full autonomy exploiting artificial intelligence.”
The self-loading mobile mixer (DB X35 BIG BAG) by Fiori Group Spa was awarded the Innovation Award in 2017.
© Foto Veronafiere-ENNEVI
The award rules require that machines, equipment or proto- types are genuine innovations or improvements in the company production ranges and that they will make their absolute debut on the Italian market in 2020.
The jury, chaired for the first time by technical journalist Costantino Radis, will assess innovative investments such as solutions for energy efficiency,
The winners of the competition will later be the main features of the “B2Press” initiative, which includes an awards ceremony in Verona, Italy on the evening of January 23, 2020. On January 24, the winners will have “speed date” meetings with journalists from the international trade press to talk about and promote their product.